The very next day
The morning sunlight of a new day began to slip through the dense canopy, casting pale golden streaks across the clearing in the forest behind the manor.
This was where Cyan usually practiced swordsmanship, and thanks to the results of that training, there were hardly many trees left in this area. It had become wide enough to truly be called a training ground.
The early morning air still carried a trace of chill and the pungent scent of damp earth, blending together with the pure fragrance of sap from the ancient trees.
Here, the terrain was not as flat as the main training ground, but it felt far closer to nature.
It was a mixture of soft earth covered in scattered patches of grass, moss-covered boulders lying here and there, and the roots of ancient trees twisting across the ground like enormous pythons emerging from beneath the soil.
On top of a tall rock with a perfectly flat surface, Cyan sat together with Lucian, their legs dangling down in a relaxed manner.
The two quietly enjoyed the atmosphere of the morning wilderness while silently observing the entire area.
Within that scenery, Serafina, her purple eyes still carrying a trace of drowsiness, had already begun stirring brown mana through her hands.
The passing breeze puffed up her hair, yet it did nothing to break her concentration.
She focused on her right hand and stretched it forward. She was still practicing the spells her older brother, Lucian, had already mastered.
Streams of brown mana swirled through her tiny hands, transforming into a magical attack.
She directed her full attention toward another large boulder.
A stone was created in midair, while roots grew from somewhere beneath the earth and restrained the rock in place.
The stone was quickly launched, flying forward at high speed.
-Woosh!!
The attack flew precisely toward the boulder.
-Rump!!
The sound of impact rang clearly through the peaceful surroundings, leaving behind a visible dent.
"Women are really terrifying, she's already this strong"----Cyan thought to himself.
Lucian: Well done, little sister.
Hearing that, Sera smiled and scratched her head.
Sera: Hehe, thank you, big brother.
Looking toward Cyan with sparkling eyes, she eagerly waited for a compliment from him.
Cyan also smiled faintly when he saw that.
Cyan: That attack was pretty good.
Hearing that, Serafina clenched both hands tightly, her face full of accomplishment.
Serafina: Of course, you should be proud to have me as your fiancée.
Cyan smiled inwardly.
"She's a little arrogant, I guess. Still, I don't hate it. Though..."
Cyan: Do you want to improve those spells a little more, Sera?
Serafina tilted her head in confusion.
Sera: Improve them? What do you mean? I think I already did exactly what big brother used to do.
Lucian was also watching closely now.
Cyan stood up on the rock and continued.
Cyan: What I mean is upgrading that attack so it becomes more effective. Besides that, I'll also show you completely different ways to attack.
Before Serafina could recover from her shock, Cyan continued.
Cyan: First, for [Black Stone Arrow], instead of keeping it as a stone sphere, turn it into the shape of a cone.
Sera: You mean like a wizard's hat?
Cyan: That's right. Compress most of the mana into the tip of the cone. Besides that, make curved grooves along the cone from near the tip all the way to the back.
As he spoke, Cyan gestured with his fingers. The shape he described was exactly like a drill bit from Earth.
Cyan: The key point is that the mana has to flow along those spiral grooves around the body of the cone. Make it spin at high speed until sparks begin to appear, then fire it.
Sera: This sounds a little complicated.
Cyan jumped down from the rock, picked up a small branch, and began drawing across the soft ground to illustrate.
Cyan: Imagine it like this, Sera. If you press your finger into your palm, it only feels a little ticklish, right? But if you use your fingernail and push with that same amount of force, it hurts much more.
Serafina blinked, seeming to finally grasp the point. Cyan continued drawing a spiral.
Cyan: And as for the spinning... have you ever seen a tornado?
Sera: You mean this cone will become just as terrifying when it spins?
Cyan: Exactly. It's the same thing. Spinning lets it dig deep into the target instead of simply crashing into it and shattering.
Sera: I think I understand a little now, but I should still try it myself.
Lucian still looked full of doubt. He had been listening carefully to Cyan's explanation this whole time, yet he still could not truly understand whether it could really become as powerful as a tornado. After all, the two things looked nothing alike.
Serafina took a deep breath and focused the flow of mana from her dual core.
She stretched out her hand and began using her brown mana.
The streams of mana flowed along her small arm before gathering and surging at the center of her palm.
This time, instead of creating a crude stone sphere, she concentrated on compressing it into a sharp cone exactly as Cyan had said.
-Crack..Crackles!!!!
The dry sound of compressed air echoed out.
Spiral grooves slowly began forming across the surface of the stone.
Serafina bit down on her lip, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as she controlled the mana flowing through those grooves.
"Spin already!" - She focused with all her thoughts.
The stone began to rotate.
At first it was slow, but under the force of the mana, it gradually accelerated.
-Whirrrr...!!!!
The whistling of the wind grew sharper and sharper.
A few tiny sparks created by the immense friction began appearing at the pitch-black tip.
At this point, even Lucian had jumped to his feet from atop the rock, unable to hide the shock on his face.
-Fire!
Serafina thrust her hand forward.
-Woosh!!
The black drill shot forward so quickly that it was nearly impossible for the naked eye to follow. A sharp tearing sound cut through the air more clearly than ever before.
-CRUNCH!!!
The impact caused the entire clearing to tremble.
Instead of leaving behind a dent, the stone drill pierced straight through the target boulder like an arrow through paper, then buried itself deep into the trunk of the giant tree behind it, leaving behind a perfectly spiraled hole lined with scorch marks from the heat.
The surroundings fell strangely silent.
Serafina looked at her own hand once more, then at the boulder she had pierced through, her mouth hanging open without a word.
It seemed even Serafina could not believe what she was seeing with her own eyes.
Lucian muttered, his voice trembling.
-What is this... Earth magic is supposed to specialize in restraint and control, it was only ever support at low levels... but that attack... its piercing power was even more terrifying than a sword!
Cyan: Of course. [Black Stone Arrow] was always one of the strongest offensive spells at lower levels.
*Lower levels meaning below Saint rank.
"With this knowledge, she'll become even stronger than before."
"Could this be what people call raising your future wife from childhood?"
Cyan grew embarrassed by his own thoughts as he walked over to the boulder that had been pierced through.
He pointed toward the smooth, smoking hole left by the attack, then turned back toward the Borgia siblings.
Cyan: Since you already have an effective offensive attack now, next, Sera, let's talk about control using plants. You usually use roots to bind your enemies, right?
Serafina looked confused and bewildered.
Sera: Don't tell me that attack can be upgraded too? I thought that if you aimed properly, it already worked pretty well for restraining people.
Cyan: Right, that method isn't bad, but it consumes a lot of mana and it's not very flexible, since it can only emerge from one specific point.
Serafina and Lucian nodded repeatedly in admiration. Those were exactly the weaknesses of the spell, which was why this magic was usually considered carefully before use rather than being treated as a convenient low-level spell.
They continued listening to Cyan with focused expressions.
Cyan: Instead of using roots, look at the leaves.
Sera: But how can [Leaf Blade] restrain a target?
Cyan raised his hand and explained.
Cyan: Dozens of leaves together with clouds of dust are a different story. They'll block the enemy's vision, and the dust will irritate their eyes. If you move them properly, it becomes a way to control an entire area.
Serafina and Lucian gasped in admiration while Cyan continued explaining.
Cyan: Besides that, if you pour mana into the veins of the leaves and compress them until they become thin and hard, they won't be any different from blades. If you cleverly concentrate mana into just one of the leaves, people will think there are a hundred knives flying at them.
Sera: Aren't you way too devious for a six-year-old?
Cyan: Actually, I'm almost seven already.
Sera grabbed her head.
Sera: That's not even an answer..... fine, whatever.
Serafina resolutely chose another boulder as her practice target. She had already made up her mind, and she seemed to trust Cyan's words far more than before.
She waved her hand, and countless dried leaves nearby were swept into the air by mana, spinning wildly.
Cyan added another explanation:
-Relax yourself. Feel it flowing gently like water. The more graceful the mana flow inside the leaves becomes, the more stable the effect will be.
As he spoke, Cyan mocked himself inwardly.
"Actually, this is just something I learned from water magic. I guess leaves probably work through the same principle."
"In reality, I can't even sense water magic myself to know whether it's actually true or not. The decisiveness of lightning and the slow, gentle flow of water are simply too different."
Cyan stared intently toward Serafina, who then made a sweeping motion with her hand.
-Swish!!…Swish!!…Swish!!...
The leaves shot forward, burying themselves deep into the surrounding tree trunks like steel darts.
Cyan: If you also use [Stone Pillar] with only a beginner-level amount of mana, the small rocks on the ground will force the enemy to move, making it harder for them to dodge. And if you compress them to make them small while still keeping their length, you'll create thorn traps from the spell. The damage won't remain at the level of beginner magic anymore.
Cyan observed the spell with a satisfied expression.
"Things like fixed damage increasing by rank are merely old-fashioned ideas that limit the true potential of magic."
"I fought with a sword quite well even without talent. That proves the things defined in this world can absolutely be overcome through knowledge."
"Magic is not simply the flow of energy. Knowledge is the engine that starts that flow. From the very beginning, without knowledge, people wouldn't even understand what a flow is."
Lucian looked at the razor-sharp stones Sera had just created following Cyan's suggestion. They jutted out of the earth like a field of spikes.
He swallowed hard, feeling as though his entire way of thinking about combat had changed. Just by looking at those spikes, he already knew that unless someone wore armored boots, nobody would charge straight into them.
Serafina immediately jumped up and threw herself at Cyan, hugging him tightly with overwhelming excitement:
-C... Cyn! Are you some kind of earth magic genius?! [Black Stone Arrow] became several times stronger! How do you know so many amazing things?!
Embarrassed, Cyan gently pushed Sera away a little before smiling.
"Most of it is just knowledge from Earth. Though even if I said that, they probably wouldn't understand."
Cyan smiled and brushed the dust off himself.
Sera: Oh! Sorry about that, I got so caught up practicing that I didn't even notice.
Cyan: It's fine.
Lucian also quickly jumped down from the rock, his face still filled with extreme shock and confusion. Both of his hands waved wildly in the air as if he were trying to recreate the trajectory of the drill.
Lucian: Wait, Cyn! How did you know that [Black Stone Arrow], which is only an intermediate spell, could destroy such a massive boulder? Its power could even surpass advanced magic.
And that strategy of turning [Leaf Blade], which was originally just an easy-to-block spell, into a form of control magic that still hides so much danger inside it is absolutely insane......
Cyan: Hold on. If you keep asking questions like that, how am I supposed to answer all of them, Luchi?
Lucian: But-....
Before he could continue, a gentle voice interrupted him.
-It seems the young masters and young lady are having quite the lively discussion? Have I arrived at a bad time?
All three of them turned their heads at once.
From beyond the rows of trees, Sitri was leisurely walking toward them. In her hands was a large silver tray, carrying the rich aroma of tea and freshly baked butter cookies.
Sitri slightly tilted her head and spoke with a smile.
-The afternoon is already beginning to set in. Both theory and practical lessons should be left for another time. I've prepared a little snack so everyone can rest and relax.
She placed the tray down on a clean flat stone and calmly poured each cup of golden tea.
Serafina was the first to react. She immediately forgot all of her earlier shock and rushed toward the tray of cookies with shining eyes.
-What kind of tea is this?
Apparently a devotee of tea and sweets, Sera could not hold back her own craving.
Sitri: Roasted green tea, Lady Serafina.
Serafina seemed to have completely forgotten what happened yesterday as she happily enjoyed the tea and snacks.
Cyan let out a relieved sigh and silently thanked Sitri for appearing at just the right moment.
He relaxed and sat down, accepting the hot teacup from Sitri's hand as he enjoyed the evening breeze beginning to flow through the forest.
Meanwhile, Lucian continued staring at Cyan with a complicated look. He held a butter cookie in his hand without even taking a bite, merely turning it around over and over.
-I still don't understand the principle behind [Black Stone Arrow]. And then there's [Stone Pillar], which I once used in the vow duel, and you somehow elevated that too.
Cyan: Your attack back then really did surprise me too. I barely managed to deal with it, so it wasn't exactly an improvement.
Lucian: Then if I hold a sword and spin around, would it be the same as the drill?
Cyan had just taken a sip of tea and nearly spat it right back out because of Lucian's vivid imagination.
He set the cup down and tried his best to keep a calm expression.
Cyan: You'll probably get dizzy and pass out before you manage to hit your opponent.
Serafina giggled, while Sitri stood beside them, refilling their tea with a smile.
Sitri: Young Master Lucian, don't think about it too hard. There are things in nature that are simply wondrous like that. For example, with this tea, if you use a spoon to add a little ginger powder or this thick ginger jam into the hot tea and stir it well, it will give the tea a richer flavor.
Lucian tried it as she suggested, carefully stirring his tea in the direction of the silver spoon.
When he took a sip, the spicy warmth of the ginger blended together with the refined fragrance of the roasted green tea, making his mind suddenly clear.
He set the cup down, looked toward the pierced boulder from earlier, then glanced at Cyan, who was leisurely leaning against the stone.
-I think... even though the method is strange, it really does taste good. The flavor is perfectly balanced, there isn't anything to criticize.
"........"
Lucian: Then [Black Stone Arrow] also became stronger because the mana flow was stirred evenly, creating resonance and increasing its power?
Serafina: What? What? Let me try too, Luchi!
Lucian: Hey, hey, that's my tea.
Seeing that Lucian had somehow managed to understand it that way, even Cyan could not hide his surprise.
"I didn't think it could be explained like that. Sitri really is amazing!"
The evening sunlight had already begun turning into a burning orange, dyeing the entire clearing red.
Long shadows stretched across the damp ground, weaving between the roots of the ancient trees.
The peaceful training session had come to an end.