"Is it alright if I don't use a staff for practice?" Alicia asked.
"No, that’ll just teach you bad habits," I replied.
I explained that if an enemy closed the distance, a sword offered a fighting chance. If she’d been trained in swordsmanship, she might as well use it. A blade carried a psychological weight that could intimidate an opponent, too.
One might think you could just chant while swinging a sword, but that was a mistake. If the enemy recognized the spell, they could counter it. The key to survival was killing them on the first encounter without ever revealing your hand.
As the saying goes: attack is the best defense. Not that the Brave Territory needed much of a deterrent anyway.
"Earth is your specialty, right, Alicia?"
"Yes. Though I can use any of the basic four elements reasonably well."
Spoken like a true noble. The Etherdam Royal Family commanded the sky; the House of Ignite was a lineage of flame, as the name implied; Headmaster Cascade’s house handled water; and Alicia’s family, the House of Oldwood, specialized in earth. It was a classic fantasy setup: royalty and the three high houses dividing the four elements among themselves.
Still, I wondered why earth was called "Oldwood." I expected something like Gaia. I understood Cascade for waterfalls, but "Oldwood" suggested ancient trees, which didn't seem directly related to the ground.
"With a name like Oldwood, you’d think you could manipulate plants," I remarked.
"You saw the state of my garden, didn't you?"
"Good point."
I could only nod as Alicia stared off into the middle distance. If she actually had power over plants, her garden wouldn't have been such a disaster. I suppose the logic was that trees take root in the soil—some kind of thematic connection.
"So, how do I do it? What's the secret to chantless magic?"
"Let me think..."
Earth magic felt more offensive than defensive to me. Actually, the four elements were incredibly versatile. You could thrust spears up from the ground to strike from a blind spot or build a shelter to withstand the elements. It all came down to precision. Magic was freedom; its limits were defined only by the user's talent.
I had to help her find her own internal visualization. I couldn't do it for her.
"Try to keep it simple at first. Focus on a basic instinct, like: 'I don't want to die, so I'll do this.'"
My own identity was rooted in that. I didn't want to die, so I learned to wrap my entire body in barriers.
"I... see..." Alicia looked exhausted by the thought.
Strange. Why the long face?
"Ragna-san, what should I do if my specialty is recovery magic?" Mariana asked.
"That’s actually perfect for combat."
"Really?"
"Think about it. If you heal every wound the moment you take it, you won't die. You can apply it to physical reinforcement, too. If you master high-level recovery, you’re basically invincible as long as your head stays attached. If you can't be killed until your opponent is dead, you've already won."
In a one-on-one fight, a healer was a nightmare. Once both sides were spent, the person who could use 'zombie tactics' would always win. You could even fake your own death to lure an enemy into a trap.
Since Mariana could heal others with incredible precision, the idea of her turning an entire squad into a group of 'zombies' was thrilling. In a lethal dungeon—or against a nature that was actively trying to kill you—that was the ultimate magic. She might even get a glimpse of whatever lies beyond the veil of death.
"It’ll hurt, but you have to endure it! The best way to learn is to get hurt, heal yourself, and let your body memorize the feeling."
"Hieee..."
Pain had a way of dulling the mind. Terror bred panic. The fastest way to overcome both was to nearly die a few times.
"Well, it's a necessary step to become strong," Alicia said, sounding oddly resigned.
"Alicia, why are you so philosophical about this?! Please come back to us, don't look so far away! This is too much—way too much!"
"Living with the Braves requires passing through trials like this."
I didn't think the women had to fight, but it didn't hurt to be strong. That was the Alicia I knew. I've always had a soft spot for a woman who could steel her resolve.
"Mariana, make up your mind," Alicia continued. "You knew what you were getting into when you asked Ragna to train you."
"No, I definitely didn't know it would be like this!"
"Fair point."
"But I've decided to stay by Alicia's side, so I'll keep up! Let's return alive! I promise I'll get us back safely!"
I wouldn't actually let them die, but their resolve was good. Now I just had to push them until they were certain they were going to die.
"Are you ready?" I asked with a smile.
They nodded silently. For now, they were my trainees. If you want to stay alive, survive. That was the Brave motto.
"Alright then. Have a nice trip."
I gave them both a shove.
Below them, a swarm of giant ants clacked their mandibles. This was going to be interesting. Chantless magic was a personal journey. How you used it defined who you were—a unique ability that could carve a path through destiny. Good luck, you two.
"Aaaaaah! Alicia! You didn't say anything about being pushed!"
"I didn't know either! I thought we were going to use a rope!"
"Ragna-san, are you actually trying to kill us?!"
"Probably! Definitely! Mariana, I'm making a box out of earth walls at the bottom—give me some water!"
"Yes!"
Impressive. Alicia was already reacting to the fall. Between her recent experiences and life at the Brave estate, she had developed a habit of accepting the absurd. She didn't panic; she just looked for a solution.
Since a Grand Hole might not work on the dungeon floor, she used four Earth Walls to create a basin and had Mariana fill it with water to cushion their landing. The two hit the water and stood up, soaking wet, gasping as they faced the ants.
The Worker Ants were about the size of large dogs. For an Academy student, ten of them shouldn't have been a problem. But there were over a hundred.
Humans are social creatures who rely on numbers for safety; consequently, we have an instinctive fear of being outnumbered. Overcome the terror of violence, my new soldiers! Or rather, my mages! Face your inner truths and find the answer!
While I was lost in my own thoughts, watching them hack and blast their way through the swarm, a voice rang out behind me.
"—O power that fills the sky, heed the voice of the Sage, unbind the chains upon my feet, and become a gust of wind—Wind Walk!"
"Huh?"
A blonde handsome guy I recognized went flying past me like a gale.