What just happened?
Without a doubt, most of those in the hall must have had the same thought.
And for good reason. When Aoi activated an unfamiliar magic, the wood used in the floor stretched out as if it had come back to life and plugged the hole.
Admittedly, elven ancient magic did include spells with a similar direction. As elven magic bore the alternative name of spirit magic, the nature of magic differed depending on the substance involved. The magic of tree spirits stood as a particularly notable example.
Like the magic that interacted with animals, this magic intervened in living things and caused changes. It could even produce effects such as making trees grow. Focusing on that single point, one could say that this magic manipulates time in a sense to age the tree. As common knowledge in magic holds, manipulating time was impossible. For this reason, some considered tree spirit magic the closest to the abyss of magic.
Even using that tree magic, one could not produce an effect like what had just occurred against wood that had already lost its life.
How did this human named Aoi make dead wood grow?
Until just moments ago, I'd regarded her as nothing more than "an arrogant human who does not know their place," but now I suddenly felt uneasy. I hesitated to believe it, but could she be researching dark magic that revived and controlled the dead?
As I observed Aoi's movements with a tension different from before, she stood up with an innocent face after checking the floor's condition and lifted her gaze.
"The color is slightly different, but I believe it will blend in with time. Is this acceptable? If any other areas have sustained damage, I will repair them as needed..."
Hearing this foolish answer, I nodded cautiously.
"...I no longer care about the floor. By the way, what was that magic you just performed? While some still use magic circles even in elven lands, they are only the elders who have lived for centuries. How did you, a human woman, learn it?"
I found myself speaking somewhat rapidly without realizing it, but Aoi nodded quietly as if weighing the content of my question, then opened her mouth.
"That magic is my original creation. It thinly stretches the fibers constituting the wood while reinforcing them, and by equalizing them, it makes the wood stronger than before while treating it to retain a wood-like appearance. Incidentally, since this magic mainly serves to process fibers, it does not work on metal. For metal processing, I use a different magic... Ah, someone taught me the magic circle. That person taught me not only magic circles but also magical tools and such."
After giving this thorough answer, Aoi returned to silence. Probably, no one who heard Aoi's explanation could fully understand it. Yet Aoi remained silent with an attitude as if she had stated something obvious.
I disliked this human's unique way of pausing, or rather, her atmosphere. She clearly stated her own thoughts with an attitude as if neither elven status nor noble rank mattered. While this might stem entirely from confidence in herself, she still carried herself too calmly.
Perhaps she unconsciously swallowed me in her atmosphere. Thinking this, I exhaled deeply and calmed my mind.
"...I see. I understand very well. So, might I assume that this magic you specialize in surpasses us elves' magic?"
When I say this, Aoi tilted her head slightly.
"...? No, I do not mean to say that magic circles are superior to elven magic or anything of that sort. What I wanted to say is that I wish you would stop thinking that elves are the most superior or that beastfolk and dwarves are inferior..."
Hearing Aoi say this, I realized that my thoughts had strayed from the original topic.
"Ah, that is correct. In that sense, that beastfolk girl's magic certainly seemed quite impressive. Well, I do not know if magic one cannot control holds any meaning."
I added a single point about what was lacking. The beastfolk girl looked down as if enduring shame, and the human man behind her glared at me. Since I had said nothing wrong, I did not deserve to be glared at.
"So, is the dwarf next?"
When I asked to confirm, Aoi looked at the dwarf girl.
"Ms. Eliza, what will you do?"
When she asked this, the dwarf girl named Eliza pulled her chin in with an uneasy expression, but soon steeled her resolve and lifted her head.
"Y-yes...! I will show you that even dwarves can handle magic!"
As Eliza declareed this with fierce determination, I let out a derisive laugh.
"Heh... You will show me, will you? Speaking of dwarves, I hear they only use low-level fire magic. And even that, only the kind they perform for smithing work, correct?"
When I asked while laughing, Eliza furrowed her brows and looked at me.
"I-I think that is a prejudice. Dwarves mainly use fire, earth, water, and wind magic, and many mages possess sufficiently high skill. While I cannot claim to be one of them, still, we do not use only low-level fire magic."
After saying this, Eliza squared her shoulders and stepped forward before Aoi.
"I want to create a *golem using a magic circle."
[*A golem is an animated, anthropomorphic being from Jewish folklore created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud, through mystical rituals.]
When Eliza said this and started preparing something, Glenn raised both hands in a flustered manner.
"Wh-whoa! Hold on a moment! Shouldn't you do that kind of magic outside?!"
At Glenn's words, Aoi nodded deeply and looked at me.
"You are right. If Ms. Eliza will create a golem, I think outdoors would be fine."
Hearing the two of them speak, I doubted my own ears and opened my mouth.
"...Do you seriously intend to create a golem from scratch? Whether stone or metal, golem creation requires a considerable amount of production time. We are not that free with our time, you know?"
I tried to rein in Aoi and the others who started saying something outrageous, but their expressions showed no particular change. Rather, they nodded back as if this went without saying.
"Of course. Let us not take up too much of your time."
When Aoi answered like this, Eliza nodded in the same way.
