Chapter 588: お茶 time

お茶 time

* * *

“I’m a traveler. Emi Rune.”

I told my name to the big-breasted onee-san who calls herself “The Great Mage” Majurog.

And then, I tilted my head.

“…Are you really… Majurog?”

“Oh my, young lady… Emi-chan, you know about me? Kakaka! Well, I am a living legend, known throughout the world! So it’s only natural…”

“I heard Majurog is a dirty old man. No matter how I look at it, you don’t look like a geezer at all.”

I interrupted the self-proclaimed Majurog, who had started boasting, and voiced my doubts.

Because the self-proclaimed Majurog before my eyes is clearly a beautiful onee-san.

Yeah, she doesn’t look like a geezer.

“‘Dirty old man’, huh… Kakaka, that’s… a bit of a misrepresentation.”

“Misrepresentation?”

The self-proclaimed Majurog chuckled, with a cute, wry smile.

“I’m not ‘dirty’… I was just a man of many loves, no matter my age… That’s all.”

And she winked, with a rather frivolous air.

“…I don’t think there’s any misrepresentation, and I feel like you were definitely a ‘dirty old man’, but that doesn’t matter.”

I sighed at the self-proclaimed Majurog’s words and opened my mouth to rephrase my question.

But the self-proclaimed Majurog put her slender, long index finger on my upper lip, interrupting me, and then—

“‘The question is, if I’m really Majurog… why am I, who is said to be dead, alive in this Great Prison, and furthermore, in a woman’s body?’… right?”

She summarized what I wanted to ask in one sentence, and asked me back, smiling mischievously and gently.

“…………”

“If I were to talk about that, it would take too long… Emi-chan, please have a seat over there.”

When I nodded silently, the self-proclaimed Majurog turned and pointed to a round stool and a table.

“Fortunately, I have plenty of food in stock… so let’s have tea time! Emi-chan, do you like tea?”

“…………I do.”

“Then look forward to the tea I’ll brew! My, my, I’m so happy! I love having tea with cute girls! Kaka-kaaa!”

The self-proclaimed Majurog, laughing playfully, put her hand on my waist and escorted me to the dining area.

Her movements are so natural and refined… that I unconsciously accepted her escort, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the round stool.

“Now, wait a moment.”

And then, it seems that there’s a pantry next to this room… because the self-proclaimed Majurog brought out snacks on a plate, tea leaves, a glass teapot, teacups, and saucers from there.

But the “way she brought them out” was surprising.

This self-proclaimed Majurog, without using her hands—

Carried them, floating in the air.

Despite not chanting any magic.

“…A special ability?”

“It’s ‘Magic’.”

The self-proclaimed Majurog snapped her fingers.

And then, a ball of water suddenly appeared in the air.

“Well, special abilities and Magic are essentially the same. In other words, something caused by using mana.”

And then, the self-proclaimed Majurog held her palm over the water sphere, and bubbles started to form inside it.

It’s boiling.

“Then, what’s the difference between the two?”

Saying that, the self-proclaimed Majurog put the tea leaves into the teapot, and poured the boiling water that was floating in the air into it.

“A special ability is a miracle, performed by the user relying on their talent. To understand the principles of that miracle, to consciously manipulate mana, and reproduce it. That is Magic. The technology that once supported the world.”

The transparent teapot was filled with hot water, bubbling—Kopo, kopo.

A reddish color, like smoke, seeped out from the tea leaves.

“That’s right… Magic is technology. The technology to ‘guide mana’ and achieve one’s goals. And the one who masters Magic, who unravels its mysteries… is a Mage. An existence that has now been almost completely eradicated from this world.”

A beautiful tea was completed.

Totototo……

The tea, poured into the teacup placed before me, shimmering, its surface rippling, emitted a sweet, refreshing fragrance.

“My goal… is to revive Magic in the human world. I dedicated my life to that. That’s why I called myself ‘The Great Mage’. Because I decided… that I would become a symbol of change, and stand at the forefront.”

The self-proclaimed Majurog, saying that, finally—

Took a sip of her tea.

And slowly enjoyed the aroma filling her nose.

She smiled beautifully.

I stared at the self-proclaimed Majurog.

And said—

“More sweets.”

…!!

“No, Emi-chan, that’s a bit harsh! I just said all those meaningful things, trying to sound cool! I want a better reaction than that!”

“Sorry. I’m expressionless… I’ve finished eating them, so please give me more sweets.”

“Your expressionlessness doesn’t matter right now! Was my story that difficult to understand…?”

“No, it wasn’t. More sweets, please.”

The self-proclaimed Majurog, sighing with a troubled look, snapped her fingers.

And then, more sweets flew from the pantry, and piled up on the plate.

Yay!

These sweets… they’re like chewy cookies… and they’re incredibly delicious!

Ah, really?

About special abilities, and Magic…

Is what she’s saying correct, even to you, Extra-sama?

This onee-san before my eyes… is worthy of being called “The Great Mage”?

Is she the real Majurog?

“…Now then.”

After chuckling at me, who had started silently devouring the sweets again—

“I’ll answer your questions now.”

The self-proclaimed Majurog’s smile disappeared, and her expression became serious.

“Why am I still alive? Why am I in a woman’s body…? I’ll tell you.”

Closing her eyes, slowly.

Accurately recalling the past events.

“…If you don’t have enough sweet… you can get more from the pantry and eat them.”

Adding that kind consideration.

The definition of “Magic” in this story has finally been explained.