◇
I was in the academy’s private chamber for lecturers, preparing for today’s lesson.
Several textbooks on magical theory lay open across the desk, and beside them sat a small potted plant.
I paused for a moment and glanced out the window.
Hein had seemed absorbed in something these past few days.
He was spending more and more time shut in his room, and I occasionally saw him sending Feri to carry things for him.
Come to think of it, Mother’s Day was drawing near.
Lately, he had taken to asking me about my preferences in an oddly casual way. It was plain as day what he was plotting.
「Do you prefer necklaces or earrings?」
「What color goes best with green?」
Remembering my son’s attempts to pose such questions naturally made me smile despite myself.
But I wouldn’t say anything.
He was working so hard to think things through.
I shifted my gaze back to the potted plant on the desk.
It held only soil and an unsprouted seed, meant for today’s lesson.
Looking at it brought back memories of long ago.
──How many years has it been since then, I wonder…
◇◆
「Mother!」
A young Hein ran up to me and threw his arms around me.
His small arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
「Ara, what is it, Hein?」
I smiled and gently stroked my son’s soft hair.
With his face buried against my clothes, he spoke in a muffled voice.
「Mother, you smell like green things.」
「Do I? Perhaps the scent of the garden has rubbed off on me, I was just walking among the flowers.」
As I raised my sleeve to check, Hein lifted his head and shook it.
「No, it’s the smell of magic.」
「Magic?」
I tilted my head.
I had never thought that magic could have a scent.
「Yes. Mother’s magic smells like the fresh greenery of spring.」
His eyes gazed straight into mine.
「Mother, you’re very good at caring for plants, aren’t you?」
The question came out of nowhere.
「I suppose so… It’s true I’ve rarely let any wither. But I don’t do anything special, you know?」
I answered honestly.
When I looked at plants, I somehow felt I could tell what they needed, and simply responded to that.
Whether they wanted water, whether they lacked sunlight, or whether they needed a little rest.
I could sense such things, vaguely.
「I think perhaps you’ve been unconsciously using magic all along.」
His words widened my eyes in surprise.
「But I’ve never heard of such a spell…」
「The Eldenbloom family, your birth house, has always valued harmony with nature. And if we remember that the founder was of Elfen blood…」
Hein paused, his face shifting as if recalling something.
「Yes, I think you should try reading ‘The Path of the Awakened’ from the archives. It was written by a wandering sage named Johan Grimoire. It’s a folkloric work describing the magical talents that common people unconsciously use. Quite fascinating, really.」
◇
And so, when I read the book that Hein had recommended, I came to truly believe that I possessed such a power.
In general, this kind of theory was considered heretical in magical studies, and had it been anyone else telling me, I likely would not have believed it.
But because it was none other than my beloved son who said it, I was able to accept it.
And as time passed, I learned that Hein’s words had indeed been true.
I had unconsciously been using magic that interfered with plants.
While I was lost in those memories, a knock at the door pulled me back to reality.
「Excuse me, Helga-sama. It is time for your lecture.」
It seemed one of the academy staff had come to inform me.
I stood, gathered the textbooks and the potted plant, and made my way to the lecture hall.
・
・
・
The lecture hall was already filled with students.
In the very center of the front row, as always, sat Hein.
Beside him was Esmeralda-sama.
The two were whispering something to each other, but the moment I stepped up to the lectern, their conversation ceased and they turned forward.
「Good afternoon, everyone. Today I would like to speak about magical systems from a slightly different perspective.」
Placing the potted plant on the teacher’s desk, I began.
「Magic can be classified in several ways. There are those that draw upon legends and tales, those that borrow power through prayers to higher beings, and those that take form from the shared recognition of the many…」
The students listened with serious expressions.
「And then, there is a kind of magic known as bloodline magic, which can only be wielded by those of a certain lineage.」
At those words, several students leaned forward with interest.
Bloodline magic was regarded in the Empire as a mark of a special class of privilege.
「It is often said that bloodline magic is unique to the Twelve Ducal Houses. But in truth, there are other noble families who can wield unique forms of magic as well.」
I let my gaze travel across the students’ faces as I continued.
「However, such magics are rarely classified as distinct systems, and in most cases, they simply fade away over time. Do you know why that is?」
One student raised their hand.
「Because the traditions die out, perhaps?」
「That is one reason, yes. But the greatest reason lies elsewhere.」
I extended my hand toward the potted plant as I spoke.
「It is because the practitioners themselves are unaware that they are using magic at all.」
A murmur spread through the classroom.
「The most important element in magic is recognition. To understand what one is doing, to realize what power one is invoking. Only then does magic, in its truest sense, become the magician’s own.」
I took a deep breath and focused my awareness on the potted plant.
「My birth family, the Eldenbloom house, also possessed such a power. Yet I myself was not aware of it for a long time.」
As I spoke, I gently held my hand above the plant.
I poured magic into the seeds sleeping within the soil, as if whispering to them.
Awaken.
Spring has come.
The sunlight is waiting for you.
There was no incantation.
I only willed it within my heart.
And then,
「Ah…!」
One of the students let out a small cry.
The soil in the pot swelled slightly, and a tiny green sprout pushed its way through.
Before their eyes, the sprout grew taller, unfurled its leaves, and formed a bud.
And under the watch of the entire classroom, a pure white flower slowly bloomed.
「Amazing…」
「It really blossomed…」
Voices of astonishment rose from the students.
Feeling a small sense of pride, I glanced toward Hein.
My son, for some reason, had clasped his hands together, assuming a posture as though in prayer.
His earnest expression struck me as amusing, and I couldn’t help but smile.
「As you can see, magic does not always require elaborate incantations or complex formulas. At times, simply connecting with something in your heart is enough.」
I said this while gently stroking the flower’s petals.
「Among you as well, there may be talents lying dormant that you have yet to recognize. If in your daily lives there are things that always seem to succeed, or outcomes that are strangely consistent, it may well be unconscious magic at work.」
The lecture hall grew utterly still.
Every student was focused, hanging onto my words without letting a single one slip past.
「However」
I shifted my tone slightly.
「Unconscious magic also carries dangers. Power that cannot be controlled may at times harm the caster or those around them. That is why awareness is so important.」
At some point, Hein had lowered his praying hands and was now diligently taking notes.
That child already understands his own power well and has control over it.
Suppressing the urge to reach out and gently pat his head, I instead watched as the students filled their notebooks with the contents of my lecture, while in my heart, I quietly wondered what gift my beloved son would give me on the approaching Mother’s Day.
Leave a Reply