"Here, you need to squeeze it tightly. Since the target is a small animal, you don't need a lot of power. It would only lower the value of the material.
Imagine using small bullets that prioritize speed!"
Following Myrl's advice, Reina cast the spell with a serious look.
"Water, gather to me! Water ball formation! Freeze! Change your form into a sharp icicle!
Spin, spin, go!"
The water gathered, froze, and was compressed into the shape of an icicle, which then spun and flew away.
Though not as smoothly as Myrl, it was sufficient for aiming at distant targets.
The icicle flew and hit the branch of a tree perfectly.
"I did it..."
Reina's face lit up with a smile at her success.
She couldn't use fire magic in the forest, and the leafy ground made it difficult to generate gravel. Forced to hunt with water magic, which was not her forte, Reina struggled to perform at her best. However, with Myrl's advice on compressing and speeding up the ice bullets, and adjusting the aiming position to a higher angle, she gradually improved.
Myrl realized that Reina didn't fully understand that larger ice bullets would be affected by gravity and require adjustments. Myrl taught her various things, and the effect of guiding her to visualize the phenomena automatically through additional spells was significant. Making the icicle spin was one of these techniques.
This allowed Reina's magic to be more effective in combat and hunting where fire magic couldn't be used.
Next to her, Pauline was practicing magic.
Pauline had decent magical power, but due to her personality or clumsiness, she was not good at attack magic that required a series of steps. Myrl wanted her to learn at least one attack spell for self-defense, but today was too early for that.
So, Myrl taught her a convenient spell.
"Water, gather to me! Water ball formation! Particles, dance like a boiling heart!"
The water ball appeared in response to the spell and gradually heated up to become hot water.
"Good job! This will make baths and cooking easier. It uses less magical power than embedding a Fireball into water, and you can make a small amount indoors, so it's useful for making tea and various tasks."
"Thank you, Myrl!"
"Not at all. I'll teach you more in the future!"
Myrl didn't teach the fundamental knowledge needed to use thought projection or nanomachines efficiently. Instead, she changed the spells and taught a little about physical and chemical changes to optimize and evolve each spell, being careful not to let them improve beyond what she had taught.
Despite this, their progress was remarkable, and Reina and Pauline were excitedly practicing.
"Um..."
Hearing a voice from behind, Myrl turned around to see Maevys with a sad expression.
"Um, is there something for me? Like a special move or something..."
"Hmm..."
Myrl thought about it for Maevys but couldn't come up with a good idea.
(Iaido isn't suitable for Western swords... Special moves from anime and games are out of the question. If she could use magic, I might think of something, but Maevys can't use magic at all...)
"Maybe some practice swings?"
"..."
Maevys put her hands on the ground, not to perform any technique.
"Um, I'll be your practice partner! I don't have any skills, but I'm confident in my speed and strength! Once you get used to my speed, you'll be able to read other people's attacks better!"
"Really?"
Maevys's voice was skeptical, and she was quite sulky.
"Really! Really! ...Probably"
Maevys finally cheered up at Myrl's response, which she whispered quietly.
The sun was setting, and it was almost time to return to the capital.
"We didn't earn much today, but it was a productive day! Thank you, Myrl!"
"Thank you, Myrl!"
"Hey, we're a team, right?"
"Am I part of the team? Don't forget!"
Maevys was still a bit sulky.
"Oh, right!"
Myrl suddenly remembered and spoke up.
"I don't want the guys to make fun of us for not having much game, so I'll get some more!"
She took a small stone from her pocket.
"Please be quiet for a moment..."
*Pshh!*
Myrl walked over and brought back a horn rabbit.
*Pshh!*
A large bird fell from a tree.
*Pshh!*
*Pchh!*
*Pshh!*
"You..."
Reina's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"What? I'm just using compressed air to launch the stone. It's just wind magic..."
Of course, she was only using her finger strength, not magic.
"Wait, that's not the point! How can you find game so easily!"
"...Instinct?"
Maevys and Pauline shrugged at Myrl's answer.
Their faces said it all: "It's pointless to question Myrl."
At the guild, Myrl and the others turned in the birds and horn rabbit they had collected, receiving 24 silver coins in front of the wide-eyed male students.
"Sorry, but it's really okay?"
"Yes, it's a party hunt!"
"You... Fine, I'll take it. I'll pay you back someday!"
"Looking forward to it!"
They each received 6 silver coins and left the guild, laughing, as the male students watched them enviously.
"Sure wish we could do that..."
Myrl continued to teach Reina and Pauline magic, making sure no one else knew and warning them not to tell anyone. They practiced only during rest days in the dorm room, where she taught them spells, magical effects, and physical and chemical knowledge.
Reina's fire magic became more powerful, and Pauline learned attack spells.
Myrl also taught Pauline about human anatomy, bones, organs, blood vessels, nerves, and cells to use healing and recovery magic more effectively.
Both improved rapidly, and they could hunt successfully without Myrl's help.
All was well...
"Maevys..."
Myrl had completely forgotten about Maevys.
Since training with Maevys wouldn't cause much trouble if seen, they practiced during lunch breaks, after dinner, and other free times on the grounds or in the indoor training area.
"I'll go at 1.2 times the speed of the fastest person in our class."
"What? If I gradually increase the speed, you'll get used to it.
I based it on a training method where ninjas plant hemp seeds and jump over them every day..."
"I don't know what ninjas are, but no way! No way!"
Since they couldn't afford to light lamps for long at night, they didn't light them much.
The lamp in their room was on their own dime.
However, they couldn't fall asleep so quickly, so they talked in bed before going to sleep.
They discussed training, other classmates, and gossip, but since the four of them always did the same things, they eventually ran out of topics.
Only Maevys talked freely about her family and past, sharing stories about her doting parents and her three overprotective brothers, who were extremely siscon, without realizing how abnormal they were.
*Ugh...*
The three of them probably knew more about Maevys's family than anyone else in the world, except for her family members themselves.
Despite not wanting to know so much.
To avoid listening to only Maevys, Myrl eventually joined in the conversation.
Myrl didn't talk about her family or herself but shared stories that could help with magic, and to avoid making Maevys sulky, she also told Earth's fairy tales, old stories, adventure tales, and anime and game stories, adapting them for this world.
...They were hooked.
Reina got into stories about powerful mages and magical girls.
Pauline was into rags-to-riches stories.
And Maevys was into hero and adventurer tales.
Myrl, who kept telling stories every night, didn't realize that the girls were suffering from a condition.
Yes, the condition that affects children around 13 years old.