Analysis of Mathematical Powers

{ ONE WEEK LATER… }

On the autumn afternoon of April 20, 1415, the landscape was wrapped in warm golden hues.

The sun, now slanting toward the horizon, cast long shadows on the trees, while a gentle breeze caressed the yellowing leaves, making them silently dance in the air.

Mirac sat cross-legged in the center of his room, atop a soft red carpet.

Anyone who might have entered at that moment would have thought that the young Prince was immersed in deep meditation.

But that wasn't the case.

"Hmmm…"

Mirac was indeed focused, but his mind was not occupied with mere meditation.

Something more was taking shape in his thoughts at that very moment…

Behind him, his desk was neatly covered with stacked books, and atop one of them sat a basket containing three red apples, with a knife resting beside it.

A profound silence filled the room until, with a firm voice, Mirac pronounced in his mind:

'Fourteen…'

In an instant, the three apples were precisely divided into three equal slices each, as if an invisible blade had skillfully cut them.

Without needing to turn around, Mirac knew exactly what had just happened.

"Good!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, opening his eyes and letting a satisfied smile surface. "I'd say I've figured it out…"

He stood up calmly, walked over to the desk, and picked up a slice of apple. He bit into it slowly, letting the sweet flavor of the fruit fill his mouth, then sat down again.

Since he had woken up seven days ago, Mirac had not attended any lessons—neither academic nor swordsmanship. This was for two reasons: a new and true teacher had yet to arrive to replace the late impostor, Professor Shirkenn, and the young Prince was still too weak to even lift a sword.

So, with all the free time at his disposal, Mirac had read several books on the history and geography of the region and, at the same time, decided to dedicate himself to something he had never thought of doing before: better understanding his mathematical powers!

At first, he hesitated, even finding the idea absurd, but in the end, he realized that becoming familiar with his abilities could prove to be an invaluable weapon in future emergencies—precisely to avoid having to improvise at the last moment, as he had done with Klark.

Thus, he understood that temporarily setting aside his resentment toward Math and at least discovering the basic workings of his abilities was the wisest choice.

Day after day, by experimenting with his abilities on the fruits Carmen brought him each morning in the basket, and analyzing the properties and characteristics of his powers, Mirac had made extraordinary discoveries:

1. To use the four skills related to the fundamental operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—it is necessary to solve a mathematical operation. This operation appears floating in the starry sky, in a vision that is always and unconditionally distinct from the surrounding reality, coexisting with it without overlapping or interfering.

2. The complexity of the required calculation varies primarily based on the characteristics of the object being acted upon. Larger, more resistant, or irregularly shaped elements require more complex operations. For example, dividing an apple into five slices is always easier than obtaining the same number of sections from a banana. This is because the former has a more or less spherical shape, while the latter is elongated and curved, making it more complex. Another factor that affects the difficulty of the calculation is the specific request made: for instance, dividing something into two parts is significantly easier than splitting it into seven or even more.

3. A simple physical touch is sufficient to exert magic on objects, regardless of whether the entire hand or just a single finger is used. However, using the hand typically allows for touching multiple elements simultaneously, making it easier to act on several objects at once.

4. Once physical contact is established and the request is made, the operation to be solved and the vision of the starry sky remain visible in the mind until an answer is provided. In fact, Mirac had often touched a fruit and, at his own pace, solved the operation on paper before saying it aloud. He could even utter or murmur random numbers during the calculation process, as long as he was not mentally convinced of their validity as the final answer.

5. If the provided answer is incorrect, the vision of the equation and the starry sky vanish without the spell having any effect on the object. However, it appears that the attempt can be repeated indefinitely, with no apparent limits. There are no restrictions on the number of mistakes or repetitions that can be made on the same object.

6. A surprising discovery was that the request does not necessarily have to be spoken aloud: a simple thought of the request, accompanied by physical contact with the object, is enough. The answer can also be formulated mentally, introducing the possibility of using his powers in complete secrecy—an undeniable advantage in case of emergencies.

That day, a few minutes before sitting down to enjoy the apple slices, Mirac had decided to put his abilities to the test with a small experiment that encompassed all his recent discoveries!

First, he had lightly touched the three apples in the basket with the tip of his tongue, mentally formulating the request as he licked them:

'Divide by three…'

Then, he had moved to the center of the room, focusing on the calculation that had appeared in the vision of the starry sky:

[ 70 : 5 = ? ]

After a few minutes of reflection, he had confidently stated the answer:

'Fourteen…'

As soon as he thought of it, the number replaced the question mark in the equation:

[ 70 : 5 = 14 ]

The writing and the starry sky disappeared, and that's how the apples in the basket had neatly divided into three identical slices each!

And now, sitting at his desk while savoring the sweet taste of the red fruit, Mirac felt fully satisfied: his analysis of his mathematical powers was finally complete!

"Perhaps there are other details about my powers that I will discover in the future, but for now, this information is more than enough…"

For a couple of minutes, Mirac remained silent, his gaze lost in the clear sky beyond the window as he ate his delicious apple.

"17:36… Dinner is in about an hour, right?"

Mirac hadn't looked at the clock on the desk to know the exact time.

Instead, he had used his "Immaterial Clock" ability.

A few days earlier, during his experiments with fruit, Mirac had activated and adjusted his mental clock with extreme ease: he simply meditated for a few seconds and wished for the activation of the ability.

Right after, a clock with hands, white and floating, had appeared before his eyes in the vision of the starry sky.

However, the hands were initially completely still.

It was then that Mirac had realized he needed to set the time first in order to actually activate the mechanism.

And, as he had imagined, it worked.

The hands had moved silently until they reached the time Mirac had set by reading the one indicated on the clock in his room, and from that moment, they hadn't stopped, marking time continuously until today.

To his great satisfaction, the ability did not produce any mental ticking, as he had initially feared. And now that he thought about it, neither did his other two abilities—the ones that allowed him to instantly know the number of objects and their age—seem to have any side effects on his nervous system, despite the huge flow of information he was constantly processing.

A great relief, because this way, Mirac was not forced to keep his eyes closed all the time or wear a blindfold like that white-haired sorcerer in a manga he had read in his previous life…

Despite the myriad of experiments conducted that week, Mirac felt confident in himself and his memory, to the point of not deeming it necessary to write down his discoveries anywhere—not to mention that avoiding any written proof was an excellent precaution to prevent his secrets from leaking out!

After all, for now, his abilities were only seven, and he remembered them quite well, along with their descriptions that had appeared in his visions when he had acquired them:

[ Instant Counting: You can instantly know the exact number of objects or elements in any scene or situation with a single glance ]

[ Practical Addition: In a finite set of objects, you can create additional identical ones, thus adding them to the base set ]

[ Practical Subtraction: In a finite set of objects, you can make some disappear, thus subtracting them from the base set ]

[ Multiplicative Touch: After touching an object, you can multiply it by the desired number, creating identical copies ]

[ Dividing Cut: After touching an object, you can divide it by the desired number, cutting it into identical sections ]

[ Immaterial Clock: You possess a mental clock that unconditionally marks time ]

[ Instant Knowledge of Age: You can instantly know the exact age of an object or individual with a single glance ]

"How delicious!" he exclaimed as the apple broke under his bite and the sweet juice caressed his palate.

But when he reached into the fruit basket once again, his smile faded.

Without even realizing it, Mirac had almost finished all three apples!

Only two slices remained in the basket.

"Damn!" he exclaimed, as his stomach growled, insatiable and demanding more food.

Mirac could have easily gone downstairs and asked Carmen for more, just as he had done in the past few days.

But then, another idea came to him: a more convenient and faster one!

Without hesitation, he grabbed the last two pieces of apple and mentally formulated a simple request:

'Plus four…'

Suddenly, the vision of the starry sky appeared, and with it, the arithmetic operation.

[ 90 : 6 = ? ]

"Hmpf, too easy!" Mirac exclaimed, observing the required calculation floating.

After solving the calculation on a sheet of paper, Mirac confidently pronounced the correct answer:

"Fifteen…"

The question mark changed, shifting from a white mist until it transformed into the spoken number.

[ 90 : 6 = 15 ]

At the end of the transformation, the vision vanished, and the apple slices in the basket began to tremble slightly, as if an imperceptible energy was passing through them.

Without making the slightest sound, the two apple slices split like in a cell division, reorganizing to form two new slices, distinct but identical to the original ones. The process was quick and repeated a second time on the two newly formed slices, resulting in a total of six slices now lying in the basket.

What he had just used was the power of his "Practical Addition" ability!

On the other hand, with "Practical Subtraction," the indicated quantity of objects simply vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

"Huh!" Although it wasn't the first time, Mirac was still quite astonished. "'Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed.' It's the fundamental law of mass conservation, by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier. But don't my powers go a bit against this physical principle?"

Indeed, at first, this contradiction had unsettled him. Challenging and violating the physical laws that govern the universe was certainly not something to take lightly!

But over time, seeing how he could eat as many apples as he wanted, Mirac had decided to ignore what he now considered a "silly anxiety."

"Well, it's useless to try to apply reason in an illogical world like this…"

Throughout the week, Mirac had conducted all his experiments only in his room, keeping the key in the lock to cover the crack. The reason behind this was fairly simple: he constantly feared being spied on!

Perhaps the person who had given him the sword to face Klark had simply been skilled and fast enough not to be seen.

But if that wasn't the case, Mirac didn't rule out the possibility that this person might actually have a power or magical tool that allowed them to teleport!

It was unlikely, of course, but NOT IMPOSSIBLE!

Whatever the case, such a person was certainly not to be underestimated!

Furthermore, thinking about the fact that this person had probably followed him to the woods the day of the incident with Klark, a shiver ran down Mirac's spine.

When he realized that someone—whether good or bad—might be secretly spying on him, he not only communicated it to Carmen but also suddenly remembered another detail: the math book that had "fallen on its own" from the shelf!

"ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS: Discovering Numbers"

"Dave Arangot"

Even after more than a year, Mirac still had that book with him, in one of the drawers of his desk.

During the week of experiments, Mirac had immersed himself in reading that book—for pure curiosity, certainly not because it was a math book!—trying not to be distracted by the fact that the author had the same name as his father from his previous life.

And it was precisely on this occasion, between the pages and numbers, that Mirac had recently discovered something extremely interesting.

In fact, one of the chapters of the book taught the method of using the abacus with fingers: Chisanbop!

This technique allows those who learn it not only to perform calculations involving the four basic mathematical operations with two-digit numbers, but also to do so at incredible speed as they refine and practice it! Moreover, it is relatively easy to learn, considering that this technique was included in the first of the seven volumes, the one dedicated to children.

Therefore, by pure chance, Mirac had found a method to quickly perform calculations without having to write them down on paper and solve them step by step.

All of this, of course, was solely aimed at his desire to learn how to solve the calculations required by the visions more quickly and, consequently, to use his mathematical powers in the future with greater speed and efficiency!

However, having only one hand, Mirac had to reinterpret the method to suit his physical condition, gradually learning to mentally visualize the abacus and apply the necessary steps to perform all calculations in his mind.

This was precisely why he often sat in the center of his room to "meditate"—it was to perfect the visualization of the mental abacus, as well as to practice.

For now, though, this skill was still in an initial, raw stage.

However, with perseverance and training, Mirac was convinced that, by the age of fifteen, he would be able to easily solve two-digit calculations, allowing him to fully exploit his multiplication and division skills—those he believed could be the most powerful and useful in a hypothetical battle—even on large objects!

Determined, he had decided—albeit with some reluctance, since it undeniably meant getting more involved with Math!—to practice with the mental abacus every day to improve!

However, one thing was certain: he could not, and did not want to, rely entirely on his Sintony with Math!

His true strength, in fact, the one he could use in any circumstance without risking exposing his anomalous powers, lay in the art of swordsmanship.

However, by now, Mirac had understood that skill with the sword alone was not enough. The battle between Carmen and Klark had taught him a fundamental lesson: he needed power, speed, strength!

For now, he could still justify his weakness with the excuse of being just a child. But in the future, he no longer wanted to rely on such an excuse!

Mirac wanted—and needed—to become stronger!

So, with this goal clearly in mind, Mirac had decided that he would dedicate a good part of the week to physical training.

However, to achieve a level of muscular strength far beyond what he would gain by simply lifting weights, Mirac had decided that calisthenics would be the best path to take in the future!

And having only one arm would certainly not demotivate or stop him from training!

Fortunately, thanks to his eidetic memory of his previous life, he perfectly remembered the principles of bodyweight calisthenics described in several books. Moreover, his deep knowledge of human anatomy would allow him to optimize muscle growth, improving both speed and efficiency.

However, before starting with proper calisthenics—and to avoid overexerting himself given the lingering weakness from his wounds—Mirac had decided to begin next week with basic exercises for strength and endurance: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km run every day.

Of course, with this training, he only hoped not to end up bald…

Beyond physical training, the mystery surrounding the math book kept echoing in his mind, especially how it had fallen that day right when he was near the shelf!

Had it been just a coincidence? Or was the same person who had mysteriously given him the sword to face Klark behind that event as well?

But the fact that it was a math book… was that also just a mere coincidence? Or did that mysterious figure know something about Mirac's Sintony with Math?

And, even more unsettling… assuming once again that the author of the book was truly Vector's father, could the person who presumably made the book fall that day be hinting at knowing about Mirac's past life as well?

Living in a magical and irrational world, he could neither rule out nor confirm any of these doubts.

And as much as he wanted to confide in someone, talking to Carmen was out of the question!

In fact, Mirac still wasn't sure whether his "bodyguard" would report him if she discovered his Chaotic nature.

Perhaps not…

Perhaps she would stay by his side and even try to help him hide his Anomalous Sintony.

But Mirac wasn't willing to take such a risk!

The fact that she had saved him from Klark was, without a doubt, proof of her incredible strength. But the same could not be said with absolute certainty about her loyalty…

Discovering that Mirac was a Chaotic—let alone reincarnated from another world—could completely change Carmen's attitude, along with her plans and goals!

From "protecting the young Prince," she might shift to "eliminating the young Prince."

'Damn it!' Mirac cursed inwardly, throwing himself onto the bed after finishing the last slices of apple. 'I'm a Prince, yet I live like a slave: without a shred of freedom, forced to constantly watch my back, afraid of being stabbed even by those I've always loved…'

Soon, shaking his head, Mirac pushed aside that depressing thought.

'No! Now's not the time to think about these things! As long as I move carefully, they won't discover me, and everything will be fine… Yes, I have no doubt!'

A smile briefly touched his lips.

But right after, another thought emerged, making his expression turn slightly more serious.

'Anyway… I know it might be too late! Maybe you're not even listening, or maybe you can't… But in any case, I want to say it, just to put my mind at ease. Well, actually, I should have said it the very day you helped me… But better late than never, right?'

He paused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in his usual, faintly frustrated expression.

'But watch out! Don't take any of this as my way of accepting you into my life, nor as a hope for coexistence between us, and certainly not as a sign of peace! You still are, and will always remain, my enemy—something I simply cannot stand!'

The tension in his forehead eased, and his eyebrows relaxed as well.

After a sigh and a small cough to return his voice to normal, Mirac continued:

'But… if I'm still alive, it's not just thanks to Carmen: it's also thanks to you! Or at least I think so… Anyway…!'

He took a brief pause, sighed once more, and then, with a smile that concealed a hint of shyness, he whispered:

"Thank you, Math…"