Keira's eyes widened in shock upon hearing Klaus's bold claim, and she wasn't the only one caught off guard. Thorne, standing beside her, was equally flabbergasted.
Although Margaret was just as taken aback, she quickly regained her composure and interjected with a question. "How can the first flaw be improved?" she inquired, her voice steady despite the lingering surprise.
Klaus turned his attention to the spell circle and began to trace his finger across the lines and symbols etched onto the spell circle. "The symbols should come before the lines," he said, pointing his hand to a particular section of the circle.
"That will increase the mana flow and improve the overall efficacy of the spell," he continued.
Margaret watched in fascination as Klaus continued to analyse the circle, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he searched for further improvement. Thorne, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling to process the new information.
"But... But that goes against everything in the spell book," he stammered, his face flushed with confusion.
Klaus turned to face him, his expression neutral. He was about to speak when Margaret interrupted.
"Just continue, Klaus; don't bother with him." Margaret said and shot through a dismissive glare.
Klaus nodded and proceeded to point out another flaw in the spell circle.
"This should be in an anti-clockwise direction," he stated, his finger tracing a symbol on the circle. "A clockwise direction isn't necessarily bad, but if you want to double the effect of the spell, then an anti-clockwise direction is the way to go."
As Klaus spoke, Margaret gave Keira a knowing look, and Keira quickly pulled out a book to write down the points Klaus was making. She furiously scribbled down his insights, eager to capture every detail.
Suddenly, Klaus paused, and his finger hovered over a line in the spell circle. "This here is not needed," he declared, his voice confident.
Keira and Margaret exchanged glances, impressed by Klaus's analysis so far. Thorne, who had been standing silently, was now watching intently as Klaus continued to analyse the spell circle.
Klaus continued to analyse the spell circle, his sharp eyes scanning every inch of the spell circle. As he traced his finger along the lines and symbols, he suddenly paused and pointed to a particular section.
"If you draw these lines together instead," he said, his voice confident, "it would save mana and reduce the time to complete the spell."
Keira's mouth opened slightly, her faces alight with excitement at the prospect of improving the spell even further. Thorne, who had been silently observing the proceedings, felt a newfound sense of excitement and possibility.
As Klaus continued his analysis, Thorne couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. He had always thought of magic as a rigid, inflexible system, but Klaus's insights had shown him that there was always room for innovation and creativity.
"Why didn't I think of that before?" Thorne muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the section Klaus had pointed out.
Margaret, on the other hand, looked at Klaus intently as he explained the ways to improve the spell circle. 'He's even much more talented than I thought!' She marvelled inwardly.
Klaus was oblivious to the state he rendered Keira, Thorne, and Margaret in, and he continued to tell ways the spells could be improved and the flaws removed.
"And for this last one, the theory behind this is wrong. This is the setup of a fire spell circle, whereas the symbols and lines in this section are those of an earth spell circle."
Klaus turned towards Margaret and said, "I'm not sure what the idea or reason behind this was, but it devalues the spell."
Margaret looked at the section of the circle Klaus was talking about and then shook her head. Klaus, you've done a good job identifying the flaws and also stating how to improve them. But you're wrong here."
Klaus raised an eyebrow and asked. "How so?"
Margaret nodded her head and then walked towards the spell.circle. "Earth spells are often associated with stability, grounding, and endurance, while fire spells are associated with passion, power, and transformation."
"Fire spells are known for their destructive abilities, and in this spell circle, the earth symbol creates a stable platform to support the fire spell. It helps to balance out the intense energy of the fire spell." She said.
Klaus nodded his head thoughtfully, conceding the points.
"By incorporating the earth symbol in this circle, the aim was to not only create a stable foundation for the fire but to also direct and contain the flame of the fire spell." Margaret said this and then turned towards Klaus with a smile on her face.
"I agree." Klaus admitted.
His words took Margaret by surprise, as she expected him tocounter her. She placed her hand behind her back with a blissful look on her face; clearly, she relished winning that discussion.
It showed she knew her subject matter like the back of her hand.
However, her triumph was short-lived, as shortly after she spoke, Klaus spoke up again. "While your points are valid, you're still wrong."
"A fire spell's destructive power is what makes it so potent," Klaus argued. "Trying to contain it only limits its potential. In certain cases, containment may be necessary, but for a spell like this, it would only diminish its value."
Keira and Thorne exchanged uneasy glances, aware of Margaret's expertise in magic. She had dedicated her life to researching and improving spells and was widely regarded as one of the kingdom's foremost authorities.
If Klaus was challenging her, they couldn't help but wonder how she would react.
However, much to the surprise of both of them, Margaret suddenly nodded her head. Alright, then we will proceed as you suggest."
Then, ignoring Keira and Thorne's mouths, which were wide open with disbelief written all over their faces, she stretched her palms out gently.
As her lips began moving, a faint gold glow began emitting out of her hand, and within moments, the fourteen flaws that Klaus had identified were corrected according to his recommendation.
Margaret stared at the newly improved spell circle, and a light smile soon spread across her face. The same was true for Keira and Thorne, as even though the strength of the spell circle wasn't unleashed, it excluded a formidable presence.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like while it's a tier-1 spell, the power it possesses isn't inferior to a tier-2 spell in the slightest?" Keira muttered as she stared at the spell circle.
Margaret and Keira watched as Klaus sifted through the shelves, his fingers running over the spines of the books. Margaret could not help but smile at the sight of his enthusiasm for magic.
As Keira approached her aunt, a glimmer of excitement shone in her eyes. "Aunt, if he's able to make this much change to a tier 1 spell circle, do you think he's able to do the same to higher magic spells?" she asked eagerly.
Margaret stared at Klaus, who pulled out a thick book from the shelf, flipping through its pages, his eyes scanning the text intently, and she was torn between being excited and being worried.
If Klaus was able to improve the higher-tier spell, it would open a whole new world of possibilities, but if such knowledge fell into the wrong hands, it was going to be extremely dire.
'I will keep him closely' Margaret resolved inwardly.
Just then, Klaus looked up from the book he was reading and turned to face Margaret and Keira. "Is there any book in here that's about the world?" he asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"All I'm getting from these books are fire spells." He added.
Margaret walked towards one of the bookshelves, running her hand through the books. She slowly pulled one out and then walked towards Klaus.
As Klaus received the book from Margaret, he flipped it open immediately. Reading the context in the book intently
"It says here that they are other races apart from humans; vampires, werewolves, and even beasts exist." Klaus read a paragraph of the book that made him shocked.
"The first vampire was created by a powerful sorcerer who sought to gain immortality through dark magic. The sorcerer's experiment went horribly wrong, and instead of achieving eternal life, he was transformed into a manathirsty creature of the night."
Klaus's mouth opened slightly as he read that passage in the book; he, however, continued. "As the centuries passed, the vampire's curse spread to others, and soon there were entire clans of vampires roaming the land, feeding on the mana of others and living in the shadows."
Klaus looked up from the book in his hand as Margaret placed her hand on it, interrupting his train of thought.
"You can read this later; there's something I want to ask you." She spoke.
As Klaus gave her his full attention, she continued. "Since you were able to see the flaws and improve a Tier 1 spell, do you think you're also capable of doing the same for a Tier 2 spell?"
After Margaret spoke, Keira and Thorne stared at Klaus with hope and excitement etched on their faces. They hoped Klaus was able to improve a Tier 2 spell as well.
The ability of a tier 1 spell was limited even after it was improved, but the same couldn't be said about a tier 2 spell. If Klaus was able to aid the tier 2 spell as he did with the tier 1, they would have a spell capable of rivalling the next tier or perhaps even stronger.
Meanwhile, Klaus took a glance at the three of them before nodding his head. "I don't know what a Tier 2 spell is, but if it is similar to that one from earlier, then I should be able to." He said it humbly.