Chapter 45: Creating A ‘Crystal Ball’ That Sees The Future

“Young Lady, what are you doing?”

“Studying Magic!”

The young lady is scribbling something with colored pencils.

“Magic study? Your white mana shouldn’t need that, Young Lady…”

“Yes! But this is different!”

Looking closely, it’s a magic circle.

Geometric lines drawn intricately inside a circle.

White mana and the young lady are special, but ordinary blue mana usually follows a certain pattern to draw a magic circle, so they draw these standardized magic circles.

“Are you going to use blue mana?”

“Yes! I’m going to make magic tools too!”

“Magic tools?”

The young lady nods her head and shows me a storybook next to her.

‘The Magic Crystal Ball that Sees the Future’

“I’m going to make a magic tool that sees the future like this magic crystal ball and see how happily Mana and I are living!”

“Aha?”

“I’ll make it cool!”

Magic that sees the future, the only ones who can see the future in this world are the saints or holy women who receive revelations from the goddess, Young Lady…

As expected, the young lady believes that a part of the storybook is true.

Hmm, how can I protect this cute innocence?

“Ah, right. Just a moment, Young Lady?”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’ll only take a moment! Keep drawing!”

I quickly go to my room and rummage through my bag.

There should be something in here that will help the young lady at a time like this..

Where is it… Ah! Here it is!

“Young Lady~”

“Yes?”

“These scrolls might be helpful~”

Magic scrolls that were stuck in my bag and never used!

Basically, magic circles have a form, so they might help the young lady’s magic activities.

“Wow… what’s this?”

“It’s called a scroll. Artifacts are usually semi-permanent, but these are for single use only, instead, they can be used on thin things like paper or parchment. They’re not that expensive, so every household has one or two, you know?”

“Scroll..!”

The young lady receives the scrolls and admires them, saying ‘Oh..!’.

“This is.. amazing! This is really amazing! It’s similar to what I was thinking!”

“I thought this would make it easier for you, Young Lady. Making magic items is not an easy task.

You need to construct a magic circle, and you also need a lot of catalysts and magic stones.

On the other hand, if you make it with a scroll, it’s disposable and has clear limitations, but the effect itself is similar in low-performance magic, and you can experiment a lot. It’s also cheap.”

“…Okay. I’ll try making a magic crystal ball with a scroll!”

The young lady looks around the scrolls as if they are amazing, and then picks up one and looks at me.

“This is a light-up magic, right??”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Light magic. Would you like to try tearing the scroll once?”

“Yes! Light up!”

Rip! When she tears the paper, a small light is created between the papers!

“Wow…!”

“That light will disappear in a moment.”

“That’s it! It’s so amazing! I want to make that too!”

“Hmm… just a moment?”

I tear a piece of paper from the young lady’s sketchbook and bring it.

“Draw the Light magic pattern inside the circle.”

“Thank you!”

“Ah, can I try making one too?”

“Can Mana make it too? Then magic tools too!?”

“No, I can’t make magic tools. That’s the exclusive domain of mages. But I, who have zero mana talent, can make scrolls drawn using magic stones to some extent, you know?”

“Wow..! It’s so amazing! Let’s make it together quickly!”

“Yes~”

The young lady naturally raises blue mana and draws lines on the paper little by little, and I bring a mana stone from the warehouse and start drawing by gently grinding it.

First, the most important thing is a circle that completely contains mana~

And a clear straight line drawn inside it.

“Mana, what magic are you making?”

“I’m making Light. What about you, Young Lady?”

“Me too!”

“We’re on the same page~”

Of course, Light magic is simple, so it’s easy to draw.

The straight lines quickly filled in the circle are already a unique shape.

Phew, okay. Finally, I grind the magic stone gently and sprinkle it over the paper…

“You can gently put in blue mana, Young Lady. You shouldn’t put it in strongly, okay?”

“Yes!”

A blue light flickers from the well-made scroll and then disappears.

Phew, fortunately, I made it well. Hmm hmm, I’m not rusty.

“I made it too!”

“You did a great job, Young Lady! You made it very well!”

…As expected, is a mage different?

It looks 5 times better than mine.

We admire each other’s scrolls for a moment.

The young lady was amazed that I, a non-mage, made a scroll.

Of course, it requires tremendous skill.

Hmm!

“If you magically finish a scroll made like this, it becomes a wonderful scroll. Right now, the mana is naturally flying away slowly. We have to use it quickly!”

“Quickly? Then I’ll try using it now!”

“Yes~ One~ Two~ Three!”

Rip! When we tear the scrolls, one small light and one large light float up into the air.

“Wow..!”

“You made it wonderfully for your first scroll!”

“Yes! Mana is also very cool!”

…By the way, if she has that much talent, she could become an artifact maker instead of a mage later, you know?

She’s good at drawing..

Hmm… well, I’m going to let the young lady do what she wants, though.

“Then I’ll make a scroll that sees the future now!”

“Yes! Good luck, Young Lady! I’ll make a lot of delicious snacks to make your head work well!”

“Yes! To see a wonderful future with Mana!!”

So, the young lady spent every day reading books, exercising, studying magic, etiquette, and various activities, and she also designed magic circles and made scrolls in her spare time.

Our young lady… she’s living 14 hours a day more diligently than anyone else. Hmm hmm… she’s a wonderful young lady.

“Mana! I have a question about this part!”

“Yes~”

“Mana! I need a catalyst!”

“Huh? It’s a scroll, though?”

“I need an hourglass! I need something to symbolize time!”

“Aha, I understand. I’ll prepare it for you.”

“And a lot of magic stones! I also need a huge piece of paper!”

“Yes!”

So, the young lady’s curiosity filled phase went past November and into December.

I went to the village and bought a lot of things that the young lady asked me for, and even after that, she stayed in the house and researched for a week.

“I finally finished making it!!!”

“You really worked hard. Congratulations, Young Lady!”

The young lady succeeded in creating a magic circle the size of a large carpet.

A huge mirror, an hourglass, stars, and various patterns are densely drawn…

A mere 9-year-old made that.

As expected, the young lady is a genius.

Of course, I don’t know what kind of magic circle that is, but just the vast amount of mana contained in it…

Seeing that the mana is flowing well, it seems that she succeeded in making it into a scroll.

“Finally! I can see the future where I live happily with Mana!”

“Ah, just a moment, Young Lady?”

“Yes!”

Oops, I’m such a maid.

I go to my room and bring a blunt stick with a jewel embedded in it.

“What’s that?”

“This is called a Magic Dispel. If the scroll goes wrong, it might explode, right? In that case, it blocks the magical damage and the mana itself.”

“Wow… there’s something like that…”

“It’s okay. There won’t be any danger.”

“Then I’ll use it now?”

“Yes!”

The young lady uses magic on the large scroll.

“Be cut in half!”

In an instant, the scroll is cut cleanly in half!

Then, a blue light emanates from the scroll, and then a mirror made of magic is slowly created in the air above the scroll.

“I did it! It’s a success!”

“Congratulations, Young Lady!”

“Yes! Okay… Mirror, mirror! From now on.. um.. how many years later. Anyway, show me the future where Mana and I are happily together!!”

Flash..!

The mirror shines brightly and begins to show something faintly.

The place is… the young lady’s room?

“Oh my! It looks like the young lady!”

“That’s me?”

“It seems so, right? You’ve become a very beautiful woman!”

The young lady, whose face turned red, looking in the mirror in her room.

Hmm.. 19 years old? 20 years old?

The sure thing is that she’s all grown up and very pretty.

“…Why are my breasts smaller than Mana’s?”

“Hmm… I think that can’t be helped. Still, they’re big, you know? It’s because mine are too big.”

“Hmph… I wish they were as big as Mana’s…”

“Oh, shall we try hard every day from today?”

“Yes!”

She seems to be decorating herself a lot.

…As if she’s waiting for someone.

She’s mumbling something while looking in the mirror, but unfortunately, I can’t hear the sound.

“…But where’s Mana?”

“Um… I wonder?”

In the mirror, the young lady, who is getting dolled up while looking in the mirror, suddenly turns around to the door.

The door opens carefully.

“It’s Mana!”

“Oh my…”

Hmm… it’s me?

“Mana hasn’t aged at all!”

“I guess so? It seems like I’ve only aged a little more than now…”

What? It seems like at least 8 years have passed.

Me at 24.. is it okay to look that young?

The young lady greets me, who came in wearing a maid’s uniform, happily.

“…Oh.”

“I’m taller!”

“Th, that’s right?”

Although it’s a little… the grown-up young lady is taller than me.

Hmm… my heart is complicated and happy…

The two people in the mirror who hugged each other tightly smile brightly and prepare to go out.

They kiss lightly.

Huh?

“We kissed!”

“…Th, that’s right?”

Oh my god… is this really the future?

It seems like it’s just showing what the young lady wants to see.

Two women kissing until they’re that old… it’s completely against etiquette.

The me and the young lady in the mirror who kissed softly seem to be preparing to go out…

Suddenly, the young lady grabs my wrist, right?

Looking at the shape of her mouth..

‘I, I want to do it with Mana now.’

Is that what it says?

???!

‘Really.. Young Lady, we were going to go on a picnic today, weren’t we?’

‘B, but I want to do it now.. Can’t I..?’

????!

Do what?

‘It’s, it’s a command. I’m Mana’s master, you know.’

‘Tsk, what did I say would happen if you become such a bad master?’

‘Y, you’ll scold me…’

??????!

‘You won’t do that, right?’

‘U, yes… I’m sorry…’

‘…You know, so it’s okay. It can’t be helped. Let’s go on a picnic tomorrow, okay?’

“Mana! Mana! Why are they just mouthing?”

“Th, that’s…”

“Hmph, I don’t know what they’re saying!”

The young lady in the mirror smiles happily and hugs me tightly, and then leads me to the bed.

…And she gently lays me down on the bed.

And then she lightly gets on top of me…

And then…

???????????????!

“Wait!!! Young Lady, you can’t!!!”

“Huh? What? Why? Move your hand, Mana! I’ll get on top of Mana and…!”

“Th, that’s not allowed! Disappear, you devil!!!!”

Bang!!!

I swing the Magic Dispel and shatter the magic circle.

Crash..!

“Ah, no..! My 3 weeks of effort..!”

“…Ah, it seems that it was a wrong magic circle somewhere, Young Lady.”

“Uuuu… That can’t be..! Mana is bad! I hate you!”

Gasp..!

Ah, the young lady hates me.

Sh, should I die…

“Ah, Young Lady…”

“She was going to do something! She looked very happy! I couldn’t see it because of Mana! Uuuuu!!!”

“I, I’m sorry…”

Sniffle…

“Mana, take responsibility!”

“Huh..? Responsibility?”

“Yes! Take responsibility quickly!”

The young lady, who seems very angry, commands me.

“Mana will work all day tomorrow wearing only underwear!”

“What!?”

“I’ll punish the bad Mana! Work all day wearing only underwear! Shiver because it’s cold!”

“Th, that’s..!”

“Bad Mana!”

B, bad Mana…

How can she say such a harsh thing…

“H, heeeeeng…”

“I, it’s no use crying..!”

“Sniffle sniffle…”

“I, if you keep doing that, I’ll tell you to work naked! I, I’m really angry, you know..?!”

“I’m sorry, Young Lady… Please forgive me just once…”

“Okay! I’ll forgive you!”

Yay.

“But work wearing only underwear!”

“Eh…”

“Are you thinking of just getting away with it after breaking my 3 weeks of effort..?”

“Th, that’s…”

“It’s a command as a young lady! I’m very angry!”

“Hmph…”

“Th, then 12 hours…”

“…Sniffle.”

So, a dramatic compromise.

Working for 12 hours wearing only underwear…

“If you’re really cold, you can hug me!”

“Hmph… okay…”

..Still.. I protected the young lady from pornography..

This Mana.. I lived faithfully today too..!