章 10: Never Trust Those Who Smile [3.3]

The next day, I finished my chores and looked outside the room. Making sure there was no one around, I pulled out my wand. Alright. Time to try that spell that hides the sound of your footsteps. Well, it was supposed to be used to reduce vibrations in carriages. However, I think I figured out how to tweak the spell and use it for my own purpose.

I closed my eyes and felt the mana move through my body. A rainbow of colors began to fly through the air around my body. I kept my mind focused on the goal and gave my own mental command. My eyes snapped open and a flash of light caused the rainbow color to dissipate.

Alright. Now time to test it.

I stepped into the hallway and began to walk. Sure enough, my feet didn't even make a single noise when usually the floor would be creeping loudly. I covered my mouth with my sleeve as I giggled. I skipped down the hallway and out the door without ever being detected.

Once I was far enough away, I ended the magic spell. In order to keep it working, I had to keep thinking about my feet being soundproof. It was a bit difficult, but not too bad. It was like multitasking. It reminded me of listening to music while I was painting. You could still hear the music, but you were focused on painting as well. It wasn't that different.

I walked down the road in the direction Vicky had mentioned. As I walked, I scouted for an isolated area that I could practice magic without attracting the eye of someone wandering by. The area by the orphanage was far less busy and had more trees and open fields than the place I had first woken up at. The town was a bit far away, so it took a while for me to arrive. Luckily, the library wasn't hard to find.

I walked in with my hands behind my back and a wise expression on my face. The library was far bigger than the one at the orphanage, but it was smaller compared to the ones I had seen in the past. Still, one shouldn't complain.

I turned to the clerk, "Where is the section on magic-related books?"

The clerk blinked back at me, "Can you even use magic? I don't see a familiar with you."

I rolled my eyes, "I have eyes, don't I? If I have eyes I can at least read. Now please show me."

"Oh… Very well…" The clerk led me upstairs and motioned around, "Here is our selection on magical instruction books."

My eyes sparkled at the number of books. It was pretty impressive that this smaller library was more than halfway filled with books on magic. There had to be dozens of books on arrays and offensive magic. I skipped to the shelves in anticipation.

I heard the clerk behind me, "When you find a few books you want to borrow, just head to the front desk to get it stamped. You don't have to worry about making an account since we already have the orphanage's address."

I froze. Sh*t. How did they know I was from the orphanage?! My blue itchy dress scratched me as if to remind me.

...Right. I'm wearing their uniform with the logo on the front. Crap. I wonder if that is going to bite me on the a** later. Oh, well. It's too late now.

I forced a smile, "Thank you."

The clerk nodded and left me. I went to the aisles and searched for attack spells, arrays, and even some mention on the dark magic that Vicky had mentioned earlier. I found more than enough of arrays and attack spells, but almost nothing on dark magic. The only thing I found about dark magic was a book saying not to use dark magic because it is bad.

As I read the books, I came to a conclusion. Isn't using the spells all about whether or not you have the concentration for it? From my understanding, you just need to imagine what you want to happen in your head then use your mana to do it. Of course, the concentration was hard because using spells makes your head a bit foggy. However, I spent many years honing my concentration skills when I painted from memory. So this really isn't too difficult for me.

The books also mention that in addition to concentration, you must have the right stance, breathing, and chant. However, I didn't do any of that and I still used the spell with no issue. Therefore, I came to the conclusion:

Concentration is the only requirement.

Well… That is for easier spells. Some of the higher-level spells are hard to imagine. And arrays? Pah! Don't even get me started on arrays. They are quite fascinating, beautiful, and had intricate magic circles. However, the array spells are far more difficult than the other spells I learned. It turns out that spells can only be used on more physical things; such as fighting, cleaning, or moving objects. Arrays were used for situations far more advanced than that. This is mostly due to the fact that the human body couldn't physically sustain the power behind an array, thus it had to be drawn out.

What made learning arrays difficult was that you had to draw them perfectly without any mistakes. Even the slightest error would make it completely useless… Or do something totally different. And there were all kinds of arrays. There were those for barriers, those for invisibility, those for transportation, even those for time travel!

Of course, the time travel part was completely theoretical and reminded me too much about physics mixed with psychology.

Luckily for me, I had years of art training under my belt which gave me total confidence in my artistry skill. The hardest part was just memorizing the arrays or magic circles. The easy part was drawing them out.

I grabbed a piece of chalk and went back outside after borrowing a few books. I found an isolated area not too far from the main road and set down my book. It was an ideal location. A small lake in front and a forest hiding the field. The field wasn't too big and wasn't too small.

Okay. So in order to use an array, I need to first draw out the formation…. Let's see. Let's try an array that creates a soundproof barrier.

Alright, it looks exactly like the image. Now I just need to infuse the chalk with mana…

How do you do that? Just put your hand on it?

...No. That didn't work.

Oh! Maybe you need to focus it on your hand like when you focus to use a spell.

Aha! Did it!

Now… Activate!

…

I waited.

And waited.

I stomped my foot in irritation, "Dumb thing! I said activate!!! Why aren't you activating?! URG!"

...Okay. So I must have drawn it wrong. Let me just retry.

I used my foot to kick it away and redrew it again. I retraced my steps making sure I did everything perfectly. I infused my mana and activated it once more. This time, the chalk turned bright blue and began to spread out.

An opaque cube covered me, stretching all the way to the forest. It was clear that the array had been successful.

I cheered, "HAH! I knew I was a skilled artist. I was just a bit rusty on the first try. I guess it has been a while since I have drawn anything…. And… Well, I'm also in a new body."

Yup. That had to be it. I am just not used to these tiny hands.

I tapped my chin while thinking, "Now? What should I try? Oh! I should try out my concentration theory."

I pulled out my wand and closed my eyes. I imaged a scene from a popular show and channeled my mana to my wand. I sent out the magic that contained far too much power; it nearly made me lose my mind.

I shouted, "Maximum Gauge incineration cann- OH SH*T!"

The explosion of a fire-like cannon was so powerful, it singed the surrounding trees and nearly evaporated the entire lake. Even the grass on the side was scorched.

My face turned blue.

AHHHH! Too strong! Too strong! I need to fill the lake back up before I attract attention!

I quickly closed my eyes and flicked my wand. A string of light went to the clouds and exploded. A huge pile of water dumped down from the sky, landing in the lake. However, it didn't just land in the lake. It landed everywhere in the field including on me. It felt like buckets were forcefully dumped on my head.

I spit out a mouthful of water, "Guess that was too much too…"

...Okay. So I need to practice more control. That's fine. Let me just practice then.

I spent the rest of my days practicing spells and arrays while trying to endure my annoyance at the orphanage. In no time, I managed to learn everything I could possibly learn. Putting every spell into practice… Well, that was a bit different. Oh well. I am sure I will have a chance to do so. It's not like I'm doing anything important at the orphanage.

Unfortunately, the bullying also seemed to increase in intensity. Dumping filthy water on me, ruining my very few belongings, and calling me all sorts of names. If it weren't for magic, I probably would have gone into a blind rage long ago. However, I continued to use magic and reminded myself to breathe. I spent my day eating, pretending to do the chores, running off to go practice magic, and returning to eat and sleep.

After cleaning up the new ink on my face in the bathroom one morning, I went downstairs to the dining room. I hesitated in front of the stairway and noticed Bea and her lackeys all grinning at me malevolently. I let out a sigh just knowing they had something planned.

One of the lackeys taunted, "The freak only knows how to clean up."

"I'm surprised that Miss Dean hasn't kicked her out yet. She's so weird she creeps out everyone including the weird janitor who lives in the basement."

I ignored their giggles and insults as I went to walk down the stairs. Bea put out an arm to stop me, "Where do you think you are going?"

I retorted in irritation, "I've only lived here for a few months and even I know that the bell means breakfast time. Is the great Bea really that braindead that she wouldn't know where I am going?"

She gritted her teeth, "You think you are so smart, huh?! Well no one wants to adopt you "genius"! They all thought you were too much of a freak!"

Actually, I pretended to act either crazy or rude whenever a respective adoptive family came along. I refuse to just go live with someone I just met. I've watched many true crime shows. I know what happens when you trust strangers. However, my words are wasted on this idiot so there is no point in telling her.

I pushed past her and went to the stairs. Bea shouted, "Oi! Don't walk away from me!"

I flipped her a finger and called back in a sing-songy voice, "F*ck off."

"Y-YOU!" She let out a growl of anger and rushed forward.

My eyes widened as I felt two hands forcefully push me forward. I threw my arms out to protect my head as I fell down the steps. I landed with a thud and groaned.

Ugh… Luckily there weren't enough stairs that it would kill me… But… Is my arm supposed to be that way?!

The b*tch broke it!?!

That's. It.

I can withstand taunts.

Children will be children.

But physical violence?!

Oh. Hell. No.

I turned to her with a glare as I felt my body boil. She flinched slightly seeing the rueful look on my face. I held my arm as I strained to stand up again. I forced myself to choke down the urge to rip her apart and scatter her pieces like trash.

I spoke through a clenched jaw, "You'll regret this."

I turned and walked away fueled by rage. Each step I took felt as though I was radiating heat. Then, a chilly ice-like feeling began to cover my skin. I cracked my neck, "Revenge is a dish best served cold. Therefore, you must bide your time wisely before you attack."

I don't need to physically harm her. No. There are things far worse than that.

I bit my lip and walked away with my soul on fire. I walked to the office where Miss Dean was waiting. She noticed that I was holding my arm and was covered in scratches and bruises. My clothes and hair were messed up from the fall.

Miss Dean stood up in a panic, "What's wrong with you?! Are you about to have another backlash or something?!"

Idiotic woman. Is that really the first thing you think of?! My arm is out of the socket! I know you see it!

I spoke through a tightened jaw, "My arm got broken."

A wave of relief passed through her eyes. She moved to my side and touched it.

"Ah!" I let out a surprised yelp.

She nodded, "It is indeed broken."

This b*tch! She did that on purpose because she knew it would hurt!

I felt my skin grow icy while the flame inside me burned even more. I glared at her, "So are you going to fix it?!"

She stood back up, "I could fix it… But…"

"But what?!"

She tilted her head with a gentle smile, "How do I know if you got it from an accident or if you tried to attack someone and they were forced to defend themselves? I know you have made some questionable decisions in the past…"

I shook with rage, "I didn't attack a single person! That idiotic Bea pushed me down the stairs!! If anything, she attacked me!"

"Hmm… I don't know… You're the one who has suffered a backlash already. No one else here has. That alone makes you untrustworthy. After all…" Her grin spread across her face, "Why would I believe a criminal?"

"You F*cking b*tch!" I shouted no longer able to contain my anger. Ice burst out from the ground shooting towards Miss Dean as if it thought her to be the enemy.

She frowned and pulled out her wand. She muttered a spell and a wall appeared in front of her before you could blink. I breathed heavily as I itched to slap off that grin of hers. She casually put away her wand with a smug look, "So you have an ice attribute. I was wondering how long it would take for you to show it off. I didn't think it would take this much time. That's commendable." She stepped toward me and I tensed up preparing for a fight. She just grinned at me, "Okay. I will heal you now. That must be very painful."

This woman! Did she really do all that just to see me use magic?! Ugh! Why do I feel like I fell into her trap?!

She whispered in a low voice, "I knew you were still researching magic. Did you really think the clerks at the library wouldn't tell me?"