"This is too hard! There's no way I could ever defend against that, no matter how I think about it!"
Übel, who struggled with Defensive Magic, nearly wailed, her voice echoing across the whole Demon Special Zone.
At that moment, Qual had just finished the morning "training session" and was heading back with Übel and Yuna, who'd been supervising.
Watching Übel grumble at Yuna, Jane suddenly found herself missing her "mother," who hadn't been back in so long.
"I can run faster than Killing Magic, but I still can't block it. I can even cut through materials so tough that Killing Magic can't destroy in time, but I can't cut through Defensive Magic."
Qual stroked his beard, shaking his head. He couldn't fathom what was going on inside this human's skull — he almost wanted to crack it open and take a look.
He quickly suppressed the wicked thought.
"Übel, imagination is an important part of magic. You've already learned the formulas and structures of Mana. Trust yourself — you can do this."
Yuna patted Übel's head, comforting her patiently.
"But if I get hit, I'll definitely die, right? If my Defensive Magic fails..."
Whether it was from Qual's intense training these past days or not, Übel seemed to have developed a trauma toward Killing Magic — even toward Ordinary Offensive Magic.
"At the very least, her body reinforcement and Flight Magic already far surpass those of an average Demon, or even your human Mages. For a human still in her teens, that's already quite an achievement."
"I didn't expect Lord Qual to be capable of encouraging people."
"This old one merely learned it from you."
Qual pointed at Yuna herself.
"Still, I think Übel needs to learn magic to protect herself. There are plenty of dangers out in the world, after all."
Yuna was, surprisingly, being a bit of a worrywart.
Qual had already noticed as much.
Yuna's fighting style had been forged on the battlefield — versatile, equally capable of attack and defense, like a spear that doubled as a shield. Übel, by contrast, was a lopsided student from the academy, a sharp blade that broke too easily.
"Honestly, isn't there something wrong with Lord Qual's teaching methods? Isn't the intensity a bit much? How could you use a child as a target?"
"This old one knows what he's doing. According to my research, the more desperate the situation, the more talent it draws out. This kind of training also happens to improve her physical fitness. Besides, didn't you also fail to teach her Defensive Magic?"
Qual recalled how Yuna had tried throwing stuffed dolls at Übel to teach her Defensive Magic, only for Übel to get pelted by dolls all day long. Worse still, the girl had developed a subconscious habit of just dodging instead.
"Why not train up her Mana capacity first?"
Just as both the human and the Demon found themselves a bit embarrassed, Jane suddenly spoke up.
Magical cultivation wasn't as simple as merely using magic.
Human Mages in particular needed to constantly maintain a calm state to harmonize their Mana and increase the amount held within their bodies.
Because the Demon Race had a natural affinity for Mana, they could harmonize their own Mana even while using magic, and their Mana capacity would grow automatically as they aged.
"But no matter how high her Mana capacity, if she's caught off guard, even someone with far less Mana than her could take her down easily. Defensive Magic is essential."
Yuna insisted that Übel learn Defensive Magic first.
"This old one thinks that perhaps, once she has enough Mana capacity, she'll gain the confidence to pull off Defensive Magic after all."
Qual offered a different opinion.
A Great Demon like himself was able to cast magic without the slightest hesitation precisely because of his absolute confidence in his own Mana capacity — and that subconscious confidence in one's imagination could strengthen a spell's power.
"But..."
Yuna thought it over carefully; it did seem to make some sense.
"Actually, I know a way to quickly boost a human's Mana capacity."
"Oh? What method is that?"
Qual perked up at the mention of a shortcut beyond the usual slow accumulation of training.
"That would be drinking my blood. My blood contains Mana that the human body can absorb. A long time ago, my fa— the human Mage who took me in ran experiments to verify it."
Jane unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, her palm brushing lightly over her heart, as though longing for something.
"Won't there be some kind of addictive side effect?"
Yuna recalled the poison incident from decades ago. Because of her immortality magic, Jane's blood was very special — and also a double-edged sword.
"No, there won't. I still remember how to prepare it. I'd need to find some materials from a thousand years ago — I just don't know if they still exist now."
Jane shook her head slightly, her white hair swaying back and forth.
"Interesting. So it would be something called a magic potion, then. Would your potion have any effect on someone like this old one?"
Qual split open his terrifying maw, brimming with curiosity and greed. From beginning to end, his study of magic had always been driven by a hunger for power — one that never felt like enough.
"This potion works poorly on Demons. On Demons of the same rank, it's nearly useless — it might even trigger a rejection reaction."
"What a shame."
Qual tapped his black staff.
"I'd rather rely on my own effort."
Watching the three of them scheme on her behalf, Übel felt a warmth well up inside her. She rose from her tree-stump seat and bowed deeply to her teachers. "Th-thank you, everyone!" the girl said, her voice thick with embarrassment.
"Oh my, Übel..."
Yuna never expected that the usually mischievous Übel would thank them so suddenly and sincerely.
It gave her the strange illusion of wondering, is that really Übel?
Yuna reached out and pulled Übel into a hug, smiling as she stroked her head. "Little Übel's really grown up~"
"Master... I'm not a little kid anymore!"
The shy, obedient look from a moment ago vanished as Übel tried to wriggle free from Yuna's arms.
Just then, Jane, Qual, and Yuna all froze at once, as if struck by lightning.
"Seems like the Defensive Magic lesson will have to wait."
Qual grinned, but before he could say more, Yuna gave Übel a quick word, then shot straight up into the sky with her staff, Jane close behind her.
"Want to come along to greet them?"
Seeing Übel nod firmly, Qual hoisted her onto his shoulder and took to the air as well.
Outside Gaderia, five figures had already descended from the sky.
"A human city?"
Wenbei, the blindfolded female Demon, rested her hand on her tachi in confusion, as if ready to spring into action at any moment.
Deneb, the young Demon boy, simply stared at the towering walls, his expression unchanged.
"Gaderia..."
Complicated feelings ran through Solitär's voice. The place she once wanted to destroy might, in the future, become her home.
"How strange... Have I been here before?"
Hafleet scratched his head, an itch nagging at him, but nothing came to mind.
Before the group could even reach the city gates, a figure brimming with immense Mana came tearing through the sky toward them.
"Lady Nanoda!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Nanoda gave a light wave upward.
"I'm back."
____
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