Chapter 42

The blue sky, white clouds, and the scorching sun of midsummer. The shallow sea was calm, and I thought today was the perfect day for a seaside trip. According to the original plan, I was supposed to be admiring my cute little sister while feeling flustered by my middle-aged stepmother.

However, reality was harsh. The person next to me was not a beautiful girl or a beautiful woman, but the lean and muscular werewolf teacher, Mr. Borf, and the bulky orc teacher, Mr. Sanda.

"An important aspect of battle at sea is long-range attacks. George, have you mastered any spells above the beginner level?"

The most surprising thing since coming to this world might be the diversity of magic. There were mountains of spells I had never heard of in games. A considerable number of attack spells have been confirmed, and there are even spells to clean vegetables and send commands to sheepdogs. However, not all spells are widespread. Spells that can't be used tend to become obsolete, and the incantations of powerful spells are often kept secret. In other words, it wasn't unnatural for only the heroine to be able to cast the strongest spells... and as I was told, I still can't use anything but beginner-level spells.

"Can't I just perfect the beginner spells first?"

In Borf, magic research is thriving, and beginner spells have been studied to the point where they can be used without incantation. This is also the reason why I can only use beginner spells.

"That beginner spell's power is pretty weak, isn't it? Besides, there's no risk of collateral damage here. You can cast as many spells as you like."

Until now, I had avoided casting anything other than beginner spells because of the potential harm to the surroundings... to be precise, I had avoided incantations altogether.

"First, try casting Hydro Cutter at the sea."

Hydro Cutter is a spell that slices enemies with a disc-shaped water blade.

"O, O great god of water, Hydro, I beseech you. Transform water into a blade that can cut through all things and bisect the enemy... H, Hydro Cutter."

The incantations in this world are full of otaku-like elements. Thanks to this, my face turned red even though I hadn't been in the sun.

"And the crucial spell... it just barely flew and splashed into the water. It felt more like a water sprinkler than a cutter."

"That's no good."

Mr. Borf sighed deeply. I wanted to sigh even more.

"There doesn't seem to be any problem with your incantation or magic power... perhaps we should consult the appropriate research institution?"

Mr. Sanda, placing his hand on his chin, muttered this. If I went to a research institution, I would have to cast incantations in front of a large group... please spare me.

"Wait a moment. I'll consult Miko. Great divine messenger Miko, please respond to your contract holder's call."

Miko is apparently a high-ranking divine messenger, and treating her casually would result in a serious scolding.

"Hey! What kind of embarrassing call is that? My colleagues are laughing at me."

Indeed, being called "great" before appearing is quite tough. If I were called "outstanding programmer Jyoji Yanagi" over the intercom, I would probably die of embarrassment.

"I'll be more careful in the future... but suddenly, I can't use any spells other than beginner ones."

"Well, if you're embarrassed while casting an incantation, it's natural for the effect to be weak. But the biggest problem is the knowledge of the other world you possess... you don't really believe in magic, do you?"

That's a spot-on answer. For example, the Hydro Cutter I just cast is a spell that cuts enemies with water. In essence, it's like a water cutter used in factories. It cuts objects because it's pushed out at high pressure. There's no way water can maintain a disc shape under such pressure.

"I don't believe it... it's impossible to cut enemies with water or wind."

Similarly, there's a wind attribute spell called Anemo Cutter. It's said to use the power of the wind god Anemo to cut enemies with a vacuum blade. But the skin splitting in a wind shear is just due to temperature differences, and it's impossible for a vacuum to maintain its shape while flying.

"Water is water, after all. If you apply pressure, it will scatter, right?"

"That's because the mana temporarily gives water and wind the power to cut through objects. The most important thing in magic is not the precise incantation but accurately imagining the effect you want to achieve. Otherwise, even the gods will be confused... understand? The incantation is just a means to help activate the magic."

Then what should I do... can I use my own style of incantation... if so, maybe I can try to describe the phenomenon I want to occur as succinctly as possible, like a program.

"Maybe the reason my beginner spells are weak is because of this?"

I thought the Hydro Ball, which is just a ball of water, couldn't deal damage, and I only saw the Force Ball as a minor distraction.

"Exactly. There's an advanced water attribute spell called Hydro Dragon. Its power increases because of the image of a dragon being a powerful creature."

Seriously... I thought the graphics for Hydro Dragon were too complicated.

"So, I should choose spells that are easier for me to imagine?"

For Hydro Ball, if I imagine a compressed ball of water, its power should increase. For Hydro Cutter... I should imagine a disc shape fixed and spinning at high speed. I should try various rotation speeds and choose the one that's easiest to use. I visualize a compressed ball of water spinning at high speed, about 30 cm in diameter.

"The shape of the water is fixed in a disc. The rotation speed is 30 revolutions per second... Hydro Cutter."

I chant it calmly, as if programming, without thinking of it as an incantation. I believe the movement will be reproduced.

A disc-shaped water blade flies across the sea at high speed.

I succeeded... now I can enjoy a leisurely beach day with Ami.

"You succeeded... George, to repay Miko-sama's kindness, it's time to start practicing magic!"

It turns out I'm not compatible with light and dark attributes... more accurately, I couldn't imagine dealing damage with light or darkness.

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The beach trip and swimsuit enjoyment ended in failure... the only remaining pleasure is the seafood.

"Master George, are you really going to eat fish?"

In Orizon, seafood dishes are not popular and are often considered inferior.

"The name Shrimp Hopper comes from shrimp. I don't think there should be any resistance to the taste."

Indeed, nowadays, the Shrimp Hopper is more popular than the shrimp, which can only be found in seas inhabited by monsters. I don't deny insect dishes, but I don't want to eat them.

"However, there's no one who willingly eats them."

I wanted to say that picky eating is bad, but it would backfire on me, who is avoiding insect dishes.

"If the Demon King revives, not just Orizon but Recolt itself will face a severe food shortage. But there are abundant ingredients in the sea. If we can get used to seafood in Borf, we can overcome it."

In the game, there's a scene where George refuses to accept refugees from the Felsen Empire, which further worsens Marina's opinion of him. But now, I think it was a justified decision. Most importantly, I want to eat fish. I look like an Orizonian, but inside, I'm a pure Japanese person who loves seafood.

"Lord, is it time?"

This time, the fishermen of Borf are helping. He had been looked at with disapproval by other Borf citizens, but he was motivated because the lord himself asked for help.

"But, it's not necessary to make such a fuss."

This time, we're using a seine net. The net was specially made for this occasion... Ami was not allowed to participate.

"To check what kind of fish live in Borf's sea... pull the net."

Of course, I brought salt and butter to taste the fish, and I had a fire ready.

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The net, pulled up, sparkled silver in the summer light. At a glance, there were several types of fish and even some shellfish.

"Wow! It's a big catch. There are even horse mackerel and porgies... and sea snails and sea urchins. Over here, there's an octopus!"

I had dreamed of this day. It's a luxury to miss soy sauce and rice, but that's just being picky.

"...Are you really going to eat this?"

Even the former assassin, Mr. Borf, seemed hesitant. The cultural barrier is thicker than I thought.

"For me, it's a feast. I'll serve the teachers as butter-fried or fried."

Of course, I will have sashimi or salt-grilled fish. I plan to eat the sashimi with salt since there's no soy sauce.

"I'll share the ones you can't eat."

The fisherman reached into the net. I recognized the sea cucumber... it's eaten in some regions, but I don't know how to prepare it.

Then, the fisherman started discarding the sea urchins and octopuses.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

"Lord, no one eats needleheads or devil fish."

Needlehead, with spines on its head... that must be the sea urchin. And the octopus is not eaten either.

"They're edible and delicious."

When I broke open the sea urchin shell with a knife, the orange flesh appeared. The scent of the sea, and the rich flavor filled my mouth. It's a taste that would make my wallet die if I ate it in Ginza.

"You... ate the needlehead raw..."

"Master George, you'll get sick if you don't cook it."

As a result, the fisherman and Mr. Sanda were completely taken aback.

"Hey, George... you're not going to eat the devil fish, are you?"

Mr. Borf was clearly on guard. I'll skip the octopus sashimi.

"I will eat it. First, I'll rub it with salt... then I'll trap it in a Hydro Ball, create a vortex inside to clean it. Next, I'll heat a new Hydro Ball to boil it... it's done. What's wrong?"

Everyone was pale, looking at me. To prove that octopus is delicious, I ate it, and they were even more taken aback.

The fried horse mackerel and butter-fried porgy were accepted, but everyone refused the sashimi. I'll get them to recognize the deliciousness of sashimi someday with soy sauce.

I released "Horror 2015: The Haunted House's Curse" in the horror genre. Please check it out if you're interested.