Chapter 8: Magic with Will / Spirit

Dragon Era 641

「Sensei—!」

At the earth‑shaking tremor, I spun around on reflex and took on my dragon form.
Almost at the same moment, Ruful dove into my arms.

「Ruful, careful.」
「Ehehe, sorry. But it didn’t hurt, right?」

When I reproached her, Ruful answered without the slightest hint of contrition.
When she clings to me that cutely, I can’t bring myself to scold her hard.
For a girl who used to be so timid, what a change.

Once Ruful learned how to control Giant’s Might, she mastered it in no time.
Children’s capacity to absorb is frightening.
What she could do only with a chant, she can now do without chanting—and almost without conscious effort.

Not only that, she can even wield just as much destructive power as needed, when needed.

Lately, alongside her research, she’s been using that power to put up house after house, till fields, and build roads.
She’s monstrously strong—outstripping even what her frame would suggest. She’s literally worth a hundred men, and it shows.

Having gained confidence and lost her fear of contact, Ruful has shown herself to be an awfully cuddly child.
She must have longed for closeness—she’d never been able to depend on anyone before now.
Even if she can control her power, I’m still the only one who can support that two‑ton body. Maybe that’s why she’s taken to clinging to me like this lately.


「Sensei, what were you doing?」
「Ah, just… making a futile effort.」

As ever, I was clattering away assembling a waterwheel that barely turns at all.

In the end, for now, no matter what I tried, the waterwheel would not run on its own.

No matter how I refined the shape, matched the channel’s width to the wheel, even built it so the flow couldn’t proceed unless it turned the wheel, it still wouldn’t turn. Water slipped through the tiniest gaps and away.

Then I tried dropping water like a waterfall to push the wheel from above—no use either. If water has a will, it seems determined not to turn a waterwheel.

「What’s that?」
「A waterwheel. Or rather, something meant to be one.」

At my explanation, Ruful tilted her whole body as she cocked her head.

「It turns by the power of water, transmits that power to a millstone, and grinds grain automatically—at least, that’s what I wanted.」

I gave her a quick rundown of the waterwheel’s principle.

「If that worked, it would really help everyone in the village!」

She grasped its usefulness at once and said so.
For all her childlike looks and manner, Ruful’s understanding is by no means poor.
She has more than enough intellect to belong at the university.

「If only it would. It just won’t run.」
「Mm… so the water’s power isn’t working right?」

She knit her cute brows and asked, thinking it over.

「That’s about it.」
「Then, like my Giant’s Might, why not just… ask it?」
「Ask it…」

At Ruful’s words, it hit me.
Of course. How had I missed something so simple?

If water won’t turn it, then I can just turn it with magic.
Granted, magic effects don’t last by default.
Even with a magic circle, you get a few hours at best.

That would still beat hand‑turning the millstone—but there was an even better way.

Rin said will dwells in everything in this world.
Which means everything in this world is magic.

And—its simplest, most primitive form.

「O water. Thou that flowest away, formless and cold—unto thee I give a name.」

Naming.
The world is perceived and defined by names—and becomes magic—

「Undine. Maiden of water, Undine—show thyself before me!」

Magic itself, endowed with will.
That is a spirit.

Answering my call, the water flowing through the channel clumped together and sprang out, quivering.
It wriggled as it shaped itself and took on the form of a colorless, transparent woman.
Exactly as I had imagined.
Because I was the one who named it and gave it form.

Like cutting out a silhouette from the great concept of water in this world.

「Undine, sorry, but could you turn this waterwheel for me?」

At my request, Undine smiled sweetly—

Then stuck out her tongue and, in a flash, dove back into the river.

「…She’s saying no.」
「Looks like it.」

So that’s how it is.
I’m a fire dragon; I’m bad with water magic. I still can’t produce even a single drop.

Am I disliked because I lack affinity, or do I lack affinity because I’m disliked?
Chicken or egg; but there’s one thing I did learn.

The reason the waterwheel wouldn’t turn at all was apparently me.


* * *


「Ah, Sensei—it’s moving!」

Ruful, peeking at the waterwheel over a rooftop, cried out in glee.
Rin is the one asking Undine to turn the wheel. I withdrew to a safe distance just in case and had Ruful watch and report.

「Figures—if it’s Rin, it’ll be fine.」

There’s likely no one in this village more beloved by water than she is.
If Rin can’t do it, no one can.

「Huh? It stopped?」

No sooner had I thought that than Ruful said so, puzzled.

「Sensei, keeping it turning might be a bit impossible.」

Rin flew over to us and said as much.

「Impossible? Why?」
「Because it flows away.」

Which, when you think about it, is perfectly obvious.

I had vaguely assumed that as long as there was water, a spirit would linger there—but apparently not. If you call to one, it will stay for a bit, yet it still flows on all the same.

「…How could we ask every water spirit that comes by?」
「Hmm… maybe put up a signboard?」

A signboard. Rin’s idea caught me off guard.

「Ah, but water can’t read, huh.」
「…Maybe. Maybe not.」

We never taught them words, after all.
Even so, spirits probably understand our language.

A signboard… a signboard, huh.

It was such a Rin‑like, flexible idea.
I, however, had an inkling of something equivalent.

Not spell‑chanting in words, but enacting magic with characters carved into stone or wood.

Rune magic.