I Was a Dropout Who Couldn’t Use Magic for 16 Years, but Then I Remembered My Past Life as a Scientist and Became OP in Another World - Chapter 5

It’s been two weeks since I woke up from my injury.

The wound on my head has almost completely healed. If I press on it, I can feel a slight bump, but there’s no pain, and even the scab has fallen off.

Let’s briefly recap the news from these past two weeks.

—

My recovery period, which was essentially a sanctioned period of isolation, finally ended, and I had to start appearing at family meals again.

However, it was as if the incident with my injury never happened. I was once again treated like I didn’t exist. The meal conversations were dominated by my mother praising Johann, with my father nodding along just enough to maintain the bare minimum of conversation.

In the past, that never seemed strange to me.

But now, I can see it clearly.

Mother, with her fixed smile. Father, nodding mechanically. Johann, visibly bored with the same repetitive praise. And me, the invisible one.

This wasn’t a family meal. It was something pretending to be one.

It felt like a fragile pretense, ready to crumble at the slightest poke.

I decided to stop thinking about it and treated it as nothing more than a place to fill my stomach.

—

One day, while I was holed up in my room more often than not, someone other than Carla came to see me.

It was Gail, the butler who had served in the mansion for years. He checked on me while I sat at my desk reading, asking how my injury was.

When I told him I was fine, he left without another word.

Father probably asked him to check on me and report back. I thought it wouldn’t hurt for Father to ask me about it at the dinner table, but, well… I didn’t care enough to pursue the matter.

Other than that, there wasn’t much news to report. In the mansion, I’m treated like I don’t exist. And since I’ve holed myself up voluntarily, it’s no surprise there isn’t much else worth mentioning.

—

So, today.

With a sigh, I tossed my pen onto the desk.

After two weeks of relentless reading, I’d finally reviewed the basics of magic and compiled everything I’d learned.

The pile of notes had grown into dozens of messy pages, so I punched holes in them, strung them together with some twine, and titled the collection Fundamentals of Magical Physics.

Of course, this wasn’t just knowledge I’d gathered from the books. Johann’s cooperation had been invaluable.

I looked over the notes I’d written again.

—

Magic in this world is broadly classified into six categories:

Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Darkness.

These are referred to as elements, and the element that one can control varies from person to person.

Most people can control only one element, and at most, some can handle up to three different elements simultaneously. That seems to be the limit in this world.

Here’s a simple breakdown of each element:

– Create fire.
– Create water.
– Generate wind.
– Manipulate earth.
– Create barriers.
– Produce toxic substances.

Although these six elements are treated equally in this world, the complexity and difficulty of the phenomena they produce vary greatly from the perspective of physics. It’s impossible to believe that the same rules apply to all of them. I intend to start with the simplest phenomena and work my way toward understanding, but it’s clear that it may take an immense amount of time to fully grasp the workings of magic.

For reference, my father, Dawson, specializes in Water magic. My mother, Elia, controls Wind. And Johann, who’s often hailed as a prodigy by his tutor, is a hybrid of Water and Wind magic.

As a result, I decided that the first subject of my research would be Water magic.

—

Let’s start by summarizing the information I’ve gathered about Water magic from the books:

– Magic is usually controlled using the palm of the hand.
– The water generated floats at a fixed distance from the palm.
– The shape of the water is usually undefined, but it tends to take the form of a sphere.
– The amount of water generated increases with the caster’s proficiency.
– The time the spell can be maintained also increases with proficiency.
– There is a technique where the water sphere can be fired forward.
– There is a technique for thinning the water to make it sharp enough to cut objects.

There are countless other advanced techniques, but these are the basics that are consistently mentioned in all the books.

Based on this information, I’ve come up with a rough hypothesis:

Water magic is the process of condensing the moisture in the air to a visible level.

Just like how condensation forms on a window due to changes in temperature, moisture in the air transitions from a gas to a liquid. This world’s atmosphere must contain water vapor, which is somehow being concentrated.

So, with Johann’s help, I began observing the moment Water magic manifests.

Without a high-speed camera, I asked Johann to cast the spell as slowly as possible. He responded, “What kind of creepy request is that?!”

The process of magic manifesting was surprisingly fascinating.

I couldn’t understand why no one had bothered to document this in detail before.

Johann explained that he channels magic power into his hand.

Before the water appears, there is a faint glow in a spherical space roughly 30 centimeters wide around his palm.

Within that glowing space, tiny beads of water begin to form, growing in size until they coalesce into a larger mass.

Once the water sphere is fully formed, it floats in the air, rotating at a constant speed.

All of this is summarized in the books with a single phrase: “Channel magic power, then generate water.” Ridiculous. I couldn’t help but feel exasperated at this world’s lack of scientific curiosity.

But, just as Galileo was condemned by the church for proposing the heliocentric model, magic in this world is regarded as a profoundly mystical force. It’s believed to be a miraculous power bestowed upon humans by the spirits, and as such, any detailed analysis of it is considered unnecessary—or even disrespectful.

That’s precisely why I feel such immense potential in the untapped field of Magical Physics.

—

“Nii-sama.”

Suddenly, the door swung open.

“You didn’t knock.”

“Huh? I did! You must’ve been too absorbed in your work again.”

“No, I’m on a break right now, and I didn’t hear any knock at all.”

“Maybe it’s the door. It must be bad at letting sound through.”

Johann didn’t even try to hide his lame excuse as he entered the room.

“You need something?”

“Do I need a reason to come by? And, Nii-sama, don’t tell me you’re not taking a break! You’re still nose-deep in all these books. Come on, let’s play! Hey, hey, hey!”

“I’m not studying. I was just reviewing some material.”

“That’s what people call ‘studying,’ you know.”

Johann, claiming victory in the argument, stood up and came over to look at the papers on my desk.

“So, how’s it going?”

“Not great. There’s still so much I don’t understand. Johann, could you show me another Water spell? I need to check something.”

“Again? Sure, but what now?”

“I need to check the water’s temperature.”

“Temperature?”

“I need to know whether the water created with magic is warm or cold. It could be crucial information.”

“I don’t think it’s warm or cold, though…”

Despite being reluctant, Johann raised his palm. The faint light appeared, and a ball of water floated up.

“No matter how many times I see it, it really feels like a supernatural phenomenon… But if this is just condensing water vapor from the air, there should be a change in temperature. When the air cools, there’s less moisture in it, like condensation on a glass. By the way, is it okay to touch this floating water sphere?”

“Yeah, it’s safe. Your fingers won’t get chopped off or anything.”

“I see.”

With his permission, I dipped my finger into the water sphere. The gentle rotation of the water brushed against my skin, creating a strange sensation.

“…It’s at room temperature.”

“Yeah, like I said. And I don’t think I can change the temperature with just a thought. Want me to try?”

“Sure, make it cold.”

“Hmm…. How about now?”

“Nope, I don’t feel any difference. So, my hypothesis about temperature and condensation seems unlikely. In fact, gathering this much water from the air in this room would violate the law of conservation of mass. The humidity in the room hasn’t changed either…”

The key must be the faint light that appears before the water manifests.

If that light is a product of magic—of this world’s unique phenomenon—then is it truly creating water out of nothing?

“Nii-sama, that’s just how magic works. It’s the power of the spirits, right? That’s what the books say.”

“Yeah, they say that.”

“I don’t mind, but I don’t think people will look kindly on this research of yours. Magic is the gift of the spirits. That’s the answer, so why not accept it?”

“—No, that’s not right. If, after experimenting and trying different things, that turns out to be the ultimate conclusion, then I’ll accept it. But right now, that’s just giving up. Blindly believing what’s written in a book, or deciding on an answer before testing anything—that’s not how a scientist operates. Even the universe didn’t turn out to revolve around the Earth. I’m not going to dismiss the possibility of spirits, but I believe there’s a set of laws behind all of this.”

Johann probably didn’t understand half of what I said, but with a shrug, he replied:

“Well, think about it all you want, but I’m not going to stick around forever. This stuff is tiring, you know.”

“I see. There are reports that the duration of magic differs from person to person. How long can you maintain that water sphere?”

“About 30 minutes.”

“Is that long or short?”

“It’s on the longer side, I think. Father can only hold it for half that time.”

“Impressive. As expected of a prodigy—ow!”

Before I could finish my compliment, Johann punched me in the arm.

“Quit it with that ‘prodigy’ stuff. I told you I hate hearing that.”

“Oh, right, sorry. There, there.”

“…I don’t need you to treat me like a child either.”

“Such a difficult age to deal with.”

There was no doubt that Johann possessed extraordinary magic power for his age.

But he didn’t like being praised for it. He even wished that Mother would stop fawning over him every time they saw each other.

Whether that was out of consideration for me or his own feelings, I couldn’t say for sure.

—

“Anyway, back on track. There’s a limit to magic power. Just like a gas stove runs out of fuel, magic uses up energy. It’s highly likely that this energy is magic power, and it’s either stored in the body or drawn from the air. Since there are individual differences, I’d guess it’s something stored in the body.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was taught too. Magic power is generated in the body, and you channel it through your palms.”

Johann held up his palm toward me as he explained.

It looked like an ordinary, clean hand. The only thing I knew that came from palms back on Earth was sweat.

…Wait, no. I refuse to believe magic power is secreted through sweat glands. That’s just gross.

“Is it true that magic can come from places other than the palm?”

“Yeah, it’s possible, but it’s really difficult. It’s hard to imagine, and the palm is the most powerful channel.”

“Can you do it, Johann?”

“I… can, but it’s not easy.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t clear whether he was being modest or if his output was simply minimal.

From what I’ve read and from what Johann has told me, casting magic from anywhere other than the palm seems like a party trick at best.

But the fact that it’s even possible shouldn’t be overlooked. The difference in output could make it a viable subject of study.

—

“No, I don’t get it. There are too many unknowns; I feel like my head is going to explode.”

“Take it easy, Nii-sama. If your head explodes, you’ll start bleeding again.”

“Yeah, I’d rather avoid that.”

“Nii-sama, why don’t we take a break and go for a walk up the hill? You know, there’s that shrine dedicated to the spirits up there.”

“…A shrine for the spirits?”

I thought for a moment before I remembered.

Indeed, there was a shrine for a well-known water spirit on the lands governed by the Narazario family. Perhaps that’s why so many people born here have an affinity for Water magic.

“Good idea. Let’s go after lunch. It’s a nice day out.”

“Yay! I’ll go grab something for lunch, then! Nii-sama, let’s go! Let’s go right now!”

“R-right now?”

“Carla! Get us some clothes! We’re going out!”

Johann, who had been serious during our experiments, suddenly burst into excitement and ran out of the room.

I closed the books on my desk and stretched my arms toward the ceiling. My 16-year-old body responded with satisfying cracks.

It’s been a while since I’ve gone outside, I thought, squinting at the sunlight streaming through the window.