A few days had passed, but Maze's training with the Sylphs had been beneficial. The Queen had been trained in many disciplines by her father's court all her life, but Mana had never existed. Still, Maze had been able to apply what she knew to the training provided and flourished.
Now she was in a battle with all three Sylphs to test her training, but something was on the Queen's mind as the battle began.
Maylinn swooped down on a current of air, her indigo scale glittering as she came directly for Maze. The Queen didn't flinch, summoning her own current of air under the Sylph, forcing her up. Maylinn, forced to recover, circled around and then came back hurtling small balls of fire.
It had been three days since the last time she had been allowed to see Reinhart, and she was starting to get annoyed. This was the first time that she had met a man that treated her like a normal woman. With almost no mind to it, Maze captured and extinguished each of the fireballs in bubbles of air.
"You are not concentrating on the battle," Saava said from behind Maze as she moved to strike her with a rock-covered fist.
The strike never reached the Queen as a massive gale of wind blasted the Dralkon woman off her feet and into the air. Maze could feel all three Dralkon women around her, now that she understood how her magic worked. The Queen could not only create wind but also control it to be her eyes. Each thing that the wind touched left an impression in her mind, mapping the area around her without even consuming her own Mana.
"Why are you not letting me see Reinhart?" Maze asked as Kaelan tried to rush her, but was caught in a bubble of air that her claws could not pierce.
"Both of you need to concentrate," Saava said as she landed back on the ground after getting blown away. "While you have progressed much faster than any of us could have guessed, you have had a different upbringing than Reinhart. He understands battle, but has never lived it, nor has he trained seriously before. The man was a craftsman before this, and now we are teaching him to become a leader. That is what you want, right?"
Maze nodded but put her chin in her hand before speaking. "If that is so, then don't you think I should be the one training him? I like being around him, and I can teach him everything that he needs to know!"
Saava's pale eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You wish to take over his mentoring?"
"I do. Are you going to prevent me?"
"No." To Maze's surprise, Saava smiled. "Quite contrary, it would be what's best for both of you, but the reason we separated you both is to prevent distractions."
Maze paused as the words sunk in and then blushed slightly. "I am not distracted by him... At least not enough to affect my teaching! I was able to fend you all off while thinking about him... Grrr, stop making me talk about him!"
"Yes, while you have years of noble training, and trying to hide your feelings, I don't think that Reinhart can say the same. It is also clear that your training might not be as effective," Saava said with a smile that made Maze puff out her cheeks.
"Fine! Keep training him for now, but I want to see him tonight when he is done training! I want to know how his progress is going!" Maze demanded, and Saava nodded.
"You shall, and tomorrow, Vexille will take over your training. Since you can best us all with your Wind magic, and counter us, I think it's time you advanced."
"Oh? You mean using other kinds of Mana?" Maze asked, but Saava shook her head.
"While you have an ever-growing reserve of mana only matched by Reinhart, you cannot use other magic. Your Mana Circuits are only designed to use wind magic for some reason. I suspect that is the reason why you have such an abundance of Mana," Saava explained, and then Maylinn stepped forward.
"Vexille is not the strongest, but she is the only one of us that can use all forms of magic. She will teach you about all the different intermediates of Wind Mana. As you have used it before, wind can be used to heal, but you must have a proper understanding of what you are doing. Our sister can teach you that better than anyone here ever could."
The conversation ended there, as Maze was escorted away by the other two Sylphs, leaving Saava alone in the training field. Despite her initial impression, she found Queen Maze to be incredibly impressive. Her determination, will, and heart were massively reinforced by her practically inexhaustible pools of mana. Yet, the separation of the Queen and Reinhart had been with good reason.
Saava knew what love was; it was a potent emotion that could drive anyone at its extremes. And while Maze might not be entirely conscious of it, it was clear she was on the path of falling for the young instant meal man. Meanwhile, Reinhart was endearing, sweet, and obviously naive about Maze's feelings. The separation was necessary to let him focus on himself rather than getting entangled with thoughts about Maze and the relationship they were building.
Satisfied that she had spoken up on what could be a controversial call initially, Saava turned back to head toward the living area. However, she could not shake off the thought of how much Maze had progressed and how she would develop under Vexille's guidance. The warrior Dralkon knew it would be a sight to behold.
Martially skilled, immensely powerful, kind-hearted, and fiercely determined - Queen Maze was unmistakably formidable. And her eventual union in both personal and professional capacities with Reinhart would be something Fallenia would look up to. Saava only hoped that the two of them would be prepared for the battles that lay further in the journey to safeguard Fallenia against the Dralkon's powerful nemesis.