By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 1

by Roy

  “I’ll be careful. ...Hm?”

  That was when Eliaria started glancing at me again, like before. I wasn’t doing anything in particular right now, maybe she wanted to ask something?

  “Is something the matter?”

  “Huh?!”

  “No, you just looked like you had something to say.”

  “Well...”

  After I said that, Eliaria hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.

  “Actually, I was curious about Ryoma’s magic energy.”

  “My magic energy?”

  “Yes. The other day, I watched you use so much magic, yet you said you were nowhere near running out. When I asked Father, he said a normal person would have collapsed already, so I was wondering how much magic energy you had.”

  If it was to these people, then it should be fine to disclose my magic energy. Considering how they had already seen me use enough magic to knock a normal person out, there was no point in hiding it. I used it in a similar way when I was in the forest, but... Oh, that must be why they told me to hide it. That reaffirmed my understanding.

  “Ah... When I checked just now, it said 198,000.”

  At my answer, the members of the duke’s family widened their eyes a little, and Eliaria looked a little conflicted. But, that was all.

  Huh? This was a weaker reaction than I expected...

  “198,000. So Ryoma can use that many magics with that much magic energy.”

  “That’s because the more energy you have, the more magic you can use.”

  “Huh? No, that’s not what I mean, I’m talking about the fact you can use magic properly.”

  “Properly?”

  “Err... Am I mistaken?”

  Our conversation seemed rather disjointed, and Eliaria turned to Sebas with a troubled look for help.

  “Is it possible that Master Ryoma is unaware of the side effects of large magic energy?”

  “Side effects? Such a thing exists?”

  At my answer, Eliaria was taken aback while Sebas and the other adults looked like they had expected as much. When I asked them to clarify, first they explained that having more magic energy was a huge advantage to using magic. That was for sure. However, when there was too much magic energy within the body, it made it harder to control and learn to use magic. Apparently, even trying to use just a little magic could cause the magic energy to come rushing out like a broken tap. Even a normal magician needed training to hold back their magic energy, so more training was needed for greater amounts.

  ...Now that they mentioned it, something did come to mind.

  When I first used Break Rock after coming to this world, it was all I could do to make a hole the size of my finger. I hadn’t noticed at first because I was happy to see results at all, but without proper control over the magic energy leaving the body, it would scatter everywhere. When that happened, the effect of the magic weakened. In other words, the magic energy back then was being discharged with only a small amount going into the magic effect.

  I figured that out as I continued to use magic, and with more use I learned to control it. Once I became able to maintain my magic energy, the effects of the spells grew dramatically with the same energy cost. After improving that for three years, I was able to use magic like back at the landslide. The same earth magic as back then could now be used with more power and freedom. For me, it was only natural ‘to be unable to use magic,’ so there was no particular sense of difficulty — only growth. In reality, all I had done was grow, but for the people of this world, a child using a tremendous amount of magic without problem meant they had either trained a lot or were extremely talented.

  ...It was a bit strange to think of myself that way, though. Well, I get it now at least.

  “I didn’t have anyone to compare myself with until now, so I didn’t realize.”

  “The fact that Ryoma can use magic so easily is an amazing thing, you know? Even though I’m the same age, I can’t use magic very well.”

  “You too?”

  “...I actually have 200,000 magic energy.”

  “200?!”

  That was more than me! Well, no wonder the adults didn’t react much! Come to think of it, Gain and the others had mentioned how strongly she had inherited the blood of her otherworlder ancestor, a mighty magician. It all made sense. So that’s why she kept glancing at me. She had been interested in how I could use magic so easily, while having nearly as much magic energy as her.

  “Everything makes sense now.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I’ve never met anyone with as much magic energy as me before. To be honest, I was curious as to how much magic you could use, as well as how you learned them so well, but it was hard to ask...”

  “How about I show you all the magic-related entries on my status board? I want to know how much myself.”

  I manipulated the newly created status board to only display my magic skills for everyone.

  “Hmm... You have an impressive range of magics, and they’re all high-level for your age. I heard you had all the elements, but seeing it in reality is...”

  “All the lower are over level two, and there are a few middle elements at level two and three. That’s plenty.”

  “Your earth and space magic is especially high-level. I’ve heard that space magic is hard to level, you did well getting it that high.”

  “You may even surpass me in the future. You even have the skills for magic detection, control, and recovery speed.”

  “I used magic to survive in the forest, so I was using it pretty much every day... Fire and water for cooking and bathing, earth and space for hunting.”

  “Hmm, did you ever use attack spells?”

  “No, I normally used my bow and traps to hunt. I can use Fireball, but it burns meat and makes it inedible. I used Earth Needle to set spikes at the bottom of pitfall traps.”

  “I see, so you’ve only used magic for living to level your skills until now. In that case, it would be good to learn some attack spells, too. There’s no demerits to knowing them, and there are the rare monsters that can only be affected by magic.”

  So such monsters existed. Wait, that was typical of a monster from light novels about other worlds. I had been living as a recluse for so long, I completely forgot. Better start learning attack spells from now on.

  “You’re right, I’d like to try that.”

  “The lower elemental magics are comparatively easier to learn, so you should be able to use intermediate difficulty spells with your current level. You seem to have plenty of magic energy, so you may be able to use advanced ones with earth magic.”

  “Ryoma has lots of magic energy too, so if he holds back his consumption with his magic control, he’ll be able to increase his recovery speed even more. Which means even more practice can be done in a day.”

  “It’s extremely beneficial for a magician, so don’t let that talent go to waste.”

  “Yes, I’ll work hard.”

  Once I finally understood how much of an exception I was outside of the forest, the voice of Eliaria still looking at my status board silently reached my ears.

  “Ryoma trained his magic by continuously using his magic in his daily life. If I did that, my magic would also...”

  “Even if you don’t use it in your daily life, if you play around with it in your free time, you’ll get it.”

  “Play around...?”

  She seemed motivated so I told her what I did in the forest, but that was received with a weird look.

  “Don’t you generally try all kinds of things out with basic magic?”

  “I do not. Practice always involves releasing the decided magic accurately.”

  “Magic skill is directly linked to the security of one’s income and lifestyle, so you don’t hear about people playing around with it.”

  “For example, fire magic is used in blacksmiths and steel mills, places with strong heat. Ice and space magic is used at restaurants to preserve and transport f
ood. Earth and wood magic is used in architecture and farming, and other industries like that. So if you’re good at one of them, your chance of employment and promotion over others increases.”

  I see. I knew it wasn’t forbidden for any religious reasons, but magic was generally treated like food. That’s why playing around with magic seemed to feel like a waste of magic energy, I guess. Which meant... it was bad? Just as the thought popped into my head, the three adults backed me up.

  “Play with magic. It’s not something you hear often, but you should try it if you’re interested, Elia.”

  “That’s right. Even if you use a little to play around, since it’s Elia there’ll still be plenty of magic energy left for normal lessons too.”

  “Wouldn’t it be good as a break from training too?”

  I wondered if it was okay to treat it so lightly, but Eliaria did have a lot of magic energy. A little shouldn’t hurt. Most importantly, it was a suggestion I made just after showing my magic skills, so they would probably place their bets on it. All I was told was that they needed to check if it was safe, which was a given. In which case, I could teach the young lady how to play with magic myself. But we were in the church right now, so it wasn’t the right time or place for that.

  “If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll teach you a little.”

  “Really?! I would love that!”

  Eliaria grabbed my hand happily.

  It really was nothing more than the basic magic any magician could use, but seeing her this happy made me feel good too.

  “Now, shall we get going? We’ve discussed all there is to discuss here, and there’s still more to do.”

  Like Reinhart said, we still had to go register at the guild. Having been reminded of that, we all put the church behind us and headed for the Tamers’ Guild.

  Chapter 1 Episode 12: Guild Registration

  The first thing that caught my eye upon arrival at the Tamers’ Guild were the carts and monsters tied around the rest stop. As a mining town, the main use for monsters was in transportation, so all the monsters I could see were large ones. As far as I could see, there were many monsters that resembled cows and horses, as well as some boar-like ones. Smaller monsters were allowed inside the guild, so I could take my slimes inside once they used their minimize skill. The inside of the guild was mostly populated by people, but I could see goblins carrying things around here and there. Within all that, Reinhart led us to the front counter where the receptionist was working.

  “Welcome to the Gimul branch of the Tamers’ Guild. What might be your business today...?”

  “I’d like to register this boy and my daughter, as well as submit some information.”

  “Understood. Please come inside.”

  The receptionist led us to a deeper room, where we waited while drinking tea. Several minutes later, a man wearing slightly fancier clothes than the other workers appeared, holding a writing utensil. He had white and red hair in an 8:2 ratio hardened with styling products, and looked rather old. The light reflected off his hair as he entered, and he peered at us through his gold-rimmed glasses as he spoke.

  “Long time no see, Reinbach. You too, young Reinhart and Elise.”

  “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Glad to see you’re doing well, Taylor.”

  It seemed like the man was acquainted with the duke’s family.

  “I’ve been doing well enough. I haven’t met the two over there before. My name is Taylor Smit, head of the Gimul branch of the Tamers’ Guild. That said... Reinbach, did you have two grandchildren? I’m fairly sure I heard it was one, but my memory has been failing me as of late... I apologize if I’m mistaken.”

  “My only grandchild is Eliaria, the girl there. The boy’s name is Ryoma. We became acquainted a few days ago, by some twist of fate. I’d like to register him in the guild alongside my granddaughter. And I’d like you to raise his rank as fast as possible.”

  Can you even make such a request?! So I thought, looking at Reinbach’s face, but he merely appeared cool and composed.

  “Taylor and I are old friends; he’s a trustworthy man. You don’t need to worry, Ryoma.”

  Taylor supported those words with a casual remark.

  “If you’re being recommended by Reinbach, I can accommodate you to a degree. However, you need an appropriate amount of competency and achievements to raise your rank. I cannot bend on that area.”

  “That won’t be a problem. I’m only making this request because Ryoma’s competency far exceeds his age.”

  “This is just in order to keep any unwelcome fellows away... I’d like to hear more, but first we’ll take care of registration. Just registering won’t be an issue at all.”

  Taylor took two sheets of paper out of the stack he was carrying under his arm, then handed them to me and Eliaria.

  “First, I’d like you to fill in your details on this form. Do you need someone to write for you, Ryoma?”

  “Thank you for your consideration. I should be able to manage writing it myself.”

  I quickly filled out the form and handed it in. The details needed were: name, age, race, and how long I had learned taming magic or summoning magic for.

  “...The young lady made her first contract just the other day, I see. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  “I pray that you’ll become a wonderful tamer in the future.”

  Taylor turned a friendly smile towards Eliaria, before looking at the form I filled out next.

  “And Ryoma’s first contract was three years ago. What are your familiars now?”

  “Slimes.”

  When I answered slimes, Taylor made a conflicted face.

  “Slimes make things a little more difficult... After all, the main job for tamers in this town is transportation between the mines. If you had at least goblins or kobolds, it would make it easier to recommend jobs. We have a rule against referring any jobs through our service which are clearly unsuitable. You need achievements to increase your rank, which means successfully completing jobs little by little. But if you can’t take on the jobs, then there’s no way to raise your rank.”

  If the job wasn’t completed successfully, then trust in the guild would drop, so there wasn’t much to be done about that. What if I told him about my research? With that thought, I looked at Reinbach to confirm before showing him the two new species of slimes and the method of contracting big slimes I had discovered. Taylor listened to the information about the two new species without any particular reaction, then stopped me before listening to how to form a big slime contract and made an even more conflicted face.

  “Hmm... While I would normally consider the method of contracting a big slime an achievement...”

  “Is there a problem?”

  The branch head explained with a bitter expression.

  “In recent times, the Tamers’ Guild has had a tendency to value stronger familiars as a sign of an excellent tamer.”

  “That’s nothing new, people thought the same back when we were still fledglings.”

  “You are correct. But it’s gotten worse in recent years, and people who think that way have increased among the upper members of the Tamers’ Guild, too. While this guild still has me, strong familiars suited for transportation gather here, so those who think that way won’t be going anywhere soon. A tamer’s skill shouldn’t be determined by just the strength of their monster and rank, so it is quite saddening to see.”

  The conversation went a little off-topic, but it was apparently possible to raise your rank with research achievements. However, whenever you ranked up, that information would be sent to the capital along with the reason why. A review would be held to see if the promotion was legitimate, and an investigation would be held if it was determined otherwise. Furthermore, because of the trend mentioned earlier, slime-related information wasn’t taken very seriously. Thus, even if the big slime information was approved, there was a high chance of no promoti
on. Even if a promotion was approved, it wouldn’t be a high enough position to act as any control. In which case, announcing the results of my research would just be selling my name half-heartedly, creating more trouble than it solved. It might be better to give up...

  “It seems like things have changed quite a bit here since my time.”

  “That’s the changing of the times for you. One or two of the veterans retired, so younger faces started appearing among the upper management. Accompanying that was the change in opinion towards monsters. Ah, I shouldn’t say any more than that or I’d just be complaining. For now, let’s go ahead with the process. If you’re registered, the food you buy for your familiars will be discounted, and you can also request guidance. Even if you don’t need that, the guild card will act as identity verification, so it wouldn’t hurt to have that. There were no problems with your documents, so all that’s left is to confirm your taming magic. Could you show me the taming skill on your status board, or the familiar you have tamed?”

  Eliaria and I displayed the taming skill on our status boards.

  “Good. Then, if you could place your status board on this stone plate.”

  The stone plate he took out had a rectangular dent, just like the pedestal in the church. Only this time, there was a metal sheet inserted in the dent, and the status board was to be placed on the empty part of the plate. Eliaria went first, followed by me. When I placed my board on the plate, writing appeared on the metal sheet.

  “That’s both of you registered. Welcome to the Tamers’ Guild.”

  Taylor said, before asking for my circumstances once again, to whatever extent I was willing to reveal. Thus, I told him the same details that I gave the duke’s family.

  “...In that case, how about you make your rank at the Tamers’ Guild a long-term goal, and try registering at the Adventurers’ Guild instead? If you could live in isolation for three years in the forest and have the skill to take down numerous black bears, that should be more than enough.”

  “I was hoping to leave him in your capable hands, though.”

  “I see. Sorry I couldn’t be of help.”