Cling Thwing Chatter
The sound of spoons and forks hitting the plates resounded in the air along with the lively voices of Grey, Yuna, and the Landevar household as they enjoyed a lovely breakfast together.
It was now the second day of Grey and Yuna's job in guarding Eliza. So far, it has been peaceful and there wasn't anything strange to take note of. Eliza was even happier now that she has someone to play with.
After Grey's realization of his feelings for her the night before, he was having a hard time looking at Yuna. Every time he looked at her, she looked even more beautiful and even brighter as if there was some sort of filter in his eyes. Of course, his heart also skipped a beat every time.
There were even times Grey catches himself staring at Yuna subconsciously. It was as if his eyes were always drawn to her like a metal to a magnet. It made Grey realize how severe the effects of falling in love were.
"Grey, is something wrong...? You've been spacing out a lot more than usual? Are you feeling unwell?" ［Yuna］
"Ah... Nothing, I'm just thinking of something." ［Grey］
Grey snapped back into reality as soon as he heard Yuna's voice full of concern. Yet even though he was feeling fine as usual, Yuna's voice sounded more angelic to his ears than usual.
'Crap... I might be going crazy..." ［Grey］
Grey silently thought to himself as he continued to move his hands and feed himself. It was as if falling in love was a disease which got worse by the moment. He could only imagine how things would go after a few days.
Seeing Grey continue eating, Yuna also finished up her meal. Eliza who was sitting beside her was also almost done with her plate. Even though she ate faster than other people, she conducted her actions in a well-mannered way. A true noble lady indeed.
As soon as she finished her meal, Eliza stared intensely at Yuna as if she was trying to figure something out. She clearly wanted to say something but didn't want to interrupt Yuna from eating.
"Do you need something, Liz?" ［Yuna］
"Umm... Elder Sister Yuna, I have a request..." ［Eliza］
"A request...? Sure, what is it?" ［Yuna］
"I-I want to learn magic!" ［Eliza］
Fueled with nervousness, Eliza declared her request in a loud voice as she closed her eyes. Her voice was so unexpectedly loud that the others' hands stopped from moving as they looked towards her direction.
Ever since Eliza saw Grey use holy magic to heal her maid, Rosa, she has been fascinated about it. She wanted to be able to use magic so that she could protect herself without endangering others.
While most nobles learn magic as early as 7 years of age, they are officially taught magic when they enter the Royal Academy at the age of 15. There, they will train for 5 years and if they pass, they can become full-fledged knights.
For normal people, they don't even need to learn magic. They can still go by their daily lives without it. Even Yuna only started learning at 13 years of age. That was because magic was mostly used in fighting, events which normal people don't usually encounter in their daily lives.
For Eliza who was born to a noble household, she has started learning magic theories in books at the age of 8 along with other studies. She has yet to acquire practical experience.
"Hmm... Okay! But let's ask permission from your father first." ［Yuna］
"Y-Yes! Thank you, Elder Sister Yuna!" ［Eliza］
With Eliza and Yuna reaching an agreement, Eliza's eyes turned towards Fritz's direction. She then looked at her with bright and innocent puppy eyes which no father could resist.
It was a weakness not only Fritz possessed, but even Grey has it too. Every time Yuna looked at him with sparkling eyes, he just easily gave in. Especially now that he has realized his feelings towards her.
"Haah... Alright. I was planning to get you a magic instructor anyway. For the time being, you can learn from Grey and Yuna. Just make sure to behave properly and not give them any trouble." ［Fritz］
"Yay～! Thank you, Father! I love you!" ［Eliza］
Expressing her gratitude, Eliza ran towards her father's seat with a bright smile on her face. She then proceeded to give Fritz a warm and tight embrace with a kiss on the cheeks.
Fritz could only heave a brief sigh at his daughter's actions. While he was happy that she was now livelier and happier than before, he was worried if he was spoiling her too much.
After breakfast, Fritz left for his office to start his work for the day, with Sebastian following closely behind him. Meanwhile, Grey, Yuna, and Eliza headed to the training grounds located behind the mansion.
It was a wide field which could easily fit a basketball field or two inside of it. There, one could witness a barren plot of land with only a few trees decorating it by the border. There was no grass nor any other sort of greenery around.
"Grey, where are you going?" ［Yuna］
Yuna asked as she witnessed Grey heading towards another direction as soon as they arrived at the training ground.
"Well, since we're going to train Liz, I thought I'd make a weapon for her. It's also about time that I pick up the hammer again." ［Grey］
"Mmm... I see..." ［Yuna］
"Hm? Is Elder Brother Grey going to forge a weapon?" ［Eliza］
Yuna easily understood Grey's point but it wasn't the same for Eliza. She didn't know that Grey also possessed quite the blacksmithing ability. Amongst the best within his age group.
"Yeah. Look forward to it, okay?" ［Grey］
"Y-Yes, I will!" ［Eliza］
As Grey waved his hand, he then turned around and headed towards the corner of the training grounds. He then took out a large forge from his "Inventory", decorating the training grounds with a strange structure.
While Grey didn't lie when he said he was going to make a weapon for Eliza, the real reason why he went away was because he wanted to cool down his mind for a quick moment. He just kept thinking of Yuna that it was driving him crazy.
String scarlet flames were lit ablaze in the forge as Grey held tight to his forge hammer. While he hasn't done blacksmithing work for a month and a half, he still hasn't lost his touch with it. After all, every single experience he had had already been engraved to his "Memory Bank".
Clang Clang Clang
The sound of metals hitting one another resounded throughout the vicinity as Grey hammered down the heated metal to his desired shape. With mana imbued to the hammer, the process was much faster than ever. His speed was incomparable to blacksmiths back on Earth.
As Grey started forging, Eliza and Yuna had also started their training with magic. Grey had already informed Yuna that Elizaa was of the water attribute so Yuna knew how to handle her training.
"Liz, what do you know about mana?" ［Yuna］
"Umm... It's an energy present everywhere and is the essential component in casting spells and creating arts. Some also call it the foundation of the world." ［Eliza］
"Good job! Looks like our Liz was studying hard." ［Yuna］
Yuna patted Eliza's after she answered her question, making the latter's hair become messy. But Eliza didn't complain, rather, she liked being patted in the head.
"Then, where does mana in the body come from?" ［Yuna］
"It comes from the soul!" ［Eliza］
"Close, but not quite." ［Yuna］
Eliza answered confidently, hoping that Yuna would once again pat her head, but her hopes were quickly shot down. Yuna has deemed her answer to be wrong, making her puzzled.
If civilization's current knowledge were to be considered, Eliza's answer would be considered right. Unfortunately, Yuna's knowledge came from Grey, who in turn, has attained his knowledge from God. It was clear which one was the right one.
"Listen closely, Liz. While our soul does produce mana, it is not the same mana which fuels the magic we cast. If we're talking about the fuel, then it comes from the environment around us." ［Yuna］
"Eh?!" ［Eliza］
Eliza voiced out a scream of shock and disbelief when she heard Yuna's answer. In order to clarify things, Yuna then expounded what she was talking about and made sure Eliza understood it perfectly.
While the soul does generate mana, the mana used in spells and arts comes from the surroundings. What is produced in the soul is "Spiritual Energy", a special type of mana which is only present in living things and nourishes its host.
Spiritual energy and Mana are like two oppositely charged magnets. As spiritual energy is produced in the body, it attracts mana from the surrounding and soon enough, a temporary bond will be formed from mana and spiritual energy.
When one casts magic, those bonds are broken and the mana is used up. The spiritual energy remains untouched and will bond with mana once again after some time, thus explaining mana recovery.
Spiritual energy in the body is the nourishment of the soul. It never diminishes and only grows with training, which explains mana capacity. The only time where spiritual energy naturally decreases is aging, and when the spiritual energy runs out, the owner of the soul will die. It is the reason why people of old age have weaker bodies than young people.
Breaking one's soul could also cause leakage of spiritual energy which is why the group of scumbags' combat power decreased after Grey broke their souls and then repaired them.
As Yuna explained how spiritual energy and mana worked, Eliza's eyes sparkled brightly as her admiration towards Grey and Yuna increased. She now looked at them as idols, while treating them as older siblings at the same time.
"Do you understand it now?" ［Yuna］
"Yes! Spiritual energy resides in the body while mana comes from the surroundings!" ［Eliza］
"That's right. Our Liz really is a smart girl!" ［Yuna］
Yuna patted Eliza's head once again like a doting older sister, and the latter enjoyed it thoroughly while wearing a big smile on her face.
For someone who didn't understand the word "non-hereditary", Eliza was extremely smart when it came to understanding magic. She would undoubtedly be able to grasp Yuna's teachings easily.
"Then, Liz. Let's start with practical training. I'll teach you some theories along the way. Make sure to listen carefully." ［Yuna］
"Y-Yes!" ［Eliza］
As Yuna has instructed, she and Eliza have started the very basics in casting spells. It was the control of mana to flow in your body then towards the outside environment.
There were four steps in casting a spell. From first to last, it is the Initial release, Coding, Connection, and the Final release. All of which has to be done in quick succession for effective spellcasting.
The first step "Initial Release" meant releasing raw mana back into the surroundings. The second step, "Coding", is the use of imagination and understanding to shape the mana into the desired shape. The third step, "Connection", is to connect to the coded mana in the environment to produce the desired effect. Lastly, there was the "Final Release" which meant releasing or launching the spell.
Once the process started, there were only two ways to cancel it. It was either to redirect the released mana away from the body or reabsorption of the said mana. It was a process only all High-rankers and above knew of.
If the spell was forcefully canceled, it will cause a rebound and will end up harming the caster. While it takes a long time to learn, redirection and reabsorption were very useful methods to learn.
"Uuu..." ［Eliza］
As Eliza tried to release the mana outside of her body, she couldn't help but release a low groan. It took quite the toll on a first timer's body. Even Yuna, who had succeeded on the first try, became quite tired on her first try.
The more Eliza concentrated, the more painful her face looked. But Yuna didn't help her since it was necessary for her growth. After all, once one experiences it, the pain would ease until it could no longer be felt.
A few minutes later, a dim glow could be observed shining on Eliza's palm. It was a sign that she has succeeded.
"I... I did it! Elder Sister Yuna, I didt it!" ［Eliza］
"Un, you did. Now, calm down a little. It's only the first step, there's still three more to go." ［Yuna］
"Yes!" ［Eliza］
Although the amount of mana released was not much, Eliza was still able to succeed on her first try. Riding on that momentum, Yuna taught her how to code the mana and then proceeded to the next steps.
Far away from the field, Grey continued to strike the metal with his hammer. The more he struck, the more the metal took the shape he desired and more impurities were removed from it.
In Merusia, just like how combat power is classified into different threat levels, the other jobs, namely, blacksmithing, alchemy, and enchanting, were also categorized into 11 different tiers from the lowest, tier 1, to the highest, Divine tier. The tiers were based on the quality of the equipment and potions they could produce.
The grades were divided into Low, Middle, High, Superior, Legendary, Mythical, and Divine. The first 4 grades are further subdivided into low, mid, high, and peak tiers.
A tier 1 can create Low-tier Low-Grade items. Tier 2 can create High-tier Low-Grade items. The following tiers can make items with qualities 2 tiers higher than the previous one. It was a trend which continues until Tier 8. At tier 9, one can create Legendary-Grade items. At tier 10, it would be Mythical-Grade items. Finally, someone at the Divine-tier can produce Divine-Grade items.
Grey is currently a Tier 6 Blacksmith and a Tier 6 Enchanter, which meant he could at least create High-tier High-Grade equipment and enchant them. Yuna also sits at Tier 6 of Alchemy.
Time passed and it was already afternoon. Finally, Grey has finished forging a suitable weapon for Eliza. It was the best work he has created yet and he was quite proud of it.
"Yup, looks just about right." ［Grey］
Grey murmured to himself as he raised his creation towards the sun. It glinted as it reflected the sun's light into the surroundings.
It was a pure white longsword which was created with the High-grade mineral, Blancium, which God had provided him with. Although it only sits at High-tier High-Grade, it was the best of its kind.
Grey even applied enchantments to it which enhances its sharpness, durability, and mana conductivity. It was a weapon which could stand on par with unenchanted Superior-Grade weapons.
It has been decided that Eliza will become a swordsman since their butler, Sebastian, was also one. That way, there would be someone who could teach Eliza even if their quest has been completed.
⟨⟨Water Blade!⟩⟩ ［Eliza］
Just as Grey finished forging the sword, Eliza has also finished her elemental spells training with Yuna. She was now able to shoot the most basic water-attribute spells seven out of ten times.
"Looks like you've learned a lot, Liz." ［Grey］
"Elder Brother Grey!" ［Eliza］
Eliza's face shone brightly as soon as she saw Grey approaching their direction. Grey immediately patted her head showing her praise which she deserves.
"Are you hungry?" ［Grey］
"Yes! I want to eat Elder Brother Grey's cooking!" ［Eliza］
"Alright, alright, then what would you like to eat?" ［Grey］
"I'm fine with anything!" ［Eliza］
Eliza raised her hand in excitement as she answered Grey's question with a smile. Grey was happy that she wasn't a picky eater. It was a good sign that Eliza will grow up healthy.
"Then, Yuna, what would you like to eat?" ［Grey］
"I'm craving for some meat skewers..." ［Yuna］
"Hahaha, skewers, huh... Then, let's have a barbecue!" ［Grey］
As Grey declared his words, he immediately looked up his "Inventory" to see what kind of meat they had in store. He then decided on two types of meat, one from a bovine-type beast while the other was from a bird-type beast.
Grey quickly took out a grill and started cooking skewers while enjoying the view in the garden nearby. Yuna and Eliza also helped out and they had quite the fun time together.
Their lunch was quite a hearty one, especially when Grey took out some sweets he and Yuna bought from the cafes about a week ago. Eliza's face looked as if she had just won the lottery. She was very happy.
After lunch, the three rested for a while before proceeding to train. As Eliza had already learned water magic from Yuna, Grey will be the one teaching her about swordsmanship.
"Liz, take this. It's my present for you." ［Grey］
"Waah～ What a beautiful sword..." ［Eliza］
Eliza gazed earnestly at the sword as she received it from Grey. Although it might look heavy, it was actually a very light sword even beginners could swing with ease. Grey has created it to perfectly fit her proportions.
Upon receiving it, Eliza swung the sword left and right and it moved just like how she wanted it to. It was like her and the sword was a perfect match for one another.
"While I've given it to you, we'll start to practice with wooden swords first. You can only use that once I've given you my permission," ［Grey］
"Yes!" ［Eliza］
"Alright, then let's start with swinging a wooden sword until your hands go numb. Let's test out your limits." ［Grey］
"Yeー Huh?" ［Eliza］
An expression of confusion was painted on Eliza's face as she heard Grey's question. At first, she thought she only heard it wrongly, but after seeing Grey's smile, she has confirmed that wasn't the case.
Yuna, who was one the side, felt shivers run down her spine as she recalled how Grey had trained her before. It was because the moment Grey goes on teaching mode, he becomes a demonic and strict teacher.
It was the start of Eliza's spartan training!
CHAPTER 42 END