The second day of Selestinaâs magic training began early in the morning.
Golems for her to practice on had been prepared in the garden.
The ăMud Golemsă, as Zeros called them, had stats equal to those of a level three monster.
As for the content of this training sessionâŠâŠ
âThereâs no point in being a magician if you donât know your way around melee combat. Youâll be easy pickings if youâre cut from your mana otherwise.â
That was the lesson.
That opinion wasnât wrong, it was common knowledge that a magician without mana was nothing but a burden.
In fact, no non-magician in this world would dare to challenge a magician at their full strength.
On the battlefield magicians were cowardly weapons that bombarded the enemy with magic until they ran out of mana.
In the Solisthea Kingdom, the magiciansâ status had led to a dangerous amount of friction between them and the knights.
When the knight commander and the leader of the magicians passed each other in the royal palace shouts of, âYour mere presence obstructs my movements!â and âYou couldnât beat a scarecrow without you magicâ, could be heard throughout the halls.
Rumors of an impending civil war ran rampant in certain circles.
The royal family didnât take sides, and the grand duke has remained neutral so far.
Under these circumstances, the other nobles split into factions and quarreled with each other.
Its reached the point any action taken would only add oil to the fire.
Nevertheless, the royal family had no choice but paying attention to the conflict, and both sides were acting in the shadows to get them to join their camp.
The fact the magician factions were dragged along with their masters only complicated matters further.
âFighting is a fundamental element of war. If you neglect it, youâll not only die, but youâll expose your allies to danger. Being mindful of your mana is a must, but only spoiled fools believe that they can always cast spells from a safe distance. In the first place, magicians are seekers of wisdom, not those that drown in their own power. Treating knights and soldiers as human shields is an outrageous notion in it of itself. Instead, those knights and soldiers are risking their lives to protect their allies and magicians should support them and create advantageous situations. Factional struggles over a difference in position is utter nonsense. Depending on the battlefield, enemy, or other circumstances magicians may be forced to fight on the frontlines.â
âAs expected of you, Sensei. You already well versed in actual warfare.â
âUmâŠâŠ Itâs impossible for the knight order and magic forces canât be sustained if there are hostilities between them.â
Because this lesson involved actual combat, Creston had decided to monitor his granddaughterâs training.
âSince this is a weak golem, itâs perfect for you to hone your magic and fighting skills at the same time. As the ancient saying goes âA magician is just a regular person without magicâ, this training is to prevent you from being caught and killed without being able to do anything, you understand? Even if the enemy is weak, they can outnumber you, thatâs why you need to be aware of distance as you cast your spells.â
âThis is the first time Iâve been given such a comprehensive lesson. I never thought of using a golem.â
âItâs a nuisance in group combat, but your fighting abilities should rise if you overcome it. Moreover, even though the golem is artificially created, itâs still limited by the magician handling it.â
You gained experience points from battle by absorbing the stored up mana from defeated monsters.
When you amass enough of that mana, you experienced a âlevel upâ, which vastly raised personal and physical skills. Furthermore, one could increase their mana pool by repeatedly expending their mana, but the results of doing so were minimum.
In any case, there needed to be a significant level difference between the creator and the golems to produce them in large quantities.
In that respect, Zeros had significant enough magic and a high enough level to produce any number and level of golems with ease.
Of course, because this was a real fight, Selestina was dress in an academy issued robe with designated armor on top.
Her weapon was a short single-handed mace magicians typically carried.
âThen, weâll begin the lesson. Even though itâs weak, you can still be injured, so please keep your guard up. Also, since warfare is a drawn-out affair, please ration your mana accordingly.â
Keeping track of oneâs mana pool was essential because neglecting to do so would result in prematurely expending your mana and your defeat.
Though this was merely training, it would conditioner her for when she was in actual life or death situations.
Selestina remained highly motivated, despite the harsh training she was about to endure.
Since she couldnât use magic until now, she was forced to sit on the sidelines during these types of lessons.
This training was a testimony to Selestinaâs desire to become a magician.
Of course, she would be enthusiastic about this.
The mud golems began to move all at once.
Because the golems were abiotic, theyâd shatter once the nucleus was destroyed.
However, unless she destroyed the nucleus Zeros would continue restoring them, ensuring that the fight never ended.
Simultaneously learning how to use weapons, wield magic, and raise magical and physical skills was a strenuous task.
âEEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!â
Selestina smashed one of the golems with her mace.
Contrary to her cute cries, she brutally swung her weapons and reduced the golem to lumps of clay.
She cut down the golems approached from the left, boldly leaping into the fray of things.
âHuh⊠it seems that sheâs already familiar with melee combat.â
âSheâs spent a lot of time watching others training for actual combat, perhaps sheâs replicating what she saw? Her footwork is a bit offâŠâŠ but, she seems to have memorized the proper movements.â
âIs this even a workout? To think sheâd have this hidden talent. Should we aim for a magical swordsman?â
âHmm⊠that doesnât sound bad. However, isnât she set on becoming a magician?â
âIs she good with her fist as well? Even Iâd lose to a swordsman of equal skill.â
âThen, no one can defeat you in this country. You are as skilled a warrior as you are a magician.â
Selestina easily struck down the golems for a while.
But, it didnât last for long.
After ten minutes of fighting her movements gradually began to slow down.
For her, who hadnât received proper training in swordsmanship, she didnât have the mindset to pace herself.
Eventually, her fatigue allowed a golem to get a hit in.
âHereâs the crucial moment. How you overcome this predicament is the true measure of a magician and will determine their position on the battlefield.â
âSuch things can only be learned through actual combat. Sheâs gonna have a hard time.â
âHowever, if we keep this up her skills will gradually raise.â
âWonât she be immobilized by muscle pain beforehand?â
Muscle pain was the cost of acquiring a stronger body.
Now was the time to develop the situational awareness and quick reaction time required of magicians.
No matter how strong a person was, they would eventually be overwhelmed by numbers.
A man drowning in his own power creates his own downfall.
Even the most powerful monsters are slain by those with numbers on their side.
Depending on the circumstances, a crucial decision at the right moment can overturn a bleak situation.
This training would teach her to find and act upon that moment.
âThis⊠is rather difficultâŠâ
Selestina had recognized the flaw of her overly optimistic outlook.
There was no simple solution when youâre surrounded by a never-ending stream of golems.
Even if you used enough magic to retreat, the golems would pursue you without end.
Blindly attacking the golems just because you assumed they were lesser that you had been a mistake.
Since the golems revived unless you destroyed the nucleus, she was at a massive disadvantage.
This was a dangerous place to be in, as the physically weaker opposites would endlessly attack you.
Honestly, it was a disheartening form of training.
âI have to overcome this. I have to create an opening to retreatâŠâ
While avoiding the golemsâ attacks and occasionally landing a blow with her mace, Selestina began searching for a way to escape the encirclement.
She began incorporating magic into her offense as she gradually grew impatient.
Because sheâd heard the meaning behind this training beforehand, sheâd gone in with some expectations, but this far exceeded any those.
Because the golems were slow, randomly casting spells was an excellent way to eat through your own mana reserves rapidly.
She attempted to raise her mace, but her arms felt heavier after her earlier onslaught.
She had buckler attached to her hand, a small shield used during sword combat, to prevent fatal injury.
Moving without much effort is easy.
A golem suddenly threw a punch at her.
âGyan?!â
She managed to block the punch with her buckler, but it wouldâve been a fatal blow had it been from a stone golem.
Dread washed over her when that thought crossed her mind.
She pushed the golem back and smashed it with her mace.
Mud splatted over Selestina and her clothes.
Since the golems were made of mud, their hits didnât have much impact.
However, the golems had managed to tighten their encirclement due to the opening the attack created.
She raised her mace and destroyed another couple of golems.
âCalm downâŠâŠ I need an openingâŠâŠ magic is the best optionâŠâŠâ
Because their movements were slow, Selestina decided to force her way through the right side.
The mud golems were somewhat fragile, so she just needed to survive long enough to find and destroy their cores.
Acting on that line of reasoning, she performed a technique she saw performed multiple time in the academy.
Although she hated those days of being a simple observer, thanks to them she was able to move better than anyone had anticipated.
Sometimes reality created unexpected benefits.
âFlow mana, and become my strengthâŠâŠ ăPower Boostă.â
She used her magic to raise her physical strength and boost her combat abilities temporarily.
Selestina forced her way through the golems and created a small buffer zone.
Afterward, she began attacking the encirclementâs thinnest side.
âFlowing water become my spear⊠ăAqua Jetă.â
The power was weak, but at point-blank range, the water spell pierced thought the low-level golems, Selestina immediately capitalized on the opening and began running.
Ordinarily, the spell only targeted a single opponent, but with a bit of alteration, it could hit multiple targets.
With the encirclement partially collapsed, Selestina ran towards the open space.
âYes!! I escaped!â
âIsnât that sweet?â
âHuh?!â
Something suddenly latched onto her leg when Zerosâ spoke up.
She was stuck, her forward momentum causing her to fall over.
âGyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!â
âââPashaâââââââân!
Selestina fell into the very mud puddle she created.
âTsuâŠâŠ whatâŠâŠ
When she looked down, she saw the arm of a mud golem attached to her leg.
It was strangely elongated.
âIndeedâŠâŠâ
âSo, it didnât matter. One of them managed to survive the aqua jet.â
âTh-That is soăăă.â
âDonât be too disappointed. She did well for her first combat session, didnât she? Your level will, and youâll be a more well-rounded person.â
âUmmâŠâŠ Itâs still annoyingâŠâŠâ
Her pride had taken a severe hit.
âOverexerting yourself in the early stages was a fatal mistake. If you fought while managing your stamina, you couldâve lasted longer.â
âI realized that too lateâŠâŠ I was too excited.â
âWhy were you so excited? Because you were taking part in the training?â
âYes! I was always mocked by my classmates because I could only sit on the sidelinesâŠâŠâ
âWell, it was a good effort. Though you barely received passing marks.â
âBarelyâŠâŠ The road is long.â
It seemed as if she couldnât see beyond her frustration.
However, Zeros thought Selestina didnât have as long to go as she thought she did.
Given the way she broke through the mud golems encirclement and her potential, sheâll make impressive strides within a month or so.
Sheâll be able to endure the real training by then.
âWould you like to attempt this lesson tomorrow? We have a lecture on magic systems this afternoon.â
âReally! Please, by all means.â
âUnderstood. Reflect upon what you experienced today for tomorrowâs lesson. I wonât say anything, because no one can truly teach others how to fight in an actual battle, only you can form your battle style.â
âUmâŠâŠ Sensei is rather stern. This is combatâŠâŠâ
âIs that so? Itâs a good thing you donât risk dying during training. After all, you can prepare before having to fight.â
At the Istal Magic Academy, all students were taught the same basic combat style.
However, there were always differences in individual training, and the style didnât fit every student.
Some fought with swords, while others favored axes or spears.
Therefore, it seemed premature to utilize a fixed mold style.
âThis training will help you find your unique combat style. Why is the occasional failure acceptable when trying different methods? Because the experience each failure passes on accumulates. Simply put, if youâre forced to use one strict method, the best you can become is a lackluster person.â
âFailure isnât just tolerableâŠâŠ it can be a good thing.â
âYesâŠâŠ Iâve failed at various things throughout my life, I take no shame in that.â
Zeros had failed in his previous life.
While it was a story from his original world, his words had weight to them.
By the way, what kind of combat drills does the academy have you perform? I donât know much about the facilities, so Iâd like to hear your input?â
âThey collect goblins and have the students fight them on the training grounds. I usually watched from the sidelineâŠâŠâ
âă»ă»ă»ă»ă» Thatâs rather luxurious isnât it?â
Zeros unintentionally replied in a youthful manner.
Wasnât using magic to create and maintain golems the more luxurious than using goblins?
Given all the trouble of catching the goblins, caging them, and transporting them back to campus, using golems was the far better option. The golems only needed an ample supply of magic to function.
However, there werenât many magicians that could produce endless regenerating golems, high ranking magicians might be able to create 1-6 of them. Moreover, the golems would stop moving once the teachers ran out of mana.
Perhaps if several magicians collaborated, they could create a small army of golems, but the factions werenât exactly on speaking terms at the moment.
Taking this factors into consideration, it was more cost efficient to capture live monsters.
When you included labor cost, request commissions, transportation cost, remuneration the academy would go into the red if they tried to incorporate golems.
âIstal Magic AcademyâŠâŠ Is something wrong with your budget? Perhaps they collect donations from various sources, but if they still run the risk of falling into the redâŠâ
âEvery year a large amount of gold comes in every year. I see⊠Having the magicians taking part in a group combat exercise against golems is a good idea, but the factions would interfere.â
âIs the conflict that terrible? Even without funds, you can do a great deal of research.â
Magicians who couldnât decipher magic symbols could improve by fumbling along.
Naturally, since they didnât know the things Zeros did, itâd take a bit of time to translate the symbols.
âThat may have worked for you shisho, but other people have lives of their own. Research requires money, but most of it is pocketed.â
âYour faction considers you a failure if you donât produce results. Things would be simpler if those standards were lowered, right?
âHmmâŠâŠ thatâs something to consider. Your improvement to the textbook may serve as a good foundationâŠâŠâ
âPlease donât use my name. Iâd like to avoid troublesome situations.â
âIâll do my best, but you know its possible for the information to leak, right? Youâre too conspicuous.â
âI only wish for a simple lifeâŠâŠâ
Even if his appearance was plain his actions were over the top.
In a world whose magic was based off the gameâs basic spells, Zerosâ original magic was bound to attract attention.
âEven combat spells have a degree of utility to them with proper mana control. Transportation would be faster if you speed up ships with wind magic, process sewage with water magic, or mitigate the weight with earth magic.â
âHum, so magic can be unitalicized in that manner? When I hear combat spells, I can only think of their battle applications, but even novice magicians can make a substantial income using those methods. That would be helpful.â
âHow you use magic is important. Other viewpoints become obscured if we only focus one thing. Thatâs probably the only thing all magicians can agree on.â
âCertainly. Thereâs a flood of criticism against those in power, a travel reform might prevent a riot.â
ăIsnât it already to late?ă the thought didnât make it past Zeros lips.
The conversation was heading in the direction of politics, and he wasnât sure if he would ever come back if he stepped into that area.
This single tutoring job carried a heavy burden.
âIt would be nice to create a magician mediation organization, but there as so few magicians.â
âThe problem is that it takes so long to training them, and most magician are trained for combat.â
âBut, isnât a well-rounded magician better? They can find employment as mercenaries and focus on their research.â
âMercenary magesâŠâŠ they must be of poor quality.â
Magicians are considered essential assists during warfare, and mercenary mages were considered weaker by default.
After all, mercenary mages had to continuously place their lives on the line to make up for the experience and knowledge gap.
It was only after such power-hungry magicians amassed enough battle experience could they be considered useful to their allies.
âWhile mercenary mages lack formal training, they have keen tactical senses. Who better to change the course of the country?â
âSo you can negligent the research aspect without losing the war potential?â
âIts better than using uncooperative magicians. Cooperation between the knights and mages is important in the long run.â
âHereâŠâŠ This is a magical nation, right?â
âI feel that our magicians are too useless. What do you do in search of power?â
Though called a magical kingdom, this country was a militant nation.
Magic research is mostly related to strengthening the military and rarely benefited the people.
The focus is entirely focused on increasing the destructive power of spells through a trial and error approach.
An easier to control, safer, and lucrative option would be to create beneficial magics for farmers and merchants.
However, the widespread use of such magic would only decrease the value of magicians and make it difficult for them to maintain their power. As the number of capable people increases, the number of dependent people falls. A system that contributes to the general public is useful, but it would also interfere with the desires of power-hungry magicians.
In fact, the incompetently put together textbook may have been intentionally released so people with small mana reserves, like Selestina, were dropped immediately. Moreover, most educators were biased parties that acted in the best interest of their factions.
Such a system could only mass-produce incompetence while potentially capable magicians slip through the cracks.
âWell, thereâs no point in contemplating this any further. Iâm just a tutor, after all.â
âIsnât that irresponsible? Wonât thing improve if you take charge?â
âBeing irresponsible allows me to speak objectively. If you serve a country, you have to be careful with your words. Death awaits the reckless speakers. I gracefully decline.â
Something clicked in his employer mind.
Zeros reluctance resulted in him living as an irresponsible vagabond.
He wasnât suited for the hardships an organization leader faced.
âBy the way, Selestina-san has been rather quiet, hasnât she? WhatâŠâŠâ
Zeros looked back to see his student seriously analyzing the previous battle.
She muttered to herself as she reflected on her shortcomings and thought of ways to revise her strategy for next time.
Thought she was born to an archdukeâs house, she had a sharp mind and seemed to have the qualities of an adventurer.
âShe isnât concerned about being dirty? As a noble girl, being a researcher would be good enough.â
âDoes my Tina have talent?â
âA sufficient amount of it. Depending on her efforts, she might bloom into a tremendous talent.â
âThatâs good to hear. I cherish my grandchildâs growth more than anything.â
âThen, you wonât mind a carrot and a rod method?â
âWhat do you plan to do?â
While Creston was thankful that he managed to hire Zeros, but he felt that the training was rather severe.
Something about the way Zeros smiled made the retired duke feel uneasy.
âSelestina-san.â
âYe-Yes!? What is it, Sensei?â
If you reach level 50 in two months and raise three of your skills to level 30, Iâll teach you one of my original spells.â
âSeriously?!â
âYes, itâs a safe, but explanatory useful spell.â
âWhat kind of spell is it?! Just a summaryâŠâŠ
âSave those questions until you achieve your goal. Itâs more fun that way isnât it?â
Zeros magic was beyond the bounds of this world.
If Selestina could obtain even the weakest of his spells, it would mean Zeros acknowledged her as his disciple.
Many noble children with magic capabilities were disciples of famous magicians, and he received special treatment in high society. Those among the disciples who received an original spell were considered their mastersâ successors and found themselves in high positions after graduating the academy.
However, the status and acclaim paled in comparison to having the pinnacle of all magicians, Zeros, gifting her with a spell and recognizing her as his disciple.
The opportunity greatly motivated her.
âIâll do my best! I will absolutely accomplish this task!!â
âPlease do your best. Though, you should change your clothes, unless you want them permanently stained in mud?â
âAh? Thatâs right. Ex-Excuse me!!â
âYou bitâŠâŠâ
She immediately ran off to change clothes.
âWhat kind of spell is it? I can only think of your destructive attack magic, Shisho.â
âIs that so. Would you like to see it?â
âWhat? Youâll demonstrate it here?â
âYes, please attack me with a spell. Make it something so powerful that I canât run away.â
He was asking to be hit with his most potent spell.
Creston judged it was useless to worry given Zerosâ skill and abilities.
The old magician put up a fearless smile.
âHmmâŠâŠ donât pull any punches.â
âArbitraryâŠâŠâ
Their expressions turned serious.
âFlames of purgatory, become the dragon that annihilates my enemies. Ancient overlord of the netherworldâŠâŠ he who reduces all to ash!! ăDrago Inferno Destructionă!!â
In his youth, Creston had been the renowned ăPurgatory Magiciană.
Zeros remained perfectly still.
The ferocious flame dragons attacked Zeros from all directions.
âăGodâs Silver Shellă.â
At that moment, each of the flame dragons was penetrated by some invisible force before they were dispersed.
The flame dragons had reached the tips of Zeros fingers before they were snuffed suddenly snuffed out.
âHuh?! What⊠I see, its a shield spell!â
âThatâs correct. ăGodâs Silver Shellă is a barrier that can change its shape at the casterâs discretion.â
âThatâs⊠itâs not a shield then, its a sword!? It a mage killing weapon.:
The silver shell was an incredibly versatile weapon in the right hands.
The mana consumption was relatively small, and it was a fantastic counter to energy-based magic.
Initially, energy-based magic required a lot of mana, but spells in that category made up for it with their destructive force and range.
Zeros dispersed the flame dragons by forming the barrier into multiple spines and attacked them with fencer-like thrust.
Even with a lousy sword arm, the barrier could be used as an invisible slashing weapon.
âThatâs an excellent spell. Regular magicians canât compete with you.â
âIt useless if youâre targeted by an extensively wide-ranged spell. Against regular magic its a decent trump card to have. The mana efficiency is good, and it shouldnât be too much of a hassle to use.â
âHassle? What kind of hassle?â
You shape the barrier into a weapon to attack the enemy with it. Your safety is assured once the enemy is defeated. However, its borderline useless without proper mana control.â
âUmmâŠâŠ can you shape it into an extendable invisible blade?â
âThe strength will change depending on the amount of mana usedâŠâŠ you can almost certainly defeat an enemy thatâs never seen the spell before. A talented magician or a merely strong enough attack can deal with the spell.â
It was a complicated spell, but the retired duke couldnât help but smile at the thought of his cute granddaughter obtaining it.
If Selestina hand that spell, certain mages will never be able to defeat her.
It was defense and offense in one.
âIâm looking forward to seeing Tinaâs future. What manicure will she obtain?â
âHaving two names is embarrassing. If you get a bad one, youâd be too embarrassed to get out of bed.â
âI still want to see it. These next two months are gonna be entertaining.â
âIs that a good thing?â
Creston ran on the love he had for his granddaughter.
At this rate, the old man might never get sick again.
After Zeros sighed at the old manâs behavior, the two of them returned to the mansion.
Only massive mud puddle remained in the gardenâŠâŠ