Chapter 38 - It might be a Cheat Ability in some way

Even though Kuro pointed out that she could see something in my body, I can’t see any change in my appearance myself because magic power essentially isn’t visible.

However, aside from physical aspects, I can certainly feel something change. It’s much less diluted than when I pseudo-clad in Kuro’s magic power, and I didn’t notice it until now, but I could sense that my body is clad in something.

[Indeed, now that you said it, I feel like I’m somehow clad in magic power.]

[Unn, unnn. It might be a little uncomfortable because your body isn’t used to it yet, and I don’t think you’ll be able to move it well yet…… but after about 2 days, you should be able to sense how to move your magic. After that, you can finally use magic.]

[Whoa……]

It’s certainly as Kuro said. I could sense that I’m clad in magic power, but I can’t make it move. No, to be precise, I could feel like I could do it, but I could sense that I wouldn’t be able to make it move well.

According to Kuro, this is because my body isn’t accustomed yet to being clad in magic power. In other words, it is like how a baby has just learned how to stand on its own feet, and after some time pass, I will gradually be able to manipulate my magic power.

When I was moved by the fact that I was finally at the starting line of using magic, Kuro smiled and said the words that had been bothering me.

Humans from other worlds can use a special kind of magic, holding some kind of ability unique from the others…… Indeed, that can be said to be the staples of the media regarding people summoned to another world.

[Unn. For example, Hikari-chan, the First Hero, was able to materialize her magic power…… turning it into swords or shields, or more accurately, turning it into some kind of minerals. There are some demons, myself included, who can do similar things, but compared to turning magic into fire or water, turning it into iron or something like that consumes an awful lot of magic power. It normally would have been impossible for her to use it with a human’s amount of magic power, but Hikari-chan was able to do it with just a small amount of magic power consumption.]

[Fumu……]

[Moreover, Hikari-chan didn’t need any magic technique—- like a magic circle, for her to use that magic. Materializing magic power should have been high-ranked magic. It’s not supposed to be possible to omit the use of magic techniques unless you’re a high-ranking demon, but Hikari-chan seems to have been able to do it ever since she first learned magic.]

[Doesn’t that only mean that the First Hero was special?]

The First Hero is able to use this magic better than the high-ranking demon, which would normally require the power of a high-ranking demon to be able to use it.

However, I’m still not sure if this is because she’s an otherworlder or because she is the First Hero.

[Unnn. There were a few other children holding the role of heroes back in the past who didn’t go back to their original world and stayed in this world, and those children could use magic that’s unique to them. The magic they hold is different though. I remembered that there was this child who could use teleportation magic just like how demons who hold peerage do, though it only consumes a lot less magic power from him. There’s also that child who can use great magic, though she could only use water magic. Each of them may be different but…… All in all, they were able to use magic that originally couldn’t be used by humans.]

[Does that mean I also have some kind of unusual magic?]

[Unnn. It’s quite possible. Have you felt any kind of “strange feelings” after your magic power awakened? Like how you feel like you can do this, or a part of you that doesn’t feel the same as before……]

[……Speaking of which……]

What came to my mind when Kuro asked me about it was that strange feeling I felt earlier this morning and just now. That incident where I knew, for some reason, that the weather would change with a near-certainty……

When I explained this to Kuro, she put her hand on her chin as she looked like she’s thinking about something.

[You knew that the weather would change? Hmmm. If it’s related to foresight…… It was too limited to consider it like that, as for weather manipulation…… It isn’t like you willed the weather to change yourself…… Speaking of which, Kaito-kun has “Shiro’s Blessing”…… Perhaps……]

Kuro began to silently mutter something, and a little while later, it seemed like she had come up with something, as she turned towards me.

[Kaito-kun, do you mind if we try something?]

[Eh? Ah, unn.]

[Then, I’m sorry for this.]

[Nggh!? Guuhhh, uuaagghh……]

I nodded at Kuro when she told me she has a hunch regarding my magic—- and wants to try something out. Kuro then held out her hand towards me, and immediately afterward, a tremendous amount of pressure weighed on my body.

It’s as if all the air around me turned to lead or something like that, as my body couldn’t even twitch.

I don’t know what Kuro thought, but for me to not be able to move my body at all is more intense than I expected……

[……Kaito-kun, can you move your body in that situation?]

Don’t say something unreasonable…… How can I move my body when it’s like I’m trapped in a boulder like this…… No? I don’t feel the heaviness I felt before, and I feel like I can manage to move if I work hard.

Following Kuro’s words, I tried to move my body. At first, my body won’t move at all, but after a while, the pressure on my body weakened, just like how my body which was trapped in hardened concrete was finally able to struggle as if what was clinging unto my body is hardened mud, and I was able to move my body a little bit.

Kuro continues to quietly watch me.

[………………]

[!?!? ]

Immediately afterward, a chill went through my entire body.

I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s an incredibly unpleasant feeling. It’s as if my whole body was held up to a sharp blade—— No, even something like could be described as lukewarm compared to the overwhelming fear I feel right now.

The moment my eyes met with the golden eyes that are quietly staring at me, deep darkness that seems to swallow me filled in my head.

——I will be killed.

Along with the moment that feeling emerged, events from the past popped up one after another in my head.

The memories of when I spent time with my parents, the time when I lost them in an accident, the faded days after that, and the time after I came to this world……

Immediately after I realized that I was actually looking at the revolving lantern, that feeling of despair that had been assaulting my entire body disappears, and my body loses its strength and collapses on my knees.

With my body not being able to exert an ounce of strength, the gravity began to drag my body down, collapsing on the floor—– and was caught in someone’s arms, just like before.

[I’m sorry. Kaito-kun. It was quite scary, right?]

[……Kuro?]

The atmosphere around her went back to being warm and reassuring as usual, without the feeling of fear I felt earlier from Kuro, who held my crumbling body in her arms and spoke to me with her gentle and reassuring voice.

I’m not sure what happened. My head feels like it’s spinning and I can’t think straight.

[To check Kaito-kun’s power, I put a little bit of my killing intent into my magic power. I’m really sorry.]

While gently stroking my head, Kuro utters an apology.

She just put in a little bit of killing intent, she said…… That’s outrageous enough for my mind to break. How should I say this, I guess that’s to be expected from the Underworld King huh……

[Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?]

[…..I’m feeling a little lightheaded.]

[I guess the pressure from the high-density of magic power must have caused you to get magic intoxication huh…… You should get better after you get some rest.]

When Kuro told me that, my body floats up and moved towards the bed. Then, Kuro also moved towards the same bed and my head was placed on her lap, laying down with her lap as my pillow.

Kuro then stroked my head to calm me down and talked to me in a gentle voice.

[I’m really sorry. But, because Kaito-kun was able to persevere, I now know what kind of power Kaito-kun have.]

[……Is that so?]

[Unnn. Kaito-kun seems to be able to read the magic power in the surroundings very keenly. It’s so sensitive that it can even detect the “faintest emotions” contained within the surrounding magic power. I’m guessing that you should be able to read it even more acutely since you are now able to use your magic power, but you were probably reading it unconsciously before, right?]

[The emotions contained within the surrounding magic power?]

As gentle words whisper in my ear, giving me relief in my mind, my thoughts, which were gradually becoming foggy, returned to normal.

[Unnn. Magic power is very much influenced by the user’s emotions. Just as how hostile magic can intimidate others while the reverse could make someone feel safe. It seems like Kaito-kun is very sensitive to the emotions contained within magic power huh. Haven’t you ever felt it since you came to this world? Like how this person is easy to talk to, and conversely, how this person is hard to talk to… I think you were subconsciously reading the emotions someone was feeling towards Kaito-kun based on their magic power.]

It seems that I have an excellent ability to read other people’s magic powers.

Indeed, now that she mentioned it, I’ve had that feeling until now. Even among the servants in Lilia-san’s mansion, there are people like Sieg-san who are easy to talk to, but there are also people who I somehow found difficult to talk to.

It seems that this is because I have unconsciously read the emotions contained in the surrounding magic power, just like how I sense nearby presence and feel the mood around me.

I see, that should also explain why I strangely feel safe around Kuro. It’s because I’ve read the favorable feelings she’s giving me.

[So you’re saying that I have an aptitude for perception magic?]

[Hmmm. It’s just my conjectures, but I don’t think it would be just perception……]

[Unnn?]

[The fact that you were able to have a “proper conversation” with Shiro, and when I first applied pressure to your body by weighing it down with high-density of magic power, Kaito-kun, you were able to move a little bit, right? That’s already impossible for a normal human to handle.]

[Eh?]

[It’s almost like a magical binding after all. A human normally wouldn’t have been able to move an inch under that magic power, but Kaito-kun “sensed” that my magic power wasn’t filled with hostility and tried to “adapt” to it little by little.]

Come to think of it, I think Shiro-san said something like that to. If I remember correctly, I think she said that “I could say that this adaptability of mine could even be my talent” or something like that…… Could this be what she was referring to?

As for that part where I wasn’t able to move like I was trapped inside a boulder earlier, it doesn’t seem that Kuro weakened the power she placed to weight down my body, and instead, I was able to move because I adapted to it.

[I think you were able to see the change in the weather because you read the magic power in the air…… but I wonder if it was thanks to “Shiro’s Blessing” that you were able to do that?]

[Errr, so what does that mean?]

[Hmmm, well, it’s an interesting power, is what I mean. Depending on how you use it, you can do some really interesting things. For example……]

As my head continued to rest on her lap, Kuro told me her conjectures about the power I have.

Magic that lets me sense and adapt to magic power…… If I had to call it something, I guess it would be something like Sympathy Magic huh? To be honest, the examples Kuro gave me are quite outrageous, and I’m skeptical if it’s really possible to do that, but this certainly is an unusual magic.

By the way, how long am I going to lay down on your lap?

[Unnn? Kaito-kun can lay there as long as you like…… It’s fine if you want to take some nap, you know?]

[……………]

It’s a very tempting proposition. Or rather, to be honest, it may have something to do with the fact that I woke up early this morning, but this pleasant sensation has made me doze of.

I don’t know if it’s because of that magic intoxication that she mentioned, even though my head is no longer spinning, I’m still feeling tired, so I’m going to indulge myself here.

Dear Mom, Dad—– I was a loner, but it seems that I’m better at reading other people’s emotions in the other world. Moreover, as far as from what I heard from Kuro’s explanation—– it might even be a cheat ability in some way.