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 6

“—W-what the?!”

Johann, now fully dressed for going out, shouted in surprise at the entrance.

He glanced back and forth between the person standing in the doorway and me, visibly confused.

“Good day, Johann-sama. I happened to be nearby on an errand, so I thought it would be rude not to stop by and greet you,”

said the blonde-haired girl with doll-like features, who lifted the edges of her skirt in a graceful curtsy.

“Was I a nuisance?”

“N-no, you weren’t, but…!”

Though Johann’s words tried to be polite, the look on his face told the whole story. I glanced sideways at my trembling younger brother.

“Greetings, Ronnie-oniisama.”

The girl looked up at me with a small, sly smile tugging at the corner of her red lips.

“Oh, how kind of you to visit, Lady Fiolette. I’m sure Johann is simply overwhelmed with joy,” I replied.

“Oh my, that’s wonderful to hear. Ufufu.”

“…!”

Johann shot me a look that said, How could you?! before dragging me aside near the entrance.

(What are you doing?! I was trying to think of a way to politely get her to leave!)

(What are you talking about? The daughter of the marquess from a neighboring territory has come all this way. You can’t possibly send her away without even offering tea.)

(But we were just about to go for a walk up the hill!)

(We can go for a walk anytime. But causing offense to Lady Fiolette could have long-term consequences.)

(I don’t care about that!)

(Don’t be ridiculous, she’s your fiancée!)

(Guh…)

The blonde-haired girl who looked like a living doll was Lady Fiolette Glastark. She was the daughter of the marquess who governed the Glastark territory, which bordered ours, the Narazario estate.

She was three years older than Johann—15 years old.

She and Johann were considered a perfect match, so much so that even the common folk were already gossiping about their marriage.

At just 12 years old, Johann was already a prodigy, excelling in both academics and combat. But Fiolette was just as outstanding—beautiful, intelligent, and highly skilled in magic. Her magical prowess was graceful and elegant, and she had mastered all the manners expected of a marquess’s daughter. Even the local people adored her. In short, she was the perfect young lady with no flaws.

Last year, the two families had come to an agreement, and since then, Fiolette and Johann had been visiting each other’s estates regularly.

—What about me? I have no such grand arrangement. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to the other person.

Anyway, considering the bond between the estates and the potential for further development, there was no way I could turn her away. Turning her away at the door would be absurd.

“If this is an inconvenient time, I can always return another day—”

“Oh no, not at all. Why don’t you join us for lunch? Isn’t that right, Johann?”

“Oh my, that would be lovely. Would that be alright with you, Johann-sama?”

“…Of course, it would be my pleasure…”

“Hurry up and take her to the parlor,” I urged.

“Ugh, fine… Fiolette, please follow me…”

“Thank you. By the way, is Ronnie-oniisama heading out somewhere?”

“Ah, yes. I have a few things to take care of outside, and I wouldn’t want to intrude on your lunch.”

“Ehhh?! No fair!!”

Johann tried to protest, but I silenced him with a look.

“…”

“Ugh.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of being a bother, but if you have errands to attend to, I won’t keep you. Please, if you return before I leave, we’ll have tea together.”

“Of course. Please take your time.”

I gave a polite bow and, finding it amusing that Johann was biting his lip in frustration, I walked past Lady Fiolette and stepped out of the entrance.

—

As I exited the estate, I noticed the Glastark family’s carriage parked by the gate.

Then—

“Ronnie-sama.”

I was called again, but this time it was a man’s voice.

“Hm?”

“Where are you headed?”

I turned to see the butler, Gail, standing there. For a moment, I didn’t understand what he was asking, but shortly after, I realized he was inquiring about my destination.

“I’m going to the shrine on the hill.”

“I see.”

Gail acknowledged my response and, without so much as a bow or a wish for my safety, walked back toward the mansion.

“Huh? He’s never cared about where I’m going before…”

I watched his retreating figure, puzzled. But since I didn’t want to spoil my rare chance for a break, I shrugged off the thought and continued on my way.

—

The Shrine of the Spirit was located about 30 minutes up a gentle slope from the Narazario estate, beyond a small woodland path.

On the hill, knee-high grass swayed in the wind, and from the edge of the hill, I could see the Narazario estate on one side and a view of the town on the other.

A refreshing spring breeze swept across me as I stood there.

“Before my injury, I never paid much attention to this, but compared to the skyscrapers in my previous life, this scenery is breathtaking. The untouched nature is so verdant and alive…”

I couldn’t help but think that my musings sounded like those of an old man as I made my way toward the stone shrine midway up the hill.

It had been a while since I last visited the shrine—probably since last year’s harvest festival.

The shrine wasn’t like the wooden, roofed structures I was familiar with from temples in Japan. It was more of a small cave carved out of a large rock.

It looked as though a massive meteorite had fallen and embedded itself in the hill. The entrance, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through, led to a narrow passage inside the stone.

At the end of the short corridor—about two meters deep—was a pedestal with a blue crystal resting atop it.

“Despite being exposed to the elements, this crystal is spotless. Another mystery. Or, as everyone else would say, it’s the work of the spirit.”

In this world, the concept of “spirits” is deeply intertwined with everyday life. Spirits are said to be the ones who granted humans the ability to use magic. The light in the world, the wind that blows, and even the existence of the world itself are all credited to the spirits.

“But I’m currently operating under the assumption that ‘spirits don’t exist.’ I’m sure, to the spirit, I must seem like the biggest heretic.”

I crouched down and kneeled before the crystal. It was roughly the size of a human head.

It had a brilliance unlike any gemstone I’d ever seen in my past life. I couldn’t help but calculate how much it would be worth, easily in the tens of millions. The fact that something so large and pristine was excavated was a miracle in itself. No wonder people saw it as something mystical.

The shrine contained nothing but the pedestal and the crystal.

There were no plaques, no explanations of the spirit’s origins. It was remarkably simple.

And yet, despite its simplicity, this shrine held a special aura.

“The fact that this crystal hasn’t been stolen is a testament to the people’s faith.”

…Wait.

I leaned in closer to the crystal, thinking I saw something move inside it.

Upon closer inspection, I realized they were tiny particles, like air bubbles.

It’s not unusual for bubbles to be trapped inside crystals. Although I’ve never encountered a crystal this transparent and blue before, it’s likely that it was mined from deep underground or from a cave.

…But wait a second. Something isn’t right here.

Having bubbles trapped inside isn’t the strange part. They’re typically air bubbles that were caught during the formation process.

But the bubbles inside this crystal were moving, tracing slow, circular patterns. It didn’t seem like water trapped in an air pocket either.

Even if this crystal were just a glass container filled with water, there’s no way the bubbles would move in such a manner, defying gravity.

Instinctively, I reached out and lifted the crystal.

If someone saw me, they’d probably scold me, but my curiosity got the better of me. Even with the crystal in my hands, the bubbles continued their slow rotation, as if guided by an unseen force.

This is the shrine of the water spirit, after all.

Could this crystal contain both water and magic power? If so, perhaps the magic power, like Johann’s water spells, was causing the bubbles inside to rotate.

I mentally flipped through the pages of my “Fundamentals of Magical Physics.”

This was precisely one of the things that had piqued my curiosity about magic.

Why does the water float above one’s palm?

And why does it rotate while maintaining its spherical shape?

—

Even though there’s no physical contact, the water seems to resist gravity and float.

Yes, if the water is resisting gravity, there must be another force at play. It’s like how water droplets float in zero-gravity environments.

Without gravity pulling them down, objects—whether droplets or otherwise—would remain suspended, spinning with the slightest touch. It seems like a similar phenomenon might be occurring both on Johann’s palm and inside this crystal.

When Johann casts a spell, a magical light appears before the water materializes.

I don’t know how the water is created, but if we assume that the space above his palm becomes something like a zero-gravity zone, then the floating, rotating water sphere suddenly makes sense.

And testing that theory wouldn’t be difficult.

All I’d need to do is introduce a foreign object—like a leaf or a grain of sand—into the space before the water appears. If it falls, my theory is wrong. If it floats, the zero-gravity hypothesis holds. Furthermore, it’s crucial to determine if this phenomenon is unique to Water magic. If I’m right, this could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of other magic elements. In that case, magic might involve creating zero-gravity fields with directional properties—

“What are you muttering about…? You’re starting to freak me out a little, for real…”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

I thought I heard a voice.

Suddenly, I snapped out of my deeply engrossed train of thought and remembered that I was standing inside the shrine.

Realizing I was still holding the crystal, I hastily returned it to the pedestal… Wait, didn’t I just hear someone’s voice?

I turned around.

No one was there.

“…That scared me. For a second, I thought I heard my own voice…”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

There it was again.

I turned toward the direction of the voice.

Still, no one was there.

But instead of a person, floating in the air was a small, snake-like creature—something that made no sense at all.