“I remember being concerned about my defence, aren’t there any spells for putting up a barrier?”

“If it’s used against magic, you should be able to devise a skill in the [Mana Manipulation] system.
It might be good to learn Melby-san’s [Dimension Magic] too.”

“Eh…? I can’t construct any magic barriers though?”

“If you wrack your brains, you should understand.
Regarding skills, in order to not obstruct one’s creativity, I can only give you a hint.
I’d like you, as someone who possesses knowledge from another world, to undergo trial and error as you please, without many preconceptions.
Thus, I’m looking forward to it.”

Hmm… so she’s not going to tell me anything more than this.
Let’s move on.

“Are there anything like magic gems in this world?
In short, I want something imbued with mana, that I can harness through external stimuli…”

“Ahh, you want to use that?
In that case, I believe there were some good examples of what you’re looking for in the items you got from the historic remains, right?”

“…? Was there really anything like that?”

“It might be confusing if you think of it in terms of mana.
You should think of it as something that stores energy that has been produced by magic.”

“Energy that has been produced by magic… I see! So I can use that!”

“That’s right.”

“What is that…”

It seems that only Melby doesn’t know. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to explain to her right now.

“Speaking of mana… it might be a little late to say this, but what is magic in the first place?
Magic symbols too—sometimes they shine, sometimes they don’t shine. And they can also depict things that can’t be done through skills… I don’t really understand the principle.”

“Originally, human thought had the power to actualise desires.
That’s what miracles are.
That power is the same for Marquekt, just as it was for your former world.
It’s just that that power is very weak, practically incapable of accomplishing anything significant by itself.
The spells in Marquekt, by means of those thoughts, access and retrieve the standardised magic effects stored in the “Magic Registry”, that’s managed by the G.o.d of Magic, Attiera.

“Magic symbols are something akin to an access key for this purpose.
Since it’s a sort of ‘key’, their ‘shape’ is also important.
However, their ‘shape’ is, in the end, an image that one’s thoughts define, so for one to ‘depict with magic symbols’ is essentially no more than for one to use an auxiliary input device to mold that image.
The only thing visible at that point, is that auxiliary device, so when one observes magicians from the exterior, it looks as if the symbols themselves possess a special power.

“Furthermore, they shine when you’re aware that you’re ‘drawing symbols’, and don’t when you’re unaware.
Depending on the situation, if you don’t want them to shine, then they won’t shine—as long as you’re not a complete amateur.
Despite whether or not it shines, there won’t be a problem—so long as you have the proper image in your head.
When your mother used 《Fire Storm》, the symbols shone, correct?
Using that case as an example, because the chant for that was long, giving the image a visible form allowed for a more reliable invocation.
Conversely, when you first cast magic, back when you first gained awareness, Julia-san used ∃ to negate it just by tracing it on her thigh, right?
In this case, there wasn’t a problem because her desired effect was simple.
Although, it might’ve also been that she didn’t want the symbols to shine, which would’ve caught your attention.”

I sort the information that I had just been told inside my head.

“Let’s see… By drawing magic symbols, I can access Attiera’s Magic Registry to call forth a magical effect.
Because imagery is important, the symbols are no more than an auxiliary tool, huh.”

“A computer can still function without a mouse, or a touch panel, but it’s inconvenient without them, right?”

The G.o.ddess, who was completely familiar with the IT of Earth, explained with such a metaphor.
It was certainly easy to understand, but I felt like she had spoiled things somehow.

“Then what role do magic skills have?”

“The magical effects that are extracted from the Magic Registry―they’re called magic models—possess a very generic nature, and can only describe things very roughly.
Magic skills fine-tune these roughly described magic models, and serve to better embody magic in a closer form to the pract.i.tioner’s desires.
Let’s see, as an example, think of it like purchasing wood roughly cut to size from the hardware store, then building a shelf by using a saw and hammer to cut and nail the wood together. The wood at the beginning is the magic model, the saw and the hammer are skills, and the shelf is the magical embodiment.”

Yup, it’s easy enough to understand.
It’s easy enough to understand, but… is this okay?

“What’s the difference between the ancient magic symbols and the modern magic symbols?”

“The ancient magic symbols access the old cla.s.s of the Magic Registry.
The magic models present in the old cla.s.s have a tendency to produce a higher output, and a more flexible form.
Originally, those magic models were intended for the Pioneer Elves, who excelled at controlling mana.
The magic models called forth by the ancient magic symbols are certainly more powerful, but the larger effects brought about by the undefined portion of the models have to be adjusted by the pract.i.tioners themselves.
Thus, for the ancient magic symbols, a few image-stimulation effects have been embedded in the symbols themselves, but there are people whose images become disturbed because of this, so there are both advantages and disadvantages because of it.
It should be hard to handle by all rights, unless the person using it is a possessor of a mental structure that specialises in magic, but… it looks like you can use them somehow.”

“I wasn’t very aware of that though.”

“It might be due to you having the [No Fatigue] skill, and the fact that you have an adult soul dwelling inside the mind of an infant.
I was the one who gave you [No Fatigue], but your flexible way of thinking always surprises me.”

“What’s MP?”

“It’s something that Attiera collects as the cost for the magical models.
Using the example I talked about before, I suppose that MP is the money that’s needed to purchase the materials used.
I’ve heard that the MP is processed to create the magic models, but I haven’t been told much about that part.”

“So… I guess it’s similar to the way you collect Curses, and in return grant Gifts.”

“In general, yes.
It’s a system where mana, Gifts, and souls can all be circulated.
Without it, mana, Gifts, and souls would’ve all been exhausted a long time ago, and Marquekt would’ve become a barren world where only G.o.ds and the Evil G.o.d exist.”

“So G.o.ds were that great….”

“Fufu… thank you for the complement.”

As I looked away from the laughing G.o.ddess, I remembered my next question.

“It seems like I’ve received a divine blessing from the G.o.d who governs religion… Kannumarne(?) without realising. What sort of G.o.d are they?”

“Kannumarne is the G.o.d who governs both religion and faith.
People believe in G.o.ds with tranquil hearts, and he carries the role of properly guiding these pious believers who live without fighting amongst themselves.
Just like I said earlier, religion in Marquekt does not exceed a fixed pattern and it is not something that people tend to obsess over. Kannumarne reflects this, calmly taking on the form of a compa.s.sionate young boy who loves peace.
Furthermore, he is the G.o.d who manages everyone’s t.i.tles.”

“Putting aside the fact that it’s easier to gain a t.i.tle when one’s charisma rises, what’s up with it increasing one’s influence(?) for granting someone else a t.i.tle?”

“t.i.tles are acquired when the number of people that’re calling you by a certain name in awe exceeds a certain number. But if you were to be called something with stronger emotions, it could result in a t.i.tle, even with a lower number of people.
All of this is the same as I explained earlier, except for the fact that t.i.tles have one more determining factor.
And that is the amount of influence those who designate t.i.tles have.
For example, isn’t the level of influence different between a king being the one to designate a t.i.tle and an ordinary person designating a t.i.tle?
This is also decided at the moment of a t.i.tle’s a.s.signment, as a t.i.tle will stick much more easily, even if there’s only a small number of people, if the one designating the t.i.tle is a person with a strong level of influence.
Similarly, if you, who has received Kannumarne’s divine blessing, calls someone else by a t.i.tle, then the possibility of that t.i.tle being a.s.signed to them in the system becomes higher.”

I briefly wondered ‘what kind of merit does that have?’, but if someone has a magic-related t.i.tle, then the expansion of their mana pool via the exhaustion of their MP becomes possible.
It might come in handy if I’m able to affix a magic-related t.i.tle to someone else.

Julia-kaasan possesses the 《Flame Prison Witch》 t.i.tle, but I’d like it if I could confer some sort of magic-related t.i.tle to Alfred-tousan.
If one’s MP is high, that alone makes it easier to hunt monsters and raise one’s level.

“As for the effect of t.i.tles, I suppose that the possessors of magic-related t.i.tles being able to extend their maximum MP, as I mentioned last time, would be the most direct correlation between t.i.tles and their effects.
In addition, there’s also a small compensation for the acquisition of skills, depending on the contents of the t.i.tle.
However, that’s more of a bonus effect. The most important thing is that ‘it’s easier to gain the attention of a G.o.d if you have a t.i.tle’.
No matter which G.o.d it is, it’s impossible for us to keep an eye on every single human.
That’s why, using t.i.tles as a sign, we search for humans to grant both our attention and divine blessings to.
In other words, using an example from your former world―”

“It’s something akin to the tags of video sites.”

“…That’s right.”

The G.o.ddess was a little sulky at having her line stolen.