Let's Hang Out When the Black Plague is Over! ch8: Magic

A resounding voice and dripping sweat...

Aaaaah
The year 1348.
Schwönwald Village.

Maternity room (pregnant woman's house).
Uuh...
Hold onto that chair tightly.
I know it's painful, but hang in there!
...

Sir.
Let's calm down and leave this to the women.
B-But...
*In those times, men weren't present for childbirth.

It's looking to be a difficult delivery...
And it's the midwife's first job since her predecessor passed away...
It'll be bad if the child were to die before the priest can get here to baptise it...

It's out...

It's not crying...
It looks pale too...

Hey, is mother and child doing okay!?
Father!
The baptism, quickly!!

Its breathing is weak...

I need...
to baptise it...

In the name of the Holy Ghost...
God...
and Jesus Christ...

Let this child's flesh and bone be baptised in your glory.
Amen.

Is the baby alright!?

Father...
The baby is already...
...!!

M-My word...
But don't worry, Father.
I made sure to baptise it...
This child is sure to go to Heaven...

...
You got the words wrong...

The correct words are, "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,"
"I baptise you"...

...Recite them incorrectly
and the soul will be lost...

People entrust their wishes to "that".

The year 1353,
in the Franken District of the Holy Roman Empire.

Schwönwald Village, a small estate governed by a knight.
Folk Magician Hebamme's house.

Come in.

...That's right. Today's story is a fairytale of these girls.

Welcome to the magical world of middle age Europe...

Welcome,
Frau Becker.

Awooo~
KYAH!!
*The town artisans are bad with dogs.

I-It bit me!!
It's a mad dog!!
Good grief...
Stop that, Schnap...!!

Lutz, bring me some bread.

Pinch some off.
Like this?

Do what I do and write some letters in the air.
Just follow my lead.
Here I go...

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...Vestella
Vestie

...Nye
Brigonye
Sagragan
Es
Domina

...Fiat
Fiat
Fiat.

p11

Amazing!!
The wound is healed and the pain is gone!!
It was just play-biting to begin with!

Placebo Effect
A phenomenom in which fake treatment can be effective in healing.
It is understood that this involves opioid and dopalmine neurons.
There are many ritualistic treatments that don't involve words,
such as tales of a king who could heal illnesses with his "royal touch".

Thank you very much!
An easy task.

My magic is the best in Franken, after all!

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Cures.
Fortune telling.
Talismans.
No matter what ails you,
I'll solve it just like that!

What magic do you desire from me today?
Whatever it is,
I shall grant it.
The village folk magician: Theresia Habamme (Theresia the Midwife)

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S-...

So cool~!!
Ahem.

This is a rare occassion, Frau Becker.
Asking me, the folk magician, instead of that magician from the future.
So, what can I do for you?
!

Th-That's right!!
I want to show Ema some magic from this era!
I want to be able to use magic so that I can surprise Ema!
Oh my.

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No problem.
My magic is way better than Frau Müller's!
Even now, everyone fears and respects me and asks for my magic.

?
Put out that bitten hand of yours.

Have some hypericum erectum ointment. [TN: A species of St. John's wort. Stop snickering.]

So warm... The power of magic is healing my wound faster...!
Our magic really is amazing too!
Of course it is!

So...?
What kind of magic does Frau Müller use?
...Well, I imagine it would have a hard time surpassing mine, though.
Indeed...

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The first thing that surprised me was how she used a wand to light up her room.
Rachel's image.

Eh??
Theresia's image

She uses magic to bring out fire and water and wind.

Huh!?

And just the other day, she communicated with a spirit and got it to sing a song!
OK, Assistant, play some trending K-pop.
Okay!

Lalala~ Ema and the evil spirit are the best of friends~ Lala~
No, wait a second!!?

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Did she make a deal with the devil or something??
Ema is not a witch!

...

If what you say is true...
then my magic couldn't possibly surprise Frau Müller...

I-Is that so...?
I'm sorry I can't be of any use.

But... why do you want to surprise such a crazy magician with magic from this era?

...

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Ema's magic always
makes me happy.
Her magic bath was overflowing with bubbles made of tears and happiness.
Her magic that took me to another world brightened up my heart.
Prost! (Cheers!)
And her grilled meat magic helped me make lots of friends...

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I want to give Ema some happy magic in return...

I mean... people are scared of Ema... because she uses magic...

...Like the shepherd... and the school children... Even you, a magician yourself, are scared of her, right, Frau Hebamme?

I was also scared of Ema at first...
That might have hurt her...
But she... never lets is show...

I want to let everyone know...
that Ema is a good magician.

You got the words wrong...

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...Recite them incorrectly
and the soul will be lost...

My word...
This child perished while still burdened with sin...
F-Father...

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It's my fault...
that the baby...

Because I got the words wrong...
the baby can't go to heaven...

A-All because...
I got the words wrong...
...

The baby's soul is...

I'm sorry...
I'm sorry...

...
Thank you, Theresia.

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Thank you.

I was only able to make it through this
because you were here.

If it weren't for you, I would have surely died too.
You really did a good job...

Thank you, Theresia.

Thank you...

I'm sure that God sees that your intentions were good...

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Yes...
You may be right...

God is watching over us.

...The baby's soul has been entrusted into God's hands.
Theresia...

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...You are a splendid midwife.

Frau Magician.
Your medicine cured my cold.
Have this wine in return!

Frau Hebamme!
Thanks to your fortune, I got myself a husband!
You can use this basket that I wove!

Theresia... Thank you for always helping the villagers.
This village's bountiful harvest is the result of your power.

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Everyone in the village is so kind.
By doing my job sincerely...
everyone... has given me happy magic in return...

You're the same as me,
Frau Becker.

You want to return
that happy magic, right?
You can do it, Frau Becker.
After all,

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God sees our good intentions!
I'm a magician, so I can tell...!!

I'll teach you some special magic.

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Magic that lets you fly in the air??

Hmm~ I'm guessing you don't have an airplane...
It's not that, Ema!
Today, I'll be the one to delight you with magic!
My magic will make you fly!
Eeh!?

You're lying...
It's the truth!!

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Apparently, you either transform into an animal or ride on something.
Transforming sounds difficult, so I want something to ride on.
I guess since it's flying with magic, brooms would be the go-to?

Hey... How about we hang out somewhere else today?
Geez... Don't decide it's impossible before you've even tried it...!

Ths most important thing is this magic ointmenmt.

Here.
Scoop up the ointment
and rub it on your skin.

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Get on the broom
and repeat the spell that I say!
A spell, huh...

Fly in the sky! Fly in the sky!
Don't fall!
Fly in the sky! Fly in the sky!
Don't fall!

...Huh...?
Um~...
Becker-san...?

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We did it!
It worked!!

Eh!??
No way!
Are you for real!?

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This way, Ema!
Wah!??
Wah!!?

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Wh-What's going on here!?
It's magic!
Real magic!!

There's no "real" when it comes to magic!
Your magic always makes me smile, Ema!

A-Amazing!
Magic really does exist!!
Yahoo~!
Glad you're enjoying it, Ema!

Hey!!
Seriously, how are we flying!?
Is it the spell?
Or that magic ointment!?
The important part is the ointment.

If I recall, it's made with the milky liquid taken from poppy seeds...

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Erm~ So it's opium...?
Opi-..

Opium.
A type of narcotic drugs made by dehydrating the milky liquid from poppy seeds.
Narcotics are alkaloids which correspond to opiates and opioids, causing hallucinoogenic effects in people.
Naturally, its use in modern Japan is heavily restricted by law.

Erm, and what else...
Mugwort, stinking nightshade, hemlock...
Eh!!!?

...
Rachel... That isn't magic...

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We're high!!
What...?
Huh...??
*Reality.

...This is breaking the law...
Wait, is there even a law for this in this era...?
Ah!
Look, Ema.

It's Frau Theresia and Herr Schreiner. And the Father too.
They must be coming home from evening service.
You're right.
They sure are faithful~

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Frau Theresia's magic
brings happiness to everyone in the village.
That's why everyone in the village loves her!

...?
I-Is that so?

Yeah!
It is!

Just like you and me, Ema.

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At first, I was scared of both you and your magic...
I mean, even My Lord would be startled by a witch.
Ahaha.

But then... your future magic changed my way of thinking...
I would've never realised it without you, Ema.
Thanks to your magic, I started to see the world not just as a harsh reality
but as a kind and mysterious world of magic and truth.

So I wanted to cast some magic on you too!
I figured flying through the sky together would definitely be fun!

p36

Hey, Ema.
How about we take a stroll through the sky again once in a while?
A-Absolutely not...!!
Eeh~ Why not~??

Even in the middle ages, no. Just no!!

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Let's Hang Out When the Black Plague is Over! - Magic in Middle Age Europe

In modern Japan, "isekai" works are quite popular, aren't they? While most of these fantasy worlds are based on middle age or even early-modern Europe, the gimmick behind them is usually the existence of magic. So what about actual middle age Europe? A lof of you are probably thinking that there's no such thing as magic. In reality, however, there were many magical cultures, so the world was just as brimming with mystery as how I drew it. Today, I'll be explaining just the basics of middle age Europe's magic culture.

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What is Magic?
The European word "magic" can mean various different things depending on how it's translated into Japanese. Today, we'll make things easier to explain by distinguishing between the general concepts of jujutsu (incantations), mahou (magic) and majutsu (sorcery). We'll begin by talking about the roots of middle age magic culture, the incantations.

Jujutsu / Incantations - Mahou / Magic - Majutsu / Sorcery

All Majutsu Starts With Jujutsu
Just like how humanity spontaneously appeared, jujutsu spontanously appeared among various races as a part of their magic cultures. These follow two laws. One is the "Law of Similarity" (Sympathetic magic), in which similar things are affected in the same way. The other is the "Law of Contagion" (contagious magic), in which, depending on the method, using a part of the target (such as their hair or nails) or something they've touched (like their clothes) will prove effective even from a remote distance. These can both be combined into the "Laws of Empathy". We use the Japanese "jujutsu" to refer to this.

Law of Contagion
A customary type of contagious magic is to throw your baby teeth that came out of your lower jaw onto the roof and pray that your permanent teeth will grow in quickly.

Law of Similarity
There's an old curse saying that if you attack a doll resembling who you want to harm, that target will be damaged (or cursed) in the same way.

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These incantation rituals passed down through the ages and formed unique cultures of their own.

New Theories, Complexities and Heights Lead to Practical Majutsu
In Europe, it's "borrowing the mysterious power of demons or the gods that dwell within nature". In the Christian teachings, it's "making use of the mysterious power that still resides in all things that God created". Born from that concept and following a law different from the aforementioned Law of Empathy, rituals and practicalities using a more complex law arose. This culture that surpassed jujutsu became known as majutsu. Christian teachings classify mass and exorcisms as Japanese concepts as jujutsu culture, but English distinguishes these separately as "miracles" and "magic". "Mahou" is practically the same word as "majutsu", as it seems to relate to the mysterious power itself, we'll be referring to that power as "mahou" while the ways humans used said power will be referred to as "majutsu".

Borrowing the power of Gods, spirits, saints and nature
Borring the power of demons and ghosts. A more complex iteration of the laws of jujutsu.

The Types and Evolution of Majutsu
So we've learned about the basics of majutsu. I bet you're curious about the types of majutsu there were in Europe, right? Naturally it's more than simply majutsu evolving from jujutsu. You'd be surprised by just how it has evolved. Let's take a look at the different types of majutsu and how it evolved!

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[uh yeah, have fun figuring out what's what on this page, TS-chan]

Development of Majutsu
Contained
Derived

Jujutsu (Empathy Magic)
Sympathic - Contagious

Majutsu (Ancient Magic)
Healing spells - Prayers - Medicine - Fortune Telling
Christian teachings
Royal touch - Mass - Exorcism - Holy worship
Mutual compromise and fusion

Arabian Majutsu Writings
Translated into Latin, treated as natural majutsu and justified by Christian teachings.

Declared as heretic bad majutsu by the chruch and isolated

Black magic
Contract with the devil - Ghost majutsu - Cursing someone - Ill-intentioned majutsu in general

Natural Majutsu (White magic)
Alchemy - Astrology - Herbalism
Natural Philosophy

Natural Science (Middle ages)
Redefined by Immanuel Kant as phenomenom that can be fundamentally verified
Modern science
Excluded due to dubious magical components
Majutsu (occult, spiritual)
From a fictional concept to...
Fictional magic

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It's a bit sloppy, but what did you think? Were there any of you who became surprised upon looking at this chart? From Christian teachings to natural science, you can tell how much majutsu was admired.
Some of you are probably confused, thinking "aren't Christian teachings opposed to magic since it's heresy??", aren't you? I'm just as confused as you are! But in the end, magicians, priests, farmers and feudal lords alike all had the same goal of wanting a peaceful life.
German spells and rituals were adopted by Christian teachings and justified. Studies on England show they would sometimes hold ceremonies in which magicians and priests would work together to pray for a bountiful harvest. This complicated relationship between majutsu and the church gave birth to new concepts of majutsu. That's natural majutsu!

Practical Natural Magic, Natural Majutsu
The majutsu that would bring about the beginnings of alchemy in the 12th century was simulated by the influx of West European intellectuals (mainly clergymen) who translated Arabian literature into Latin. To these intellectuals, it was required to be treated as a justified concept in order to be studied as a natural science of majutsu.
For example, the healing properties of medicine, the magnetic properies of iron in a compass, and the effect the gravitational pull of the moon had on the tide clearly had to have magic involved. These were treated as "natural majutsu", which utlised the natural mysterious power that resides in all things of God's creation. This was definited by Bishop Guillaume d'Auvergne.
That's a good theory!

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Christian Teachings, Majutsu and Natural Science
As mentioned before, the Christian church criticised occultish majutsu and permissed natural majutsu, which would be connected to today's science.
In the 10th century, the church would establish the cathedral school to teach cultivated subjects and theories like we learn today. From the 13th century onwards, universities with higher level study subjects were established, and many of these had a deep connection to the church.
With this education system created by the church, science was developed from the permissed natural majutsu, whereas the exclusion of occult-like majutsu led to more awareness in distinguishing science from superstition, it's safe to say the church had a big influence on natural science.

Distinction between science and superstition made due to hatred of the occult
Development of science due to respect for natural majutsu
Study established to systemize education

Astrology - The Majutsu That Was Despised by the Church
It's worthy noting that the scientific study of alchemy and astrology, despite being tolerated to a certain extent by clergymen, was despised by them due to their deep occultic elements. The reason astrology was hated was because it was already decided that we were ruled by a celestial body. In the opinion of the church (particularly the high ranking ministries), humans have free will and no law of nature (celestial motion) can control the rational choices they may make. It's not scientific not morally good. As someone who was born as a Cancer, who always ranks low on the horoscope rankings, I'm grateful for the church's words, but in the middle ages, everyone, be they commoner, royalty, or even the bishop calling the shots, were conscious of a being greater than this planet influencing them.

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Your Fates Under the Rule of Planets
Anyone curious about fortune telling in the middle ages? Unlike the constellations we refer to in our time, it was centered around planets having an influence on people. Knowing the placement of the planets at the time of your birth is difficult, so it might be better to look at the planets according to your zodiac sign. Maybe it'd help if you knew what day of the week you were born on too? If your fortune turns out to be a disaster, just remember the church's words! Mine was a disaster too!

Saturn - Star signs: Capricorn (Element: Earth), Aquarius (Element: Air)
"The fate of working amidst hardships is what makes you my children." Skinners, criminals, witches and needy farmers are under the rule of Saturn. Skinny and gloomy, weak awareness, rude, lazy, jealous and too stupid for anyone to want to get along with...

Jupiter - Star signs: Sagittarius (Element: Fire), Pisces (Element: Water)
"I am Jupiter. The virtuous second planet." Scholars, judges, bureaucrats, courtiers and people of virtue are ruled under Jupiter. Gentle and thoughtful, brimming with love, overflowing with elegance and artisticness, enjoys hunting and sports, grows a thick beard when going bald.

Mars - Star signs: Aries (Element: Fire), Scorpio (Element, Water)
Those born under Mars are terrifying knights who revel in pillaging and killing. It is said that when Mars wields its power, ity brings about war and suffering. Easy to grow bald with thin beards, skinny with small teeth, tanned skin with a tinge of red. Low temper and prone to fighting, kills and swindles all the time, learns on the battlefield. What a terrifying planet...

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The Sun (Zol) - Star sign: Leo (Element: Fire)
Those ruled under the sun were born during the greatest period. Bestowed with wisdom and a beautiful appearance, they find enjoyment in everything. It is said that God was also born during this period. Feels like they were as bright as the sun itself!

Venus - Star signs: Taurus (Element: Earth), Libra (Element: Air)
Mercury is a planet of fortune in love and friendship. They are short with not very big eyes, amber skin, and weak hearts at a young age. Talkative and pure, they enjoy music, games and eating. On the other hand, it is said they grow up to become arroagant, greedy, traitorous and sexually uninhibited.

Mercury - Star signs: Gemini (Element: Air), Virgo (Element: Earth)
This became the planet of artisans. Dilligent people who love their job. They have a true artisan's spirit and are so focused on their work that they don't even take notice of the opposite sex when tempted. They're really hard workers!

The Moon (Luna) - Star sign: Cancer (Element: Water)
Lastly, we have the moon, the lowest class planet and a target of discrimination. Those under this planet's rule include wandering students, illusionists, bumpkins, flour grinders, bathhouse owners, ship cargo laborers, and others with jobs involving water.

In 2020, the cycle of the planets entered the Age of Air, which we had signs of 800 years ago. This story too, set in the 14th century, is in the midst of this air. There have many worries that have trascended eras, such as the pandemic, but that's why I want to draw with hope, just like in the Renaissance.

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The Flying Witch's Ointment
Bet you were surprised to see an ointment that lets you fly in this chapter, huh? Alas, it seems their sky flight was just a hallucination brought about by narcotics... Actually, there was a recipe for this.
Weigh out equal parts of mugwort, stinking nightshade, hemlock, Seeds of red and black, lettuce and purslane. Add 1.5 the same amount of oil. Add 1.296 grams of opium from Thebes for every 31.103 grams of the micture.
Textbooks concerning women using majutsu to fly already existed by the 10th century at the earliest. (No mention of ointment, though.) Then in the 20th century, due to the frequent study of witch hunts, the flying witch's ointment was reproduced, and there was an anecdote of a researcher hallucinating a flying experience after putting extract of the soloconae, a medicinal drug, on their skin.

People Who Use Majutsu
What kind of people were magicians back in the middle ages? In this chapter, I depicted the midwife as the magician, but all kinds of people used majutsu. Let's take a look at these people.

Midwives, folk therapists and magicians of indigenous belief.
To the villagers, they are who they think of when it comes to magicians. In this work, I called her a "folk magician", but they were known as "wise women" and were both feared and respected. In those days, death at childbirth was high, which was a matter of life or death for women, but as the covent who ran the public medical institutions did not allow abortion, "wise women" were very important to them. They were said to be the magicians who were the most intimate with the villagers.

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Shepherds
Appearing alone from far away and forming contracts with people, they control domestic animals using a flute... They had such a friendly relationship with the spirits of nature that villagers often thought they were taking the place of the animals. They came to be known as "wise men" and were thought of with the same value as magicians. They are thought of as having many magician-like powers, such as protecting their land from curses or invading wolves and using a horn to drive away evil spirits.

Clergymen, Pilgrims (University Students, Teachers), Natural Magicians
The intellectual class were mainly made up of clergymen, many of which were also magicians, alchemists or astrologers. It seems astrology was a very popular class in university.

Why Doesn't Ema Get Hunted As a Witch?
I often see people worrying about whether or not Ema will be caught up in a witch hunt. I've already talked a lot about middle age majutsu so you probably have a vague image of witch hunting, but let's go into a little more detail. At the start of the 13th century, the inquisitor Konrad von Marburg conducted the first inquisition and burned many at the stake, but was killed by a resentful noble, which is probably what he deserved. The inquisition stagnated as a result of this incident, and the first execution of which would take place in Hamburg in 1444.
Also, Ema's majutsu is classified as natural majutsu, so the chances of her drawing the priest's ire is probably low. Just relax and enjoy the heartwarming slow life!

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Consideration
And that sums up my talk on magic culture in the middle ages. The magic introduced in this chapter and the concept of souls last time are by no means just curious fantasies. Even if not tangible, they definitely existed within people's feelings and took deep roots within them. Just like how chemical phenomena such as combustion and charges are treated as the substances of fire and electricity, I believe there is a definite karma and instinct that still resides within us to this day.

Science and Theory
A flammable object that surpasses the heat ignition point compounds with oxygen and emits light and heat. It is no phenomenon.
General Knowledge and Feeling
A mysterious substance that emits light and heat. It has a shape that we can definitely feel in our daily lives.

With the philosophical advances in science, we have moved on from natural majustu and onto modern science. In that case, is it the general public that observed the outer layer of this advanced science? Will the majutsu, religion and soul of our culture declines instead of evolve, and will abstract concepts of its illogical side disappear completely? Personally, I think that's a waste...

Pain, pain, fly away~!
...
Logical thinking is systematic (theortical), meaning we can grasp complicated information in an instant. The insight born from everything that can before is how we raise the nurture the power of "instinct". Instinct is more than just a feeling. It's a type of power known as "wisdom" that only those who build up lots of consideration before finally hitting upon that something possess. Since long ago, I've always felt inferior to people who were smarter or more athletic than me. Repetitive brain training and exercising more than others did nothing to remedy that. That's why I want to live alongside everyone, which is why I'm so obsessed with the "power of wisdom".

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But it's not a tangible effort... For example, while every one around me was doing their best to drawing illustrations or manga, I, who am lacking confidence, would unable to move my body, just doing nothing but info gathering and constructing theories. At times like these, people would often misunderstand and say things like, "you're neglecting your work", "you're so arrogant", "there's no easy way out, put in some actual effort". However, it's because this intangible and unusual effort is my talent that I overcame my environment to become who I am today. Those with outstanding talent, those who sift through the sieve and had their dreams crushed. If they exist in a speculative world...
If you're someone with a kind heart who wishes to become "someone important" to someone dear to you, or even to society, please find that intangible magic power known as wisdom deep inside of you and raise it with care. That may be impertinent of me to say when I haven't becomes successful yet, but I'm sure to keep on growing.

By raising the magic inside of you, we can create a world just like in this chapter, where people with unusual effort like Theresia are not treated like witches but welcomed as a member of society. Just like how the people of the past used majutsu, or rather, the wisdom that science helped bloom to overturn the harsh natrual world and material life they lived in, we each have the power to not only inherit their culture, but also change the world for the sake of future generations. The intangible "magic power" to overturn the realities of talent, environments, people and everything resides within each and every one of us.

Warning