Chapter 8

"Appraisal"

A soft, white, sparkling magic appeared.

"......Ah, it's all cress today."

Watching Link appraise, I was reminded once again that this is a different world.

Magic!

What would be called superpowers in my previous life!

I knew that after reincarnating here, there would be no cars or smartphones, but I was genuinely surprised to find myself in a world where magic is alive and well.

It feels like I've stepped into one of the novels I read so much in my past life.

This is my reality now.

Although it's called magic, apparently most people can't use it.

Even the occasional mages don't fight monsters like in stories, and I haven't heard of any monsters, so they probably don't exist, right?

But there are stories about monster slaying in old picture books.

In the Earthris Kingdom, those who can use magic are educated by the state.

They then take jobs according to their abilities, which is the norm.

The four major elements.

Those who possess the power of fire, water, wind, or earth are trained to use their powers efficiently and either join the state-affiliated magic academy or use their powers in industries like blacksmithing, agriculture, and water management.

Some even open healing clinics.

Most people have one of the four major elements.

It's common to have just water or just fire, but occasionally, someone has more than one element. When such people train, they can develop special abilities like "healing" or "appraisal."

Compared to ancient times, the number of mages has drastically decreased. In the past few decades, the number of students entering the magic academy each year is barely in the double digits.

Among them, those who develop "healing" or "appraisal" abilities are especially valuable.

Such valuable mages are usually one per territory, if that.

And that valuable appraisal mage is Link.

He spent two years at the magic academy from the age of 16, refining his appraisal skills. However, being the son of a high-ranking noble, he didn't plan to work in the city like ordinary mages. After graduating, he intended to learn estate management and live a leisurely life.

But he never expected to be involved in child-rearing in this Bertia territory and to fully utilize his appraisal skills, as he often mentions.

Lord Rodin also entered the academy at 14 and studied with Link.

Noble children usually have private tutors to ensure they receive a proper education. Those from the city enter the academy after acquiring a certain level of education, so they tend to be older than noble children.

As a result, the age of students entering the magic academy varies.

Mother Rose also attended the academy before getting married.

Lord Rodin apparently developed healing abilities during his time at the academy, but Mother Rose only discovered her healing ability when I had a fever. It's not surprising given our bloodline.

However, if the viscount found out, he would likely try to exploit it, so we keep it a secret.

How disappointing. The viscount.

Incidentally, the viscount.

His mother's family, the marquess family, all have two elements, but he is lazy and, despite attending the academy, never developed healing abilities, which is quite disappointing.

He really is lazy...

What about me?

Mother and the others don't know I have a duke's bloodline.

I can't tell them.

There are four ducal families in the Earthris Kingdom, and their family names are similar. Based on the words I heard as a baby, I can't tell which family it is.

I probably will be able to use magic when I grow up.

The light from appraisal and healing is usually invisible, but I can see it clearly.

Like Mother Rose and Uncle Rodin with their healing abilities, and Link with his appraisal abilities.

I want to use magic too! I've been thinking this ever since I learned about magic.

Unfortunately, my body is still too small to use magic.

Children are tested for magic at around 7 years old because using magic can be a burden on their bodies. If they can use magic, they are identified and receive advanced education for free, and then enter the magic academy.

This is the elite course.

Even without magic, basic reading, writing, and arithmetic education is free, but further education usually requires personal funding.

Some receive support from lords or wealthy families, but this is rare. Only those considered exceptionally talented from a young age are given such opportunities.

Generally, those with magic are mostly nobles.

When the Earthris Kingdom was founded, the mages who supported the king were granted noble titles as peace came.

The current ducal, marquess, and earl families were among the main ones.

Therefore, those with such bloodlines often have magic.

The Bertia viscount family, where Mother Rose and Uncle Rodin come from, has a diverse bloodline. Mother is from the Dain earl family, and her grandmother was from a marquess family. Tracing the family tree further back, there are commoners, former viscounts who became commoners, and even ducal and royal families.

This shows how bloodlines have spread over a long history, and even commoners occasionally have strong magical potential.

The Earthris Kingdom is rich in crystal stones.

Deep underground, there are veins of crystals throughout the country, containing the essence of all four major elements. The people who have lived on this land for generations resonate with these crystals.

Therefore, not only nobles but also a few commoners across the country can become mages.

It seems to be a combination of bloodline, connection to crystals, or both.

It was time to return, so I decided to head back to the carriage before Link.

The ground was bumpy and hard to walk on, so Certo carried me.

Oh, right.

“Certo, can you do magic?”

Can you make water appear?

Certo is also a graduate of the magic academy.

“Unfortunately, I can't manipulate matter. I attended the magic academy, but I can't generate fire or water from my own magic.”

Magic varies greatly.

Some can create fire or water with magic, while others use spells to generate fire.

The results may be the same, but the underlying magic is different.

The strength, attributes, and direction of magic, as well as the person's nature and the amount of magic they possess, all influence the outcome.

So, even with the water attribute, some can create water, guide water, or change its shape and quality when they touch it. Certo is probably the latter.

Certo lowered his voice so only I could hear.

“– This is a secret, but... I have the ability called 'sensing,' which allows me to feel what's inside things.”

“Like Link's 'appraisal’?”

“Link can see 'things.' Mine is for 'people,' Ashera.”

“People?”

“Yes. Simply put, I can tell if someone is lying. But that's all I can do.”

“Amazing!”

Being able to tell if someone is lying is incredible!

Wait, but doesn't 'sensing' require more than one element?

Then Certo must be an amazing mage!

“Because of this, I was always monitoring people in a certain mansion. I was protecting my kind master from those who might harm him.”

He keeps his 'sensing' ability a secret from everyone except a few trusted people.

“Please keep it a secret, Ashera. Even Lord Dain, Link, Rodin, and Rose don't know about it.”

But he hadn't told me about it, Certo smiled.

“Secret, okay.”

“Yes, please.”

Ah, so if I try to deceive him, he'll know right away.

Given my secret birth, this could be problematic. When I made a face, Certo seemed to notice.

“Don't worry, Ashera. I only delve deep into those with negative intentions. It's quite draining to use, so I don't do it often.”

When we reached the carriage, Certo set me down.

The farmers waved to us as the sun set.

I loved this moment and the scene.

Certo watched the scene with a smile, slightly behind me as I waved back.

“After my master passed away, I was kicked out of the mansion by a snobbish noble, but working for the guild is nice. – This place feels good.”

That noble falsely accused Certo and had him expelled because he didn't like him.

“Bad noble, I'll get back at him!”

I stomped my feet.

Certo laughed.

“Thank you, Ashera. Yes, I don't want to see bad people again, but I'd like to get back at them a thousandfold.”

A thousandfold, not just double.

His soft tone with such an extreme statement surprised me.

“Come on, Ashera, let's go home.”

Link ran over, picked me up, and quickly got into the carriage.

So.

– My power only works on those with weaker magic than me, so it bounces off Ashera –

I didn't hear Certo's quiet mutter from behind.

Thank you for reading.