.
.
"Quinn."
The teen looked up from the book she was reading. She had spent the entire morning helping clean up the mess hall (she had just received her schedule of the more mundane chores that were split up between the Knights), so she was now taking some time to relax. She was only mildly surprised to find none other than Cosmos standing next to her, a mild blush on his cheeks betraying his embarrassment about whatever he wanted to ask her next.
"What is it?"
"W- would you like to spar with me…?"
Surprised, she then grinned. "Sure."
His eyes widened in apparent shock at her simple answer, which made her laugh.
"I told you, didn't I? If you ask properly, there's no reason for me to refuse," she pointed out, putting her book away. She then jumped on her feet. "So, shall we?"
He quickly regained his composure. "Y- yes, let's go."
Quinn had quickly come to understand one thing about Cosmos: he wasn't a bad guy, far from it. He was simply conceited, and blinded by an arrogance taught to him since birth. Being constantly praised for no other reason than existing was bound to spoil anyone's character, but he wasn't irrecoverable, she had realized as much when he refused to claim the spoils of victory for himself during their trial. However, while she would happily help him grow as a Knight and as a person, she couldn't be the only one pushing—she needed him to pull his weight a bit, too. So, it was with obvious glee that Quinn took place on the training field: she had set some standards, and he ended up meeting them in less time than she expected.
"Oh, stop looking so smug," Cosmos scoffed, coming to stand a few meters before her. "You're acting as if you've already won. Don't underestimate me!"
"I'm just happy," she shrugged, unable to get rid of her grin. "You look like a quick learner, so this ought to be fun!"
Whether it was a jab at the pride he had swallowed when asking her to spar in a civil manner or an actual, genuine praise, Cosmos couldn't tell, and he'd rather not think too much on it.
"Prepare yourself!" he exclaimed, taking a stance.
Quinn's grin widened, and she spread her legs a bit, lowering her upper body. After a few seconds of tension, the boy suddenly whipped out his grimoire.
"Fire Magic: Cosmos's—ugh!"
One second he was glaring at Quinn, the next he was staring dumbly at the sky. In the blink of an eye, the girl had crossed the small distance separating them and thrown him over her shoulder, making him hit the ground rather harshly.
"W- what the hell was that!?" he snapped, struggling to get up. His back was now aching. "You didn't even let me cast a spell!"
"In a real fight, your opponent won't ever wait for you to cast a spell," she deadpanned, placing her hands over her hips. "Let's make things clear right now: while I do enjoy sparring, I don't spar or fight for fun. I spar in order to learn, in order to get stronger. I fight in order to uphold my duties, in order to protect our people, or in order to defend myself." Her smile then dropped, and her eyes hardened a little. "I haven't agreed to your request merely to entertain your ego: you and I both know I'm way out of your league, and I have no intention of wasting my time."
"Then why did you agree? Because you promised?" he spat, wiping some dirt from his face. "Stop looking down on me!"
She stared at him coolly, unimpressed by his outburst. "I'm not. The reason I've agreed to spar with you is simple: while I certainly won't gain much from it, you can. You will. In the end, don't look at this as a spar, but as a lesson: I've decided to train you!"
"… Train me?" Anger and confusion mingled in his voice. "Don't make me laugh! As if I had anything to learn from a—"
"How about you think over it twice before insulting the person who just threw you flat on your back in the span of a second?" she scoffed, and he instantly swallowed whatever insult he had been about to throw her way. "That's what I thought. Now, let me make myself clearer: I can help you get stronger—I want to, even! But that can't happen if you don't let me, if you don't also make some sort of effort." She then extended her hand to him. "I understand this goes against everything you've been taught, but look at it from another angle: you're merely using me in order to grow stronger so that, one day, you can finally crush me. How does that sound?"
"… Manageable," he grumbled, rising back to his feet while ignoring her extended hand. "Very well, I'll play along. But understand that, the moment I feel like you're wasting my time, I'll turn you to ashes!"
At that, amusement shone in her gaze. "Deal. Though, you might wanna get in line: you wouldn't be the first to threaten me with one type of death or the other."
"Why am I not surprised?" he instantly retorted with a snort.
"Well, I've decided to take it as a compliment," she shrugged, smiling again. "When people threaten me, it's more often than not because they see me as a threat in the first place, right?"
"No, you're just annoying," he replied flatly.
"Well, there's a little of that." She then grinned cheekily. "But how many people can claim they've annoyed someone enough to earn death threats, and yet are strong enough to still be alive despite that?" He rolled his eyes at that, making her laugh. "Alright, alright, enough messing around. Let's get to work already! Now, first of all: your spells."
"What about them?" he asked, a tad warily.
"The names suck," she instantly answered, earning an offended gasp. "It's true! Not only because they're totally unimaginative, but also because they're too long to say! I know for a fact that adding your name to it isn't in the original spell and, whatever you might think, it does not make them stronger—in the end, they're just harder to cast. You should work on keeping them short and to the point. The shorter the name is, the faster you'll be able to cast it. Simple, right?"
"I'll… work on it," he relented, gritting his teeth.
"Good! Also, we won't be sparring with any Magic until you've gotten hand-to-hand combat down," she added thoughtfully. "Your forms are awful and you couldn't even kill a fly with those weak punches of yours."
"Excuse me!?"
"You're forgiven," she nodded sagely. The boy seemed about to tear his hair out, clearly aggravated. "Anyhow, I don't know who taught you, but they're awful and you should probably ask for your money back. In the meantime, though, I'll teach you how to physically fight properly and how to channel mana in order to enhance your strength."
"What for?" he grunted, annoyed. "In a real fight, it would be completely useless! Everyone fights using Magic—"
"And that's exactly why you'll have the upper hand in your future fights," she retorted confidently. "Firstly, because of the element of surprise. As you've said, everyone fights using his or her grimoire. Who would expect anyone to fight without them? Plus, there will surely be some situations during which you won't have access to your grimoire—or maybe you simply won't be able to use your Magic. In such instances, hand-to-hand combat knowledge will surely come in handy."
"I find that hard to believe. What kind of place would stop a mage from using Magic?"
"Grand Magic Zones," she answered without hesitation. "My case is somewhat peculiar and can't be used as a generality but, looking at the bigger picture, Grand Magic Zones will affect each person differently. Imagine for a moment that you end up stuck in a water-based Grand Magic Zone, and you have to fight Diamond soldiers, for example. What're you going to do? Not only will your Magic be useless in such an environment, but the sheer quantity of mana will surely end up messing with your control, too."
"Alright, I get it, I get it," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So hand-to-hand combat knowledge isn't entirely useless. You said firstly earlier, though. What's secondly, then?"
At that, she smiled. "Good, you're actually paying attention! Well, secondly, physical training will help you gain stamina, which can make a serious difference when in an actual fight. It'll also help you sharpen your mana control, and it will expand your inner mana reserves, too."
"I… didn't know that." He looked like he had swallowed a bug when admitting his ignorance.
"Not many do. It's a form of knowledge that's been slowly fading from the minds because of the overuse of Magic," nodded Quinn. Since he had been strong enough to swallow his pride, she wasn't about to tease him about it, let alone deny him an honest answer. "As you've said earlier, Magic has become everything in modern times. We've become extremely dependent of it, to the point where magical power shapes our very society: wealth, political and financial influence, social status, etc. In fact, we've come to forget that Magic is but a tool, and not our very essence…" She trailed off, blinking a few times. Then, she shook her head and offered him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, I tend to ramble from time to time. Back to the main topic, though, we'll have to start from the very basics in order to help your body keep up with the training, and…"
As Quinn explained more thoroughly what she had in mind for their training, Cosmos found himself warming up little by little to the idea. While he loathed accepting the help of a commoner, he'd be foolish to deny her strength any longer. However, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity about her peculiar opinion on Magic and their society. He had always been taught that Magic was everything, but had never considered it as a dependence… and he couldn't help but feel like she very well might be right.
"—so that's pretty much it. Ready?"
Cosmos shook his head lightly. What was he even thinking? She was just a girl from the boonies—what could she possibly know of the importance of Magic?
"It's not like you'll accept no as an answer," he simply scoffed. "So yes, I'm ready."
She laughed at that. "See? I knew you were a quick learner! Now, let's start with your initial stance—"
"W- what? When you said we'd begin with the basics, I didn't think you meant it literally!"
"If I managed to knock you off your feet in less than a second, then your stance obviously needs some serious work. Now, chop, chop! We've only got about five hours left before the sun starts setting, so let's not waste any more daylight!"
"You- you want to train for five hours straight? Are you out of your mind!?" he gasped, startled.
She lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I often trained from sunup to sundown back in my village, and so did my brothers. Are you saying a noble can't keep up with some mere peons?"
She was taunting him, he knew she was, but he also knew she wasn't lying. For some reason, he could tell that, no matter how annoying she could be, Quinn wasn't the type to lie. It was both a blessing and a pain, but he couldn't deny it was a tad refreshing.
"Who are you taking me for? As if I, Cosmos Bonapar, couldn't keep up! Don't take me so lightly!" he snapped back, taking the bait.
"Yosh, that's the spirit! Now, let's get started!"
.
.
"Hey, have any of you seen Quinn or Cosmos around?"
The older Knights exchanged glances at Sirius's question, neither of them having noticed the absence of their two rookies until now.
"I heard Cosmos managed to convince her to spar with him at last," then answered Daphne, not looking up from the report she was writing. "They're probably on the training ground still."
"That is, if Quinn hasn't killed him yet," snorted Debra.
"Wow, the trust you have in me is simply astounding."
"Quinn!"
"Yo~!"
The girl entered the room with a cheerful wave. A moment later, Cosmos also walked in, though he looked about ready to collapse on the spot. Exhaustion had completely wiped off the arrogance usually expressed by his face, his limbs were hanging limply, and dirt was smudge all over his uniform. He even had a cut on his lower lip!
"Oi, oi, oi, was that a spar or a beat-down?" sweatdropped Randall.
"Training lesson!" answered cheerfully the girl, going to sit beside Astel. "It was really fun! Right, Cosmos?"
"I'm going to die…" he breathed out, collapsing on the nearest couch. "She's going to kill me…"
"Maa, maa! You're already doing much better than when we started!" she laughed, shrugging off his worries.
Astel shoved a paper her way, on which was drawn a clock and a question mark.
"When we started? I'd say… three hours ago?"
At that, Cosmos somehow managed to gather the strength to glare. "Six. It was six hours ago."
"Really? Then, we'll start even earlier next time around, so we can round it up to ten hours!"
"Ugh…"
.
.
The next day, sometime after lunch, Quinn was most fortunate to run into her Captain. He was apparently heading out, and she couldn't help but wonder what had him in such a hurry. Before she could even ask, though, the man walked right up to her.
"Quinn, are you done with your duties for the day?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded, curious. "Do you need me for something?"
"I've heard that you are acquainted with the Captain of the Black Bulls, and I am headed to their headquarters. Do you wish to accompany me?"
She perked up at that. "I'd love to! Though, I've gotta warn you: Yami-san might try to kill me once or twice. We've got a rather weird relationship."
At that, though, he smirked. "So I've heard."
She paused at that, staring at him for a moment, before her eyes widened in understanding. "You're planning on using me as a scapegoat? Ooh, that's clever." She started walking again, now amused. "Well, whatever bad news you're planning on delivering, he'll certainly consider them tame when compared to the walking annoyance he sees me as. Well played, Fuego-danchou. Well played indeed."
This seemed to amuse him. "Yet you're still coming with me."
"Well, while I can't deny annoying Yami-san is fun, I actually have some business with the Black Bulls myself," she admitted.
"Your brother?"
"His new friend, actually. I promised I'd help her train her mana control, and now's a good time as any. That is, if you don't mind me running off on my own…?"
"I have no issue with you keeping your promise." Suddenly, a fire lightened his eyes. "As a Magic Knight, you should always keep your word!"
"R- right…" He can be so randomly intense! Though, I can't say I dislike it. "Anyhow, I've been to the Black Bulls' headquarters once, so I can take us there with my Magic."
At that, he glanced at her grimoire. "A new weapon?"
"Thanks to Warrick-san," she nodded in confirmation. Her Spatial Knife appeared in her hands. "I can now use a form of Spatial Magic, which allows me to travel to places I've been to before."
"Can you gain a weapon for every single type of Magic?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I can't. I've tried with Illusionary Magic once, for example, and it didn't work," she explained. "I can only form some hypothesizes since I'm the only mana manipulator that I know of, but I think it's because my weapons allow me to channel and enhance natural mana. However, Illusionary Magic is already an enhanced type of Water Magic, so to speak, so I'm guessing that's why it didn't work." She then shrugged. "In the end, I can't really be sure, so I simply have to work with it through trials and errors."
"I see. Well, I must admit, I am curious to see this new weapon of yours. Shall we?"
Nodding, she used her Spatial Knife to cut open a portal. Both stepping through it, they found themselves right outside of the Black Bulls' headquarters. Quinn couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight. While it simply couldn't compare to the luxury of the Crimson Lion Kings' headquarters, it reminded her of home. Plus, it was rather nostalgic, considering the last time she came here was many, many years ago—
"QUIIIIIN!"
She lifted her fist without hesitation, and Asta's face slammed right into it. He instantly collapsed to the ground, groaning loudly. After a few seconds, he sat-up, teary-eyed and harboring a bleeding nose.
"Q- Quinn, why did you do- do that…?" he choked out.
"As if I was going to let you tackle me!" she retorted, whacking him over the head. "You're obviously in the middle of training, meaning you're dirty and you smell like shit! Plus, at the speed you were going, you'd have given me a fricking concussion!"
"Ugh…"
"Gah, Asta!" A young man with purple-tinted glasses and piercings all over his face suddenly showed up. "Please don't die! Argh, you monster! You killed him!"
"If so little could kill him, I'd be ashamed to call him my brother," she deadpanned.
The boy paused at that, properly looking at her for the first time. "Your what now?"
"I'm Quinn, this idiot's sister." She extended her hand to him with a grin. "Nice to meet you."
"Ma- Magna Swing…" he answered in kind, obviously taken aback.
"If you're quite done with the side-show…?" suddenly drawled Fuegoleon.
"Oh, right!" Both boys paled when finally noticing the tall man standing just behind Quinn. "Guys, I'll come out and play later. For now, we've got to see Yami-san." With a wave, she started heading for the door. "I know the way, so no need to show us. Later!"
It's only once the purple-haired girl and the Captain disappeared inside the crabby headquarters that Magna snapped out of his shock and grabbed Asta by his collar, before shaking him roughly.
"You never told me your sister was such a babe!"
That snapped Asta back to reality, and he instantly grabbed Magna's shirt. "Aa? Don't you try anything with my sister! She's way out of your league!"
"ASTAAA!"
"MAGNAAA!"
Upon hearing the loud yelling outside, Quinn sweatdropped. What could they possibly be fighting about, right now? She however soon forgot about it when her instincts suddenly flared up, sensing a new threat. Stepping aside, she barely avoided the katana coming from behind her. Had she not moved to the right at that very moment, she would have been stabbed right through the head.
"Mou, is that how you greet every old friend who crosses your doorstep, Yami-san?" she pouted, turning around to face the moody Captain. "I'm starting to believe you're actually trying to kill me."
"I am," he deadpanned. "You just refuse to die."
"Well, obviously. How could anyone else possibly survive without my wonderful self around?"
He grunted, sheathing back his blade. He had long since learned not to answer to all of her taunts else he'd never hear the end of her. So, grabbing a bottle of alcohol on the nearest table, he then went to sit on the dusty couch in the back, facing both of the Lions.
"So? What could possibly bring Captain Hot-Pants and his annoying pet?" he huffed. "I doubt you'd visit this crabby place just for the hell of it."
Quinn raised her hand. "I would."
"You drop by just for fun and I'll have your head on a spike," he warned flatly.
"Noted~."
Refraining the urge to roll his eyes at the childish banter, Fuegoleon pulled out a small, pristine envelop from his cloak, before handing it over to his fellow Captain. Yami raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, but took it nonetheless.
"What's that? You become a messenger or somethin'?"
"It's a mission from the Wizard King, but also a personal matter, so I simply saw fit to deliver it to you in person," replied calmly the orange-haired man.
Taking a swing of alcohol, Yami read the few lines that were written on the letter… and instantly spat out everything he had just swallowed. Coughing a few times, he then glared at Fuegoleon.
"No."
"It's an official request. You can't refuse."
"Yet that's exactly what I'm doing: no."
Fuegoleon sighed. "I thought you would say that. This is why…" He suddenly grabbed Quinn and pushed her before him, holding her in place. "If you don't do it, I'm leaving Quinn here. She has official permission to do whatever she wants, and you are strictly forbidden from maiming or killing her—an official order from the Wizard King himself."
"Meaning I can annoy him as much as I want without having to fear any form of retaliation?" gasped Quinn with stars in her eyes.
"Yes."
"Sweet!"
"That's just dirty," grunted Yami. "But there's no way I'm doing it. Find someone else and leave the pipsqueak here for all I care. She can't possibly be more annoying to deal with than—" He suddenly paused when seeing Quinn's eyes, which were shining ominously. She obviously had much in store, planning his sanity's demise with all-too-obvious obvious glee—"You know what? Nevermind, I'll do it. Just take the hellion back with you."
Quinn deflated at that. "Aww…"
Fuegoleon nodded, pleased. "Very well. Thank you."
"Don't thank me, Hot-Pants! You blackmailed me into it!"
"If you say so."
"Ugh, just get outta here."
With a cheerful wave, which ended with her almost losing her hand thanks to the knife Yami had suddenly thrown at her, Quinn then headed back outside with her Captain. She couldn't deny she had been rather surprised by his plan. While she knew he was a bright man, she never thought he'd resort to such underhanded tactics in order to get what he wanted. He had perfectly analyzed her relationship with Yami and had made a gamble, which turned out to be a success. But anyway, once outside, when she opened her portal, Fuegoleon looked at her.
"You said you had business to take care of with one of the Bulls, didn't you? Then go ahead," he urged. "You have to be back to the headquarters before nightfall, however. Otherwise, the gates will be closed and the magic barrier erected to protect us from nightly assaults will stop you from entering, and it will not be taken down until the first lights of tomorrow morning."
"We have that?" blinked Quinn, honestly surprised. "I never even noticed…" Though that explains better why I've managed to get better visions during the night. The increase of ambient mana helped the flow grow denser. "Well, alright. I'll see you later then, Fuego-danchou."
"Just don't get killed."
And on this lovely warning/advice, the Captain left. Once the portal closed behind him, Quinn then reported her attention on the headquarters ahead. Focusing, she could sense mana running through the entire mismatched castle, which explained how the rooms kept on moving on their own and how the building itself modified its structure almost twice a day. She had never been able to find the source of it all before but, now, she could feel it in one of the rooms at the very top, isolated from the rest of the group of Knights. While curious, though, this wasn't what she was here for. So, keeping her focus, she started searching the entire base in order to find who she was looking for.
Asta and Magna were still fighting on the other side of the headquarters. There was also a third party who could use Lightning Magic, and who was obviously much stronger than both of them. If she remembered correctly, the one named Vanessa was currently passed out in her bedroom and, from the sluggish feel of her mana, she was completely drunk. Two smaller sources of mana came from inside, just where Yami was, and she wondered just how exactly she had failed to notice them sooner. Had they been in the hall the whole time? Finally, though, she found Noelle's mana heading out to stop the fight, which was starting to get out of hand. A user of Spatial Magic, which she more easily recognized now that she could more or less use it herself, also accompanied her. So, taking her time, Quinn also started heading in that direction.
So there are currently nine members present, including Yami-san, she mused internally. I'm guessing there's one or two other, probably away on missions, but it still isn't much when compared to my squad. It's much rowdier here, too—not many of noble blood, obviously. Though, I can't deny that, had Asta joined another squad, and had Fuego-danchou not raised his hand, I would have probably chosen to join the Bulls instead.
"Oh, Quinn!" Asta was the first to notice her walking up to them, and instantly abandoned the brawl. "What'd you want with the Captain, say?"
"I was used as a scapegoat and as blackmailing material to force your Captain to accept a mission request from my Captain," she deadpanned.
"You were what now?"
"Anyway, who're you friends?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. Asta's mind wasn't the sharpest and, if he tried to think too much, it'd probably fry his brain. "I know two of them, but…"
"Oh! You're the girl Yami-san threatened at the Entrance Exam!" suddenly recalled the older man, walking up to her. He grabbed her hand and placed a light kiss on her knuckles, offering her a charming smile. "Such a sight of strength and beauty truly melts my heart—ugh!"
He stumbled back, holding his head while cringing in pain.
"She's way too young for you!" snapped Noelle, lowering the fist she had hit him with.
"So- sorry…"
"That's Finral," introduced Asta. "He's kinda weird and a real flirt, but you get used to him. He's really nice and has super awesome magic, too!"
"Oh, right. Spatial Magic, right?" She offered a smile at the one named Finral. "I'm kind of a user myself. It's pretty neat Magic, isn't it?"
He blinked a few times, surprised. "R- right…"
"Yosh! And over there's Luck! He's—uh?" Confused, Asta looked around. The other boy he had been fighting with earlier was no longer in sight. "Where's Luck?"
Although he had vanished from sight, Quinn easily kept a read on his mana. So, contrarily to the others, she didn't startle when he suddenly appeared behind her and swung an electrified kick right at her head. Covering her whole arm using her mana-skin, she grabbed his foot just barely before it made contact with her head and, without hesitating, she threw him into the wall beside her. It dented, cracked, then collapsed as the boy's body passed through as if the wall had been made of glass. A loud rumbling followed as he crashed inside.
"Oops." Quinn looked down at her hand, surprised. "I didn't mean to throw him that hard. There's something in this place that drains my mana more quickly, for some reason, so I countered by using much more than I usually do…" She trailed off when noticing how the others stared at her in silent shock. "Err, sorry about the base. I didn't mean to destroy it."
"WHAT ABOUT LUCK!?" instantly yelled back Asta and Magna.
"Him? He's fine, don't worry, don't worry~!" she laughed.
"How can you even—Luck!" Magna rushed past her when the boy in question stumbled out of the rubbles. "Are you okay? Are you—"
"Ah! That was fun!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He walked up to Quinn with a skip in his step. "You're really strong, uh? I could already tell when you showed up, but it's still really amazing! Ne, ne, let's fight! A real fight this time!"
While the others slumped in both relief and exasperation—they really should have seen this coming—Quinn simply laughed again.
"I'd love to, I really do, but I'm afraid our fight will have to wait." Without warning, she linked her arm with Noelle. "For now, let's go out for some girls' time. Later~!"
A knife suddenly appeared in her free hand as her grimoire glowed and, a second later, a large portal was cut open. Ignoring Noelle's startled protests, Quinn jumped through, dragging her along. When the portal closed, all of those present could still hear the girl's cheerful laughter.
"… Did she just kidnap Noelle?" blinked Finral, unsure of what had just happened.
"Oh, right! She told Noelle she'd help her out with her mana control!" suddenly recalled Asta. "But don't worry guys, Quinn's really nice! She'll definitely help her out, and Noelle should be fine. I think."
"You think!?" Magna echoed, a tad overwhelmed. "Man, your sister is one crazy chick. No wonder she made it with the Lions!"
"Yeah, she's a bit quirky, but she's a really nice person," insisted Asta, grinning a bit. "What she does might look insane some times, but she's really just trying to help people—"
"YOU DAMN BRATS! STOP DESTROYING OUR HEADQUARTERS!"
They all gulped slightly at Yami's enraged yell, and Asta facepalmed: count on Quinn to get him and his friends in trouble the first time she drops by for a visit, really.
"Where- where are we?"
Quinn grinned as the portal closed behind her. "The desert."
"The what!?"
"You use Water Magic, correct?" remarked the purple-haired girl. At Noelle's wary nod, her grin widened. "Then this is the perfect place for you to train."
"Are you blind? There's no water in the desert!" she protested. "How is it perfect?"
"It's exactly because there's no water that it's perfect," retorted Quinn, completely unfazed by the girl's outburst. "For any mage, it's always easier to use their magical affinity when in a favorable environment. A user of Water Magic will have an easier time casting spells near the sea, for example, while a user of Earth Magic will have a harder time when flying. Of course, you can still use your Magic, but the lesser ambient mana that synchronizes with your Magic, the faster you'll exhaust your inner mana reserves."
At first startled by the explanation, Noelle quickly caught on. "You're saying that, unconsciously, I would use the ambient mana in order to power my spells, along with my inner mana?"
"Exactly! However, in the desert, there's no ambient mana directly linked with water. There's sand everywhere and the air is dry—meaning you'll be forced to use your inner mana. Now, while it'll be very exhausting for you, it'll however be easier for you to control your spells."
"How come?"
"Because, as said before, you unconsciously use ambient mana to power your spells, just like any mage would do. However, your case is different: you already have too much power. So, you're basically just adding to it, which makes it harder to control your Magic."
"But now that there's no ambient mana to be added to my spells, I'll only be using my actual power," she realized, her eyes widening a bit. "It… makes sense. How did you learn all of this?"
"Trial and error, observation, analysis…" Quinn shrugged. "As a mana manipulator, I had to figure everything out on my own. Frankly, nothing I say has been actually proven, they're just very likely theories I came up with."
"But I'm sure that, if you were to conduct an official research, many nobles would happily fund you," pointed out Noelle, perking up a bit. "And if the research is a success, you'll surely earn a lot of money, maybe even a noble title, and—"
"Ah! I don't need any of that, Noelle," laughed Quinn, cutting her off. "My salary as a Magic Knight is already more than enough, and what good would a noble title be for me? Plus, in the end, everything I just said is something pretty much anyone could have figured out if they thought on it for a bit. It's nothing extraordinary, really."
"I- I guess…"
Quinn placed a hand on her shoulder with a small smile. "I know you're trying to return the favor by helping me out, and I appreciate it, but there's no need. I'm just happy to help you, alright?"
Surprised, Noelle then offered a small, but genuine smile. "Alright. Then, let's get started!"
"Yosh, that's the spirit!" Backing away a little, Quinn then grinned again. "And don't worry about losing control, alright? I also chose this location because there's nothing to destroy and no one who can get hurt, so go all out!"
"Right!"
Quinn's theory turned out to be right: now in an environment where ambient mana couldn't affect her spells, Noelle's Magic was much easier to control. Of course, it took a lot out of her, and she had to take many breaks in order to gain back some energy, but it was worth it. While she was well aware that controlling her Magic once she returned to a more usual environment would again be much harder, Quinn assured her that she wouldn't easily forget the feeling of control and the unconscious reflexes she had gained during their little training session. While she'd certainly need to work on it every day, she now possessed the basics of control and could actually aim her Water Spheres properly.
"Why is it harder to control my Water Spheres than my Shield?" she had asked at some point.
"For three reasons: one, the Shield is a much more advanced spell that requires a larger quantity of mana in order to be casted properly, and it's also a non-moving spell. So, you don't have to worry about control as much, since you can pump as much Magic as you want in it, and it'll only grow stronger. The third reason is that, contrarily to the Shield, the Spheres are smaller and require more control, because you have to actually aim and, if you use too much power like you're used to, it'll simply send them crashing anywhere but where you want them to," Quinn had explained. "If you keep up with the meditation, though, you'll learn to restrain your power, and it shouldn't be a problem anymore."
Noelle had to admit that being kidnapped and then trained by a somewhat crazy peasant girl was not how she had planned her day to go. However, she couldn't deny that Quinn was kind of like a mad genius. Her hard-earned knowledge of mana had greatly helped her, and she had made more progress in a single afternoon than in a full decade. Contrarily to the many teachers she had had to endure in the past, Quinn was patient and actually knew what she was talking about—she genuinely wanted to help her grow stronger, while her former teachers only wanted to either leech off on the Silva's fortune, or try to make it so she wouldn't be too much of a shame for the royal family. They always saw her as a failure, as a good-for-nothing, as a useless girl who would never be able to live up to their prestigious name… but Quinn simply saw her as Noelle, as a girl who just needed a little nudge in order to reach her full potential.
"Quinn… thank you." The portal closed behind them, the Black Bulls' headquarters just before them. "You wasted a lot of time in order to try and help me, and I—"
"Wasted time?" echoed Quinn, confused. "I told you I'd help you out when we met in Kikka. Plus, I had fun! I've never had a girl friend my age before, so I really had a great time!"
"F- friend…?"
"Well, yeah! You're Asta's friend, so that makes you my friend as well!" beamed the Lion. She then grabbed her hands. "Now, I don't know when I'll be able to come back but, when I do, we'll have a spar, alright Noe-chan? I can't wait to see how much stronger you'll grow!"
"R- right!"
With a cheerful wave, Quinn then cut open another spatial door, before leaving. Noelle stood there for a while, dumbstruck. She never had a female friend before, and she never even considered that this might be how Quinn felt about their relationship.
Friend, uh…? Maybe—
"OIIIII! NOELLEEEEE!" Asta suddenly came running at her. "Where'd you go!? Where's Quinn?"
"Shut up, bakasta! You're giving me a headache!" snapped the royal, hitting him over the head.
"Ow…"
.
.
Fire. Fire everywhere.
"HELP US!"
::
Choking on air, Quinn abruptly sat up in her bed, covered in sweat. Panting, it took her a few seconds to chase away the vision. It had been so vivid, she could still see the flames licking the flames, she could still feel the heat melting away her skin, she could still smell—
"Now," she gasped out, eyes widening in fear. "It's- it's happening now!"
She knew that place, knew those people, she knew, she knew, she knew—
"Spatial Manipulation: Spatial Knife!"
Cutting open a door, she wasted no time in jumping through. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she almost stumbled straight into the gigantic fire that had appeared just before her. Taking a few seconds to get back her bearings, she then quickly looked around. Many people were running around in a panic, carrying buckets of water or casting spells in the hope to take out the fire. Through the panicked screams, though, she easily caught the worst.
"There are still people inside!"
Quinn didn't hesitate. Ignoring the startled cries that followed, she dashed right into the fire, creating a mana skin in hopes it'd ward off the flames enough for her to get through. It barely took her a few seconds to force her way inside, hoping she wasn't too late.
"JEMIMAAAA!" she called, coughing a little when smoke invaded her lungs. "ALANIII!"
She looked around, but she could barely see anything. Fire, fire everywhere—
"HELP US!"
"I'M COMING!"
She finally managed to pinpoint the two weak sources of human mana, just in the next room. However, the entrance was completely blocked by numerous fallen planks of wood. If Quinn tried to destroy them, it'd surely bring down the entire house on their heads. On the other side, she could still see the seamstress and her sister huddled in the furthest corner, hopelessly trying to ward off the growing flames.
Damn it! I'll need to take out the fire itself at once!
"Fire Manipulation: Fire Sword!"
As she felt the familiar weight of the mana weapon in her hands, she hesitated. She had never tried using her sword on a natural fire that wasn't powered by someone's mana, even less to discard it. She couldn't just keep the fire in the sword, she'd need to get rid of it, but she was in the middle of the city with dozens of civilians outside but there wasn't any time—
::
"If you panic, it's game over—for you and for your comrades. You need to always keep a clear head if you ever wish to be able to protect anyone."
"Tche, easier said than done."
"You'll learn through experience."
"You mean if I actually survive from said experience."
"I never said it'd be easy. You're the one who signed up for the garrisons, XXXXX."
"Well, obviously. Who else would look out for your sorry ass?"
"Oi, I'm still your superior. Show some respect."
"Oh, right, my bad: who else would look out for your sorry ass, LXXX-XANXXXU?"
::
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Act fast!
She suddenly ran outside without another look back, ignoring the pleas for help of Jemima and Alani. On the way, though, she started gathering her mana. As soon as she burst outside, she used her sword's ability and started summoning the flames.
"Everyone, get to cover!" she yelled to the nearby civilians who had been trying to help out. "I can't guarantee your safety if you stay out in the open!" Their eyes widened, but none of them moved. Sensing their distress, she offered them a confident grin. "Don't worry, I'm a Magic Knight! I'll handle this!"
Her words acted like a charm, and the civilians instantly took off, trusting her to take care of everything. Gritting her teeth, she then reported her attention on the task ahead. Gathering the flames was becoming harder with each passing second, but she wouldn't stop until it was completely put out. It took her about another thirty-seconds or so before the flames completely stopped devouring the house, and she instantly pointed her sword upward, before firing away everything her weapon had just absorbed.
A gigantic ball of fire flew high above the city, and she wasted no time in summoning her Spatial Knife and opening a portal under her feet. She slipped through, and started falling as she passed through another portal that had appeared in the sky, just above the massive fireball. With a yell, she summoned her sword once again and, without hesitation, sliced through all of it. The attack instantly dispersed what was left of the fire, leaving only the heavy scent of smoke and the singing remains of the house below.
Quinn managed to land back on her feet, though it did create a rather deep crater into the street, but she didn't care at the moment. She quickly rushed back inside and wasted no time in finding another way into the room where she had left the others earlier.
"Jemima, Alani, are you alright?" she exclaimed, bursting inside. She heaved out a sigh of relief when the both of them looked up at her. "Thank the stars…"
"Q- Quinn…" The seamstress was shaking badly, tears gathering in her eyes. "You- you saved me… again…"
"What happened?" she asked, kneeling beside them. When noticing the heavy burns on their arms, though, she shook her head. "Nevermind, you'll tell me later. For now, let's get those nasty burns treated. Can you walk?"
Jemima nodded, and Quinn carefully picked up the sobbing child. After what, she cut open yet another portal, this time leading to Kiba. She appeared right in the middle of Chenoa's house, and the old woman almost had a heart attack when seeing them appear like that.
"Good God, what happened?" she gasped out.
"Can you please help them settle in for the night?" asked urgently Quinn, putting Alani down on the small cot. "I'll be right back with some medicinal supplies, just hang in there."
Not giving them any time to reply, she traveled back to the Lions' headquarters in a flash, appearing in the infirmary. Considering the large number of Fire Magic users that constituted their ranks, they had more than enough supplies to properly treat burns of any kind. Quickly grabbing whatever she could get her hands on, Quinn then traveled back one more time to Kiba.
"Alright, there should be enough in there to treat you two," she announced, allowing herself to breathe a little at last. "Chenoa, can you take care of the little one? I'll handle Jemima."
"Of course, right away."
While Quinn started gently putting a special ointment on the few burns the seamstress harbored, said woman kept silent. The Knight didn't prod, easily understanding that she was still under shock, and she didn't say a word either. It's only once all of her injuries were bandaged that Quinn decided it was time to clear things up a bit.
"So?" She sat down before Jemima, serious. "What happened?"
"Count Ido happened," the woman hissed, now glaring at her burns. "Even arrested, this pig can't take a hint."
"He sent someone to do this?" paled Quinn.
"Aa. I saw the masked man putting fire to the shop but, when he noticed me, he said: 'That'll teach you to mess with nobles' and, afterward, he knocked me out before running off. By the time I woke up, we… it was…"
"On fire," completed Quinn, now frowning. "Damn, I was expecting some kind of retaliation, but certainly not this." Rising to her feet, she glanced at the now sleeping child just further away, before reporting her attention on Jemima. "I'll handle this. For now, do you mind staying here? Everyone in the village is very nice, and we're far enough from Kikka, so you'll be safe."
"I'd like to play it humble and reply that I don't want to impose, but…" Cringing a bit, Jemima bowed to Chenoa. "Sorry, but do you mind if we stay here for the night?"
"Of course not, child. Here, lay down, and I'll go grab you some blankets," gently replied the old village chief. "You can stay for as long as you need, there's no need to worry."
"Thank you."
"Alright, I'm off," announced Quinn, opening a new portal. "There's some serious damage control to do, but trust me: he won't get away with this."
Jemima simply nodded. "Thank you. Again."
"No worries. I'll drop by tomorrow to give you an update. Later!"
With a wave, Quinn then walked through her portal, reappearing before the burnt down house and shop. She glared at the fuming remains for a moment, before glancing around. Many civilians were out and about again, gawking at the sight.
"What happened?"
"Is someone hurt?"
"Quick, call for the Knights!"
Quinn narrowed her eyes, examining the crowd. Surely, whoever was the man who started the fire, his mission was to kill Jemima and her sister while making it look like an accident. The only way for him to ensure his mission was accomplished was to stick around, though. So, quickly scanning all of the faces around her, it took her under a minute to find a rather suspicious personage, standing just near the shadows of the neighboring street. If the look of sickening satisfaction on his face and the crest of the Ido House adorning his coat were anything to go by, she'd say he was the one responsible. So, wasting no time, she used mana to enhance her speed and appeared behind him in a flash. He let out a startled yelp when she grabbed his shoulder, and he paled when seeing her thunderous expression.
"I think it's time for us to have a little chat, sir," she growled, her grip tightening. "And trust me: you'll hate every single second of it."
Before he could reply, she was already dragging him away through a new portal.
.
.
When Quinn finally returned to the Lions' den, the first rays of the morning sun were already reaching out to the estate. Tired beyond belief, the young girl dragged her feet through one last portal, and promptly collapsed on her bed. She knew she'd get hell for sleeping in, but she had stayed up all night rushing from one side of the kingdom to the other, so she honestly just didn't care right now. When she was going to wake up again, there would still be many matters to handle, which would require all of her energy. So, for now, she'd get some much-deserved sleep.