Shuuki and his party were warmly welcomed in the town of Yurugano.
"Um, regarding this magi-formula... why is it structured in this specific way?"
Senteim, the Bailiff, had sent his only daughter, Chatone, to study under Shuuki as well.
"This part is the formula for detecting elements... though that term might be unfamiliar to you. It identifies the 'smallest units of matter.'"
"...I think I understand for now."
"Good. I shall teach you more about that in detail later."
"I would appreciate that."
At fifteen, Chatone was an exceptionally diligent student, attending Shuuki's lectures with a focus that surpassed all others.
"Teacher, about that 'el-ment' thing you mentioned earlier..."
Even after the lectures ended, she would seek Shuuki out to ask various follow-up questions.
"It is an 'element.' An element is..."
Shuuki was never reluctant to teach a dedicated disciple, and he often lost track of time as his explanations grew more passionate. As a result, he was frequently late returning to Adriana.
"...Papa, you're late!"
"Forgive me, Ado. The lecture ran a little long."
"I know why. It was because of Miss Chatone, wasn't it?"
Adriana had been watching closely. She may have been a child, but her intuition was sharp.
"Chatone is dedicated. It makes her worth teaching."
"...Hmph."
Adriana pouted for a moment, but...
"Now then, shall we take a bath together?"
The moment Shuuki suggested it, her face broke into a radiant smile.
"Yeah!"
Shared bath times were moments of pure bliss for Adriana. It was the one time her father, who was usually busy and surrounded by disciples, would focus entirely on her.
"Papa, guess what? I learned 'Dig' today!"
"Is that so? That's amazing, Ado!"
Whenever she reported learning a new spell, her father would always stroke her head in praise. This encouraged Adriana to study as hard as she could every single day. These private moments were irreplaceable for both father and daughter.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Therefore, it is necessary to construct a magi-sequence for magic control in this manner. Any questions so far? If not, that will be all for today."
"Thank you very much!"
A year had passed since Shuuki settled in Yurugano. The skill levels of those who came to receive instruction had become clear, and he now conducted lectures divided into three stages: beginner-level, mid-level, and advanced-level.
The advanced-level class was centered around Shuuki’s long-time senior disciples. Their primary goal was to pursue the development of new Craft Magic day and night.
The mid-level was the largest class, consisting of general disciples. Here, talented magi studied Craft Magic as a new field of expertise. Shuuki and the senior disciples took turns conducting these lectures.
The beginner-level consisted of those who possessed talent but were still at the stage of learning fundamentals before moving on to Craft Magic. Relatively inexperienced senior disciples were put in charge of this group.
In addition to these, there was a class specializing in Healing, which was notable for its high number of female magi.
Finally, as a specialized supplement, there was a class dedicated to general "knowledge." Its purpose was to teach the academic subjects Shuuki had studied back in Japan, but for some reason, it failed to gain traction and was quietly discontinued after six months.
The Bailiff's daughter, Chatone, was at the top of the mid-level class. It was expected that she would be ready to join the ranks of the senior disciples in another six months.
"I have to work hard to be of use to Teacher Shuuki."
Whether her feelings were rooted in simple admiration or budding romantic love, Chatone herself didn't yet realize.
And then there was one other student.
Whenever Shuuki held a lecture, Adriana would always slip into the mid-level class to listen. The other students assumed she was simply lonely and had come to see her father, but that was not the case. She understood the lecture content better than anyone else in the room—surpassing even Chatone.
As proof of her progress, whenever someone other than Shuuki was lecturing, she would head to the outskirts of town to practice magic on her own.
"...I have to get good quickly so I can help Papa!"
In her young heart, she had resolved to do everything in her power to help fulfill Shuuki's dream: the completion of Craft Magic. This was no mere childhood fantasy; she was steadily building the strength to make it a reality.
"Thunderbolt!"
By now, Adriana had mastered Earth, Water, Fire, Breeze, Thunder, and Healing, each up to the mid-level.
"...But this isn't enough yet."
She felt instinctively that to complete the Craft Magic her father sought, she needed to master all attributes at the advanced-level.
Shuuki felt the same way. Through his research, he had realized that the system of Craft Magic would never truly be finished unless entirely new spells were constructed.
"To construct new magic freely, one must be versed in all attributes and think comprehensively," Shuuki often reminded his students during lectures.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Hmm, it's just a little bit more, but it's not working right..."
Today, Adriana was practicing the advanced-level Breeze spell, Downburst. However, no matter how many times she tried, it lacked the necessary crushing power.
"Like this, I'm just casting 'Wind Blow' downward."
As Adriana fretted over her progress, a voice called out to her.
"Air has weight, too. Why don't you try feeling for it as you cast?"
"Eh?"
Adriana spun around to find her father, Shuuki, standing behind her.
"Papa?"
"Amazing, Ado. You've already reached the level where you can practice magic like this?" Shuuki crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "From tomorrow, you should attend the advanced-level class as well."
"...Is it okay?"
Until now, Shuuki had forbidden Adriana from participating in the advanced-level class. It was a slightly misguided bit of parental concern; he hadn't wanted to rob her of the time to make friends her own age. However, Adriana didn't really have any friends in Yurugano.
In hindsight, this may have been the moment that foreshadowed the beginning of her long, solitary life. Regardless, Adriana was granted permission to join the adults in the advanced-level class.
From then on, her contributions were nothing short of remarkable.
"Um, you see, I think instead of getting rid of the molecular bonding strength, we should just weaken it and maintain that state."
"I see your point. But maintaining that state would require incredibly delicate magic control, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm... then what if we break the bonding strength for just a moment and wrap it in mana instead?"
"Master, I think we can make it work that way!" one of the senior disciples exclaimed.
"I see. All right, let's work out the magi-sequence."
"Oh, and here! It would be better to do this part like this!"
"Certainly... Teacher, your daughter is a literal genius!"
On that day, "Softening" was officially added to the repertoire of Craft Magic.