Chapter 63

***

“In some ways it’s like magic, in other ways it’s really different.”

As if reading Vivian’s thoughts, Daniel muttered in a low voice. It was strange that he had thought the same thing, so Vivian replied with a smile.

“Yes. There are similar aspects. But technically speaking, magic and animism are different. Magic can create things that did not exist, but spiritists cannot.”

Vivian remembered how she had made the tree grow by hydrating it.

“An Elementalist simply uses their power by combining the four elements they have. As I said earlier, if it hadn’t rained yesterday, I couldn’t have made the tree grow today. If you don’t have magical powers like a wizard, you can’t unconditionally display your abilities.”

Daniel had a strange expression on his face, as if he couldn’t understand.

“I have one question for you.”

His hand shot into the air. His brightly shining eyes and eager attitude was the spitting image of a student who was listening to a lecture passionately. Barely holding back a laugh, Vivian asked what he was curious about.

“Then, are there no special conditions for using spirit art? For example, in order to use magic, you have to have a certain level of magic power.”

Vivian scratched her cheek. Conditions, conditions. This must have been part of what her Master had taught her.

“That… It’s a bit difficult to explain, but there are conditions.”

“What are they?”

Vivian’s eyes deepened as she recalled the past.

It was a few years ago, in class with Gray.

* * *

‘Vivian. As you know, spirit art is a power that can only be used after awakening.  However, awakening does not mean that all the conditions for spirit art are satisfied. Unlike magical power, which becomes completely controlled if accepted, spirit art is still close to the power of spirits. It’s a force not suitable for the human body to accept. So, in order to reduce this incompatibility to a minimum, spirits require human instinctual desire as a condition.’

‘… What is instinctual lust?’

‘Simply put, it’s instinct. For example, the desire to sleep, eat, and have s3x.’

Gray clicked his tongue at Vivian, who had scrunched up her face in confusion.

‘So, a spirit magician can only use his abilities when his needs are met to some extent. Let me, Gray William, be an example. Because the required condition for me is sleep, I can only use my powers after I sleep for a certain amount of time.’

‘Is that why Master is so lazy?’

‘Don’t speak nonsense.’

Gray, with a stern expression on his face, coughed shyly.

‘Anyway, there are conditions in this way.  Conditions like mine are easy. Because everyone needs to sleep. When I wake up, I can use my powers at will.’

‘Then can I just fulfill one of the three things you just talked about?’

The three things she thought of were appetite, sleep, and s3x.

‘It usually has to do with those three things, but there are conditions that are more specific or more vague. For example, eat sweet food, or get plenty of sunlight. I still don’t know what your condition is, because you are a rookie who has never used Elemental Art.’

She was annoyed that her teacher treated her like a young chick, but she couldn’t refute him because he wasn’t wrong.

Gray said she’d find out over time as she used her powers. That she would naturally feel the need for that ‘condition’.

‘But why is the condition instinctual?’

Vivian suddenly became curious and asked.  

‘There are so many anecdotes there.’

Gray spoke in a soft voice. Contrary to his serious voice, his expression was bored.

‘Spirit art is the power of spirits… you’re well aware of that, right? The thing that spirits love the most is human happiness.’

‘Human happiness?’

‘They are good beings, so they only consume the good energy that comes from happiness. In other words, human happiness is the best food for them. It also powers spirit art.’

‘What’s the matter with being happy and instinct?’

‘A human being can live a happy life even if they meet the minimum essentials. Let’s think. Aren’t you happy when you get enough sleep or fill your stomach? Instinct comes from longing after all. There’s nothing more blissful than when what you long for is fulfilled, right?’

It made sense, but it was still blurry because she didn’t understand it. Still, Vivian nodded her head so he would move on…

* * *

Recalling the conversation from that day, Vivian tried to convey it in as much detail as possible. Fortunately, Daniel seemed to understand Gray’s brain better than Vivian did in the past.

“Then what is the condition of the Lady?”

Daniel asked, without giving her a chance to catch her breath. Vivian scratched her cheek with an embarrassed smile.

“That… In fact, I still don’t know for sure.”

Daniel’s eyes fluttered, perhaps in surprise to her lackluster reply. Vivian turned away from him and licked her lips.

“My Master said that it took 7 years to find my condition. It was difficult to notice because the condition was automatically satisfied if I slept. I think maybe that’s my condition too. Something is happens in my daily life without me knowing.”

Vivian recalled her dreams with Roger. It was because of this ‘condition’ that she decided to consult Gray about her dreams.

Three basic human instincts. Sleep, appetite, and… s3xual desire.

“… Maybe it’s my condition.”

After finishing her words, Vivian rolled her eyes.

She had, in fact, wondered if a dream in which Roger appeared was her condition.  But the timing was not right.

Vivian began to dream of him a year after she awakened. Even before she dreamed of Roger, she was able to wield animism. If her condition was that she had to dream of him, then she shouldn’t have been able to use elemental magic before that.

To solve her doubts, she needed a teacher. So Vivian had no choice but to wait patiently for his reply to come. She prayed that the next letter would be written by someone else, so she could read it.

After that, the sky cleared up a bit as they walked around and chatted about a lot of things. The darkness of dawn disappeared, and the surrounding area, which embraced the morning light, became considerably brighter.

“Did this help?”

Vivian smiled, wanting to go back. Daniel, who was worried about whether she was bored or not, raised his eyes and nodded his head.

“Of course!”

Looking at his expression of regret, it didn’t seem like he was just saying that. In a more harmonious atmosphere than before, the two turned towards the mansion. As they walked down the familiar road, they ran into soldiers climbing up the wall for early morning patrols.

“Where are you going?”

Chen saw Vivian coming not from the mansion, but the side of the garden close to the gate, and gave her a puzzled look.

“I woke up early and was walking.”

“The two of you?”

His eyes were glued to the unexpected pair. In fact, she was the one who proposed a walk in order to give him the information he had wanted before, but she didn’t think it was necessary to tell Chen that much. Daniel didn’t even look at Chen, like he was indifferent to things he wasn’t interested in.

She heard a voice calling for Chen from above, but he paused as if he had remembered something.

“Ah. Come to think of it, Sir Orpheus was looking for you earlier.”

“Me?”

Chen nodded his head, shrugged, and sprinted up the ladder. Walking side by side with Daniel, they reached the mansion and met Roger, who opened the door as soon as they arrived.

“Sir Knight. Good morning.”

Vivian greeted him cheerfully as she climbed the stairs. However, there was no response.

“Why are you two together?”

His casual expression hardened when he saw Daniel standing next to her. He paused as he opened his mouth with a terrifying expression on his face. Then he simply glared at Daniel. Daniel rubbed his stomach with a face that said, ‘why is he like this again?’

“I have been up since morning and I am hungry. I should go in and have breakfast.”

Then he scurried past the two of them.  Seriously, he had a very unique personality. Vivian looked up at Roger.

“I heard you were looking for me. What happened?”

His expression wasn’t so good, which made her worried.

Roger watched Daniel’s back disappear, then wiped his forehead and turned away. His insides were burning up, as if oil had been poured onto a fire.

‘Why the hell is she with Daniel this morning?’

However, he hesitated to ask the question. The embarrassing memory of him expressing jealousy so vividly yesterday remained clear. 

She couldn’t control her expression in frustration.

“Sir Knight?”

Whether or not she knew Roger’s heart, Vivian worriedly called him. He knew that this was not the time, and he felt pathetic for burning with jealousy. After wiping his forehead again and clearing his thoughts, he relaxed his expression.

“It’s about why I went out in a hurry yesterday.”

His words reminded her of something she had forgotten. Tension and doubt colored Vivian’s face.

“I thought it would be better to show the Lady directly, so let’s go out together today.”

Since she was wearing outdoor attire, Roger led her to the front door of the mansion. Wondering why he was so urgent, Vivian quietly followed after him.

“Show me what?”

After she got on the carriage, Vivian gently brought up what she had been holding back for a long time. Roger, who was sitting opposite her, stared at her, wondering how he should explain it.

“There was a hidden space on the estate.”

“A hidden space?”

“Yes. We’ll talk about it when we get there. The Lady will see what I mean.”

She couldn’t ask anything more. As he said, there was nothing more certain than seeing it with your own eyes. Vivian suppressed her curiosity and looked out the window. The scenery passed swiftly outside their carriage.