# The Regressor's Notebook Episode 13
Memory (2)
……"Magic Body." Literally, a body through which mana flows.
A single blackboard. A piece of white chalk. Dark, deep pupils.
In a small classroom, a lesson prepared solely for me.
……The foundation of this magic body is the "One Belt, Four Lines."
One Belt, Four Lines (一帶四線).
The most common method of forming a magic body.
A phrase I'd heard so often my ears could've bled.
……First, the "One Belt" (一帶). It refers to the largest circuit from the brain to the groin. A circuit that must never be severed, the thickest and strongest one. That's why it's called a "belt" (帶).
Theia, who had projected a human anatomical diagram on the blackboard, drew a line from the head to the groin. She laid the chalk on its side, making it very thick.
……If four lines branch off from this belt—to the right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg.
Then she connected four lines along the arms and legs.
……These are the "Four Lines" (四線).
The One Belt runs from the head to the groin, and the Four Lines run from the One Belt to the tips of the fingers and toes.
Ultimately, One Belt, Four Lines refers to the path through which mana flows in the human body—that is, the structure of the circuit.
……In this world, there are almost no magic bodies that aren't One Belt, Four Lines. But Sion, you—you have a body that would die the moment it learned One Belt, Four Lines, don't you?
It's a magic body impossible for me. Because the "belt" of the One Belt, Four Lines inevitably passes through the dantian, and the cancer cells would certainly metastasize along the belt.
……Don't be discouraged. Look up.
When was this?
Probably, right after my third cancer surgery.
She came to me as I awoke from anesthesia and proclaimed herself my teacher.
……It's not that there isn't a method. It's a magic body from ancient times. Though these days, it's questionable whether you'd even call it a magic body.
In modern times, a magic body is essentially One Belt, Four Lines, but if you go far back into the past, to some ancient era, there was a different magic body.
……It's called "Embodiment."
Embodiment (體化).
After accepting the mana within the body, you leave it to permeate naturally without any special process.
To use a very simple analogy, it's similar to smoking meat over a fire.
……I conducted some research on monkeys. I even wrote a thesis. Take a look.
Monkeys.
Literally, a magic body used by "beasts."
* * *
I opened my eyes. Waking from the recollection, I looked around at my surroundings.
A lake surrounded by thickets, rarely visited by people. A resting spot behind the old building where no one seemed likely to watch, and even if they did, I wouldn't particularly mind.
I came here immediately after the College Board ended.
"Shall we try it."
My teacher's lesson.
That which I had forgotten due to the harshness of reality was triggered in my mind the moment I became aware of her existence, making my soul tremble.
Was this also thanks to the 「Notebook」?
I took off my clothes first. I folded my Endex uniform and underwear and placed them on a rock.
Since my entire body would be drenched in sweat and waste during magic body training.
Splash—
I walked into the lake.
"Urghhh."
It was early spring, so it was terribly cold, but this much was fine.
With only my neck above the water, I sat in a meditative posture.
"Hooo...."
What I'm about to do now is "Embodiment."
One of the lessons Theia Isil left me.
Simply put, it's like smoking meat, but actually, it's quite different from smoking. Embodiment is essentially no different from leaving meat outside on a summer day and waiting for it to "cook on its own."
No fire, no frying pan, nothing at all.
That's why it's a method that disappeared for good reason.
Therefore, for 「Embodiment」 to develop into a meaningful magic body, my teacher said, an "engine" is needed to pump the mana from the dantian.
Just as the heart pumps blood to circulate throughout the body, an engine that pumps mana from the dantian and radiates it to the tips of the hands and feet.
My teacher in the past had said, "You must design and create the algorithm yourself—" and added that it would be very difficult.
Before the regression, I had failed to invent that method until the day I died.
Now, it's different.
I already know that impossibly difficult algorithm.
No, everyone knows it.
What is it, you ask?
I just used it as an analogy.
"The heart."
I placed my hand on my chest.
The attempt I'm about to make is simple.
First, how much does the 「Notebook」 know about me?
Next, how much of my body can it 「Memorize」?
In other words—can it 「Memorize」 the function of the heart and 「Transplant」 it into the dantian?
So that my dantian can beat on its own, just like my heart.
Of course, tampering with the dantian is frightening. A perfectly natural concern for a cancer patient.
However, the cancer cells in my dantian cannot break through the dantian membrane. The One Belt, Four Lines pierces through the dantian membrane, but such a case doesn't occur in 「Embodiment」, so I need not worry about the risk of cancer cell metastasis, at least.
"…."
I sat in a meditative posture without a word. I closed my eyes.
Slowly, I moved the mana within my body. When that aura crept up and touched my heart, I muttered my intent.
"……Memory."
My heart trembled. My dantian shook violently. Tak-tak-tak-tak— a loud clamor of my veins bursting throughout my body rang out.
I gritted my teeth. Maintaining the rhythm of my breathing, I endured.
Then, at some moment while bearing the pain with determination.
The Notebook floated up before my tightly shut eyelids.
[63 / 100]
■ Diary
■ Memory
└Perrion
└Untitled
Recent 24-hour capacity history: +30
The "Untitled" file had been added, and the capacity instantly shot up to 53.
Does that "Untitled" mean my heart?
It was a strange feeling, but I had no time to sit idle.
I sent the mana containing the 「Memory」 of my heart flowing toward my dantian.
The mechanism is simple.
Just as I called forth the function of barber's shears at the hair salon, I simply needed to transplant the heart's function into the dantian.
……I hoped I could do it.
——.
Then, something twitched.
I opened my eyes in a hurry. I placed my hand on my stomach.
——.
It seemed to move, but I couldn't feel it well.
Was it because, unlike the chest, the stomach has a thicker layer of subcutaneous fat?
——.
Thankfully, this was the third time.
It was certain.
A pulsation (搏動).
——.
My dantian was beating.
With every breath I took, as if pumping.
Through a perfectly unconscious action.
"……It worked."
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I flopped onto my back.
Splash—!
I surrendered myself to the lake. Refreshing moisture rushed over my burning body.
I simply floated there, blankly looking up at the sky.
"So it really does work."
In the sunset at dusk, my old teacher's face blurred.
Theia Isil.
I had received too much help from her. I owed her my life several times over, had borrowed an enormous sum of money from her two or three times, and never paid it back until the day I died.
She never once hounded me to pay it back.
Though I had no intention of paying it back, to be honest.
Anyway.
"I've accomplished something, but…."
Before the regression, I had been able to get close to her. I had become close to her in an instant.
It was a simple logic: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Because you hated Libra as much as I did.
"But you aren't here now."
But now, that can't happen.
Our connection cannot be continued in that way.
Because if I face Libra in the "same" way as the past, I will meet the "same" ending.
Just as you failed to destroy Libra and were defeated.
"And you won't be here in the future, either."
I quietly closed my eyes.
"I'm prepared."
I am fully prepared.
In this quiet lake, no, in this world.
That now there is only me.
* * *
The next day, Tuesday morning.
Today was the day for elective liberal arts. Quite literally liberal arts, so it was a bit relaxed, but letting my guard down was forbidden. I had to get at least an A to be competitive for admissions.
"……Ah, I'm tired."
Maybe because I completed 「Embodiment」 yesterday. I'm sleepy as hell.
I blankly looked up at the classroom nameplate.
[Elective Liberal Arts: Latinel I]
Latinel.
Before the regression, it was a high-class liberal art I wouldn't have wanted to learn even if my life depended on it. I had wanted to kill the nobles who flaunted themselves for learning and enjoying such things.
"Huh? What!"
Just then, a shrill voice burst out.
It was Raye. With her hair dyed blue, she pointed at me and opened her eyes wide.
"Sion, why are you here... huh?"
I silently entered the classroom.
"Hey, are you ignoring me?!"
There were 37 students who chose Latinel. That meant only 37 out of 120 seniors.
Hence, the lecture hall was filled with obviously well-groomed, high-class noble scions.
"Eli! Sion is here... too!"
Among them was, as expected, Elije as well.
She glanced my way, holding a vocabulary book in one hand. Her expression twisted slightly, but she shook her head as if I were pathetic, without showing much reaction. I suppose it meant she didn't even want to deal with me.
I sat in any random seat.
At exactly 10 o'clock, the assigned teacher entered.
"Nice to meet you~ senior students. Welcome to Latinel class."
Latinel I. The teacher for this noble subject was a cultured middle-aged woman named Beache.
Her voice was so refined that if someone asked her for directions in the common tongue, she seemed like she would answer in ten languages.
"Latinel is, as you all know, the ancient language of our continent."
Latinel had been a dead language for several thousand years, but many nobles were still fascinated by its difficulty and ancient mysteries.
So-called "high-class culture."
It was so difficult that the average commoner wasn't even permitted to learn it—an exclusive and luxurious fashion.
"Of course, it is not a language currently in common use. But I dare say it is precisely for that reason that it must be learned all the more. Because Latinel is the root of all languages on the continent."
The reason I chose this class for the nobles' vanity was, of course, because the nobles liked it.
In other words, this language is not merely a dead language.
It is the lingua franca of the "nobles of every nation on the continent."
"I believe you all chose this class because you know that well."
But there was a problem from the very first day.
"In that regard... did everyone bring their Latinel textbooks~?"
It was the textbook.
"Teach. I think one person doesn't have one~"
Someone pointed at me. I knew from the voice laced with laughter.
Raye Hilton. Next to her was Elije as well.
"Well, it happens. Please make sure to bring it by next class~"
The lady said with a smile.
Unfortunately, I absolutely could not bring that textbook.
Because the Latinel textbook you announced costs 1,000 ren per volume.
Did they slather gold leaf on the book or something.
"Everyone. When you think of Latinel, what image comes to mind? The ancient empire? The language of the mightiest nation? A romantic era when elves, spirits, and humans played together? Or... a language that is only difficult?"
I nodded.
It sure is only difficult.
"Latinel is difficult. I won't deny it. It is too difficult. The biggest reason is that word conjugation is too diverse and refined."
She really knew how to dress up the fact that it had no fundamentals or standards.
"Starting today, every Sunday, we will embark on a journey to learn Latinel. The grading criteria are 30% each for the midterm and final exams. Assignments given each class and class participation will each account for 20%."
At that, everyone prepared to take notes. Clack clack clack— like loading bullets, notebooks and pencils and whatnot.
I too opened the 「Notebook」 in my mind.
"And if there is a student whom I consider to be exemplary and brimming with talent."
Beache's expression suddenly became serious.
"I will give them an invitation to 'Sermones Aeterni.'"
At that moment, the air stiffened.
Snap—! Elije broke her pencil in shock.
Sermo... Monen?
What is that?
"Now then. Shall we open to the first page?"
Beache smiled and began the class in earnest.
"The title of the first chapter is Kaedeius Radeoman. It means 'The Emperor's Man'...."
Scratch scratch— the sound of note-taking rang in my ears like white noise.
I too tried to take my own notes in the 「Notebook」 in mid-air, but...
"...The refinement of Latinel shows right from here."
My eyes kept closing.
"Kedsa means to love, and edaos means to love each other, but...."
Ah, I'm in trouble.
I shouldn't have chosen this as an elective.
"Anobal is a suffix meaning a person born to~...."
I'm so sleepy.