“You, how should I put it… You talk about taking lives so easily, but I feel like you don’t value your own life either…”
As I lounged on the living room sofa, Iriya brought two cups of coffee and set them on the table. She sat down across from me.
“My comrades often say I don’t understand the weight of life. But isn’t life something you use to accomplish things? Since His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders take top priority, it’s only natural for my own life to take a backseat.”
“I wonder if that’s really okay…”
She replied, sounding unconvinced, and took a sip of the steaming coffee.
Take care of your own life, or don’t take the lives of others so lightly—this is usually how the conversation goes from here. Thinking that, I decided to ask the usual question first.
“Then, why don’t you tell me why life is so valuable? What do you think?”
When you throw the ball back at people like this, they often can’t answer. The common responses are things like, ‘Because you only have one,’ or, ‘Because there are people who love you.’ Who exactly are these people who supposedly love you? I can’t help but wonder. At least in my family, it’s definitely not my parents or siblings. My second brother, in particular, probably finds me a nuisance.
“I can understand wanting a reason. Saying it without one does seem unreasonable.”
As always, she’s different from anyone else. That’s what makes her so intriguing.
“Life is the thing that sustains the body, isn’t it? Humans are made up of a soul and a body. The body is the means by which an individual interacts with the material world. It’s often said that this world is a place for the soul’s training. The soul, in this context, refers to an individual’s spirit, which resides in and governs a single body. Every individual soul contains a core divine essence—sometimes called Brahman or the microcosmos—and the purpose of life is said to be the sublimation of that divine soul.
Certainly, the body is temporary, and life might seem like a fleeting source of energy. However, living each life fully is part of the soul’s sublimation. Ultimately, this leads to becoming a light of salvation that can save those around you, allowing you to enter the divine realm. And that’s thought to be part of God’s grand plan…”
“Um, Miss Iriya …? This is getting rather… grandiose…”
As expected of a researcher. To explain the value of life, she’s starting with the soul and body… I shouldn’t have asked unnecessary questions.
“Wait, wait, I’m just getting to the point. God is said to create everything through words. Ideally, magic is a power emitted from the divine soul within humans—this power is called ether. However, since the human soul surrounds the divine soul, ether cannot manifest directly. The magical energy humans can interact with is called mana. Mana in the atmosphere is said to contain a core of ether, and ether is what transforms prima materia into the four basic elements.”
Her argument was gaining more and more momentum. I’d forgotten that she’s one of those research-obsessed people who’d get along well with Severino Orsa Arens, known for his obsession with life and magic theory. She could probably talk about magical theory forever…
“In short!! To use magic, you convert mana into ether, and then use ether to transform prima materia into elemental components to cast spells. Incantations assist in this process. Demons don’t need incantations because they use ether directly—they can convert mana into ether efficiently, thanks to their high spiritual aptitude and superior visualization ability compared to humans. Contracts also seem necessary to aid in this efficient conversion. But that’s beside the point for now. I believe that studying and using magic is also a way to elevate the soul. Life’s training isn’t solely about good deeds—learning the methods of soul refinement through magic is also a form of training, and life itself is…”
“Stop right there! This is turning into an advanced lecture on magical theory!!”
“What? This is just the preface to why life is valuable. I was just getting started…”
“I’m sorry! I was wrong, so can we please end this conversation here…!!”
The preface!? Magical theory is just the preface!? What kind of wild tangent is this leading to? Please, no more!
“Oh, that’s right.”
“You understand!?”
It’s too long, and way too complicated…
“Then, your question and thoughts, please. I’ve been talking too much; let’s continue from there.”
“That’s not what I meant!!”
Her smile chilled me to the core.
I felt like I’d stepped into a pitfall with no escape. This overwhelming lecture was far from over.
Anyway, it seems that living is training, the bond between the soul and body is life, and elevating the soul is the purpose of living—so life is valuable… or something like that.
In the end, I mostly heard about magical theory. Didn’t she just want an excuse to lecture me? I mean, I’d gladly listen to her talk all night if we were in bed, but still!
Perhaps one reason her magic is so powerful is because she has perfected her own magical theory… She’s truly terrifying.
