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[3] Meet the Magic (3)
One Child He looked at Sirone’s outfit and furrowed his brow.
“Principal, he is not an aristocrat. I think he is a lowly citizen.”
“Cheongmin shouldn’t come in here. Hey, get out of here!”
I didn’t know that Alpheas wasn’t a noble, so he scratched his eyebrows in embarrassment. However, like a wizard who pursues intelligence, he motioned for me to come without discriminating between the noble and the lowly.
“It’s okay, come this way. So, what words of the old man attracted your heart?”
Sirone hesitated. He wanted to approach Alpheas, but the eyes of the children were blocking his approach.
It was as if he was saying this. Don’t invade their territory on the subject of insignificant cheonmin.
“Show me your magic.”
“Have you never seen magic?”
“I’ve read about it in books, but I’ve never seen it myself.”
A child pointed and shouted.
“lie! What book do you read?”
Alpheas stared into Sirone’s eyes as if to hide the truth. It didn’t seem like a lie. However, it was children of that age who deceived adults as if they were eating with an innocent face.
“So what kind of magic would you like to see?”
“It doesn’t matter. Anything is fine, so show me. please.”
Sirone realized her situation and politely bowed her head. Alpheas waved his hands with a big smile. It wasn’t that difficult if it was a level of magic to play with children.
“This old man’s only pleasure is to show our cuties magic. good night! In that case, I will show you the magic that causes the wind this time.”
“Wow! The wind is the wind!”
Even as the children clapped their hands, Sirone clenched her fists in tension. It was only natural that I knew nothing about magic.
The moment Alpheas waved his hand, Sirone widened her eyes at an unexpected sense of floating. As the world sank down, my vision opened up. The buildings of the magic school were visible at once.
“Aaaaaaa!”
Sirone screamed involuntarily. On the other hand, the children seemed to enjoy Alpheas’s magic, even doing somersaults and enjoying it.
Moments later, Sirone crashed at breakneck speed. I closed my eyes and crouched down at the sight of the land crashing down on me.
But the hopeless shock was not delivered. When I gently opened my eyes, I was floating near the ground.
The children pointed at Sirone and laughed away. Alpheas was also watching with a convex smile.
“How are you? This is magic.”
All Shirone could hear was the sound of her heart beating in her chest. The magic he experienced for the first time in his life transcended the boy’s vaguely dreamed fantasy.
“What is magic?”
“Hmm, let’s see. Magic is…”
As Alpheas playedfully chose the words, Sirone impatiently added a word.
“It’s okay if I don’t understand. Please tell me what you think.”
The children’s faces hardened. Alpheas is a famous wizard known in the kingdom. That’s why the sons of nobles act like docile sheep. However, since Sirone said something arrogant, the children were in awe.
Alpheas thought he was bold, but he wasn’t upset because he could see his desperation. Her beautiful appearance, which is not like the common people, also played a part in erasing the sense of incongruity.
“Chuck! You don’t have to be so nervous. Actually, it’s not even that difficult. But if you want, you can turn the difficulty up a bit. Magic is an act that defies common sense. Conversely, it is a mental operation that seeks the truth of phenomena.”
Sirone blinked and thought for a long time.
“If you don’t know, you can say you don’t know.”
“It’s different from common sense, but in fact, is that the truth?”
Alpheas stuck out his lower lip. It was a habit that only came out when he was really surprised.
It is possible to feel the sincerity of a short statement only when you understand something perfectly.
Also, that was the insight that Alpheas had emphasized.
“Where did you learn that?”
“Ummm, from the book.”
“Is there a book with such content?”
“It wasn’t the content, but it came to my mind while reading the book. I think common sense is not necessarily right. I also thought that in order to reach the truth, I might have to fight common sense in the end.”
Alpheas nodded.
It made sense.
‘No, it’s not the truth, it’s the truth. Are you saying you really know? Anyone can recite what someone has heard. But if that’s not the case…’
Is it 12 years old now?
Once an idea has risen to the ranks of common sense, it is extremely difficult to destroy it. Already realizing the essentiality, the primary goal pursued by magic, was a considerable talent.
‘It’s really unique. no insight Are you really a commoner? It’s a pity.’
Sensing that she wouldn’t be able to stay here long, she asked the second question.
“How can I learn magic? Do you need special powers?”
“I don’t know what special power it is, but it does require a lot of mental strength.”
It was a surprisingly trivial answer. Sirone thought that Alfeas might be hiding the truth.
“Is that really all? Are you saying that if you think you need to create a wind, you can fly like before?”
“That is a very difficult problem. But if I add an exaggeration, it is. Of course, it’s impossible just to think. The wizard’s spirit must be perfectly assimilated with the world. An extremely sensitive state of mind, for example?”
The first time the principal had a serious conversation with someone, the children didn’t even dare to intervene.
“How can I feel that this is an extremely sensitive state of mind?”
Alpheas saw through Sirone’s intentions and smiled quietly. It’s not just curiosity. This child is exploring. He really intended to learn magic right here.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m a commoner. There will never be a chance to learn magic. I’d rather give it now than be frustrated for the rest of my life.’
Alpheas relaxed his expression as if to evoke the atmosphere.
“When a wizard concentrates, his mind becomes sharp enough to sense everything around him. Wizards describe this as entering the Spirit Zone. I’m going to demonstrate, so watch the kid here do it. Would you like to enter the Shumin Spirit Zone?”
“Yes, Principal.”
A girl named Shumin answered confidently. Before entering school, each of them was said to be a genius, so it was only natural that they wanted to show off their skills.
When Shumin closed his eyes and concentrated, the children created a quiet atmosphere. As if such an attitude further reveals their superiority.
“I entered the Spirit Zone.”
“Then let’s begin.”
Alpheas took out a coin and shook it. Then he grabbed the coin and stuck out his fist.
“Now, how many coins are in here?”
“Six outlines.”
When I opened my palm, there were six silver coins lying there. Alfeas, ignoring Sirone’s surprised expression, repeated the same action.
“Now try again.”
“Three outlines.”
It was correct this time too.
After that, I tried a few more times, but the result was the same. Alpheas said while inserting a coin with a satisfied expression.
“It’s okay Shumin. You did very well.”
Shumin let out a long breath. Even though she had just guessed the number, cold sweat was forming on her forehead.
“This is an extremely sensitive state of mind. The moment they enter the Spirit Zone, the wizard can perceive the outside world supersensibly. Excellent wizards can even count the number of leaves from a long distance. Of course, the skills that Shumin showed are also great.”
Sirone somehow seemed to know. It is because he also succeeded in Thunderstruck by realizing an impossible point that cannot be found by human senses through insight.
I think Shumin didn’t count the number of coins. Concentrating all of his senses, he fully felt the situation taking place in Alpheas’ hands.
‘Extremely sensitive state of mind. Spirit Zone.’
Sirone chewed over Alpheas’ words. In the meantime, questions naturally follow. Can I really do it? no maybe you can?
“Anyone can do it.”
Alfeas, who saw through Sirone’s intentions, spoke.
Anyone can do Spirit Zone. But it wasn’t something anyone could do.
innate talent.
Magic was such a world.
“Practice in a quiet place. First of all, I want to feel you. then erase it If that happens, a different world will unfold. Do you see what I mean?”
“all right.”
Sirone understood.
“Because if you don’t feel yourself, it will be impossible to erase yourself.”
Alpheas admired again. It’s not an insight a 12-year-old can savor.
Then there were two possible cases. Either really talented, or a mischievous acquaintance sent to prank you.
“Would you like to try it? here.”
Seeing no reason to refuse, Sirone closed her eyes. It seemed that if I made use of the experience of Thunderstruck, I could do anything. However, when I focused on it, it was different from finding a weakness in a tree.
I couldn’t draw anything. When I recalled the appearance, most of it was only constructed through visual information. It was shocking how little he knew about himself.
‘What is it? Does a country exist?’
Sirone endlessly dug into his thoughts. Then he finally came to the idea of himself thinking.
‘brain. Humans were brains.’
No matter what I think of, I cannot come up with a clear definition of myself. It’s just a function of the human brain. If thinking is the only me, the moment I erase my thoughts, I disappear too.
Sirone began to gradually erase the functioning of her brain. Anyone can do it, but not everyone can do it.
My mind seems to be sucked into the abyss. It was like seeing the shape of concentration for the first time. As the nervous system connected to the five senses melted away, it was impossible to tell what smell was and what touch was.
And finally, Sirone disappeared from his brain.
Sirone’s eyes widened.
The scenery unfolding before my eyes was serene. The children were yawning and the women were pulling out their hair and playing games. Sirone didn’t know that 10 minutes had passed before he knew it.
“How are you? Did you hear something?”
Alpheas did not expect. I admit the concentration that lasted for 10 minutes, but the spirit zone was not something I could get into by working hard. If all he did was stand with his eyes closed, the wizard could be a dog or a cow.
“Yes, I heard.”
Alfeas raised his eyebrows at the unexpected answer.
“Hoo? So what did you hear?”
“sound. I heard everything.”
“Heh heh it was.”
Alpheas nodded. Perhaps Sirone could not have entered the Spirit Zone. Even an ordinary person can hear a different sound if he concentrates for 10 minutes. But what was happening in the Spirit Zone was on a different level from that.
First, experience synesthesia. The smell comes from the sound, the taste is felt from the light, and the image is transmitted through the skin.
‘Is Pharaoh too much? Too bad. He’s a talented kid.’
If you were a noble, if you had been trained since childhood, wouldn’t you have achieved similar achievements as the children here today?
But that alone couldn’t turn Alpheas’s heart. There are as many talented people as stars in the world. Even the children of this place could not guarantee that they would become wizards.
“Good job. If you practice hard in the future, you will be able to hear more sounds.”
Alpheas petted Sirone and took the children away. Sirone knew his disappointment. However, just not confirming that he was leaving school was considerate enough.
Sirone climbed over the fence. And I ran like crazy. It was only after I stopped running and sat down that I noticed that my heart was beating against my breastbone.
“It really is.”
