Aurelio stated, "This magic spell is rather straightforward. You'll be able to learn it within a week. However, there are just two aspects that can pose difficulties when it comes to learning magic."
"What sort of difficulties are those?" inquired Gloria.
"Well..." Aurelio paused, seeming hesitant.
He was reminded of the times over a decade ago when his teacher had instructed him. Whenever he'd asked similar questions back then, the teacher had always declined to respond. He mused to himself, "Perhaps he was worried that it would undermine my confidence."
After giving it some thought, he replied, "No, we can't start off by highlighting the difficulties. When you reach that stage of the learning process, you'll naturally come to understand them. If you do well in the other parts, the challenging aspects won't seem so insurmountable." These were almost the very words his teacher, Mr. De Leto, had used. Aurelio had inherited the title of professor from him, yet it was more of an honorary title in name only. He lacked experience in teaching students and didn't consider himself proficient enough to truly qualify as a teacher. Hence, he often had to rely on the wisdom passed down by his predecessors.
The female knight urged him, "Never mind how difficult it might be! Let's just get started quickly."
"Alright," Aurelio nodded, a sense of unease welling up within him. Although this spell had been simplified to the greatest extent possible, he wasn't at all certain whether it was simple enough for someone else to grasp with ease. He silently chastised himself for his rashness, thinking, "Where has my usual caution gone? How could I have boasted so carelessly? How can I ever hope to continue my teacher's legacy like this?"
This incident served as a valuable lesson. He made a mental note of it, resolving that in similar situations in the future, he would think things through more thoroughly and not be swayed by the allure of potential benefits. But now that the words had already left his mouth, there was no taking them back. He gritted his teeth and tried to boost his own morale, thinking, "She does have some basic knowledge. Surely, she can learn it within a week."
"What's the matter?" Gloria asked. "Aren't we beginning yet?"
"Nothing much," Aurelio replied. "I was just giving the teaching plan another thought."
"Has the plan changed?"
"No," Aurelio replied calmly, shaking his head. "The original plan is still the best." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Now, let's commence. First, we need to familiarize ourselves with the components of the incantation."
Gloria nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at him. Aurelio picked up a branch lying nearby and then crouched down on the ground, using it to write on the soft earth. As he wrote, he explained, "The language used in the incantation is rather unique."
"Yes, I know," Gloria said, squatting down beside him and leaning in closer. "I've heard you recite it before, and it did sound rather tongue-twisting." She pointed at the odd symbols he had just drawn and asked, "Are these the letters of that language?"
"Yes," Aurelio replied, continuing to write. "There are a total of twenty-two letters."
He wrote each stroke with meticulous care, not daring to make even the slightest error. The shapes of these letters were highly intricate, and the variations in the thickness of the strokes were particularly elaborate. He was afraid that if he wasn't precise in his writing and made the tiniest mistake, it would prevent a proper understanding of the language. Whenever he sensed that a stroke was slightly off, he would stand up, use his foot to erase the entire word, and then rewrite it from scratch.
The branch wasn't an ideal writing instrument. When dealing with thicker strokes, he had to exert quite a bit of force. By the time he had written just over half of the letters, he was already sweating profusely. So absorbed was he in his writing that he didn't have a moment to spare to wipe away the sweat, which dripped onto the ground one by one.
"Only fourteen of these letters are used in this particular incantation," he said, taking a deep breath as he stood up.
"Okay," Gloria began, but then she started shaking her head. "On second thought, I don't think that's ideal. I believe it would be beneficial for a comprehensive understanding if I were to memorize all of them. If I ever want to learn more advanced magic in the future, won't I need those other eight letters as well?"
Aurelio was already rather exhausted from writing just the fourteen letters. He took out a clean piece of white cotton cloth and wiped his forehead, which promptly soaked the cloth with sweat. However, the female knight's ambition was exactly what he had hoped for. If he could persuade her, there might be a chance to revive a plan that had been abandoned years ago. "This bit of tiredness is nothing," he thought to himself. Turning to Gloria, he nodded at her and then crouched down once again.
"Maybe... we should just forget about it," Gloria suggested. "You look so tired already!"
"No," Aurelio insisted. "It's my good fortune to have a student as eager to learn as you are. And being this tired is entirely my own doing. If I had written these down on paper this morning, I wouldn't be in such a state."
"Should I go and fetch some paper and pens?"
"No need," Aurelio declined. "Going through this hardship this time will make me more cautious in the future." He remained crouched in the courtyard and spent another ten minutes or so writing down the remaining eight letters.
Gloria's eyes scanned over the alphabet and she asked, "Is this one of the difficult parts?"
Aurelio didn't respond directly. "Memorizing their shapes is merely the foundation," he said.
"Surprisingly..." Gloria looked a bit taken aback and said, "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not afraid of difficulties."
Aurelio nodded and pointed to each letter in turn, patiently telling her how to pronounce them one by one.
The various human languages currently in use on the continent of Liparia are generally composed of consonants and vowels working together, and the pronunciation of words is determined by their combined effect. However, this strange language was entirely different. Each letter had its own distinct pronunciation, which typically consisted of one vowel and several consonants. When these letters were arranged to form words in this language, the pronunciation was simply to sound out each letter's individual sound in sequence.
In the Serenian language, a four-syllable word usually comprised six to eight letters. But in this language, some pairs of letters themselves contained four syllables. Moreover, there were significantly more consonants than vowels, making it such that when one tried to read it aloud, the breath often got caught, and it sounded both strange and rather unpleasant. And the most astonishing aspect was that regardless of how many sounds a letter made, it only occupied one beat. The pronunciation of this language had a certain rhythm and musicality to it, yet it also had an odd quality that could make one chuckle.
Upon encountering such a language that seemed to defy common sense, Gloria couldn't help but let out a sigh and ask, "What exactly is this language..."
"It's the Toive language," Aurelio replied.
"Do you mean... Elvish?!" Gloria exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes, it's Elvish," Aurelio confirmed. "Five hundred years ago, a certain learned individual deciphered it from ancient Elvish texts."
"So, all you mages... understand Elvish?" Gloria queried. "If I learn magic, will I also be able to understand Elvish too?"
"There's no such good fortune," Aurelio said, shaking his head. "There are numerous ancient Elvish books in the academy. It would be wonderful if we could understand them. But the elves became extinct over a thousand years ago, and their language died with them. No one has ever witnessed how they spoke. What we have now is merely a speculation about the pronunciation of Elvish, and it's quite likely to be incorrect. As for the meaning... well, that's even more of a mystery."
"Then, you don't understand the meanings of the words in the incantations either?"
"Whether they actually carry specific meanings remains uncertain. In any case, as long as it can effectively guide the casting of spells, that's what matters."
"Does guiding the casting of spells necessarily have to involve using Elvish?"
"The elves were the inventors of magic," Aurelio explained. "Elvish is closely intertwined with magical abilities. They devised spells based on their own language. Later, when humans designed spells, they followed the same framework, so it's highly unlikely that they would abandon the use of Elvish."
"But it's so complicated. People with unclear speech surely can't cast spells, right?"
"No," Aurelio clarified. "The actual sound isn't as crucial as the thought process. Humans were able to use basic magic long before they managed to decipher Elvish. In the past, they could cast spells simply through intense contemplation, although the efficiency was extremely low, and there was no guarantee regarding the effectiveness, scale, or success rate. But once incantations were designed for spellcasting, it was like having a map and a compass when setting out on a journey. With that guidance, the chances of success increased significantly."
"I see," Gloria nodded.
"So, as long as you maintain a smooth flow of thought, your speech will