"Well…" Kayda hesitated, her golden eyes flickering away as she turned her gaze toward the nearby treetops.
I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms loosely. "Answer the damn question. It's not like I'll run away." I gave a shrug, then tilted my head slightly with a casual smirk. "I might go a bit quiet until I figure out how to fix it, though."
Kayda frowned. "You promise you won't run away from us?" Her voice was cautious, almost tense, like she was still weighing whether to push this subject or not.
I lifted my right hand slowly, palm facing her. "I promise I won't."
She studied me for a moment longer, then gave a small nod of approval.
"Okay, yes and no," she said at last. "You don't have a split personality, but… you do change in certain situations. Like when you are…"
"Killing, torture, having fun, teasing—stuff like that, right?" I interrupted smoothly, raising a hand to my chin as I listed each example like they were items on a shopping list.
Kayda blinked in surprise, then chuckled faintly. "Yes. Exactly like that."
I let out a low, awkward laugh and rubbed the back of my neck. "Huh, so it's like I push back my urges… and it changes me. Sounds like I don't have just one personality, huh?"
Kayda's smile faded slightly. "I wouldn't say it's like that…"
"Don't worry. I was mostly talking to myself," I said, waving a hand dismissively and stepping closer to her, letting the topic fade. "More importantly—this morning, you said I don't have complete control over my ice magic. Why did you say that?"
Kayda's face lit up a little at the shift to magic talk. "Oh, that." She crossed her arms, already slipping into explanation mode. "When you created your dungeon, you focused too much on toughness. Your ice lost its coldness. Like earlier—when you froze those guys behind me—you knew my scales were hot, so your ice should've been colder to counteract that. It didn't melt easily, but the temperature variance shows you're compensating instead of refining."
Magic always gets her talking, I thought, a smile tugging at my lips. Even when the topic's heavy, bring up spells, and it's like flipping a switch.
"Yeah, I get that. But magic works with imagination, so it makes sense it reacts that way," I replied, scratching my cheek.
"That's true," she said, nodding. "But you need to reach a point where your ice always functions properly—cold, durable, versatile—without you needing to think about adjusting it. Only then will you have full control."
I hummed, absorbing her words. "But that's…"
"Hard, right?" she finished for me, smirking. "All you need is to improve your mana control. Then everything else will start clicking into place. Anyway, I'm late for your sisters' lesson." With that, she turned on her heel and began walking off.
"Thanks for the advice," I called after her, watching her retreat with a thoughtful look before I turned back to the tied-up party members still slumped nearby.
'Still so much work left to do…' I thought, letting my hand rise slowly. Ice chains slithered up from the ground, each ending in a wicked blade. With a sharp whistle of air, the blades embedded themselves into each captive's head. A second later, their bodies froze solid. Then—shattering into glimmering ice particles—their forms vanished, leaving only sparkling motes drifting lazily in the morning light.
"No matter how many times I see it… it's always beautiful," I murmured, turning on my heel and heading toward the training grounds.
As I walked, a notification popped up.
[Level Up! → Level 31]
"Hm. Oh, nice. I'm level 31 now."
The training grounds buzzed faintly with life as I arrived. Catrina stood in the center of the field, gripping a large broadsword in both hands. Across from her stood Chinada, calm and unreadable, twin daggers already out.
"Why a broadsword?" I muttered under my breath.
"Aah, Mom! You came!" Apricot shouted from the far end of the field, waving energetically.
"Tsk. Damn doggie has no shame," I muttered, hiding the faint heat rising to my face.
"She really called her Mom…" Catrina whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Chinada and me to hear.
"The amount of disrespect that dog is showing toward my queen…" Chinada growled, her grip tightening on her blades.
As I approached, the rest of my squad turned to look at me. Brenda stepped forward.
"Kitsuna, why are we testing this girl again?" she asked, her voice genuinely curious.
"It's a long story," I said, stopping next to them. "Ask her after. The short version is—she doesn't have a class yet. I want her to try close combat. But since she's more attuned to magic, we're basically training her from scratch."
"So… she's got no experience, and she picked a broadsword?" Brenda frowned, raising an eyebrow as she eyed Catrina's slim frame.
"If you think about it, it's not that strange," I said with a shrug. "Coming from an earl's house, she's probably seen plenty of guards using broadswords. Most knights at higher ranks prefer broadswords or greatswords. It's what she knows."
"That's fair," Brenda admitted. "Though daggers and katanas aren't that uncommon either."
"Is that so?" I said absently, turning my eyes back to the match as Catrina rushed toward Chinada.
Chinada didn't move, only watching with that same blank expression. Catrina swung the sword—clumsily but with intent.
"Seems like she knows a bit about wielding it," Brenda commented as the second swing came.
"Maybe," I said, narrowing my eyes. "But she doesn't have the strength or stamina to keep that up. And she's not even using her magic to support herself."
Mother's years of beating me into the dirt honed my ability to spot flaws easily. Every misstep, every inefficient movement, was evident. Watching Catrina was like observing my younger self struggle, with no one available to explain the reasons behind her actions.
"Aren't we testing her to see what weapon fits best?" Sirone asked, glancing over.
"...That's true," I muttered, facepalming. "Kind of forgot that."
We kept watching. After a few more wild swings, Catrina tripped over her feet and landed in a heap on the ground.
"Sigh. Okay, that's enough for now. Come here, Catrina," I called.
She scrambled up, slightly flushed and panting, jogging toward me with sword still in hand. "Yes, Nova?"
"You can call me Kitsuna. That's my real name. Nova is just my alias when I'm outside in public," I explained. "Now then—for your crappy performance. Why a broadsword?"
Her cheeks reddened further. "I've seen many guards use them…"
"Yeah, figures." I summoned two swords—one a long nodachi, the other a shorter tachi, both made of my ice magic. "Well, it doesn't suit you. Try these."
Catrina took a cautious step forward, eyeing the blades. "Why is this one so short?" she asked, pointing at the tachi.
"Because it's like a short sword. It's lighter and faster. I prefer it," I said, spinning them once before holding them out to her. "Now take these, hold them like this, and fight Chinada again."
"But… I don't even know how to use one sword. How will using two help?" she asked, eyeing me nervously.
I smiled sweetly, tilting my head. "Are you saying I don't know what I'm doing?"
"N-no! Of course not!" she said quickly, waving her hands. She took the swords and ran back to face Chinada.
"Oh yeah—use your magic this time!" I raised my voice so that she could hear me clearly.
A sudden weight landed on my back, two tiny arms draping over my shoulders.
"Can she even infuse her mana into your ice swords?" Nekro asked, her bunny ears twitching as she settled herself like a backpack.
"Oh, hey Nekro. Didn't know you were here," I said, glancing over my shoulder.
"Of course you didn't," she muttered in annoyance.
"To answer your question—no, she can't infuse mana into my swords. But she can coat them," I explained.
"What's the difference?" Nekro asked, frowning.
"Coating uses more mana but needs less control. Infusing uses less mana, but it's more efficient and stronger. For example, if you use fire mana, an infused sword would burn hotter and cut deeper.
"Exactly," Brenda chimed in. "Infusing takes more skill, but the payoff is better."
'Yeah… I was surprised too when I found out there was a difference. Back then, I thought I was infusing—but I was just coating. It felt the same. Even when I fought Steve years ago, I was still just coating them, and they still shattered. The first time I actually learned how to infuse was when I met Kayda… Damn, Mother never explained it properly.'
"But why can't you infuse your mana into Kitsuna's ice?" Nekro asked again.
"Because it's not regular metal—it's solidified mana. My own. It rejects other mana on an internal level," I said, then paused. "Though… maybe I can adjust that. Maybe I can change the structure to accept external mana…"
I trailed off, falling into thought.
"She's doing better now," Sirone observed, drawing me back to the present.
"Yeah… but she's also wrecking the training grounds," Brenda pointed out.
Everyone turned to stare at her.
"Umm… Don't we all destroy it daily?" I asked, chuckling.
"Yes, but she's doing it alone! Why can't I join in?" Brenda pouted, collapsing to her knees dramatically.
"I wonder if Catrina will actually fit in," I murmured, watching the absurd scene unfold.
If she could survive this madness… maybe she really would.