Caster was now enjoying his hot drink in the Villa garden, staring straight ahead at where the object that caught his eye was.
The place where Riveria was training seriously with the gemstone was in front of her. The elf girl's eyes blazed with enthusiasm to learn the knowledge the spirit had bestowed on her.
How many weeks had passed since they had first met? Caster kept imagining why she had always followed him, staring at him with a beaming gaze.
A phrase that even Caster himself wanted to know to find the answer to. Interesting indeed. He remembered where he saved her and took her under his wing.
Time and again, he saw his students fail and get hurt, but she kept getting up to try again and again, ignoring all the pain and fatigue that continued to occur in her body.
The spirit's neutral eyes watched each elf princess' magic flow carefully. The interest continued to force the man to stare at all the magic circuits in her body. He watched every flow of magic, energy, and even the precision of Riveria's magic.
The elf girl's skill in managing her magic was enough to make novice mages pack their talents and study other kinds of study. It would be a shame to compare them in the same manner.
It was not even a joke. Caster himself just carved a slight smile on his face.
The more he watched Riveria use magecraft in her lessons. The spirit stared at the princess with a gaze he did not even realize he was using to give a glare to the person in question.
Riveria, the elven princess, has many talents. Even the Caster himself began to restrict every rule inside his head for the next lesson to make the princess bound to a specific circle of knowledge that she does not even need to know.
Magecraft was a vast quantity of knowledge that many of them were forbidden or downright evil. Many were powerful enough to bend reality to the performer's hands or grant them eternal life with an equal prize. Yet, the most terrifying among them was able to make the law of the universe fudge under their mercy.
One of them was Riveria's hidden and true nature: Reality Marble.
It was a sporadic magecraft that sought the pinnacle of thaumaturgy studies. The extent of this peculiar magecraft was only a mystery to most mages. Save for the spirit himself and his fellow age of gods practicians. Reality marble was a mystery capable of rewriting the entire reality to manifest the user's nature.
It was a simple logic for a highly complex magecraft. Great power comes with great responsibility. Yet, it also comes with the danger that even the simple-young-minded elf girl would comprehend.
Caster was fully aware of this situation, making him ponder with his golden orbs. He gazed with his old eyes, which made him remember something that began to flash within his head.
It brought him back deep to a place where everyone was young and lacked what they called heroes. Caster remembered it as vividly as in broad daylight. The past that makes the spirit drift in his complex mind. Coupled with watching Riveria, Caster was even more reflective in his silence.
The piercing gaze was nowhere to be seen, and the save world had not even manifested in the first place. Maybe that was the part of the spirit's soul that resided deep in the long forgotten age. And now, that deep-buried memory began to come to the surface.
It was a reminiscence of that age. Maybe it was like Caster imagining that day was today. That was ironic imagination even for the wisest mages to ever live. He wanted to let out a dry laugh, but the white-haired man suppressed it.
The shadowy figure emerged, overlapping the young girl with the adult one—the same girl who thirsted for knowledge with a joyous smile.
But that knowledge became her downfall.
"Lord Caster." A feminine voice called him, snapping the man from his train of thoughts.
"Ah, my apologies. I'm spaced for a while." That was Aina, who looked directly into the man with a titled head.
"May I know the reason? Is that about lady Riveria?" The high elf asked.
The spirit stayed quiet for a while, inviting his hand into his chin while his eyes solely focused on the struggling elf princess. Caster smiled and stared back at the chamberlain.
"Yes, it is. Riveria's control over mana was astonishing. In a short period, she was capable of harnessing a double amount of magical energy into the gem. Even an average mage would need months." The man replied.
Aina smiled back with gratitude, leaving her gaze from the man as it landed on her lady. Aina's expression was the same as the man beside her, but a genuine joy radiated from its core. That difference is also noticed by Caster, who chooses to be silent.
"Lord Caster, how long do you think it will take Lady Riveria to master her sorcery?" This question made Caster slightly raise his eyebrows.
"Roughly speaking, it will take Riveria about five years to master basic and advanced teaching. The rest is magecraft development." Caster said neutrally. The statement does not go un-based. The rapid mastery of the elf was significantly different from that of humans. Their origin as a phantasmal species made it natural that they had the privilege.
"That was beyond amazing, lord Caster." Aina was surprised. No, she was utterly shocked by the revelation.
"Indeed she is." The man said, watching the gem that began to shine. It shines brighter than before. Caster could feel that the magical energy within the jewel began to condense and form a perfect unity that Caster even compared to the elven princess's first work. Then the gem is just a defective replica. A shining gem filled with mana was now in the jade-haired elf's grasp.
The princess's breath hitched, but a smile spread across her face. She felt contented and happy, sincerity radiating from her eyes.
Caster claps his hands while his feet walk to approach the princess. "You did well, my lady."
"I'm just doing according to your instructions, Lord Caster," Riveria replied as she corrected herself to return to being the ideal princess again. What Caster realized, of course, made the man only chuckle, which left Riveria stunned with slightly blushing cheeks, but Caster tried his best to ignore it.
"It was a significant improvement, princess," said Caster, observing the gem he had picked up. This time Caster could examine the precious stone with the quality stored within it.
An extraordinary work of art that came from a young child.
How could the man not make such a statement? Now, the thing on his hand is a complete form of mana jewel that is stored raw magical energy on a scale unheard of among mages in Caster's old world. At least not in the modern day. And then, Caster could not hide his enjoyment.
He smiled so vastly that the man tried to make it disappear when he was aware of it.
"Then, let me teach you how to put a spell inside the jewel." Caster said promisingly.
The princess gasped with excitement, but again she coughed to regain her composure and formality. "Then, when can we begin?"
The man let out a sincere sigh, followed by a reassuring look. "The answer is now, milady. Let me put it into practice."
The jewel on his hand began to glow with magical energy, manifesting ethereal wind around the gem. The wind created a small vortex above the spirit hand, condensed as it tried to get into the catalyst they had provided. Caster looked at the gem calculatingly. Then he turned his gaze back to Riveria.
"Princess, give me your hand," Caster asked softly.
"O-of course!" Riveria answered with a bit of hesitation, but she immediately placed her hand on the gem. Gently, Caster touched Riveria's hand, bringing her closer to the gem, so Riveria gripped it tightly.
"Feel the flow of magical energy when I enter the magecraft." Caster said without taking his eyes off the gem that was the subject of their training.
"Yes!" Riveria answered.
With that, Caster began to channel magic energy on a large scale into the gem. Still, he also made it easy to read with a clear flow of magic radiance that would make it easier for Riveria to remember every step of the application.
The gem shone even brighter, creating flashes of magical energy around it. Caster focused on injecting his magical energy into the jewels in his hands, but he did not think about what kind of magecraft was worth for the princess to witness. He glanced at Riveria's face, which was focused on sensing the flow of magic around them.
The expression pulled Caster back into his initial inner thought about the danger of magecraft. Then, it makes the Caster hesitate as the magic flows start to dwindle.
"What is wrong, my teacher?" Riveria asked, which caused the man to drive his attention to her.
It was a genuine confusion, and seemingly she did not even realize why the reason why energy was declining. Caster turned his face neutral as he did not want to invite unnecessary concern from Riveria.
"It was nothing. Focus." Caster said dismissively.
"Y-yes!" She replied with a trembling tone.
The spirit only stared at his student for a while and returned his gaze to the gem. He did not continue the process, only maintaining the same stream of mana so Riveria could not suspect him. He began to feel a dilemma in his heart that made the old spirit bite his lips secretly.
He did not want Riveria to gain more profound knowledge about magecraft. No, he must decline to teach her in the first place. Yet somehow, Caster could not resist his feeling for it. Not because he was careless or only teaching her out of curiosity, but because it came from his old memory about Celdia and his nature as God's agent.
He has no free will to dictate himself; with that, he could only provide anyone with what they seek fits within his wisdom.
And Celdia was one of them.
The time he taught her about magecraft was a wonderful time he could not forget until she founds out about her reality marble. Riveria has the same power as her ancestor and Caster's former student. The difference between them is that Riveria still does not understand her essence.
The difference could lead them to a different fate.
Riveria must not die.
She must not know.
"Here I go." Caster said as his hand began to pour a significant amount of mana into the specific gem and filled it with a spell he chose. After a while of channeling energy, the light dies out.
"Is that," Riveria murmured with widened eyes.
"Yes, now throw it to the sky," Caster asked with a smile.
Riveria did what her teacher told her. The gem flew into the air, spreading its glorious light. Like a shooting star, the jewel exploded into thousand shards. Within seconds they began to spreads, creating a massive dome in the sky that covered the blue heaven.
It was more than beautiful and majestic. Riveria lost her capability to speak because of it. Her jaw hung open in amazement as her eyes beamed with bright joy as if she was a child that received her first birthday gift.
But it is not the case with her teacher, who only stared at her with a complete unread expression.
Instead of being a happy and joyous expression, Caster remembered something else.
It was a smile of a dying elf in his embrace.
Like other typical students, Riveria was eager to learn more about it. And indeed, Caster would provide her with the answers she wanted to know. Thus, the practice continues for several hours.
The elf keeps bombarding Caster with various questions and her theory. Even during the break, Riveria still could not hold her enthusiasm.
"Teacher, if magecraft is a conceptual version of mystery that surrounds the universe. Then it would be a phenomenon that a living being could not understand and chose to believe was something beyond their sense." Riveria summarizes while holding her book.
"Yes, you are right. Then what is your question?" Caster replied, taking a sip from his coffee.
"Then, if we have enough mystery, we have the potential to create a new type of magecraft or even new rules in it, right?" She said while holding her chin. Her eyebrow furrowed furiously because of her hard-thinking condition.
Caster, who earned the title Grand Caster was taken aback by the theory presented by the princess. It was a very promising and yet logic-based theory that can fail yet impossible. Indeed, with his rings, Caster could perform any magecraft humanity has achieved.
Like what he said, a promising theory indeed.
"That was a fascinating theory, princess. But as a person that delved into magecraft almost my entire life. I could say that the possibility isn't zero." Caster said reassuringly, earning a bright expression from the elf.
"Then I want your approval to test the theory." Riveria proclaimed.
Caster stared into the gleaming eyes of the elven princess, and with that, the nonchalant expression disappeared, replaced with the stern one.
"No. I mean, not yet. You are relatively new in magecraft, with this kind of practice would lead you into danger and even immediate death. You need to learn more to test your theory, my lady." The man said bluntly.
The light on the elf's face instantly vanishes, the sour expression replacing the previous one. "I-I understood."
"Don't get me wrong, lord Caster. But as the princess' personal chamberlain and servant, I would not tolerate such an act to her." Aina joined the conversation with her sudden stern tone.
"Aina, there's no need for such a high tone." Riveria cut with all of her seriousness.
"But." Aina tries to object but is immediately answered by Riveria's raised hand.
"That was enough. I know the reason behind lord Caster's unpleasant words genuinely want me to avoid the meaningless pursuit. Isn't that right, my teacher?" Riveria speaks with a neutral tone.
"Yes. I don't want to attempt any further risks on the princess. Magecraft was a wonderful and yet perilous art. Many died in the process of becoming a full fledge mage," Caster salvaged his previous carefree expression.
"Princess Riveria is my precious student. As a teacher, I will train her with everything she needs." He continued with his usual calm tone, which brought back the princess' smile upon her face.
"Then, shall we resume our training, my teacher." The elf asked.
"Sure."
With that, they began their physical training with reinforcement. As usual, the teacher and student start in the exact location as Riveria uses her reinforcement magecraft to enchant her strength and durability.
He uses it to perform some basic close-quarter combat movements as the spirit watches her. She was accelerating rapidly to the point Caster would not even need his clairvoyance to see that she had learned martial arts since their first meeting. But, he might ask the girl.
"it seems you had another training with me and your magic teacher, my lady," Caster asked politely.
"Your guess was correct, lord Caster. I have an additional physical training schedule. My trainer is the chief knight of the kingdom. So I learn many from him." Riveria replied between breaths. Then, she continued her movement as Caster's eyes lay on the elf's every move.
Thanks to Reinforcement magecraft, her every move now looked like an adventure between levels one and two. With precision, Riveria's attacks and movements were so raw or even unstructured that attack and defense were out of balance.
Caster wanted to help her, but as a Caster, he did not have the fighting ability to help improve Riveria's abilities, considering that the girl's dream was to see the outside world.
Then an idea pops out from the man's head.
"Princess Riveria," Caster called.
"Yes, my teacher?" Riveria stopped her punch, staring at the source of the voice.
"I think physical exercise could only grow stronger and sharper if there were a sparring partner. Thus, I will make one for you." The peculiar statement made both elves raise their eyebrows.
Without any further words, Caster raises his hand into the air. Thus, like a miracle, the rings began to glow with their radiance light. The fae is singing with him, the feeling that, as an elf, it would be impossible to describe.
Within seconds, a shining humanoid figure miraculously manifested beside Riveria. It has a rassemblement of a warrior, and from its lean build, the spectator could say it was a man.
"This is." Riveria's eyes were wide open, both shocked and amazed by the glorious sight before her.
"Now you can train with it. Don't worry. I will keep the power level as yours, my lady." Caster said with a reassuring voice.
Riveria snapped from her thought as her face fell into the man. "Thank you very much, lord Caster!" She beamed with a gleaming smile.
"Then, get into your position." Caster waved his hand, moving the glowing figure into a steady position.
Riveria changed her demeanor. Calm and focused were the prominent expression and gestures in her. The princess filled her lungs with air and tensed her muscle.
"I am ready," Riveria said in determination.
Caster smiled as his hand began to move at a slow pace. The figure started to glow its eyes, forcing its hands to move at a speed that was faster than Riveria did before. The princess widens her eyes in surprise. She tried to channel her mana to protect her body, but it was too late as the figure landed a fist on her, sending her flying a few meters backward.
"My lady!" Aina screamed.
But Riveria immediately landed her feet on the ground, reestablishing her balance while simultaneously starting to strengthen her limbs. She quickly dodged the blows and attacks from the shining figure, sending immediate counter-attack for each impact that came for her.
Seeing her lady able to put up a fight made Aina breathe a sigh of relief.
Caster only stared at the jade-haired elf with a neutral look, using his hands to control the figure like a puppet. The entire movement is being set, nothing out of Caster's precision. The attack pattern was designed not to be flawless, and there is a weakness to exploit Riveria's chance of victory.
And the elf did not even realize it yet. The princess' move is too raw to put on a real battlefield.
"Haaa!" She roared as her body began to move at the peak of her speed, deflecting each blow by sacrificing a large part of her stamina. With an opening, Riveria decided to use it.
When the figure tries to attack her, its hand punches straight with its might. Riveria deflected it from beneath the arm, resuming with a hard fist that she attempted to land on the figure's chest. But it comes out in vain. As if equipped with decades of fighting experience, the elf's fist is blocked within its palm.
Shocked, Riveria quickly being pushed back by the humanoid figure. With a single blow, the princess loses her stand to fight. Her opponent lands another attack upon attack, tearing the defense of the princess easily.
The attack became more aggressive within seconds, which made Riveria exhaust all of her stamina.
"Princess," Aina murmured in concern; her eyes did not even flinch from the fight.
"Is this kind of training necessary for her first real-fight scenario?" The chamberlain continues, eyeing the grand spirit with narrowed eyes.
"She needed it. Monsters would not give you a chance to breathe when you came face to face with them." Caster waved the question neutrally as his hands began to move faster, making his puppet move with more speed than before.
The elven princess took a defensive position and did not dare to attack or even counter-attack the advancement. And yet, Caster did not stop, keeping his phase with the puppet. Riveria did not surrender or show any sign of stopping. Instead, she went on.
Caster stared at the girl.
"Even your spirit was the same." He murmured as low as possible that no one could hear him.
He wants to see beyond the present before him with his clairvoyance. Not because of his pure curiosity, but when the princess smirked, it piqued the man with a mixed feeling that he could call nostalgia. When he silently activated it, the mages gasped.
What he saw soon answered. Riveria magic circuits glow brighter than before, condensing mana in the air so that she can absorb it much faster. Unlike Aina, who witnessed it without any clue, the teacher knew what would happen next very well.
The mana exploded like a burst of wind around Riveria, giving her significant boos to her speed and power by showing the spectators that in a short period, Riveria could overpower the figure in terms of raw power.
She began to push back, landing more of her fist, and now, even blocking various frontal assaults from the figure.
Aina, amazed by the display, could not believe the sight of her lady, who her opponent had previously cornered. Now stands with a physical power she could not even imagine coming from the princess.
But a different case happened with Caster. He knew what kind of pattern and sudden burst of magical energy meant. This kind of technique only can be performed by a mage who has numerous reserves of magical power and extensive control of it to perform a so-called prana burst.
In other words, Riveria used a burst of magical energy to extents her fighting capability.
An ability named mana burst.
And the most surprising thing about this was Riveria could achieve his feat within months. Although it was a remarkable achievement, it was full of flaws and very inefficient. Not only was the scale too small to be called a true mana burst, but also how it spread thin so the boost would not last long and the effect would disappear very soon.
But for now, it was enough.
"Take this!" Riveria shouted and elbowed the enemy with her might, sending the enemy flying into the opposite part of the field.
"That's enough!" Caster shouted, stopping his hand from moving.
Riveria, who heard the shouts, began to deactivate her magic circuits, making the light begin to dim and then die. She breathed heavily as her skin became pale. She was not okay.
"My lady." Aina quickly makes a step into the exhausted princess.
"I'm fine, Ai-" The elf fainted before she could reply to her servant.
"My lady!" Aina shrieked in fear, holding Riveria's body that she could feel started to lose its temperature.
"Let me see her." Caster approached the unconscious elf, pointing his palm into her, scanning every inch of her body with his magecraft. It was reckless and yet astonishing. Her magic circuit has been overused and even at the point of the term 'overheated.' He also discovered something else from the magical energy residue in her body's nervous system: she used mana burst for several occasions outside their training.
This kind of over-using could cause severe pain in her nerve, causing chronic nausea and even a burning sensation across her body. But this girl came to him with a broad smile whenever they met.
"Did princess Riveria perform several practices within these few weeks?" Caster asked with a rising tone.
"Y-yes, she did," Aina answered shakingly.
"Does something happen to her every time she finishes training?"
"Yes, something does happen. Over the past few days, Lady Riveria mentioned that she had felt a stinging sensation in some limbs. A burning-like feeling followed it in her back. She said to ignore it. Then as her chamberlain, I'm giving her the best treatment I could." Aina replied.
This situation is very dire, and she must get emergency treatment. Caster activates his rings, manipulating the entire workshop as the whole magical energy within it begins to stir into a specific task. They teleported inside the main chamber with just a snap of a finger.
"Put her on the bed. I will treat her." He said clearly as a command.
"Yes!" Aina immediately laid Riveria's body on the bed, retreating slowly where Caster immediately took his place. Within seconds, both of the spirit's palms began to glow in a brilliant green.
Then, the man put his hand on Riveria's, concentrating his magical energy on the girl. His brows furrowed as he began to balance the strains of energy from Riveria's body carefully. Caster connected each of his students' magic circuits using his magical power.
"You thought I would let you die. Not anymore." Caster muttered so as not to be heard by Aina beside him.
What Caster was about to do would betray the thoughts and beliefs he had made regarding the magecraft he was about to teach Riveria. When he harmonized all the energies within the elf's body, Caster could see further what was going on inside Riveria's body.
Something that made him perform actions that would make him a hypocrite. A discovery that when he unlocked Riveria's magic circuit that allowed her to use magecraft was much more effective. But Riveria secretly learned magecraft without his supervision. The result of her reality marble causes the circuit to consume her nervous system even further, creating another circuit each time she used magecraft on a large scale like the previous mana burst.
This situation made his heartache, and thus he disliked it. After one millennium, he finally feels it again.
The process begins when the king of mages concentrate all of Riveria's magical energy into her hands, forming and interweaving secondary magic circuits within her body into strands of construction that become the pinnacle of the numerous mage families that will be passed down to their descendants.
It is a crystallization of the user's magic circuit, Magic Crest.
Even though it was empty, this was enough to stabilize her state for now.
"That will be enough." Caster said as he pulled back his hand. And within seconds, Riveria finally regained her color.
"Thank you very much. I can't think of anything to repay your kindness." Aina bowed her body, saying her words with wariness filling it.
"I must protect her. That is my duty," Caster replied with a slight smile. He turned his gaze back at the unconscious girl.
"Tomorrow, does she still have a schedule for tomorrow?" The man asked.
"No, she doesn't. Tomorrow will be her self-study schedule." The chamberlain answered with a little sign of confusion.
"That's glad to hear. Then I shall take care of Riveria here. You can go back to the castle if something emergency happens. "Caster said with his smile, reassuringly staring into Aina's eyes.
"If something emergency happens, then I shall leave her in your care." Aina pointed, leaving no arguments with her calm tone of expression. This exclaim invited a light chuckle from the spirit. How she told with her straightforward style and piercing gaze could achieve amusement within the man's heart.
"That would be sufficient." Caster answered and then laid his gaze back into the girl. Tonight will be a long night indeed.
Hours began to pass, the princess still in her deep slumber—meanwhile, two other occupants were doing what they saw fit for the princess's treatment. Others wiped the princess's body and cleaned it thoroughly or prepared everything needed by someone sick. In contrast, others watched every mana movement and the development of every magic circuit in the elf princess's body.
Caster stared at each circuit he lighted, evaporating the magic energy from Riveria's body. Caster continued manipulating every inch of Riveria's body to continuously recycle her magical power, considering that the Reality Marble in Riveria's body was not yet completely stable.
This procedure is a time-consuming process.
"What a troubling reality marble you have there, Riveria." Caster mumbled under his breath.
"Something's wrong, lord Caster?" Aina asked with a tilting head.
"Ah, it was nothing." The man quickly denied it, still maintaining his passive face.
Aina blinked several times. "Alright, I will be in the kitchen if you need me."
As the maid departed from the room, Caster walked to Riveria's learning table, where he found the journal she kept mentioning several times. For a moment, Caster pointed his eyes at the girl on the bed, ensuring she was still sleeping.
"Forgive me, Riveria. But I must read it" Caster's hand approached the book, and yet he felt hesitant for it. He stopped his hand in the air and swallowed his bitter saliva before continuing.
The book opened, and then Caster read what was inside.
When he had just read the first verse, all the light and various expressions on Caster's face suddenly collapsed, replaced by a bitter look with longing eyes.
"This writing is indeed yours." He said silently, reading every single word in the journal. It was heartwarming and yet painful for the spirit. Every single piece of knowledge within it came directly from him. However, some of them were altered by Celdia, which caused Riveria to create her magic circuits by sacrificing her nerves.
Even a lot of the pages and sentences have already been damaged by age. Caster still feels that every single word was written by heart. Every piece of information thought and even admiration for a particular 'teacher.' All of them make the man smile.
He keeps flipping the paper, feeling various sentiments inside the words. All that reading made Caster feel that faint nostalgia again, slowly whispering into his ear.
Then when it comes to the last sheet, there is a blank page that is very well preserved, not aged, or one could even say that this sheet is entirely new.
But Caster, a mage, could see the paper's purpose. It was a unique piece of paper that would only display writing if filled with magical energy with a specific resonance. Caster pressed his hand to the white paper, channeling his magical energy into the sheet.
Within seconds, the words reveal themselves to the man. And what he read in that sheet caused Caster to be shocked. The world seemed to freeze for the spirit as his eyes never left the book. His grim expression began to fade as a glim of light emerged, yet a bittersweet face made the man chuckle, forcing an unpleasant laugh.
"I'm indeed an incompetent teacher." Caster said, followed by the room's emptiness that enveloped his melancholy expression.
The sun rises on the horizon, illuminating the chamber of the villa. The morning had come, and Riveria still lay in her bed with her eyes closed. Caster stands beside her, eyes locked on the girl.
The door opened, bringing a food trolly with her. Caster could see there were two plates with food.
"How about lady Riveria's condition?" Aina asked.
"She's stabilizing. I'm sure she will awake soon." Caster replied with a smile.
"That was glad to hear." Aina curved a happy expression, preparing the meal.
"Have you had breakfast, Aina?" The elf nodded her head.
"Yes, I have. Before serving these foods, I already ate my portion." Hearing the statement, Caster turned back his eyes into Riveria again.
"Lord Caster. Did you sleep yesterday? The elf looked at the spirit with concern, to which Caster immediately replied.
"No, spirits like me don't even need to sleep. Yet, there's a more critical matter to take care of." She only stared in the direction where the man put his gaze on the sleeping princess.
The chamberlain only smiled with gratitude towards the white-haired man. Without words, she could tell everything Caster did to her lady overnight.
Then, the girl in question opened her eyes and moaned in tiredness. "Where am I?"
"You're in your bedroom, lady Riveria." Caster greeted the newly awakened elf.
"Lord Caster," Riveria said weakly. Steadily she tried to sit. Aina takes the initiative to help her until she sits appropriately. "What happened?"
"You passed out yesterday during practice. So Lord Caster and I immediately took care of you here." Aina said while holding Riveria's body.
"May I ask, what happened with my body?" Riveria looked upon her arms, which she made an astonishing expression mixed with amazement as she began to touch the skin she gazed into.
"You seem to know what's changing inside your body. If you want the answer, try to activate your magic circuits. Do it slowly. Your body just only recovered. "Caster answered the question with a neutral look on his face.
Riveria did what he said, activating her circuits and pouring the magical power into them. Then, something magnificent occurs. At the same time as the circuits began to glow, another light began to spark from her hand. It had various unique features similar to her magic circuits but a complex structure with different purely formed arrays of magic circuits.
"What's this?" The elf asked with mouth hanging open.
"A magic crest. It was created from your magic circuits to perform and archive the thaumaturgical capability you learn. In another sense, it was a living library directly connected to your nervous system." At the same time, as Caster explained the mechanism, Riveria only mesmerized the work of art before her. A living library within her body that was like a fantasy come true.
"My lady," Caster called, snapping the elf from her thought.
"Um, yes, lord Caster?" Riveria tried her best to hide her surprised gesture. Caster let out a faint and unheard sigh.
"I have a reason to create a magic crest inside your body." The bright and soft expression of Caster's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a stern and hardened look.
Seeing her teacher's unpleasant expression made the elf's mood decrease rapidly. "May I know the reason, lord Caster."
Hearing his student plead, Caster cleared his throat. "You were overusing your magic circuit. Thus, it slowly consumes the nervous system inside your body. As the countermeasure, the magic crest was necessary to stop the process."
"C-consumed my nervous system?" The sudden revelation not only affected Riveria alone, Aina who stands beside her lady also surprised and even horrified by it.
"Yes, it would change your entire body into magic circuits, and worse, it even causes your body to lose its functionality." The man said bluntly, sending a chill to the elf's spine.
"But as your said prior. This unfortunate event can be avoided, right?" Riveria asked, feeling dreaded as she began to look upon her magic crest.
Caster gives her a pause, glaring at her eyes with a calculating look. While analyzing her expression, Caster began to open his mouth. "It can. But, it would be best if you never did such a reckless endeavor as bursting your magical energy without my supervision. When you did the practice with me, the magic crest would achieve and stabilize your magecraft training. Thus it would be your safety measure when the same circumstance happens."
Riveria somehow relaxed, releasing a sigh and making her muscle relax. "That would be more than enough. Thank you for your effort, lord Caster."
"My pleasure, my lady." He smiled at her, causing the girl to have a faint blush on her face.
"Now, let's have breakfast, shall we?" Aina shouted as she had already seen the teacher and student conversation.
"I guess it was the correct time for that. You can go first, lady Riveria." The princess extended her hand to the food trolly as the Caster said.
"As you want it, lord Caster." Riveria smiled back, holding a plate with food on it.
With that, both of them have breakfast together.
Thanks for reading. I hope you will enjoy it.
Next update: A Will To Protect.