"In my view, magic is the world of visualization."
Nanoda quoted that famous maxim of Frieren. At the same time, she tossed a small stone into the air.
Crack. An invisible slash easily split the stone in two.
"Magic, as it is called, is the ability to turn imagination into reality; imagination is the most critical element. Before we continue, let me ask you: can you imagine the appearance of a stone or a leaf being cut open?"
"Probably…"
Yuna nodded thoughtfully.
"The magic I am teaching you is called Severance Magic. As the name implies, it is to sever; it can cut through whatever you wish to cut. It is a magic that requires almost no construction of spell formulas, so it could also be called a form of mana manipulation."
"That's amazing."
Curious, Yuna picked up the cut stone, her fingers gently rubbing against the smooth cross-section.
"Have you learned about the release and compilation of mana?"
"Father taught me when he was still alive…"
Nanoda noticed a trace of sorrow flash through Yuna's eyes.
"Ahem, that makes it easier to get started. You can try releasing a tiny amount of mana, then compressing it. When it reaches the extreme, it will cause a collapse of the air, just like the air that bursts out when you clap your hands. Of course, you must control the amount and intensity well, keeping it within a bearable range. If you fail, it might rebound and explode."
"Ugh… it sounds so difficult, but I will try my best."
"Remember, visualization and feeling are the most important things."
Having told Yuna the essentials, Nanoda stepped aside, signaling that she could start trying.
Nodding, Yuna closed her eyes and began to search for that feeling. A colorless pillar of mana rushed out from Yuna's body. Although it was thin and small, considering she was just a child, her foundation as a mage was quite well-laid.
"Is your magic just too bizarre, or is your explanation too abstract? Why can't I understand a word of it?"
Aura was very confused. As a Great Demon who had researched magic for over 500 years, she felt like Nanoda was spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"Ahem, I whipped up this magic based on feeling, too. I don't have those spell formula compositions you taught me, so I can only teach based on feeling."
Nanoda felt a bit guilty. Teaching this way, a normal human indeed wouldn't be able to learn it. She didn't hold out much hope.
It would be better to wait until Yuna is older and have Aaron take her to the Magic Association in the central continent to learn magic. I am purely a layman when it comes to human magic. If that living Grimoire were here, how would she teach this right now?
As if by some telepathic connection.
At the Continental Magic Association, Serie, who was sitting on her throne agonizing over how to rank the mages, suddenly felt a wave of chills.
"Strange. I just had a sudden bad premonition."
"I think it's better to let her give up. How can a human learn magic that even I have no clue about?" Aura poured cold water on the idea from the side. She felt this was just a waste of time.
"Is that so?"
A short while later, Yuna suddenly opened her emerald-green eyes. She pointed the staff in her hand gently toward a leaf drifting down overhead.
Snip. Under the astonished gazes of the two Demons, the leaf was cut into two sections.
"How did you do that?!"
Just as Nanoda wanted to ask, Aura spoke up first.
"A leaf… should be something that can be cut open, right?" Yuna smiled and spoke innocently.
"Kid, you are invincible!"
She had only described the feeling verbally, provided no magic tome, and offered no spell composition. merely demonstrating it once, yet the girl actually grasped the feeling of Severance Magic relying solely on her own intuition.
Nanoda had nothing to say but praise.
Truly, you see everything if you live long enough. Aura never expected that this little girl would actually be a genius. She felt her pride had been insulted, but she disdained to bicker with this fellow who had such weak mana.
"I just feel that what I cast is a bit different from Lady Nanoda's magic."
"Hmm?"
"Compared to severing, this magic feels more like… ah! It feels like paper cutting or slicing from when I was little."
"It's probably individual difference. If I asked you to sever or cut that big rock, could you do it?"
Nanoda pointed to a rock by the side that was taller than a person.
Yuna shook her head vigorously, her twin braids swinging back and forth.
"I can't do it. But, I should be able to leave a scratch. I just feel that with my current mana, I can't achieve it."
"Lady Nanoda, do you know how to hide your mana? Why can my mana perception barely sense your mana?"
Yuna raised the question she had held for a long time.
The mana Lady Nanoda usually displayed was even less than her own, yet Aura by her side constantly displayed a suffocatingly massive amount of mana. So, how did Lady Nanoda slay the Red Mirror Dragon and handle Lady Aura so submissively? There was only one truth: she must be hiding her mana.
"My constitution is rather special. As for the method to hide mana, it does exist, but I don't know it either. If you encounter a white-haired Elf named Frieren in the future, you can consider taking her as your teacher and learning from her."
Nanoda felt somewhat guilty; as Yuna's magic tutor, she was truly leading her student astray.
"Tsk, don't mention that unlucky name! Next time I meet her, I'll definitely make her pay!"
As if a reverse scale had been touched, Aura flattened her mouth, expressing her anger.
"No, my teacher is only Lady Nanoda!"
Yuna also pouted her small mouth.
"Then continue training to accumulate mana. When you can easily slice that rock open, you will be qualified to graduate."
She had intended to let Aura serve as a sparring partner to help Yuna accumulate some combat experience, but she feared Aura wouldn't know how to hold back.
And so, all three of them began to meditate to cultivate mana.
Unexpectedly, Nanoda discovered that Aura's mana seemed to have become even stronger than when she first met her. Putting on an unreliable front to fool her every day, she was actually secretly grinding!
————
One month later, within the Gaderia Territory, a bronze statue was hoisted up by the crowd and fixed onto a bronze pedestal.
The bronze statue was of a petite young girl with fluttering long hair, draped in loose robes. Her left eye was covered by her scattered hair, and if one looked closely, they could see the iconic broken horn. One arm was raised, extending an index finger pointing in a direction—the sky above the Lord's Manor where the Red Mirror Dragon had been slain.
"Eh?"
Waking up early in the morning, Nanoda rubbed her eyes vigorously as she saw that bronze statue through the window.
Confirming she wasn't seeing things, she ran straight toward Baron Aaron's office wearing her pajamas and bare feet.
Bang. The office door was roughly pushed open.
"What is that?! What is that shameful bronze statue?!"
"Oh, that. That was specially built by the people to commemorate and thank Lady Nanoda for reclaiming the territory. How is it? Very realistic, right?"
Baron Aaron touched his shiny bald head and said with a smile.
___
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