COTE: Expelliarmis… Wait, Why Isn’t It Working?! (MTL)

The Magic Book

After a while of arguing, my parents didn't hesitate any longer, my whole family took out three broomsticks from their magic rings, each person climbed onto one, and chanted an invisibility spell to avoid being discovered by the people.

In the magical world, broomsticks are one of the most popular means of transportation. Depending on the region and country, they have different shapes, and some places even use flying carpets instead of broomsticks.

However, no matter what the vehicle is, the pilot must still pass an exam to be granted a license to use a personal flying vehicle.

In my old world, the country where I live, that license is class A1, allowing you to pilot and carry an additional person or goods under 100kg.

Although broomsticks are a popular means of transportation, they also pose many dangers. My mother, Himemiya Reika, is living proof of that.

In her youth, despite being born into a noble family, she was very mischievous. She was a notorious street broom racer, so impulsive and reckless that she was often provoked by young men to race her.

The result? She caused countless accidents, causing chaos in the magical city to the point that the Magical Traffic Association had to hold an emergency meeting just to find a way to stop her.

Her broom license was revoked no less than five times for various reasons: speeding, illegal racing, flying in and out of residential areas, and the climax was when she got so excited that she lost control of her broom and crashed straight into the royal palace during a midnight race.

The news reached the royal family, and this time no one could ignore it anymore. The king, veins bulging on his forehead, slammed his hand on the table so hard that the entire royal hall shook.

"WHAT?! SHE'S MAKING TROUBLE AGAIN?!".

A high-ranking official beside her trembled as he opened the list of Reika's violations, but before he could finish reading the first line, the king roared:

"REVOCATE! REVOCATE HER LICENSE IMMEDIATELY! DON'T LET HER ASS GET ON ANY BROOM AGAIN!".

The entire court looked at each other in silence, no one dared to say a word of protest. And so, Himemiya Reika officially became a legend - the first woman to have her broom license permanently revoked for causing a royal-level disturbance.

Although she was now a mother, she still retained her impulsive nature, occasionally glancing at the young men riding brooms and making their hands itch to join in.

And by the way, the way she used her broom to go shopping or take me to school was all done secretly, because her broom license had been revoked forever.

Every time she flew, she would mumble an invisibility spell with the speed of a professional, as if the whole world was hunting her just because of a flying broom.

My father and I stood to one side, watching my mother riding her broom, weaving and weaving in the air, our faces expressionless, our eyes twitching constantly.

"Dad, I feel like I've just witnessed a wild animal that's been locked in a cage for too long and now has been released." Kazuki whispered, his voice filled with despair.

Renji sighed, his hand on his son's shoulder, his voice full of philosophy: "Kazuki, she's your mother after all. Please don't say that."

I nodded, feeling that what my father said made sense. But when my father and I looked up, the scene before our eyes almost made us drop our brooms to the ground.

In the sky, my mom, Reika, was racing at a terrifying speed, her face twisted with excitement, her mouth smiling like a madman escaping from a prison. She was weaving, weaving, creating vortexes in the air like a real racer.

My father and I stared, our mouths gaping, then shouted in unison:

"REIKAAAAAA!..."

"MOMMYEEEEEEEE!...."

My father, Kuzunoha Renji, could only helplessly look at his wife with a look of despair, as if he had accepted his fate of living with a speed addict. He shouted:

"Reika, I beg you, we're living in hiding, don't cause an accident on the first day!"

After flying around at a speed that made both of us pale, my mother, Reika, finally calmed down and slowed down to a safer speed.

She glanced at the two of us who were still hugging our brooms in panic as if afraid of falling to the ground, then pouted: "You guys are really weak, I've only flown a little and you're already pale with fear."

My father breathed, wiping the sweat from his forehead: "Reika, I beg you... At least remember that we're hiding, don't act like we're in a national broom race!"

Reika crossed her arms, her lips curling up arrogantly: "Too much talk! We're exploring a new world, we should enjoy it!"

Kazuki looked at his mother, sighing heavily. "I see you enjoying it like it's your last time..."

My mother's eyes twitched, her expression slightly angry after hearing what I said, but she tried to hold it back. She took a deep breath, then crossed her arms and looked at my father and I with dissatisfaction: "Alright, you guys are too noisy. Let's go!"

So our whole family continued to fly a large circle around the area that had just appeared, observing the terrain of this world from above more closely.

Modern buildings were built close together, strange vehicles were moving continuously under the crowded streets, everything was unfamiliar but also very stimulating.

After making sure no one was paying attention, we landed at an abandoned house on the outskirts of the suburbs. The house was old, but at least it had a roof, some of the furniture was still usable, and most importantly – no one lived there.

My father placed his hand on the door, cast a spell to check for any traces of magic or people, then nodded: "It's okay. No one is following us. This will be a temporary base."

My mother fixed her hair, sighed, and glanced at my father with a sarcastic look: "I never thought I would have to live like this. I'm clearly a noble... but never mind, who told me to marry the wrong person!"

My father twitched the corner of his mouth, his face contorted as if he had just eaten a super sour lemon, but he still said nothing and quietly continued what he was doing.

I took off my cloak, sat down on the floor, feeling as if my body had just been drained of energy after a chaotic day of migration. "So what now? Are we going to be like this forever?"

My father smiled, then took out Kiroku, and flipped to the pages of information that Kiroku had guided us to understand more about this world.

The glowing characters gradually appeared, providing a series of information about history, culture, society, and how to integrate with the people here. Our whole family read attentively and asked Kiruko questions, to get more detailed answers.

We knew that from this moment, we were officially starting a new life in this world.

After a while, when we had grasped the basic information, a lazy but somewhat sarcastic voice rang out from Kiroku:

"Do you understand now? Or do I have to explain each sentence like teaching a three-year-old child?" The explanation rang out from the book.

I froze in place, my eyes wide open, my whole body turned to stone. There was only one thought in my head: 'WAIT....What did I just hear?!'

"Dad! Mom! This book... it can think for itself?!" Kazuki shouted in panic, pointing at Kiroku as if he were an alien.

Renji raised his eyebrows, shrugging nonchalantly: "Well... of course. This isn't some ordinary book you just throw around your room."

My mother crossed her arms, glancing at me as if she was judging whether I was her biological child or not and why I was so stupid. She said angrily.

"Kazuki, are you going to ask that now? After it's been talking to us all this time? Try using your brain a little."

Still not completely convinced of what I had just witnessed, I cleared my throat, leaning closer to Kiroku.

In the magical world, there were indeed items manufactured that could interact with humans, but they were limited to simple questions and answers and were extremely expensive.

'I also happened to have a teddy bear that my maternal family gave me for my 11th birthday that could do that, so I knew about it. But after playing with it for a week, I quickly lost interest in it because it was too stupid, maybe because I had high expectations.'

There were also magic books that could answer questions, but they usually only followed pre-set sentences, like pre-programmed machines like my teddy bear when I was little.

They couldn't think for themselves, didn't have their own personalities, and they definitely couldn't laugh pervertedly like Kiroku had just done.

But Kiroku was different. Not only could it answer questions, it could also think, tease, and even mock me! This was no longer an ordinary tool—it was something far beyond what I had ever known.

"Ahem... Kiroku, besides explaining information, what else can you do?" I cleared my throat and asked to confirm my suspicions. The book shook slightly, and then the lazy voice rang out again:

"I can do a lot of things... Chatting with people is just child's play. But the important thing is whether I want to do it or not. For example, I can automatically update information in real time, analyze languages, translate, and even predict the economic trends of this world based on the collected data."

"Oh, I can also advise on business strategies, suggest suitable places to live, or even help you win an argument with a sophist."

"In addition, I can teach you any knowledge you want to know. As long as the information has existed in this world and I have collected it, I can teach it to you quickly and efficiently, and can even test whether you have understood it or not."

"Simply put, I am an infinite storehouse of knowledge—a living library that serves only my master! An all-purpose assistant without a monthly subscription fee! Hahhahahaha...!"

Kiroku's laughter rang out excitedly, but somehow it was a bit perverted and narcissistic, as if it was immersed in its own greatness.

I froze in place as if I had just witnessed something that should not exist. I swear I was speechless at that moment, my eyes twitched slightly because I didn't believe what Kiroku said.

I raised my eyebrows, a little annoyed, and quickly asked: "So can you turn the pages without anyone touching you?"

Kiroku shook slightly, and immediately, the words lit up on the page in front of Kazuki's eyes, automatically displaying the information he wanted to know without having to turn the page.

"Flipping pages is outdated, kid. I'm much more advanced than that!" Kiroku laughed smugly, his tone filled with pride.

My mouth fell open, and it took me a while to come back to my senses. "A thinking book?! What the hell is going on?! Compared to the pile of 'peak of humanity' inventions that my father had created, Kiroku was truly the best! But that's why I felt even more scared!"

I swallowed hard, feeling that something was not quite right. After a few seconds of silence, I turned to my father, my voice trembling:

"Dad... will this book go crazy one day and destroy the world?"

Renji raised his eyebrows, looked at me as if I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the universe, then shrugged:

"Ah... that possibility is not ruled out. But never mind, the important thing is that it is helping us right now. Let's make the most of it first!"

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, why did you say that so lightly as if the destruction of the world was as easy as if we were just raising a cat?!"

Choosing a house is so hard

After a while of discussion, my whole family came to a decision: this place, this abandoned house, would be our new home.

This house was quite large, located on a spacious plot of land, surrounded by lush green trees, the space was much more open than the crowded residential areas we had just flown over.

Looking at the remaining architecture, one could guess that the previous owner must have been quite wealthy. But somehow, it had fallen into such a state of disrepair.

Although the walls were still standing, the roof had holes in several places, the interior was covered in dust, and some rooms showed signs of serious deterioration.

My mother glanced around, pouting: "Look, this place looks like it's about to collapse. There's no way a noble like me can live in this ruin. We have to fix it up!"

"Alright, Reika, wait a minute! I'm not an architect anyway, let's ask Kiroku first." My father said with his arms crossed.

I sighed, looking at the ruined house before me. "So in addition to adapting to the new world, you now have to learn home renovation skills? This life is so harsh..."

Kiroku suddenly interrupted, his tone still full of arrogance:

"Hmm, just leave it to me! With the huge amount of data I have, this is just a small matter."

"I can guide you to renovate this house, fortunately for you, the construction style in this world is not different from ours. I will show you the house models I proposed first, tell me which one you like!"

My father nodded, patting my shoulder: "See, son? I told you, don't underestimate a book with a transcendent mindset like Kiroku!"

My mother crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows: "If he is so smart, is it possible that he can even renovate the house himself?"

Kiroku immediately retorted, his voice full of self-esteem: "Sorry, I'm not a manual laborer! I'm a living treasure trove of knowledge, not a builder!"

My mother sighed, then laughed mockingly: "Ah, so you can't physically affect the outside world. Hahahahha...Useless book."

Kiroku replied self-esteem: "If I could physically affect this world, I would have built a whole gold-plated castle and ruled the universe! But luckily for you, I can't!!!! So, go work yourself. I can only guide you, the rest is up to you!"

The book finished speaking and fell silent for a long time, as if it was sulking at the whole family for being called useless. About three minutes later, it finally spoke again, its tone full of arrogance:

"Open it! I've prepared a list of house designs for you. Every 10 pages will be a different design, just look and choose. Don't complain, I've already selected the best designs here!"

My mother pouted, flipped through the book, and I sighed, feeling like the whole family was about to be caught up in another farce.

My mother's eyes darkened, she glanced at me and my father, then sighed and cursed the book right after she finished looking at the traditional villa design.

"This thing is all wood and paper, do you want to kill us? If my husband's crazy experiments go crazy or Kazuki accidentally casts the wrong spell, this place will be no different from a crematorium!"

Kiroku immediately retorted, his tone full of sarcasm: "Oh, sorry, picky queen! If you don't like it, just keep turning the pages, don't whine like an old lady! I've gone to the trouble of selecting it!"

My mother hissed, her face sullen as if she had just been tricked into buying a fake. She flipped through the pages so quickly that I almost thought she was practicing wind control magic.

"What do you mean by carefully selected? All of them are deadly dangerous! Let's see if there's anything that won't turn our house into a death trap!"

The second design was a classic European-style villa, with pointed towers, stained glass windows, and a large fireplace, looking no different from a small castle of ancient nobles.

The third design was modern, with transparent glass, a minimalist but sophisticated design, comfortable furniture, and a rooftop swimming pool.

The fourth design was a purely magical house, with mysterious lines, naturally glowing light, and a series of automatic mechanisms activated by magic.

My whole family's faces twitched when they saw this design, it was too much. The spiral pillars were suspended in mid-air, the roof was glowing like a constantly changing LED light, and the main door was designed like a teleportation gate right in the middle of the living room.

I swallowed hard, glanced at my parents, and saw that my father was sweating profusely, and my mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if to suppress her anger.

"Kiroku... are you sure this is a house, and not a secret base of some secret society?" I asked with a trembling voice.

The book shook slightly, and the tone was full of pride: "Of course! This is the most advanced design, integrating all the advanced magical technology. With a multi-layered defense system, it will protect you from all dangers."

My mother frowned: "Well, I don't know if we can avoid danger, but this house will definitely make us hunted down by the locals in no time!"

The fifth model seems a bit… strange, as it looks like an underground cave with secret passages, hidden doors, giving the feeling of a base of some underground organization.

The sixth model is a giant tree house, with a system of vines and suspension bridges, in complete harmony with nature, perfect for those who love a secluded lifestyle.

.................

...................

....................

I was squeezed like a donkey

My mother sighed in frustration after flipping to the 73rd design. She turned to look at me and my father with a questioning gaze, then angrily slammed her fist on the floor.

"ENOUGH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" She shouted, her face contorted as if she had just witnessed an architectural crime. "I thought you were picking the best designs, Kiroku?! Why are they all so ridiculous?!"

My father's face darkened, not daring to make a sound, as if he was being scolded, not the book. Oh well, that's right, this book was his invention...

Kiroku trembled slightly, his tone filled with resentment: "Hey, hey, I tried my best! These designs are all top-notch!!! They're just... a little too creative! If you don't like them, just keep turning the pages! Don't yell at me like that!"

My mother flipped to the next design, and this time, her eyes lit up as if she had just found the truth of life.

"Here it is! This is exactly what I need!" she said excitedly, her voice filled with excitement.

My father and I curiously peeked in, only to see on the page an image of a not-so-big but very luxurious and splendid villa.

According to Kiroku's description, this design was inspired by the Winter Palace in a country called Russia. It was like a miniature version of that magnificent palace.

My father raised his eyebrows and slowly asked, "Reika, do you really like this style?"

My mother nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining as if she had just found a treasure: "Of course! This looks no different from the palaces in our old world! It's a true aristocratic style!"

I rubbed my chin, stared at the design, then turned to Kiroku: "This one seems more realistic than the previous ones, but is it easy to build?"

Kiroku immediately retorted, his tone arrogant: "Whether it's easy or not depends on your skills. I'm just a guide, not a builder! But if you follow my instructions, a magnificent villa like this is not a problem at all!"

My mother nodded in satisfaction, clapping her hands: "Good! Then decide on this model! At least have some class, can't let a noble like me live in a slum!"

My father sighed, rubbing his temples: "I knew it..." Then, as if he suddenly remembered something important, he took out his broom, climbed up and shot up into the sky, flying around the area to be built.

I looked up, wondering: "What are you doing, Dad?"

My mother folded her arms and shrugged: "Just set up an illusionary barrier, right? To prevent the locals from discovering that we're building a whole villa in the middle of this deserted area."

Sure enough, after a few laps, my father chanted a spell, and immediately, an invisible magical membrane covered the area. Normal people looking in from the outside would only see an empty lot and an abandoned house with nothing special.

My father landed, dusted off his hands, and smiled smugly: "Done! Now we can build with peace of mind without worrying about being discovered."

I sighed, crossed my arms and muttered: "Luckily, Dad still has a bit of a calculating mind... Otherwise, the whole family might have been dragged into the world news..."

After saying that, my whole family started the construction, and to be more precise, I was the one who had to do the hardest part - Material production

"YES, THAT'S PRODUCTIONTT ... Instead of creating building bricks, I accidentally created a giant pile of cheese. The second time, I tried to imagine solid steel, but ended up creating a pile of... rubber. The third time, I shouted in despair: "Oh no! Just use whatever comes out!!!"

My mother folded her arms and shook her head: "If I were to build a house with these things, I'd rather live in a thatched hut."

.................

After a long day of struggling with my shoddy magic, coupled with my father's constant 'innovations' to speed up the progress (which were actually disastrous), the dream mansion... collapsed three times before it could stand.

The first time, I tried to create marble but it turned into spongy plaster, and the whole building collapsed as soon as my mother tried to knock on the wall to test its strength.

The second time, my father decided to experiment with a 'newly invented' structural reinforcement spell, which resulted in the entire house... shrinking to a third of its original size, looking like a misshapen dollhouse.

The third time, we were almost done, until I accidentally used a 'decorative effect' spell and caused the roof to flash like a shop sign.

After countless repairs, adjustments, patches here, fills there, finally at dawn the next day, we officially stood in front of our new house. I fell flat on the ground, my eyes were dark and empty, my soul felt drained.

"Damn... it's finally done!"

I fell flat on the ground, looked at the result in front of me, and breathed out: "Damn... it's finally done!"