A few days later, Father brought a woman to the estate.
"Rein, let me introduce you. This is Berta Fischer. She is the teacher who instructs your older brother and sister in magic."
"I am Berta Fischer. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Rein."
She was a woman with glasses and hair cut neatly at her jawline. Since Father had called her a "teacher," I had expected someone much older, but she looked quite young.
Her black hair stood out beautifully against her pale skin, and her glasses were an unusual style, with frames only on the bottom half. Her dark eyes peered straight at me from behind the lenses. She stood with her back perfectly straight, radiating an air of extreme seriousness.
What was the word? Based on that person's memories, she seemed like a "class representative" type.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you too."
"...I heard he was only five, but... is he truly ready?" Berta Fischer asked, turning toward Father.
"Yes. His mana capacity far exceeds that of any other child his age. It is the result of over a year of daily training."
"Over a year at this age...? If you'll excuse me for a moment."
The teacher took my hand and closed her eyes. She remained still for a while, as if confirming something.
"...I see. This is indeed an unthinkable amount of mana for a five-year-old."
She released my hand and nodded, appearing satisfied.
"Very well. I accept the position."
It seemed she wasn't the type to be convinced until she saw the evidence with her own eyes. A true professional.
"Before we pick up a wand, I will first explain the mechanisms of magic."
She began to speak, tracing three points in the air with her finger.
"The human body contains three organs related to magic. The first is the generator. This is where mana is created. What you have been drawing out with your Mana Release Stone bracelet is the raw mana produced by this generator."
"So the bracelet only lets out raw mana?"
"Exactly. Mana produced by the generator does not yet have an attribute. Giving it 'color' is the job of the second organ: the converter. For your father, that color is fire; for your mother, it is water. The converter applies the color of that specific attribute to your mana."
"Applying a color..."
"And the third organ is the outputter. It purifies the colored mana, adjusts the pressure and flow, and releases it from the body. Only when these three functions align do we call it magic."
Generator, converter, outputter. You create mana in the generator, give it an attribute color in the converter, and then refine and release it through the outputter.
"Most people possess a single converter and can use one attribute. However, on rare occasions, there are those who possess two."
"Two?"
"Yes. In fact, I am one of them. I possess both fire and wind converters."
The teacher smiled with a hint of pride—or perhaps it was a touch of bashfulness.
"The mana colored by two different converters mixes together before reaching the outputter. By training your purification skills within the outputter, you can eventually learn to extract only one of those colors. For instance, when I wish to use fire, I purify the mix to extract only the fire color."
"So you can use both fire and wind, Teacher?"
"I can. However, possessing two converters is exceptionally rare, and learning to use them separately requires significant training in purification. This is an advanced topic for now, so simply remember that this is how the system works."
I see. Magic wasn't just about "pushing it out."
The teacher opened a wooden box, revealing several rods of identical thickness lined up inside. They all looked the same, but each was tied with a different colored ribbon—red, blue, yellow, green...
They looked a bit like the transformation wands used by magical girls in "that person's" memories. Even though I was a boy.
"These are magic wands. Inside each wand is a mana channel—a path through which mana travels. When you flow mana into it, the wand organizes that energy and assists in its release."
"Is it different from the bracelet?"
"A Mana Release Stone bracelet is simply for drawing mana out of the body, but a wand is designed to give that mana directionality. To actually use magic, you must train with a wand."
She continued her explanation while pointing to the various ribbon colors.
"The wands look identical, but the diameter of the mana channel inside differs. The ribbon color indicates its size. As you use a wand, the channel gradually expands; once it becomes too wide, you must move on to the next one."
"So a wider mana channel is better?"
"No. Magic relies on the concepts of flow and pressure. Flow is the amount of mana you release, and pressure is how much that mana is compressed as it passes through the wand. Even with the same flow, a narrower mana channel creates higher pressure—which increases the spell's power. In fact, magic won't manifest at all unless the pressure reaches a certain threshold. Furthermore, the more narrowly the mana is shaped, the less it dissipates, making it more efficient."
Berta Fischer’s lecture continued.
"Therefore, it is only when you combine the technique to control your flow with the technique to shape and pressurize it through the wand that you achieve strong magic. Switching to a wider wand is, effectively, a downgrade. Moreover, if someone with poor mana control uses a narrow wand, they will blow out the mana channel in a single shot."
"In one shot?"
"Yes. You would be forcing a massive, unrefined flow through a narrow pipe. If you don't use a wand that matches your level of control, you will ruin it instantly."
"What happens if you ruin even the widest ones?"
"If you force mana through then, the wand itself will shatter. Training wands are consumables. That is one reason why magic training is so expensive."
The bracelets were expensive, and the wands were disposable... Magic really was a rich man's game.
"Now, let us try a practical exercise. I will demonstrate first."
The teacher took out a wand and held it ready. As she smoothly channeled mana into it, a small, flickering flame ignited at the tip.
"As you can see, the mana flows through the wand and is released from the tip as magic. Now, Lord Rein, please try."
She handed me the wand with the widest mana channel.
As instructed, I gripped the wood and began to flow mana.
It felt completely different from the bracelet. There was a clear, defined path inside the wand, and my mana was sucked into it. Correspondingly, I felt the mana inside my body being squeezed tight. I poured the energy in all at once, and just as something soft began to emerge from the tip—
Snap.
A sickening sound echoed from my hand. A crack had formed in the wand.
"Lord Rein! Are you all right? Is your hand hurt?"
Berta Fischer rushed over and grabbed my hand to check for injuries. Once she saw I was unhurt, she looked at the cracked wand with a relieved expression and let out a small sigh.
"...Ah, it’s broken."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"It’s quite all right. It happens often at the beginning."
The teacher gave a wry smile and handed me a new wand.
"You simply aren't used to the wand yet. You'll get the hang of it soon. This time, try to be much more gentle. Imagine flowing just a tiny trickle."
It was exactly what she had warned me about. Poor control ruins a wand in one shot... She had been describing me perfectly.
After that, I was careful to flow my mana as gently as possible. Wand training was fun, but difficult. With the bracelet, I just had to let the mana spill out, but the wand required fine adjustments to both flow and pressure. I had to compress the mana inside myself to match the wand's diameter; if I used too much, the channel would expand, and if I used too little, nothing would happen.
Still, the sensation of my mana becoming sharp and focused at the tip of the wand was a fresh experience.
As my control improved, the teacher gradually moved me to wands with narrower mana channels. With a thin wand, I could feel the mana being squeezed tight, gathering at the tip. However, the thinner the channel, the more punishing the adjustments became.
One day, a question occurred to me.
"Teacher, can you use magic without a wand?"
"That is an excellent question. A wand is ultimately a training tool and an aid. You are simply delegating the task of giving mana directionality to the tool. Once you are proficient enough, you can do it with your bare hands."
"With my bare hands?"
"Yes. Like this."
The teacher set down her wand and held up her index finger. A tiny flame flickered to life at the very tip.
"Since you must perform the wand’s role yourself, it requires a high degree of control. It is a high-level technique."
She closed her finger, and the flame vanished.
"For now, Lord Rein, let us make it your goal to master the wand first."
◇◇◇
Several months passed. Once I had grown accustomed to handling the wand, the teacher made a suggestion.
"I think it’s time we try adding an attribute."
"An attribute?"
"Your father has a fire attribute, and your mother has a water attribute. Converters are often hereditary, so there is a high probability you can use one of those. Usually, a person only inherits one... but let's start by testing your father's fire."
The teacher readied her own wand.
"To add an attribute, you must visualize that attribute while flowing your mana. Like this."
As she channeled mana, small sparks of fire crackled and danced at the tip of her wand.
"It’s crackling."
"Yes. I am keeping it especially small for now. Now, Lord Rein, you try. While flowing mana into the wand, imagine something hot. A flame, or the warmth of a fireplace."
Fire. A blaze. The comforting heat of the hearth.
I concentrated and flowed mana into the wand. Using the mana as fuel, like gas, I visualized fire, fire—
A small flame bloomed at the tip of my wand.
"Oh...!"
"The fire attribute! You have indeed inherited your father's trait."
The teacher nodded, looking pleased.
"Now, shall we try your mother's water as well? Fire and water are known as opposing attributes. It is incredibly rare for someone to use both, so I don't expect it to work... but we should check just in case."
Something cold. Water. Rain. The sensation of water pouring into a glass.
I flowed mana into the wand. I visualized the mana condensing into liquid—water, water—
A heavy droplet of water fell from the tip of the wand.
"............"
The teacher froze.
"Lord Rein... did water just come out?"
"Yeah."
"...It really did."
She pushed up her glasses and fell silent for a long moment.
"...Can I practice both fire and water then?"
"Of course... I believe I must inform your parents of this immediately."
The teacher's voice sounded a little stiffer than usual.