The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 9



Only Krnovel

Episode 9

“Resistance?”

Altera held out her palm.

“Push this hand.”

Quilbian felt a little scared as he remembered the last time he tasted ‘death’, but he pulled himself together and pushed the ascetic’s palm.

“If you consider the power that Quilbian uses to heal as magic.”

Altera’s hand was slowly pushed back.

“The cadets here are not equipped with the ability to resist, so they are pushed back endlessly.”

“What happens if I get pushed?”

“Memories are suppressed. On the contrary, if you develop resistance and even develop the ability to resist.”

Altera put strength into her hand. Quilbian stepped back naturally without holding on.

“We can break the bonds of magic. The three of us came to our senses because we have excellent resistance.”

“I have a question.”

Quilbian looked at his palm and asked.

“If Twella and I had resistance, why did we only realize it now?”

“Until now, it would have been symmetrical. The suppressive power of the magic and your resistance were equal, and it continued in a state where you could neither advance nor retreat.”

“Why is the symmetry broken?”

“growth.”

Altera approached and placed a hand on Quilbian and Twella’s shoulders.

“You probably only remember the past year. The memories of waking up in each dormitory, receiving education, and living in a strictly controlled environment without deviation.”

Hearing those words, I looked back on the past. Just as Altera had said, all I could think of were the unchanging days.

Things that, until recently, would not have raised any doubts.

It’s different now.

It was surprising how he managed to live such a boring life without any deviations.

What concerns me the most is the answer to the question, ‘When did you come here?’

Even if I go back through my memories, what awaits me at the end is the sight of me waking up in the friendship house.

There was no front.

The only memory outside is of pigs.

“You may not realize it, but your body grows over time. Not only your body, but your mental world also becomes clearer.”

“Imagination world?”

Twella carefully brought the words to her lips.

“Let’s call it your thoughts or your mind for now. The world of existing concepts. It’s a realm you need to know to learn magic, but we’re going to learn sorcery, not magic.”

What else is magic?

Every word that came out of Altera’s mouth was incomprehensible.

“It’s really hard to explain with limited information. So, first, I need to clear your heads.”

“Your head?”

It certainly doesn’t mean cleaning.

As Quilbian was tapping his head with both hands, Altera took out the paper he had seen last time.

A square piece of paper the size of your palm.

“You both remember this, right?”

“yes.”

“This paper is called a ‘talisman.’ It’s easy to think of it as a basic tool needed for magic.”

Quilbian held the paper and rubbed it gently. It had a rough texture. When he pulled on it, it felt quite elastic.

“The best way to increase your resistance is to learn magic.”

“What should I do with this?”

It won’t end with just holding the paper, there will be a next step.

“First, focus on the paper. But close your eyes.”

For now, I did as I was told.

I pulled my eyelids open. A black curtain covered the world. My ears, which seemed more sensitive than when I opened my eyes, caught Twella’s breathing.

Altera’s footsteps could also be heard.

Focus, focus.

First, I thought of the hand that was holding the paper. I thought of the paper spread out stiffly between my fingers.

hmm…….

Is this the right thing to do?

“excuse me.”

“Shh. Just concentrate for now.”

I was in a difficult situation.

Ascetics have always taught us how to do things: how to clean, how to practice, how to eat.

Since all I had to do was follow the method, it was quite difficult to imagine anything ‘outside the method’.

It would be easier if the action had a clear purpose, like finding something to eat.

Concentration on abstract matters was a daunting task.

That was when.

“I’m dancing.”

Twella said.

What are you talking about? The same words did not come out of my mouth.

Quilbian confirmed it with his own eyes.

The amulet Twella was holding was waving as if dancing.

Her eyes were still closed. Altera looked back and forth between Twella’s face and the amulet with interest.

“Okay, stay focused.”

“Ascetic, can I open my eyes now?”

“No. Right now, I need to limit my senses. Block out unnecessary visual information and focus on the talisman, myself holding the talisman, and what’s happening between them.”

“yes.”

Something was happening.

As Quilbian was looking at the dancing amulet, Altera’s face appeared between his eyes.

“Do you have time to look around?”

I closed my eyes tightly.

Let’s focus. If Twella did it, so can I.

He always got the top score with excellent grades at the Friendship House. He never fell behind, so he would quickly get the hang of it this time too.

Dancing talisman.

I furrowed my brows, imagining the paper shaking.

“stop.”

Altera said.

Quilbian opened his eyes slightly and checked the amulet he was holding. It was just crumpled from the strength in his fingers.

“You have overwhelming talent.”

Altera said to Twella.

His eyes looked very affectionate.

“Quilvian isn’t bad either. It’s probably because of Twella’s influence that the path has opened up to some extent.”

I was influenced.

Quilbian turned his head towards Twella, his hands hanging down.

The only child who said that the sun was disgusting when all the students were praising it.

Quillian thought he was smart. The only one he could compare to was Drich, and he considered the rest to be inferior to him both intellectually and physically.

It was arrogance.

What was believed to be ability was just efficiency. Twella, who saw through the lies and glimpsed a piece of the truth, was the one who could shine.

then?

He engraved the shape of the talisman into his eyes and closed them tightly again.

“Quilvian.”

“There are still 10 minutes left before break. I’ll try a little more.”

If you fall behind, just take action to catch up.

“Okay. Let’s try a little more. Let’s try Twella again. This time, let’s try to feel the temperature.”

Twella’s amulet moved on its own.

Is that what happens when you concentrate?

The shaking talisman was drawn on the blackened clock.

Move, move, move.

After letting out a silent scream of desperation, I slowly opened my eyes.

The talisman didn’t move at all, as it should have.

*

“It was faster than I expected. Let’s try to speed things up. Come back tomorrow.”

I went down the stairs, escorted by Altera.

Twella didn’t run away like last time. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and kept pace with him.

“That’s right.”

“Are you curious about how it moved?”

“… … Uh. No matter what I did, I couldn’t move. I had no idea what I should feel or what I should focus on.”

When you are lost and don’t know how to do something, asking questions is the best solution. Twella is far superior in terms of legal skills, so she will give you a clear answer.

“Do I really have to move?”

Twella answered.

“What are you talking about?”

“No, this is magic. Is it really necessary to learn it?”

Quilbian stopped walking. Twella continued down two more steps without stopping.

“Is it because I am lacking that it is difficult to explain?”

“No, that’s absolutely not the case. I don’t think you’re lacking. On the contrary, I think you’re great. It’s just… … .”

In the middle of the conversation, Twella was startled so much that her blushing cheeks turned white.

“Twella?”

“Stay still! Please stay still. I beg you.”

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

I was worried about the sudden change. The moment I went down one step of the stairs and closed the distance with Twella.

“Back off!”

Twella raised her head and shouted.

I had mood swings. It wasn’t normal. Did something go wrong with my studies in law?

With that thought in mind, he raised his head just like Twella.

Passover.

Something like gravel fell.

He groaned and squinted his eyes. They stung as if he had powder in them.

It was when I closed my eyes tightly and tried to let the tears flow away along with the impurities.

My body was thrown forward by the hand grabbing me.

“Hey!”

The central axis collapsed. Someone caught my body as it fell to the floor.

Crunch, the shock spread through my body.

But he wasn’t seriously injured.

It felt like the person who had grabbed my arm was trapped underneath me.

“Twella, Twella! Are you okay?”

I wanted to open my eyes and see ahead, but my eyelids wouldn’t open.

The person who pulled my arm was definitely Twella, but why?

The questions that were beginning to arise were buried by a heavy sound coming from right behind.

bang!

Quilbian shrank down and hugged Twella, who was touching him.

The noise did not continue.

The pungent air enveloped his nose and mouth. Quilbian coughed and strained his left eye.

I barely managed to open one eye, enduring the tearing pain.

“Twella, are you okay?”

Twella’s figure appeared in my blurry vision. Twella groaned for a moment before saying she was okay.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“My eyes are just a little sore.”

There was a commotion down below. The voices of my friends and the ascetic were mixed together.

Quillvian wiped his left eye with the back of his hand. Some of his blurry vision began to return.

“… … .”

When I looked back, the stairs were a mess. Broken boards and stones. I looked up. The ceiling had collapsed.

It was creepy.

If I had been even one second late, I would have been caught.

I knew intuitively that I had just stepped halfway into the realm of death.

The cessation of life activity that Altera spoke of must have occurred.

My heart was beating faster than ever. I felt like I was sweating for a moment, and then my whole body went cold.

death.

That vague word turned my head upside down with a sense of reality that was tiresome.

It was when I felt like I was going to get nauseous.

“Quil.”

Twella’s hands touched her cheeks.

Just by touching it, my head, which was heading towards the end of confusion, calmed down.

“You’ll be okay. So… …don’t worry.”

Twella smiled as she said that.

It was an obvious smile.

A smile so pretty that you want to keep looking at it, so pretty that you can understand the definition of beauty in an instant.

I’m sure that’s true.

Quilbian faced that smile and thought of a completely different word.

sorrow.

It was really strange.

*

“The Seer was looking after you. That’s for sure. That’s why you came to me. If it weren’t for his mysterious powers, you would have been badly hurt.”

Drich was in an uproar.

He walked up and down the bed, praising the prophet all the time.

“Drich.”

“uh?”

“What happens if you get seriously hurt?”

“Well… … it hurts.”

“So what exactly is a serious injury?”

Drich gaped. It seemed as if he had a lot to say but couldn’t put together the right sentences.

“No! If you get hurt badly, you get hurt badly. Lately, you’ve been asking strange questions about obvious things.”

If you get really badly hurt, then death comes next.

It was valuable information gained through experience.

Does Drich know?

The fear of death that I only encountered through letters. The emptiness, the coldness, and the desolation of feeling like everything was cut off.

“Anyway, the visionary… … .”

“Twella.”

“what?”

“It was Twella who saved me. Not the Seer.”

“What can he do?”

“You can pull me.”

After smiling at the bewildered Drich, he closed his eyes.

I thought of the talisman, but what I was drawing was Twella’s face.

When I first saw her, I didn’t understand her, and when I next bumped into her, I got annoyed.

The irritation had diluted and disappeared, and the desire to help filled my heart, but now another emotion was stirring.

I want to protect it.

Helping and protecting.

Quilbian fell asleep while pondering the difference between the two words.

(Continued in next episode)