Today was a bitterly cold but special day because today was my day off: no noble lady training, no students to take care of, and no time in the clinic. I could lie back and finally calm down. As I sank into my armchair, a warm fire burning beside me, and read a book about the eastern continent, also called Toringia, named after the Toringian desert that covers half the continent.
I checked on the fetuses condition and saw that both were growing perfectly. If it kept going like this, they would soon be born around June 16th… maybe even earlier? Their growth seemed a bit stronger than that of other women at twenty-one weeks. Thankfully, due to healing magic, most of the annoying pregnancy symptoms could be dealt with, but sadly not with all of them. I constantly have the weirdest food cravings right now, for example, I would kill to get my hands on a tuna sub with extra mayo. But sadly, there was no tuna so far from the sea. The last time I asked for fish, the cooks kindly laughed me off.
But even if I could deal with most of the symptoms, they were still annoying. Every other day, I found a new stretch mark and cramps building up in my legs. Not to mention the headaches I wake up with, or my constantly swelling hands and feet.
I think if Emma ever found out how easy it was for me, she would strangle me. Her pregnancy had been especially awful from start to finish, worse than any of my other patients. And even though her pregnancy had been awful, her daughter Teresa was the cutest little angel I have ever seen. Her cheeks were round and plump, and together with her chubby limbs, she looked like a marshmallow. If my own babies will be this adorable, I'm not sure if I would get anything else done than just poking their plump cheeks. Though what I'm most anxious about is whether I would genuinely be able to be a “good mother” like her.
Emma had already begun teaching me how I would later have to take care of my own kids, with Teresa serving as the adorable, drooling example. But so far, only the basics, such as how to make them stop crying or how to change one of the reusable diapers. Yes, you read that right, reusable… There were no single-use diapers with highly absorbent powder; instead, as in our own past, a piece of cloth would serve as the diaper. It would then be washed and reused again… and again… This is the part where I'm shamelessly happy that I'm marrying into a noble house. I would never have to wash my baby's diapers.
However, since this was supposed to be my free day, there was no “baby training.” Instead, after I finished the book that ended with a strangely similar story to One Thousand and One Nights, I started meditating. I sat in the middle of my bed in a perfect lotus that took me quite a while to pull off, and began to circulate my mana when Janus came through the door.
I had just started and already prepared myself that I would have to cut my magic training short again, but to my surprise, Janus had no intention of ripping me out of my focus and just sat in the armchair after a couple of seconds of awkward silence.
But eventually, after half an hour of staring at me in total silence, he did ask,
“What are you doing?”
“Im meditating.”
“Why?”
“Sigh.” With my focus now broken, I take a break from meditating, open my eyes, and look towards Janus, who now seemed a bit sorry for asking.
“I'm mediating, so I will have an easier time moving and gathering my mana inside me. So that I can eventually make another magic stone.”
“Another magic stone, but don't you already have one?”
“True, I do, but there is no real limit. They aren't big enough to cause an issue, even if you have one for every attribute in your body. There are only advantages to having more. So a real mage should never stop making them.”
“Then which one are you making? Fire magic or maybe water?”
“They wouldn't be bad, but they aren't versatile enough. I'm making a non-attribute magic stone.”
“Wait, a non-attribute magic stone? Isn't non-attribute magic only good for shields? Why not make another for healing magic?”
“Believe me, one magic stone for each attribute is enough. Besides, it's constantly growing in capacity faster than I could form another one, so, in other words, it's simply inefficient. And it's not just for shields, it can be molded into anything you imagine. A massive sword, an entire carriage, or just a stool. It can be anything, and there is more than just mana constructs.”
“Like what?”
“Like aura, for example.”
“Wait, aura?"
I must say the look he has on his face right now must be the dumbest he has ever been… cute. The people around me are always so much more knowledgeable about this world, and it feels like I'm constantly asking questions. So I'm always getting into a good mood when I get the chance to explain something instead.
“Yes, aura is nothing more than non-attribute magic, also called body strengthening magic. I can use it too see.”
I gather mana in my right arm while slowly pulling it back, only to then quickly extend it, causing a strong wind to flutter through my bedchambers that ruffled through Janus's brown hair.
“Wait!? You can use aura, but you're a mage!?”
A common misconception that many have fallen prey to over the years. After all, the mages in this age are all just weak scholars who focus on their attributes instead of their own bodies. But during the ancient civilisation, mages were far more common; even most soldiers would have used it. There wouldn't have been such a clear divide between meek shut-in mages and brazen sword-swinging aura users.
“It's the same thing. You could also form a shield if you tried enough. So far, you are just using it without really thinking about it, relying on pure instinct sharpened by training and life-and-death situations. But if I were to teach you… mhhhhh…
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”