When Lukie mentioned non-verbal magic, I got really excited and asked her straight away.
"Non-verbal magic… wait, you mean non-verbal, right? The kind that lets you cast advanced magics without chanting?!"
At first, I was a little slow to process what she said. But after swallowing my bite of food, I suddenly got fired up, gripping my spoon tightly and pressing Lukie for answers.
Lukie noticed my excitement, and her voice got louder too.
"Yes! Because I saw Ms. Lina chant her magic this morning at the guild, I figured maybe you two didn't know…"
I cut her off before she could finish.
"Quick! Tell me, how do you use non-verbal magic?!"
"Alright! Non-verbal magic very simple, you first have to chant the magic as many times as your age."
"Wait… so at twelve, I have to chant it 12 times before I can cast it non-verbally?"
"Exactly. And each year after that, you have to chant it once more."
Wow… that's complicated. I'd have to chant 29 times now, and then again every year. What's the point of non-verbal casting then? If I just chanted 100 times at once, would I never have to chant again?
"So if I chant 13 times, does that mean when I turn thirteen I can cast non-verbally without chanting?"
"Nope. Scholars tried chanting more than their age, but the next year you still have to chant again to use it non-verbally. No one knows why yet."
What a shame. But non-verbal casting seems like a research topic. Whoever figured this out must be amazing—I really want to ask where they got the idea.
"Who discovered non-verbal magic?"
"It was a scholar at the Fenlust School in Asrangari. Guttres published it in the year 2002. I don't know the research process"
Three proper nouns there—Asrangari, Fenlust School, and Guttres—but Guttres is probably the person who discovered non-verbal magic.
"Asrangari? Fenlust School?"
"You don't know them?"
Lukie looked at us in surprise. Wait, are these names supposed to be common knowledge?
"I don't know."
"Oh… Asrangari is the great country in the far east, and Fenlust School is the top school in the world for knowledge and technology."
"I see… thanks for explaining."
"Well, I should go now. If you have more questions, feel free to ask me."
"Good bye."
Lukie got up to leave. Since I was still eating, Lina answered for me, and I just waved.
After finishing my meal, I gave Lina 2 copper coins.
"Lina, go take a shower. I feel gross."
"Me too."
We headed to the other side of the dining hall. After paying at the counter, we found two doors labeled for boys and girls. Boys go left, girls right.
"Lina, I'll wait outside after I shower, take your time."
"Mm, you wash well too."
"Of course."
We each went into the shower rooms, which looked a bit like public bathrooms, with sinks and mirrors.
I randomly picked an empty stall, shut the door, and inside there was just a drain. The toilets must be elsewhere. On the wall hung a shower and some soap.
The showerhead wasn't connected to a pipe. I took it down and saw a blue stone on the handle—must be a magic core.
(This world really is advanced.)
I hung the shower back up, took off my dirty clothes, and began washing, scrubbing every corner of my body clean.
While showering, I kept thinking about non-verbal magic. Where should I practice chanting? There are so many magics—what if I drive myself crazy?
(Ancient magic is simpler.)
Ancient magic doesn't need chanting and is powerful, but I can't just show it to anyone. Doing so would overturn common knowledge in this world and draw attention from every nation, forcing me to go on the run.
Maybe that wouldn't happen, but I still want to avoid it. Ancient magic is my ace card—I'll only show it when I have no other choice.
To avoid using ancient magic, I first need to get stronger. Tomorrow I'll buy a short sword and ask about the staff's uses.
Since the magic power scales with age, I can also control magic direction myself. Take a staff just looks cool?
After showering, I dried off with a towel and put on fresh clothes—feels so nice. I walked out, stood in front of the mirror, and touched my face.
"So this is what I really look like…"
This was the first time I really saw my face in this world. I'd tried using water as a mirror before, but it never reflected properly. The surface always rippled, and I could only see a distorted image.
Lina had said I was handsome, but I thought she was just joking politely. Seeing my reflection now, I couldn't deny it—my features were clear, big eyes, black pupils, and smooth hair.
I don't even know how to describe it. I just felt good, like I finally answered a long-standing question… or realized I looked pretty decent. Probably both.
I stepped out of the shower and didn't see Lina yet—she must still be inside. I leaned against the wall, waiting for her.
After a while, Lina came out.
"Karen, have you been waiting long?"
"Nope, I just got out myself."
We walked back to our room together. Lina shared what she had seen.