Chapter 25
I made the three sit in seiza and lectured them, asking what they thought they were doing acting like children.
A girl with a triple belly, topless, scolding an old maid, a scary-faced cook, and a legendary beauty all kneeling in seiza—any outsider would've found the scene utterly baffling.
All three reflected on having gotten too excited, and we finally began the special training.
Seriously, give me a break. I really don't need this kind of gag.
Who benefits from seeing a fat one naked?
"Ellie, can you really not use advanced magic?"
"That's right. Are there cases like that?"
"I've never heard of one. Composite magic can't manifest unless it incorporates advanced magic."
"Can you do it, Sister?"
"Nope. I can only use 'Wood' for advanced magic."
"Then the fact that I can use lightning magic in my current state means......"
"To put it bluntly, it's abnormal."
Amy said something rather harsh with a cheerful smile.
"But Ellie's a genius."
And with that, she smoothly avoided the issue.
No, come on, let's dig into the cause here.
"Anyway, let's start by practicing mana control. Ellie, you're not very good at handling mana, are you?"
"Yeah."
Amy pulled out her staff and was about to chant a spell, but her movement stopped suddenly.
"Come to think of it...... didn't you use magic just now without a staff?"
"Um... yeah, I did......"
"Ellie!!"
Amy hugged me tightly and patted my head. I glared at Clarice and Barry, who looked like they were about to leap at me, to warn them off—if my spare one-piece got torn, it wouldn't be funny.
"Because the young lady is a genius."
Clarice said to Amy.
"Clarice, can I borrow your staff for a bit?"
"Of course, Miss!"
I tried using Thunderbolt with Clarice's staff as a test.
Thunderbolt struck exactly where I pointed the staff.
"It's harder with the staff."
"What? Really?"
Amy raised her voice in surprise.
When holding the staff, my mana automatically got pulled into it. It was subtly harder to control. It worked much better without the staff.
The staff probably serves as an aid for casting magic. Once you get used to it, it might actually become hard to cast spells without it. Like how someone used to automatic cars struggles with manuals.
Next, Amy taught me how to practice mana circulation.
First, relax and stand.
Focus mana around your navel and imagine it circulating through your body.
Spin it fast, then slowly, and repeat many times.
After about ten minutes, sweat started pouring out.
This might actually be good for weight loss!
"I do it every day."
"Sister, you're so beautiful, hardworking, and amazing."
"Ellie, don't say embarrassing things. You're cuter."
"No way, Sister. That's not true."
After talking it over with Amy, I decided to take a break from school and train for a while.
If I saw Scarlet's face, I might lash out with Thunderbolt in anger. Amy also said she'd join me in training. Training with a beauty sounds great. It'd be even better with "night" in front of it—but I'm a girl, after all.
○
From then on, Amy and I trained hard from morning until dinnertime for a whole week.
Mana circulation practice.
Sparring with Amy.
And mock battles with Barry, who used to be an adventurer, simulating fights against non-magic users.
It was fun because I could feel myself getting stronger day by day.
Just like how you feel your body getting bigger when you go to the gym.
Once you start feeling yourself grow stronger, you just can't stop.
I learned a lot about magic.
Once you can use basic magic, you can apply it freely through improvisation.
For example, the intermediate wind spell "Wind Break" creates a gust and small wind blades to attack. If you make the wind thin and narrow, it becomes "Wind Cutter." Depending on your image, you can shape the cutter into a crescent or make it fly as a circle.
The advanced wind spell "Wind Storm" creates a whirlwind and medium-sized blades to attack. If you thin it out, it becomes "Wind Sword." It has greater cutting power than "Wind Cutter" and can even slice through rock.
What's strange is that no matter how much mana you pour into "Wind Cutter," it never becomes "Wind Sword." Maybe it's more accurate to say you can't pour in more mana. Like how there's only so much rice you can fit in a bowl. It seems each spell has its own capacity for mana.
To learn a new basic spell, you need to chant it.
So I tried chanting every one I could think of.
"Light" advanced
"Wind" advanced
"Earth" beginner
"Water" beginner
I was able to learn "Earth" and "Water."
Unfortunately, I couldn't learn "Dark" and "Fire." Amy said that with enough training, anyone can learn at least beginner level, but since she's probably a genius, I don't really trust that.
When I said that, she looked like she was about to cry, so I figured I'd go easy on bullying my cute sister.
○
"Sister, is it okay to skip school for this long?"
After mana circulation practice, I asked while Clarice wiped my sweat.
The training had entered its tenth day. I was starting to think it might be a problem.
"Sixth years are doing independent research, so it's fine. Besides, I already have my graduation credentials."
"If you can use advanced magic, you can graduate anytime, right?"
"Exactly."
"How many people can actually do that?"
"Hmm, maybe one in ten among the sixth years."
"You really are amazing, Sister. And cute, and beautiful, and kind."
"Oh, Ellie, stop teasing me."
Amy, blushing and smacking my arm with a gentle bop, was just unbelievably adorable.
"I've been thinking, if Ellie can use lightning magic, then you should have the potential to use advanced white and sky magic too."
"Hmm, I tried, but I couldn't do it."
Yesterday, I tried a super embarrassing chant, but I couldn't learn "White" or "Sky." I felt a burning heat like when mana goes wild with lightning magic, but I just couldn't grasp the knack. I tried several times, ran out of mana, and nearly collapsed. When magic fails, you lose a lot more mana.
"In my image, it's like circulating earth magic inside my body and converting it into wood magic."
"How much mana do you use for that?"
"Hmm, how to put it... a lot? Like, a bunch? It feels like the tree is growing inside me. Like it pierces through me from within."
I figured that last description sounded kinda sexy, which proves I'm still a healthy boy at heart.
"I wonder if light magic feels the same way."
"I asked around because I wanted to learn it, but everyone describes it differently."
"So it's a subjective perception thing..."
"Exactly."
"It'd be super convenient if I could use light magic."
"If I could do it, I'd teach it to you, Ellie."
Amy looked down, biting her lip in frustration.
"No, Sister. I'll learn it and teach you."
"Yeah. That would make me really happy."
"Oh, thank you, Clarice."
Clarice served some mildly warm herbal tea to Amy and me.
It was about time for lunch.
Sitting down at the makeshift outdoor table Clarice had prepared, I checked over the spells I'd written in my notebook.
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Flame
White ｜ Wood
＼ Fire ／
Light Earth
○
Wind Dark
／ Water ＼
Sky ｜ Black
Ice
Learned Spells
Lower-grade Magic: "Light"
Beginner: "Light"
Intermediate: "Light Arrow"
"Mirage Fake"
"Heal"
Advanced: "Lightning"
"Cure Light"
Lower-grade Magic: "Wind"
Beginner: "Wind"
Intermediate: "Wind Break"
"Wind Cutter"
Advanced: "Wind Storm"
"Wind Sword"
"Air Hammer"
Lower-grade Magic: "Water"
Beginner: "Water"
Lower-grade Magic: "Earth"
Beginner: "Sand"
Composite Magic: "Lightning"
Thunderbolt
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Man, I really learned a lot.
I guess I get pretty obsessive about stuff.
Mirage Fake is a spell that uses light refraction to show afterimages of yourself. It's seriously amazing. I mean, it makes it look like there are four of the fat one standing right next to me. It's super effective in duels.
Anyone who gets close, I blast away with the air punch, Air Hammer.
Then I keep my distance and slice them up with Wind Cutter and Wind Sword.
If I get hurt, I heal myself with Light Magic.
For now, if someone attacks me, that's the kind of strategy I'm planning to use.