Chương 160: Chapter 160 - No, This Isn't Magic
"So, you're a wizard too, right?" Lunt Junior asked, his voice echoing faintly in the narrow tunnel.
Sonder was unsure how to respond at first. She quickly settled on a simple, "No."
Lunt frowned, hefting his pickax onto his shoulder. "Then how come you know where the ore is?"
She hesitated, then explained as best she could. "I... reach out with my mana, sending it into the earth. The stone, the dirt—they sort of respond. They feel... familiar. But things that aren't like them—like metal or crystals—they feel different. Like a knot in the fabric. But I only assume it's ore, because what else would be in a mine?"
As she spoke, she realized how close it sounded to magic, even though she didn't think of it that way. "It's more like... a sense, really. Like intuition, but more focused."
And then she thought what counted as magic were very banal things.
Lunt scratched at his patchy beard, barely the beginning of a dwarf's lifelong journey to a full one. "Sure sounds like magic to me."
Sonder shook her head. "Not the kind you're thinking of. When people imagine magic, they picture hand movements, spells, ingredients, and explosions of light. This isn't that. It's more... subtle. Like feeling a breeze on your skin." She paused, reconsidering. "Or maybe like hearing a sound no one else can hear."
It reminded her of the pulse that Vell had showed her. He'd been adamant it wasn't magic, so this couldn't be either. Still, the thought gnawed at her. Did it really matter?
Lunt, already back to chipping at the walls, broke her train of thought. She watched him for a moment before stepping closer, an idea forming in her mind.
"Lunt," she called.
He paused, pickaxe half-raised. "Yeah?"
"Could I try something on you?"
He straightened, eying her warily. "Does it have to do with magic?"
"It does."
"Will it hurt?"
"I don't think so," she said honestly. "But I'm not completely sure."
Lunt lowered the pickax, sighing. "You're the wizard. Go on."
She stepped closer.
Despite being older and having a broad frame, he was just a little shorter than her.
Slowly, she let her mana seep outward, directing it gently toward him. She moved carefully, ready to pull back at the slightest sign of pain.
At first, nothing happened. Then, Lunt stiffened like a startled cat. His shoulders rose, and he bristled visibly, like a cat.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, shuddering as if she'd dropped a bucket of cold water over him.
"I'm letting my mana flow over you," she said, tilting her head. "Does it hurt?"
"No, but it feels... weird. Like I'm being tickled on the inside." He shivered again. "I don't like it."
"Sorry. I'll stop," she said quickly, withdrawing her mana.
Lunt shook himself like a wet dog, glaring at her. "Maybe keep your magic, or whatever you want to call it, limited to rocks and dirt instead of me."
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