Part Three: The First Happiness
14. The Magic Sigil’s Completion
TIME marched on. It’d now been six months since my visit to Nigren.
A beautiful fall was upon us and the trees were all dressed in reds and golds. Little birds gathered in their branches, singing beautiful songs.
In contrast to the peace of nature, the Magic Research Lab was bustling with people, and the atmosphere was one of tense excitement. A large-scale magical object was brought into the banquet hall and unloaded with a heavy bang.
“Everything is prepared. This way, please.”
Upon Ed’s direction, the woman nervously walked forward. She was one of the rare citizens of Najir who couldn’t produce magic as an adult. In front of the woman was a very tiny Magic Sigil, drawn on the floor. It measured only eleven inches.
“Please set the Magic Crystal in the hole.”
The woman nodded, placing the Magic Crystal into the small depression. The Magic Crystal was the commercially sold type. Then, the Magic Sigil, which until now had been drawn with only plain white lines, lit up with a magical glow. The glow turned into sparkling magical particles, and a ring of fire formed in the air above the Magic Sigil.
“It’s incredible! I did that? Me?!”
The woman’s eyes were wide with shock, and she covered her mouth with her hands, clearly very moved.
“You did that.”
“The Magic Sigil really worked!”
The crowd began to gossip together and there were several shouts of excitement.
Magic Sigils are an extremely useful invention, allowing anyone to produce high-end magic spells, as long as they have magic power of their own to channel.
But there was one flaw. Magic Sigils couldn’t be used by those who had no magic of their own or those who couldn’t effectively channel magic into magical artifacts.
But now, before our eyes, a woman who’d lived all her life never being able to use magic was able to use this Magic Sigil. This was an invention that’d change lives.
Standing near the woman were several examiners, who were here to oversee the experiment and ensure that nobody else was secretly channeling magic into the Magic Sigil.
One of the men was my brother, Charles, who now stepped forward.
“I can verify that there was no outside interference involved in the activation of this Magic Sigil.”
“I, too, vouch for the same.”
One by one, each of the other four men backed up Charles’s statement. Once they were done, the crowd really began to get excited.
“We’ve done it! At long last!”
Everyone was impressed and proud.
But there was no one prouder than I.
Ed, you’re incredible!
History had just been made, right before my eyes.
A Magic Sigil that even non-magical folk could use. It would help so many people who’d suffered all their lives from a lack of magic.
Most people born in Najir grow up to be proficient magic users, but a percentage of the population remains non-magical. Our society is built around magic, so life tends to be difficult for them.
For example, many of our basic household and cooking apparatuses need magical power to be channeled into them to work. However, with this Magic Sigil and a charged Magic Crystal, even non-magical people could now use magic. There was no need for them to toil doing manual work anymore.
This invention would also change the lives of people all across the world. It wasn’t only limited to the non-magical folk of Najir.
“Ed, you did it at last! Congratulations!”
Charles enveloped Ed in a bear hug. Ed had pioneered this research and brought it to fruition. The glory was all his.
All of the people clapped and cheered.
Standing among them, I too clapped until my palms were sore.
✦ ✦ ✦
AFTER the experiment was over, I headed surreptitiously to the Magical Research Lab.
I wanted to see Ed and congratulate him in person. After many visits, I was familiar with the place, so I headed right to Ed’s room and knocked on the door. There was no reply, so I softly turned the handle. It wasn’t locked and opened easily before me.
“Ed? Are you here?”
The room was silent.
Carefully, I stepped inside, looking around.
Various books and papers were laid out on top of the large desk. I took a peek; the pages were covered with strange symbols. These must be Ed’s notes. He’d worked night and day on this research.
I looked toward the other side of the room. There were many Magic Sigils drawn there. Some I remembered from my school days. One of them I recognized as the fire-producing Magic Sigil we’d just seen in action.
There was also a basket filled with Magic Crystals.
Is this where he set the Magic Crystals and checked to see if they activated the sigils?
I picked up one of the Magic Crystals and turned it over in my hand.
CLACK.
I heard the sound of the door opening behind me and quickly put the Magic Crystal back down on the table. Turning, I saw Ed walk into the room.
“Princess?”
“Sorry for coming in uninvited. I wanted to congratulate you in person!”
I felt sorry for intruding, but Ed smiled.
“You’re welcome anytime, Princess.”
“Thank you. But you should really keep this room locked up, you know! What if someone tries to steal your research?”
“It was locked. With Identification magic.”
“No, it wasn’t locked. I was able to come straight in.”
Everyone’s magic power has a different ‘flavor’ to it, or so they say. Identification magic used for locks like this will only work if it recognizes the specific magical power of a pre-approved person.
But I just turned the handle and walked right in.
I was frowning, but Ed chuckled.
“I set it to open only for me and you, Princess.”
“You did?”
“I’m glad I did so. It was a real pleasure to find you waiting for me in here, Princess.” Ed took my hand and pulled me to his chest. “Princess…my research was a success.” He whispered in my ear as he held me close.
“Yes. Congratulations, Ed. You’re truly amazing.”
I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.
I always knew that Ed could do it. But a lot of people seemed honestly stunned by this new magical invention.
“Actually, the idea behind the key to this invention didn’t come from me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember when we went to Nigren?”
“Of course.”
I leaned back a little to gaze into Ed’s eyes.
Our trip to Nigren had been six months ago. A lot had happened in such a short space of time, though, so it felt like it’d only been yesterday.
“It was actually Prince Daniel of the Sunruta Kingdom who gave me the idea. He talked about a man wearing a magic-blocking collar and holding a Magic Stone. A man who activated a Magic Sigil when, by rights, he should’ve been unable to.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Yes, Daniel did say that.
I’d no proof, but I believed he’d been talking about the other Ed. From my old world.
Ed kept talking, not noticing my discomfort. “Anti-magic collars work by sucking up the magical energy of the wearer and storing it. Conversely, Magic Stones are a variety of Magic Crystals. So I suspected that it might be possible to use the unique magic-extracting and storing properties of the anti-magic device and adapt it so that the stored power can then also be brought forth. Then, I’d affix this device to a Magic Sigil. After that, I’d only need to set a Magic Crystal infused with magical power, to hopefully activate the sigil and release the magical power stored within.”
“I see…”
That’s when a suspicion took hold of me. The Ed from my old world had invoked his magical power only after handing me his own Magic Stone.
So the person Daniel was talking about…it must’ve been someone else?
Daniel had said that the dreams were the same ones he kept having over and over.
But were they really just dreams?
“Anyway, I’m just glad I managed to finish in the timeline I set for myself. If it’d taken just a little longer, I might’ve lost you to some foreign prince!”
Ed looked relieved as he blew air slowly through his nose.
Daddy had given us two years during which he’d block all incoming marriage negotiations. That period was due to last until my eighteenth birthday, just a couple of months away.
It had been close, all right.
“If things had come to that, I’d planned to change my career and become a Magic Knight, so I could guard you and be your guardian knight. Well, I suppose I can’t let my guard down just yet.”
Ed chuckled like a schoolboy.
Yes…Ed had another objective for his research, besides benefiting the lives of many others. He wanted to attain the rank of Magic Count so that we could be together. But it was up to the royal officials to decide whether or not to bestow this title upon Ed. Nothing had been decided yet.
Ed’s invention was amazing, to be sure. But only time would tell how useful it proved itself to be. And we still needed to see if other researchers could replicate the results.
“It will be fine; I know it.”
Ed still looked worried. But I wasn’t.
For a few moments after that, we stayed silent, simply gazing into each other’s eyes as we embraced.