The time soon reached the afternoon.
Ian found Otillia and led her to the training grounds.
When the two of them arrived at the site, Amivy and Shirleyviel were already there.
Today, Shirleyviel was still wearing a simple yet elegant white dress.
Her long, silvery-white hair draped softly over her shoulders, and under the sunlight, she seemed to be shrouded in a hazy glow.
She slightly lowered her head with her hands folded in front of her, looking like she was quietly waiting.
When Ian and Otillia approached, she finally raised her eyes, her red pupils calmly scanning the pair.
When Shirleyviel saw Otillia, Otillia also looked over as if sensing something.
In the moment their eyes met, both women saw an unusual light in the depths of each other’s eyes.
Otillia’s ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Almost instantly, she recognized the Duke’s Daughter standing before her.
She was that poor, pitiable girl at the recent Royal Selection Banquet who had a bit of Ian’s scent on her.
Although that brief encounter had been quickly interrupted by Arthur, Otillia remembered that the white-haired girl was supposed to be a soft, incredibly pitiful thing.
And yet now, Otillia could not feel that former fragility or piteousness from Shirleyviel at all.
It was as if she had become a completely different person.
As for Shirleyviel, she was also slightly startled when she clearly saw Otillia’s face.
She remembered this face.
At the selection banquet, this lady from House Philemons had come to find her.
Shirleyviel could clearly feel it from her…
‘A kindred spirit.’
This phrase floated silently in the hearts of both women at the same time.
However, their reactions were extremely fast — so fast that even Ian, who was standing right next to them, failed to notice.
The expression on Otillia’s face did not change in the slightest.
She maintained the cold detachment unique to an ice-type genius, merely nodding slightly in a polite greeting.
“Miss Shirleyviel Connalt, good day. It is a pleasure to meet you again.”
Her voice was steady, devoid of any extra emotion, as if this truly were just an ordinary reunion between nobles.
Shirleyviel also immediately returned the greeting with impeccable lady-like etiquette.
A soft, faint, and perfectly measured smile curved at the corners of her lips as she spoke in a gentle voice.
“Miss Otillia Philemons, good day. It is also an honor for me to see you here.”
Her eyes were equally clear, and her tone was perfectly normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.
The exchange between the two was smooth and natural.
They maintained an incredibly precise distance, looking to anyone else like two high-born, well-bred young ladies engaging in a perfectly ordinary social greeting.
Next, Otillia turned her gaze toward Amivy, the nominal “Prince Arthur Reinhardt.”
Facing this “Imperial Prince,” Otillia showed a smile that fit her status — slightly respectful yet keeping a proper distance.
“Prince Arthur, good day. It is an honor to participate in Excellency Chaoslanna’s guidance course with you.”
Her tone was polite and her posture elegant; one could not find a single flaw.
Amivy returned the greeting with equal politeness.
“Beautiful Miss Philemons, welcome to the group.”
Ian stood to the side, taking in the scene of the three’s first “official” meeting.
His heart was bursting with joy.
Oh!
How harmonious!
How natural!
‘Is this not exactly how the “protagonist group” should look in the early stages of the plot?’
They knew each other and kept their distance, yet they were gathered together for a common goal, destined to gradually build deep bonds during their future adventures!
‘Perfect! Everything is proceeding according to the System’s script!’
“Very well.”
Ian clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three.
“Since you have all introduced yourselves, I declare that the first joint training session of the Specialized Training Exchange Group officially begins.”
Ian began his plan to advance the plot.
“Based on your magical characteristics and potential, our preliminary team roles can be divided like this…”
“Prince Arthur, as the Hero, your swordsmanship and comprehensive magical abilities are the most balanced and powerful. You are suited to be the team’s main attacker and tactical core.”
“Miss Shirleyviel, the Spatial Magic you awakened possesses extremely high tactical value. Whether it is for displacement, defense, control, or supporting teammates, you can play a key role. Please be responsible for the team’s primary support and crowd control.”
“Miss Otillia, your ice magic possesses both powerful offensive capabilities and flexible control and defense. Your positioning can be relatively flexible. Depending on the battlefield situation, you will take on the responsibilities of auxiliary damage, flank control, or area defense.”
Ian made these arrangements naturally according to their respective roles in the story.
Next, as long as they practiced their cooperation according to these roles, their chemistry would naturally improve, and the momentum of the plot would carry them forward!
“Now, we will first conduct basic positioning and Mana Flow synchronization exercises.”
Ian used his mana to mark several positions on the training ground.
“Please stand in your corresponding areas according to the roles I just mentioned. Try to output a stable Mana Flow without performing complex magic construction, and attempt to feel the fluctuations of each other’s mana to find a point of resonance.”
Amivy had no objection to this.
She walked to the main attacker’s position, stood still, and naturally released a stable, restrained mana fluctuation.
A divine aura flickered faintly about her, and her posture was impeccable.
To her, this was indeed the most basic of basics.
However, a problem soon arose.
Otillia walked to the “flexible position” Ian had designated, but she did not immediately begin to mobilize her mana.
She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows, her ice-blue eyes looking toward Ian as she said quite seriously, “Excellency Chaoslanna, I am having some difficulty grasping the ‘stable’ balance point of the mana output. Could I ask you to… demonstrate, or provide more specific guidance?”
As she spoke, she took a step toward Ian.
The two were almost touching.
The faint chill from Otillia’s body, mixed with a cold fragrance, drifted toward him.
Because Otillia had once suffered from Magical Rampancy Syndrome, Ian did not doubt the “serious” blonde beauty standing right in front of him.
Ian was a responsible person, so he immediately demonstrated how to output mana stably.
“Well, Miss Philemons, have you learned it?”
Ian extinguished the small fireball in his hand and looked at Otillia, whose eyes had been “staring” intently at him.
“Hmm… I understand the general method, but I still hope Excellency Chaoslanna could let me hold your hand to sense the flow of the mana.”
Otillia made the request very formally.
Even Ian failed to detect the greed in her eyes.
“This… —”
It was not that Ian doubted Otillia, but he worried that holding the Female Lead’s hand in front of Arthur Reinhardt, the protagonist of the story, might cause the Prince to hold a grudge.
“Please do not overthink it, Excellency Chaoslanna. This is for the team!”
Noticing Ian’s hesitation, Otillia deliberately raised her voice, explaining the “legitimacy” of the hand-holding.
‘It really is just touching a hand to feel the flow of mana. This is all to advance the plot!’
Ian sighed.
“Alright then!”
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