Memoirs of the Returnee-Novel

Memory (2)

… ‘Magic Body’. Literally, a body through which mana flows.

A single blackboard. A piece of chalk as white as snow. Deep and dark black eyes.

In a small classroom, a lesson prepared solely for me.

… The basis of this Magic Body is the ‘One Belt, Four Lines’.

One Belt, Four Lines (一帶四線).

The most popular method of forming a Magic Body.

I’ve heard it so many times it’s like a broken record.

… First, the One Belt (一帶). It refers to the largest circuit from the brain to the groin. It must never be broken and is the thickest and strongest circuit. Hence, it’s called the ‘Belt’.

Theia, with a human anatomy displayed on the blackboard, drew a line from the head to the groin. She laid the chalk sideways, making it very thick.

… From this Belt, four lines are derived to the right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg.

Then she drew four lines along the arms and legs.

… These are the Four Lines (四線).

The Belt goes from the head to the groin, the Lines from the Belt to the fingertips and toes.

The One Belt, Four Lines ultimately signifies the path of mana flow in the human body, that is, the configuration of the circuit.

… There are hardly any Magic Body in this world that aren’t based on the One Belt, Four Lines. But you, Shion. Your body would die the moment it learns the One Belt, Four Lines, right?

It’s an impossible Magic Body for me. The ‘Belt’ of the One Belt, Four Lines inevitably penetrates the tumor, and it’s certain that the cancer cells will invade along the Belt.

… Don’t despair. Lift your head.

When was this?

Perhaps, right after my third cancer surgery.

She came to me as I woke from anesthesia and declared herself my teacher.

… It’s not that there’s no way. It’s an ancient Magic Body. It’s a bit odd to call it a Magic Body these days.

In modern times, a Magic Body is synonymous with the One Belt, Four Lines, but if you go back far enough, to ancient times, there were other types of Magic Body.

… It’s called ‘Embodiment’.

Embodiment (體化).

After accepting the mana within the body, it naturally seeps in without any special process.

To put it very simply, it’s similar to smoking meat.

… I’ve done some research on monkeys. I’ve written papers too. Have a read.

Monkeys.

Literally, the Magic Body that ‘beasts’ use.

* * *

I opened my eyes. I woke from my reminiscence and looked around.

A secluded lake surrounded by bushes. No one to watch, and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter, a shelter behind the old building.

I came here as soon as the college board ended.

“Shall I try?”

The teachings of my master.

That which I had forgotten in the harshness of reality, triggered in my mind the moment I recognized her existence, shaking my soul.

Is this also thanks to the 「Notepad」?

I began by taking off my clothes. I stripped down to my underwear and placed everything on the rock.

If I train my Magic Body, my whole body will be drenched in sweat and waste.

Splash-

I walked into the lake.

“Uhuhuh.”

It’s still early spring, so it’s extremely cold, but this is fine.

I floated on the water with only my neck above the surface and closed my eyes.

“Hoo….”

What I’m trying to do now is ‘Embodiment’.

One of the teachings left to me by Theia Esil.

In simple terms, its smoking, but in fact, it’s quite different from smoking. Embodiment is essentially like leaving meat out on a summer day and waiting for it to ‘cook on its own’.

There’s no fire, no frying pan, nothing.

That wasn’t a method lost without reason.

For the ‘Embodiment’ to evolve into a Magic Body, as my master said, an ‘engine’ is needed to pump the mana from the Mana Heart.

Just as the heart pumps blood to circulate throughout the body, an engine is needed to pump the mana from the Mana Heart and radiate it to the ends of one’s limbs.

In the past, my master said, ‘You have to conceive and create the algorithm yourself-‘ and added that it would be very difficult.

Before my regression, I couldn’t invent that method until the very end.[br][/br] But now it’s different.

I already know the algorithm that was so difficult.

No, everyone knows it.

What is it?

I just used it as a metaphor.

“The Heart.”

I put my hand on my chest.

What I’m trying to do now is simple.

First, how much does the 「Notepad」 know about me?

Next, to what extent can my body ‘remember’?

In other words— can it ‘remember’ the function of the heart, and can it ‘transplant’ the Mana Heart?

So that my Mana Heart, like my heart, can beat on its own.

Of course, I’m scared to touch the Mana Heart. It’s a perfectly reasonable concern as a cancer patient.

However, the cancer cells of the Mana Heart cannot escape the Mana Heart membrane. While direct radiation penetrates the Mana Heart membrane, such a case does not occur in ‘Embodiment’, so at least I don’t have to worry about the risk of cancer spreading.

“……”

Silently, I adjusted my posture and closed my eyes.

I slowly moved the mana inside my body. When that mana slowly rose and reached my heart, I muttered my intention.

“……Remember.”

The heart trembled. The Mana Heart shook greatly. Thud-thud-thud-thud— the sound of the blood vessels throughout my body bursting were loud.

I gritted my teeth. I maintained my body while keeping the interval of my breaths.

Then, at some point while I was determinedly enduring the pain.

The Notepad floated above my tightly closed eyelids.

[63 / 100]

■ Diary

■ Memory

└Perion

└Untitled

Capacity history within the last 24 hours: +30

The ‘Untitled’ file was added, and the volume quickly rose to 63.

Does that ‘Untitled’ mean my heart?

The feeling is strange, but there’s no time to stay still.

I sent the mana containing the ‘memory’ of the heart to the Mana Heart.

The mechanism is simple.

Just as I brought the function of the barber chair into the hair salon, I transplanted the function of the heart into the Mana Heart.

……I hope I can do that.

——.

Then, something wriggled.

I quickly opened my eyes. I put my hand on my stomach.

——.

It seems to move, but I can’t feel it well.

Is it because the stomach, unlike the chest, is covered with thick fat?

——.

Fortunately, this is the third time.

It’s certain.

It’s a pulse.

——.

The Mana Heart is beating.

With each breath I take, as if it’s pumping.

Completely as an unconscious action.

“……It’s done.”

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I lay back.

Splash—!

I entrusted myself to the lake. The refreshing moisture rushed into my hot body.

I just floated around and blankly looked up at the sky.

“It really works.”

In the sunset, the face of my old master fades.

Theia Esil.

I received too much help from her. I owed her my life several times, borrowed a huge amount of money over a few times, and didn’t pay her back till the very end.

She never once pressed me to repay her.

Truth be told, I never intended to.

Anyway.

“It did become something…”

The me before regression was able to get close to her. We became close in an instant.

The simple logic was— the enemy of my enemy is my friend— because you hated Libra as much as I did.

“But not this time.”

But now, I can’t do that.

Our relationship can’t continue like that.

If I confront Libra ‘exactly’ as I did in the past, I’ll only meet the ‘same’ ending.

Just like you failed to bring down Libra and were defeated.

“You won’t be here in the future either.”

I quietly closed my eyes.

“I’m prepared.”

I’m fully prepared.

In this tranquil lake, no, in this world.

I’m alone.

* * *

The next day, Tuesday morning.

Today is the day of an elective liberal arts class. It’s literally liberal arts, so it’s a bit laid back, but one mustn’t be complacent. I need at least an A to compete in college admissions.

“…Ah, I’m tired.”

But maybe it’s because I finished the ‘Physical Chemistry’ yesterday. I’m so sleepy.

I blankly looked up at the nameplate of the classroom.

[Elective Liberal Arts: Latinel I]

Latinel.

Before my regression, it was a high-end liberal arts course I would rather die than take. I wanted to kill the nobles who learned and enjoyed such things and showed off.

“Eh? What!”

Then a loud voice popped out.

Looking back, it was Layla. The girl with blue-dyed hair pointed at me with wide eyes.

“Why are you here, Shion… huh?”

I silently entered the classroom.

“Hey, are you ignoring me!”

There are 37 students who chose Latinel. That’s only 37 out of 120 seniors.

That’s why the classroom is filled with good-looking and well-off children of nobility.

“Elly! Shion is here… too!”

Elise was also among them.

She glanced at me while holding a vocabulary book in one hand. Her expression slightly twisted, but she turned her head as if she found it pathetic without showing much reaction. She probably doesn’t want to deal with me.

I sat down in any seat.

It was exactly 10 o’clock, and the teacher in charge came in.

“Nice to meet you~ seniors. Welcome to the Latinel class.”

Latinel I. The teacher of this noble subject was a middle-aged woman overflowing with liberal arts, named ‘ Beatrice’.

Even her voice was old-fashioned, and if someone asked her for directions in the common language, she seemed like she would answer in ten languages.

“Latinel, as you all know, is the ancient language of our continent.”

Latinel is an old language that has been dead for thousands of years, but there are still many nobles fascinated by the difficulty and mystery of Latinel.

It’s what they call ‘high-class liberal arts’.

It’s too difficult for ordinary people to even get permission, an exclusive and luxurious fashion.

“Of course, it’s not a language currently in common use. But rather, that’s all the more reason to take pride in learning it. Latinel is the root of all languages on the continent.”

The reason I chose this aristocratic vanity class is, of course, because the aristocrats love it.

In other words, this language is not just a dead language.

It’s the lingua franca of ‘all the aristocrats on the continent’.

“I believe you all chose this class because you know that.”

But there was a problem from the first day.

“So… does everyone have their Latinel textbooks~?”

It was the textbook.

“Teacher. It seems like one person doesn’t have it~”

Someone pointed at me. I can tell from the laughter in their voice.

It was Layla Hilton. Elise was next to her.

“Well, it can happen. Please bring it by the next class~”

The lady said with a smile.

Unfortunately, I can never bring that textbook.

The Latinel textbook you announced costs 1,000 Ren per book.

Did they embellish the book in gold?

“Everyone. What image comes to mind when you think of Latinel? The ancient empire? The language of the most powerful nation? A romantic era where fairies, spirits, and humans frolicked together? Or… just a difficult language?”

I nodded.

Just difficult.

“Latinel is difficult. I won’t deny it. It’s too difficult. The biggest reason is that the word transformations are too diverse and sophisticated.”

She’s very good at sugarcoating the fact that there’s no root or standard.

“Starting today, we will embark on a journey every Sunday to learn Latinel. The grading criteria will be midterms and finals each accounting for 30%. The assignments given in each class and class participation will each account for 20%.”

Then everyone prepared to take notes. Click, click, click- like loading bullets, they prepare their notebook and pencils.

I also opened the 「Notepad」 in my head.

“And if, in my opinion, there is a very exemplary and talented student.”

Beatrice’s expression suddenly became serious.

“I will give you an invitation to ‘Sermones Aeterni’.”

At that moment, the air stiffened.

Thud-! Elise was so shocked that she broke her pencil.

Sermones, Aeterni?

What’s that?

“Well, shall we open the first page?

Beauche, with a fresh smile, started the class in earnest.

“The title of the first chapter is Kaedeius Radeoman. It means Emperor’s Man….”

The sound of note-taking – scratch, scratch – echoed in my ears like white noise.

I was about to do my own note-taking in the 「Notepad」 in the air, but.

“……The sophistication of Latinel starts here.”

My eyes kept closing.

“Kedsa means to love, and edaos means to love each other….”

Oh, I’m in trouble.

I shouldn’t have chosen it as an elective.

“Anobal is a suffix meaning a person born to ~….”

I’m too sleepy.