SHC08_C8_How to Make a Certain Four-Dimensional Pocket in Another World

 

 

     C8: How to Make a Certain Four-Dimensional Pocket in Another World

Apparently, Father and Mother would arrive at the estate in five days. The papers Ms. Rottenmeier had brought were actually advance notices of their return.

I’d been sick around my fifth birthday, and my memories before that were hazy. Honestly, I couldn’t even remember what my parents looked like.

What kind of faces did they have again?

No matter how hard I tried to dig through the corners of my memory, I couldn’t picture them. I couldn’t even recall what their voices sounded like.

…Seriously? Am I really this much of an airhead?

While I was reeling from my own idiocy, Ms. Rottenmeier leaned close and whispered something to Professor Romanov. I only caught snippets like “Master” and “Mistress,” so I perked up my ears.

That’s when Romanov’s expression changed.

“Wait—what? But the Earl of Kikunoi is a married-in son-in-law…”

“Professor Romanov! Your voice!”

“Ah—”

He glanced over at me. Ms. Rottenmeier did too, briefly, before quickly shifting her gaze back to him.

Hey—don’t half-say something so suspicious and then clam up!

Wait… did he just say my dad was a son-in-law?

“So… my father married into the Kikunoi family? That means Mother was the original Countess!?”

I had no idea.

I mean, yeah, I’m a memory-challenged idiot who can’t even remember his parents’ faces, so even if they had told me, I might not have understood…

Still—what!?

As I gawked, Professor Romanov gave a little shrug.

“I believe we should tell Agaha the truth.”

“But he’s only five! Isn’t he too young to understand such things?”

“Ordinarily, I’d agree. But Agaha is far more intelligent and perceptive than we often give him credit for. I think it’s better he hears the truth from us now than a twisted version of it later from gossip.”

“Even so…”

For once, Ms. Rottenmeier’s face softened into a conflicted frown. She sighed deeply, pushed up her glasses, and after a pause, nodded.

“Give me a little time, please.”

“Ms. Rottenmeier…”

“Even if I do decide to explain it, I need to consider how I’ll tell him…”

With her usual elegance, she curtseyed and said, “Excuse me,” before making a flawless turn and disappearing down the hall.

That left just me and Professor Romanov.

“What are your plans for today?”

“Today? I was going to repurpose some old clothes with Elise and make a pouch to wear on my waist.”

I meant the kind with belt loops that you attach to your belt and secure at the hip—basically a homemade waist pouch, like we had back in my previous life.

They’re great: your hands stay free, nothing swings around, and you can grab what you need instantly.

I planned to use it for gardening shears, gloves, bandages, disinfectant—stuff I might need on the go.

A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?

So I took Professor Romanov to my room and showed him the pouch prototype.

It was a rectangular linen bag with a flap and two front pockets, each with a button closure.

“Oh, this looks quite practical.”

“I thought I’d use it for my garden tools or in case of minor injuries.”

“I see. Very clever.”

He examined the pouch, nodding with interest. Then he smiled warmly.

“Shall we learn a little magic now?”

“Magic? Oh, let me grab my notebook—”

But he shook his head gently.

“Nothing so formal today. What I’m about to explain will come naturally as you start using magic.”

“O-Okay!”

I mean… I am the kind of kid who forgets gods’ names because I wasn’t paying attention, but all right…

Unbothered by my self-doubt, Professor Romanov began his lecture.

“There are a few main branches of magic in this world. Healing magic for wounds and poisons. Offensive magic for attacks. Support magic, which alters attributes. Spatial magic, which affects space itself. And finally, there’s Divine Magic and Spirit Arts. These five are the major systems.”

“Major systems? So… there are others?”

“Indeed. Some are lost to time, others are obscure or dying out due to a lack of practitioners.”

He went on to explain:

Magic works by absorbing mana particles into your body, converting them into magical energy, and using that energy internally or externally.

The more mana you absorb, the more magic power you can generate. The more power you have, the stronger and more precise your spells become, and the more people they can affect.

Healing, support, and offensive spells all rely on borrowing the power of the four elemental spirits—earth, water, fire, and wind—by offering them your magic energy.

“Wait… so for spatial magic, do you offer power to space spirits?”

“Ah. That’s where things differ. Spatial magic doesn’t use a single elemental spirit. Instead, it requires help from all four of the elemental spirits.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because space itself is the very fabric of our world—made from all four elements, along with light and darkness. To manipulate it, you need cooperation from all the elemental spirits. Which, as you can imagine, is no easy feat. It also demands tremendous amounts of magical power.”

“So… only a few people can use it?”

“Exactly. But if you can use it, it’s incredibly convenient. Some spells are semi-permanent. Others are reusable.”

As he said this, he placed a hand on the waist pouch prototype.

He muttered something under his breath—something I couldn’t quite catch. Probably not in our empire’s standard language.

His fingers began to glow faintly, and the light spread across the pouch.

The whole process took less than a second, but even so, sweat beaded on his forehead.

I rushed forward with a clean handkerchief to wipe his brow… but alas, I was too short to reach.

Still, he seemed to understand and took the handkerchief with a smile. When he noticed the butterfly embroidery I’d sewn into the corner, his smile deepened.

“This is lovely. How about a trade—you give me this, and I’ll give you the pouch?”

“Huh?”

Wait… both items are mine, though?

He handed me the pouch and said:

“I’ve just enchanted this with spatial magic.”

“Wait—spatial magic!?”

“Yes. I happen to be a rare spatial mage. I just cast an ‘Item Box’ spell on your pouch. It’s semi-permanent and ready to use.”

“Q-question! What’s an ‘Item Box’!?”

“It’s a spell that links an object to a small pocket dimension—like an invisible storage room. You can put as much as it can hold, and the contents don’t age.”

Basically, like that famous cat robot’s four-dimensional pocket—just without the blue fur.

Unlike the anime version, though, this one had limits: roughly the size of a wardrobe.

Still, food wouldn’t spoil in there, and if you put it in fresh, it came out just as hot and fresh. That’s insane.

“Wh-what!? I—I can’t accept something this amazing!”

“You must. For me, it’s an equal trade.”

“B-but—but I only embroidered a little butterfly on that!”

“Agaha, I didn’t tell you this before, but items made or touched by someone with a ‘Green Hand’ or ‘Blue Hand’—those gifted in plants or crafts—are highly favored by spirits.”

“Wait, really!?”

“Yes. And having such items on you strengthens your magic. For example, my cloak has ten condor sigils stitched in elven pattern by you. Thanks to those, my spells are roughly fifty percent stronger than normal.”

“Fifty percent!?”

“And that’s a conservative estimate. With this handkerchief, I can expect even more support from the spirits. So yes—it’s a perfectly fair trade.”

No way.

That embroidered design I stitched just for fun, like one of those Nazca lines… had that kind of effect!?

I was so blown away, I completely forgot about the whole “Dad is a son-in-law” thing.

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Eunie here: Thanks for reading~ Hope you guys are enjoying.

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