Chapter 4: Chapter 4 – Combat

Magi Project - Report No. 12

 

After months of research we have confirmed vital information which may assist in the development of the Magic Project. In particular we learned much about the very fundamental properties of Magic, or rather more specifically, the properties of Magical Affinity in relation to the Magical Density of the atmosphere. What was formerly believed was that Magical Affinity only applied to those with magical capabilities, many scaling it from 1-100, 1-10, or from A-F with all individuals without magical capabilities universally ranking 0 or F- depending on the scale. The misconception here is that all non-magic users are equal in magical affinity.

 

A proper scale for Magical Affinity has been developed by our researchers scaling from 1 to 100, 1 being the least “adept” (From now on the term ‘compatible’ will be used as it is the more accurate term) in magic, and 100 being the most. Very few people have a magical affinity of 0 or even below 10, most people rather have a Magical Affinity of 40 through 60. However where the lack of magic casters lies is rather in Magical Density.

 

It has long been known that Magical Density has affected how many mages exist and how powerful they can be, however it was simply believed that magical affinity was something granted almost randomly at birth, with only a slight bias towards genetic backing. While that isn’t completely false as two parents adept in magic can easily birth a child with poor magical compatibility and vice versa, in reality a higher Magical Density in the world lowers the minimum Magical Affinity one needs to cast magic, thus meaning that those already on the higher end of the scale can use even stronger magic.

 

Utilizing records of the Magical Density during the Great War and the genetic data from mages of various ranks, skills, and affinities from the era, it would appear that the Magical Affinity needed to cast magic during the time of the Great War was 85 or higher. This meant that if your Magical Affinity was lower than 85, the magic you would be able to cast would’ve been miniscule.

 

This brings up what is now believed by our research team to be the most like candidate for the disappearance of Magic following the Great War; a dramatic and sudden drop of Magical Density in the world. This of course, is not a perfect answer either, and while we have proven it to be a fact, what exactly caused such a dramatic decline in mana in the span of just a few years has still gone unanswered. Magical Density was originally much higher, allowing anyone with a Magical Affinity of 50 or higher to cast magic during the early Medieval period, however it gradually dropped and stabilized around where it was during the Great War around the early 1600s. It was there it stabilized as it reached what we now refer to as the worlds ‘Natural Magical Density’ the ratio of magic in the atmosphere that is the most stable.

 

Theoretically speaking, there is nothing humans can do to cause Magical Density to drop below its Natural rate, and even in the case it does, it's likely it would gradually return to that state over time, however the Magical Density has shown no sign of increase since it dropped to the point it is now. Regardless of the cause, which has recently been approved to have its own research team handle, this new discovery has a significant impact on our ambition to restore the mage. As it currently stands, one would need a Magical Affinity of 100 to even do much interacting with the mana in the air, and a Magical Affinity of over 100 to even cast anything. While mages with a Magical Affinity above 100 have only rarely occurred, if we were to learn to manipulate the genetic code of a human, or rather develop a child based on already existing genetic code of a mage of a higher Magical Affinity, we may be able to create a mage still capable of at least basic magical spells, which with the right tool could become a terrifying mage in a world without any.

 

The question now is how do we accomplish creating entirely new genes with the desired outcome? And if we are to simply copy the code of a mage of a higher affinity than 100, then who would we take it from? And how would we even obtain the DNA? The answer to that question is still being highly debated among our research team, however after a bit of digging, I have recently stumbled across one possibility that I found… Quite Interesting, a file titled simply ‘XXXXXXXXXXX’

---

Despite all odds both me and Anya had managed to make it into Eden Academy, though to say we both got in with ease would be an overstatement. I made it directly onto the roster for Eden Academy mostly thanks to my high test scores whereas Anya, who barely passed the test in the first place, only barely managed to make it to the top of the backup list. It remains to be seen if Anya’s presence at school would be a benefit or a detriment to me, however for now I need to focus on my own goals: getting a high quality education.

 

The education part isn’t really what's important, rather it's the certification and proof that I got it. I’ve lived two lives at this point and I’ve passed college twice if you were to count War College. If I want a high-end job in a modern society, proof that I’m not only worthy of such a position but also irreplaceable is necessary, and if I’ve heard correctly, Eden Academy is filled to the brim with the heirs of rich and powerful families. Such ties may end up being critical to my success in the future.

 

Anya recently by some means convinced Loid to rent out an entire castle so she could roleplay that one spy show she watches. They initially tried to drag me along, but I managed to sneak out of there and back to the apartment before I could be dragged into whatever hell Anya wanted to make there. Loid might notice I’m missing, however I’m certain he’d understand where I went and why. I doubt he himself even wants to do it, but he seems determined to bring Anya to school, so if she even suggests the possibility that she won't go, it seems he will somehow muster up an excessive amount of money to make sure she does. 

 

It makes me wonder what kind of person even is Loid, no way in hell he’s just a normal psychiatrist, or at least if he is, he must have some sort of network or powerful ties. Perhaps he was formerly in the Military or working for the Government? Considering how filled to the brim Eden Academy is with powerful families, it's possible he’s simply an opportunist seeking to further his own network of ‘friends.’ I’d try to pester deeper, but whatever that man is linked to, it’s probably best I stay out of it, at least for now.

 

Luckily for the moment I have some downtime, I’ve hardly had much time alone as I’ve usually been the de facto babysitter for Anya since I’d imagine Loid doesn’t quite trust her maturity. This means I’m finally able to go to the library downtown again. It's been through the books I’ve gotten here that I’ve learned the most about this world, the Great War, and the Imperial Unification War which occurred not terribly long ago. Learning about the history between the end of the Great War and now is great for piecing together the gaps between my second and third lives, and it will help should we ever be taught about the post-war period.

 

Normally I’d bring the books back to the apartment but today I felt like reading in the library itself. It always gave off this strange feeling, sort of cozy in a way, it reminded me much of the libraries I visited in the Capital when I was studying for War College, at least in this case it's a much calmer feeling. It's areas like these which make me wish I had a nice cup of coffee, unfortunately Visha isn’t here to make it. I wonder where she is now, she would be quite old, perhaps she has grandchildren? Surely one of them saw some success. At some point it may be interesting to track down one of my subordinates, not that I’d do much with the information.

 

For now though, I need to focus on my own research. In particular I’ve tried to find out what exactly happened to Mages, but I haven’t had much success so far. It seems that if anyone does know the answer, it's probably being held confidential. I’m certain Being X had something to do with it, but it doesn’t fully explain how I can still use magic, and it's not like Being X reincarnated me this time. It seems like out of all nations, it's Ostania and Westalis that are the most desperate to recreate the Mage. It's to no surprise either, the Empire was known for having not only the most mages, but some of the most elite and most powerful. When they lost the mages, what was effectively their last remaining military deterrence was lost. Even if Ostania and Westalis were brought to unity, they would likely lack the full industrial might needed to contend with the world powers again, and that's even ignoring the costs that would likely come from whatever war led to its unification.

 

Unfortunately it means that if there's anywhere in the world that I have the biggest target on my back, it’s here. If either government found out I exist, there could possibly be an entire war over trying to obtain me. What I need to do is obtain a good education and move to somewhere like the Unified States. Maybe I could even go to the Japan of this world. None of that matters if I can’t get the education I need, so I just have to lie low for about a decade, shouldn’t be too hard… hopefully.

 

I put my book back, grabbed another one to read later and headed out of the library after checking it out. It had gotten quite dark, the only lights visible coming from the buildings, cars, and streetlights. There was still a decent number of people about, likely the last rush of people as those who work late shifts begin to head home. After just a few moments I noticed;

 

I was being followed.

 

As a mage, you learn to subconsciously keep track of the positions of those around you, even using mana to detect individuals behind you as well. In a constantly changing battlefield, keeping track of friend or foe alike was essential. Normally one wouldn’t be able to track so many people in an urban environment, but there’s a reason I was the best mage in the Empire. The people following me are subtle, but are still almost obviously following me. There’s a chance they aren’t, but in case they are I headed down the wrong path to my house, I don’t want them knowing where I truly live, after all.

 

Any normal child would simply knock on some house and pretend it was their home, hoping the adult there helped them, but I’m not some weak child. Pretending to look at the display of a clothing store I managed to get a glimpse of my followers without making it obvious I was. I was worried that whatever organization decided to bring me back to life had found me out and was gonna take me back, but it seems these are just some basic thugs who probably saw a child alone at night and thought it would be easy pickings.

 

Eventually I turned off into what was effectively a private secluded alleyway in a part of town which had gone silent with the night. Now the question crossed my mind: should I kill them? Ultimately I decided not to, I can use illusion magic to alter the appearance of my face, and since it’s dark I managed to change my hair to a dirty blonde color with illusion magic since they weren’t likely to notice the difference. If either of these two morons ever see me again, they won’t recognize me.

 

The idiots followed me down the alleyway, wearing dark clothing and having a generally sloppy appearance. Their clothes were dirty, though their hair was at least somewhat clean, albeit messy in its upkeep otherwise. Furthermore, neither of them were armed. If this was any sort of organization trying to kidnap me, they wouldn’t send two morons with knives.

 

The first of the two stepped forwards, holding out his knife, “C’mere little girl, we don’t wanna hurt you, we just wanna help you find your parents.”

 

The second followed, bringing out his own knife, “Yeah, you’ll be worth a lot! I-I mean to your parents…”

 

They’re idiots… I only hope they fight better than they think.

 

I sighed and stepped forwards, the first of the two smirking, “Yes, yes, girl come here.”

 

He moved his hand in a motion to encourage me forwards as if I was some lost dog, though the grin on his face and the fact he was holding a knife would’ve probably scared off any kid… except maybe Anya. She’s dumb enough to believe someone like this, though she’s always been oddly strange at guessing one’s intent.

 

I got within three feet of him before suddenly I dashed forwards, applying body enhancement to my legs as I dashed forwards and grabbed his arm in a fraction of a second, before any normal human would be able to react. Quickly I lifted his arm up, arching him over my body as I took his entire body with it by amplifying my strength. I finally let go as he yelped and went flying a few yards in the direction I had come at him from.

 

The next guy looked startled but charged at me with a knife. I simply dashed forwards and quickly punched him straight in his gut, knocking the wind out of him instantly, though he managed to stagger out a pathetic attempt to cut me, the knife simply scraping and bouncing off my barrier as I kicked him again into the ground.

 

I sighed as I looked down at the two unconscious men on the ground, I had been worried over basically nothing. I should maybe be cautious about the second one, however I doubt he saw my barrier, or if he did he probably won’t be believed. That’s assuming he even reports it, considering he’d not only have to explain how he lost to a little girl, but how he tried to kidnap her in doing so.

 

Still, the situation is strange, their knives were clean, almost new even. There’s a chance they simply bought new ones recently, but something tells me there’s something going on about those thugs. I could wait for them to wake up and interrogate them, but that would take too long and cause too many complications. Killing them might be a good idea, but I wouldn’t want to risk bringing any more attention. I’ll just hope these are some random morons and keep my eyes out for anyone else who tries something. I’m confident in my abilities… but maybe I should limit how much I go out.

---

I’m not quite sure how Tanya managed to sneak out a few days ago and remain home, but it seems she wasn’t too keen on going with Anya’s show. Sometimes it's hard to believe they’re twins. I wonder what their real mother was truly like, Tanya said they don’t remember her, but I still feel like I need to meet their expectations of a mother. Anya seems to have no problem calling me mother, but Tanya only seems to call me by my name or ‘Mrs.Yor’ at the most formal. Initially I was worried she didn’t like me, but it seems she calls Loid by his name too. The only time she calls either of us ‘father’ or ‘mother’ is when we’re doing something involved with Eden Academy.

 

Tanya’s mind is truly an enigma, the same could be said for Anya’s, but in completely different ways. Anya often puts her thoughts out there quite plainly, it's hard to not know what she’s feeling at any moment. She’s energetic, outgoing, and adventurous. Tanya on the other hand is silent and reclusive, preferring much more to tend to her own studies than to watch television or go out to a park. 

 

It seems impossible to even understand what Tanya’s thinking. I’ve mostly been a bit reluctant to interact with her for this reason, I’ve long assumed she just didn’t like me. Since her mother is the one who wanted them to go into Eden Academy, I can only guess she’s the reason Tanya’s so studious, and I’ve always feared I’ll never fill the same role her mother probably did. Even if I can’t meet that same standard, I should at least try to get closer and understand more of what she’s thinking, trying to avoid her won’t do any good.

 

Today I finally have a chance to do some close interaction with her. Loid has some business to do and has requested that I get Anya and Tanya’s uniforms that we ordered. Unfortunately while we were getting the clothing I was distracted by how adorable Anya looked, it was impossible to take my eyes away, so I didn’t get to talk with Tanya much there. Tanya had, of course, refused to put on the uniform until she actually went to school. I recall her looking at the uniform with disgust before, I suppose it wasn’t to her style. Now that I think about it, I don’t think Tanya has a single piece of clothing that could be considered truly ‘feminine.’ There’s not even a single dress or skirt in her entire wardrobe. She did warm up to the idea of the uniform when she found out there were pants under the skirt, but it seems that the fact it still looks like a skirt is enough for her to not be too fond of it.

 

Afterwards we headed to the supermarket to do some shopping. Anya got carried away gazing at random items he saw appealing, so I finally had a chance to try and understand the pandora's box that is Tanya’s mind. “So… Tanya, is there anything you’d like to eat? I thought I’d cook tonight since Loid would be late.”

 

Tanya looked up, having seemingly been thinking to herself rather than paying much attention to anything else, yet at the same time she seemed fully aware of her surroundings, “Hm? Oh I don’t have much preference. Curious though, you think you can make coffee?”

 

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“It’s not common for someone your age to want coffee…” I muttered, the confusion as to what Tanya thinks only adding up now.

 

“I suppose it's not, but I do have a fondness for it. I suppose I understand if you don’t want to give a child coffee. I can only imagine what hell would break loose if Anya drank any.”

 

“Hmm… Well my mother used to have a very specific way she made coffee, I never had any of her coffee myself, but I did learn how to make it so I could give my brother some when he was older. He said it was good, so I could make some of that.”

 

Tanya seemed to be lost in some sort of daydream briefly, giving one of the most genuine smiles I had seen come from her, at least in a while. It makes me wonder what kind of experiences she’s had with coffee in the past. Maybe her mother gave her coffee? She would’ve been way too young for it then, surely… “That would be good, thank you.”

 

I looked over at the shelves and grabbed a bag of peanuts, “I should probably get snacks for you two while I’m here. Anya likes peanuts so I suppose I’ll get some, anything you’d like, Tanya?”

 

Tanya shrugged, “I’m more into chocolates myself.”

 

“I’ll get some chocolates for you, then… Though Tanya, I’ve always wondered why you like to read so much, i-if you don’t mind me asking. Kids your age are usually playing outside, aren’t they?”

 

Tanya looked up and sighed, thinking for a moment before speaking, “I suppose most would, but I’m looking more towards my future. If I want to be successful in this world I need to be knowledgeable and contribute to society. Childhood is undoubtedly a period of joy and play for most people, it's a developing time in our lives, socialization with others not only establishes bonds and connections, but also develops vital social skills. All of which contributes to being successful later in life. Frankly, however, I’m past the point of needing it.”

 

I looked down at the small child who just gave an entire in-depth explanation that would be hard for even some adults to follow. Whatever is going on in Tanya’s mind, it's undoubtedly the mind of some prodigy. If I had to guess she probably feels she doesn’t fit in, her abnormal maturity likely makes playing with kids who act more their age annoying. At least I think… To be honest her brief speech threw me off.

---

Honestly I think Yor’s trying a bit too hard to be friendly with me, I suppose she assumes I don’t like her from how much time I spend reading to myself. In reality I talk with her about as much as I do Loid, but I suppose I’m not one to socialize with them much at all. Anya’s normally the one who gets their attention anyways with whatever mess she gets herself into.

 

Speaking of Anya’s messes, it took her 12 seconds outside to get immediately kidnapped. Judging from appearances, they don’t seem to be the same as from the other night. If the woman who fitted our uniforms is right, it's probably just her flaunting around the Eden Academy uniform which caused them to take her hostage for some kind of high ransom. I wonder if the other thugs somehow knew I went to Eden Academy… Its unlikely, though.

 

As soon as we headed outside, Yor was quick to notice the disappearance of Anya, causing me to point towards the side of the store where the kidnappers had taken her. I wasn’t going to do much myself in the light of day, however I could at least keep track of them while Yor handles them. Luckily for me, Anya is about the only one with anything close to ‘mana’ so tracking her is easy. I could probably locate Anya from anywhere in Berlint, albeit at the cost of draining most of my mana.

 

Quickly Yor moved around the corner of the store, noticing the kidnapping as I realized she was about to charge in. I quickly moved to take the bags of groceries before she launched, just barely grabbing them in time as she seemed to zip over to them in a second. If I wasn’t able to detect magic, I’d assume Yor was using body enhancement from how fast she went. In truth Yor does have a high Maigcal Affinity, enough so that she can create light magical sparks inside of her when adrenaline starts running, however much like even the highest ranked Mages after the Great War, there isn’t much she can do besides that light flickering. If Yor tried to cast a spell, it wouldn’t do anything in this era, however the fact her magical affinity is so high likely means she’s the descendent of a decently ranked mage.

 

As she approached the first of the four, she hit him directly on the side of the head, launching him multiple feet to the side, twitching in pain. I was never much of a martial artist in either lives, but is this the full extent of the human body?! If I were to combine that much force with magical enhancement… I could probably punch through steel.

 

Yor spoke to them in a voice which, had I not seen the horrors of war firsthand, I probably would’ve been intimidated by, “What do you think you’re doing?”

 

The man holding Anya shoved her over to the hold of another as he smugly spoke, “Looks like we need to add on medical bills, cough up your wallet, nanny.”

 

“I’m afraid I’ve spent all my money, so there’s nothing of use in it. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

 

The man picked up a large vegetable from the ground, holding it up as he prepared to throw it, “Guess we’ll need to strip the little girl. You’re going to get fired anyways, just go back to the countryside you shitty maid!”

 

The man froze mid-throw as the vegetable he was about to throw was shattered into pieces by a quick piercing jab from Yor’s hand. I had to double check that she wasn’t using mana, and aside from the basic sparkling I’ve noticed is caused by adrenaline in those with high levels of Mana Affinity, which isn’t enough to cast spells anymore, I didn’t see anything. She broke it with her sheer strength alone!

 

“Y-You broke it bare handed?!”

 

I had been too focused on analyzing any possible use of mana to realize that Yor was incredibly pissed, her anger now impossible to ignore as her silent, but intimidating tone turned into a yell, “I am that girl’s mother! If you don’t want to turn out like that vegetable, I suggest you leave!”

 

The four people were thugs, but they weren’t idiots either, dashing off at first opportunity, abandoning Anya as they ran for their lives, one of them hastily picking up the man on the floor before dashing off.

 

I finally walked over, still carrying the bag of groceries that it seemed like Yor was intent and willing to destroy to protect Anya as Yor got onto her knees and hugged her. It's kind of difficult being a third wheel to a heartfelt moment, but it gave me time to think about what the hell just happened. 

 

I was still shocked at how she didn’t use any sort of body enhancement. As a mage, best I was taught was basic physical combat, and for most that was a last resort. I had my own way of fighting, especially since I specialized in close-quarters combat, but that only really applied in the air. That’s not even to mention the fact I relied entirely on body enhancement. I doubt I can reach the same strength Yor has at this age, however, if I can learn from her, I could easily multiply my physical strength by several times. It’s not like I’m going to be able to carry a gun around. This country doesn’t really have much gun rights and I doubt I’d be allowed a gun on school grounds anyways.

 

After a few moments I finished with my own thoughts as I finally paid attention to their discussion again, enough to hear Anya speak “Mama! Train me please! Its really dangerous to be an Eden student, but it won’t be scary if I can train! I can go to school without dying! I wanna be like you, Mama!”

 

Why does Anya want to be stronger? Actually now that I think about it, she probably thinks Yor looks cool and decided she wants to do it. I’d be surprised if she succeeds, but I suppose having self defense skills would make it so I don’t need to constantly monitor her position.

 

“All right, let's go home and start your training. Oh- Tanya you got the food right?” I simply nodded and she smiled, “Great, I almost destroyed it without thinking, thank you Tanya. Oh if you wanted you can join Anya’s training”

 

Anya raised her hands “Training! Training!”

 

Despite how embarrassing it would be to train with Anya, the possibility of unlocking whatever ungodly strength Yor has will be an incredibly valuable skill, “I suppose so, no harm in it.”

 

Anya had a wide grin on her face, “Yay! Sister training time!”

 

“Please don’t call it that.”

---

Two people dressed as basic thugs sit against the walls in a dark alleyway, deep into the night as the moon hangs directly overhead. One of the men held his arm in a slight pain while the other gripped onto their stomach tightly. From deeper into the alley they heard light footsteps approaching them.

 

The first of the two, gripping his arm, looked into the direction of the footsteps and shouted, “What the hell was that?! She was a child! You said to go easy on her! She threw me over her head like a stuffed animal!”

 

Out of the darkness stepped an older woman, a scar covering a blinded eye and her hair gray with the occasional strand of brown still sticking out. She sighed and spoke, “Yes, yes, I get it, but we had to take precautions. The intention wasn’t really to hurt her, it was to see her capabilities and to prove a personal theory of mine. If it turned out my instincts were wrong she was simply another child, and we couldn’t afford to harm her, not when she’s still essential to one of WISE’s operations.”

 

The second man groaned and looked over at her, “What exactly is that child?”

 

The woman looked over at him before she spoke, “For you, she’s classified information. For me she’s the conclusion of a very important mission, perhaps even an old friend. Yet as fate would have it, it seems she’s something else as well: My granddaughter.”

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