“Master… Master?”
Elena asked uneasily.
“Is this… common?”
“This…”
Kelly’s expression turned strange.
“Ahem… It’s common! Of course it’s common!”
“Your talent is indeed remarkable… but—but on the Aetherial Continent, people with such magical talent are by no means unique! The strength of talent is not absolute for your final achievements either!”
“But you just said… that magical talent is very important for magic…”
Elena tilted her head, her curious eyes seemingly seeing through Kelly’s guilt.
“Look at how many magic prodigies there are today!”
Kelly said, sweating.
“But most of their achievements fall short of mine!”
“That’s because magic studies is absolutely not a subject that only looks at talent! No matter how talented you are, if you don’t put in extra effort and practice, even the most monstrous aptitude will eventually become mediocre!”
Elena nodded thoughtfully.
Looking at the silly silver-haired girl, Kelly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her face—the ability of these siblings to undercut her was practically cut from the same mold…
But compared to that goofball Fen, Elena seemed more innocent and a bit dumber…
“In this world, there are countless strange and wondrous magics, different in type and varied in use, but they can be roughly divided into four categories—basic, intermediate, advanced magic, and large-scale formation magic…”
“Just now, the one that responded first to your call in the crystal ball was the Light Element… As your first magic lesson, let’s start with the practice of basic Light Element magic—”
“Master… Don’t I need to use a staff to cast spells?”
The mages Elena had seen mostly held staffs in their hands, beings that could summon wind and rain.
“That’s a typical misconception for beginners… Basic magic, and some intermediate magic, is essentially the pure resonance between Magic Circuits and the body. In such cases, there’s no need for a staff at all, not even incantations; just use your hands—for example, resonance with the Light Element summons a Holy Light that illuminates darkness; resonance with the Fire Element summons a burning flame…”
“Only those intermediate and advanced magics require massive mana, and your body’s Magic Circuits simply cannot withstand such a huge amount of elements, so you have to guide them into a staff to cast… And those world-destroying formation magics, in theory, require an enormous amount of mana, as well as pre-drawn magic arrays to guide them, and can only be released through the chanting of multiple casters.”
Absorbing this knowledge that was previously beyond her reach with full concentration, Elena gradually became fascinated—magic seemed similar to the swordsmanship she excelled at, with many types of techniques, and each move had complex variations.
“So… magic is not something you can just fool around with by casually holding a staff and saying a few words.”
Kelly made a simple summary.
“Each magical technique, interpreted by the caster themselves, can have different effects and powers—this is something that books cannot teach you.”
“To learn magic well, the road is long and arduous—but fortunately, you have the greatest mage of the present age as your teacher!”
The purple-haired loli didn’t forget to boast about herself.
“Anyway, let’s continue the lesson—”
Kelly clapped her hands and got back to the main topic.
“Now, try to find the Light Elements in the air, ‘resonate’ with them, and use your hands to guide the light out!”
The silver-haired girl nodded, closed her eyes slightly, and within a second, a ball of Holy Light condensed from her right hand—unlike the dazzling light from her first release, the girl could now clearly control the intensity; the Holy Light gently ‘lay’ in Elena’s palm like a sleeping child.
This basic resonance method that Fen had taught her, she had practiced thousands of times at home over the past few days.
Elena had always been a conscientious and responsible person.
If she wanted to accomplish something, she would give it her all, even for the most basic parts.
Magic was just like the swordsmanship she had learned before…
Once, even a single sword swing, Elian treasured and treated meticulously.
Now that she finally had a talent for mana, Elena was even more determined to refine every casting process, even if it was the most basic and simplest method—she was afraid of missing any insight or experience in the process.
‘The whole process was smooth and effortless, completely unlike a beginner… Even some intermediate apprentices couldn’t compare…’
The Great Magician silently assessed in her heart.
With a thought from Elena, the light gradually faded and obediently sank into her palm.
Clap clap
Kelly applauded sincerely, not sparing any satisfaction and approval in her eyes.
Even as picky as the Great Magician, she couldn’t find any fault to criticize Elena now.
“The timing of resonating with the elements and the speed of condensation are both just right—you’ve been practicing secretly a lot, haven’t you?”
“Yes… yes.”
‘Looks like her learning attitude is very serious… She’s teachable…’
Kelly was very satisfied with Elena’s attitude.
“I just said that different casters can have different spell power and limits, which is actually because everyone’s understanding of the spell is different—theoretically, you can control this ball of light and turn it into any form you want.”
“Magic is a romantic subject. Give full play to your imagination. Next, try controlling these Light Elements and change the shape of this Holy Light, okay?”
Elena did as told, but she clearly didn’t find the way; the ball of light in her hand remained calm in her palm, motionless.
The silver-haired girl seemed a bit dejected, so Kelly quickly gave an example to encourage her:
“Hmm… saying ‘give full play to your imagination’ is too abstract, isn’t it? Or to put it more simply, when you face danger—like encountering a monster—and you have nothing in your hands, how would you use your mind and your magical talent to protect yourself?”
“Try to ‘forge’ this ball of light that obeys you into the shape you want, like a blacksmith forging iron, okay?”
Elena understood instantly.
She silently thought of the shape of the knight sword she usually used for self-defense, and soon, a sharp Light Sword condensed in her hand.
The ball of light turned into a solid form.
Feeling the touch of the hilt, Elena knew—the familiar feeling was back.
The Paladin’s combat instinct called to the girl.
Next came the swordsmanship field she had once excelled at…
And unlike an ordinary sword, she seemed to be able to control it with her ‘will’?
“Hehe—that’s right… just like that—but you’re a beginner now… maintaining this sword must have cost you a lot of mana, right? You must be—”
Whoosh whoosh—a sound of cutting through the air above interrupted Kelly.
“What was that noise?”
Kelly looked up.
The Light Sword Elena had summoned had somehow risen into the air and was now majestically showing off sword techniques.
“This…”
Kelly stared at Elena in shock—the silver-haired girl now had her arms crossed in front of her, simply gazing at the flying sword with the calm eyes of someone looking at an old friend.
That composed aura revealed no emotion, and her eyes showed no trace of a beginner’s panic, as if she were experiencing something that was naturally supposed to happen.
To have such adept, almost terrifying control over Light Magic on the first try…
Kelly had never seen or heard of anything like it.
‘Even… even if the Goddess of Light descended… her control over the Light Element wouldn’t be much better than this, right?’
Kelly started to doubt herself.
‘This girl… where did she come from?’
Recalling Fen’s meaningful smile when he left, she now understood why the Paladin didn’t teach his own sister Light Magic himself, but instead left Elena to be taught by an outsider like her…
“Master… Master?”
The girl’s gentle, slightly uncertain voice sounded in her ear.
“Just now… was the way I manipulated the flying sword correct? Does it meet the standards?”
“Is there anything I can improve?”
“…”
Kelly didn’t speak, but from her slightly trembling shoulders, it was clear that the purple-haired loli’s small body was struggling to maintain composure, holding on to the last bit of dignity and pride as a teacher.
‘This batch of students… is hard to handle…’
She lamented in her heart.
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