Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 100: Testing Damien’s Magic Limits

With such intense flames, he had honestly thought Theo was a goner.

"Haha, sorry for startling you back then. And I suspect Damien’s magic power must be quite formidable too, judging by the brightness we observed. The problem is that with just light alone, it’s hard to gauge the exact extent of your magic power."

That was true. Without a comparison, it was impossible to determine just how bright or how powerful his magic might be.

"Here’s the other thing," Theo continued. "If Damien is indeed copying all of these spells using his own magic power, then that would mean Damien can wield every type of magic. That’s another thing that’s just unheard of. So, I’m honestly still skeptical about whether these copies are actually using Damien’s magic power. But if they are, then in some sense, the copied spell is being fueled by Damien’s power, potentially without his full control, which makes it somewhat risky."

"Risky?" Damien asked.

"When large amounts of magic power are used up, you experience what we call ’magic depletion’—basically, an intense fatigue that makes it hard to even stand."

"The severity of symptoms varies from person to person, but in the worst-case scenario, one can lose consciousness immediately."

That was terrifying! For a normal person who can use their magic power at will, it might be just an accident, but for Damien, who couldn’t control his magic, it felt like a life-and-death issue.

If things went wrong, he could be abducted at any moment.

"So, I’d like to confirm first if the copies are truly being activated by Damien’s magic power," Theo said, raising his middle finger after his index finger.

"Then I want to check the degree of the symptoms of magic depletion in Damien."

"Degree of symptoms?" Damien asked.

"As I mentioned earlier, the symptoms of magic depletion vary among individuals and are generally determined by the total amount of magic they possess. The more magic one has, the more severe the symptoms. When I was taught magic by my master, I was forcibly made to experience magic depletion; I lost consciousness, and even when I woke up, I felt sick for about a week—it was the worst..."

Theo’s expression darkened as he recalled that time.

Thinking he might have to go through something similar sent a shiver down Damien’s spine.

"Damien, I understand how you feel, but it’s better to have a grasp of your symptoms at least once. Otherwise, it could be quite dangerous."

Well, in Damien’s case, it seemed particularly critical to understand his situation...

He’d have to brace himself for it.

"I got it. Let’s conduct that experiment then. What do I need to do?"

"Well, first, we need to confirm whether Damien’s magic is being used at all. So, Leonide, I need to ask you for a favor," Theo instructed.

Ah, that’s right. That was the plan.

Damien watched as Leonide bowed confidently in response to Theo’s gaze.

He felt reassured.

...Though he wasn’t sure how Leonide felt inside.

...

Following Theo’s instructions, Damien and Leonide stood about twenty meters apart in the center of the experimental facility.

"Now, let me explain the purpose of the experiment. It’s not complicated. Leonide, please direct an Aqua Ring at Damien with enough magic to indicate that ’you can’t use it twice with the current magic remaining.’"

The Aqua Ring created a spherical wall of water around a person, right?

"By using a magic amount that would leave no magic remaining for a second use, if the copy also activates, it will almost certainly confirm that Damien’s magic power is being used instead of Leonide’s. It’s best to use enough magic to use a water wall spell while leaving just enough for one more use for the next experiment."

"Understood."

"The reason for choosing the Aqua Ring is that it’s easy to clean up afterward and it won’t harm Damien if something goes wrong."

"That being said, Leonide, don’t hold back. Just go for it!"

"Understood. Alright, Master, here I go. ■■■■■■■!"

As Damien pondered what "cleaning up" meant, Leonide began to chant the spell, activating the magic.

Immediately, both Damien and Leonide were enveloped by a wall of water.

Unlike before, this one wasn’t tailored to fit Damien’s body; it was almost ten meters in diameter.

It was so large that it felt like it was close to touching Leonide’s water sphere.

Upon receiving Theo’s signal, Leonide dispelled the magic.

The water, having lost its magic power, could no longer maintain its spherical shape and began to pour out onto the floor of the experimental facility. However, it evaporated instead, thanks to Theo’s magic.

The steam was vented by Mephart’s magic, so there was no discomfort from the heat.

Ah, so that’s what "cleaning up" meant.

"With this, we can almost certainly conclude that the copies are being activated using Damien’s magic," Theo said. "While many questions arise from this, we’ll take our time confirming them in the future. Now, let’s move on to the final experiment."

"The final experiment is the one regarding magic depletion, right?"

The thought of losing consciousness or feeling sick for a while weighed heavily on Damien.

"Please don’t make that face, Damien. We need to understand what symptoms you’ll experience during magic depletion; otherwise, it could pose issues for future security measures. I know it will be tough, but I ask for your cooperation."

"Since you put it that way, I’ll try my best, but..."

Given that it was almost certain that his magic would be used without his consent, there was no way around it.

For the sake of safety, he decided to accept the discomfort.

"So, what’s the plan for the experiment?"

"It’s quite simple. I’ll have Leonide use the Aqua Ring without imposing any limits on magic consumption. That way, he’ll be forced to use all his remaining magic, and you’ll automatically experience magic depletion. I doubt it will happen, but if you end up using only as much magic as Leonide has consumed, then you can assume that reaching magic depletion won’t be so easy."