In this world, magic is divided into two types: innate magic and acquired magic.
Whether innate or acquired, casting magic requires chanting, consumes mana, and drains mental energy.
The shortest chant still requires at least one segment; even chantless magic necessitates speaking the spell's name to activate it.
Magic that can be cast completely without any form of incantation simply doesn't exist in this world.
Innate magic is something only magical races—like elves such as Lefiya—can learn through study.
Acquired magic, on the other hand, is obtained through a god's blessing, by leveling up, or via grimoires. It's the only way non-magical races can wield magic.
And then there was Alice.
Lefiya was absolutely certain that the girl before her—who was even more beautiful than Ais and Riveria—was not from a magical race… probably.
The biggest reason, of course, was that Alice definitely hadn't received a Falna—of that, Loki was certain.
So the idea that Alice could use magic without a blessing was completely beyond Lefiya's imagination.
What's more, according to Bete, Alice's magic didn't require chanting at all.
The thought of chantless magic held an almost irresistible allure for Lefiya, who—out of nervousness during expeditions—often stumbled over her chants, bit her tongue, and caused her spells to fail.
If there really was a way to cast magic without reciting a single word, it would be a game-changer for her.
"Magic?" Alice looked up, meeting Lefiya's hopeful gaze, and smiled softly. "Yes, I do use magic. And it's true—I don't need to chant."
Hearing that, Lefiya's eyes lit up instantly, shining with anticipation.
"Really, Alice-chan?" In her excitement, she slipped back into her old way of addressing her.
"Mhm." Alice gazed gently at Lefiya. "Would you like to learn? If I recall, you once told me you often get too nervous to chant properly during expeditions."
"Yeah…" Lefiya lowered her head, slightly embarrassed. "So… could I learn your magic, Alice?"
In this world, even elves—who are capable of learning magic—can only possess three spells after receiving a blessing.
But a blessing is ultimately just a catalyst for growth; it doesn't limit one's potential in any given area.
The same goes for magic. Even with only three spell slots, if someone has the talent to master multiple types of magic, the blessing can develop that potential.
It can find… alternative ways to work around the three-spell limit.
Riveria's [Concurrent Chanting], for example, is one method of casting multiple spells.
As for Lefiya's three spells, two were offensive—nothing special to say about them, just high-powered, standard attack magic.
But her third spell—
[Elf Ring]—was the core of what made Lefiya who she was.
When activated, it allowed her to cast spells restricted to elvenkind. As long as she had learned a particular elven spell and had sufficient mana, she could unleash it.
Lefiya was only Level 3.
But with this magic, a fully prepared Lefiya could single-handedly be considered an entire mage battalion.
[Thousand Elf]
That was the title the gods had bestowed upon her because of this spell.
If she worked hard, mastering a thousand spells wasn't out of the question—especially as an elf with the long lifespan of a long-lived race. Time was on her side.
So—
Lefiya wanted to learn Alice's magic. She wanted to learn how to cast spells without chanting.
As for whether Alice's magic was restricted to elves, Lefiya didn't know.
But judging by Alice's appearance, it seemed very possible she had elven blood. Why her ears were different from those of an elf, though, Lefiya couldn't say.
Regardless of whether Alice was an elf or not, Lefiya was determined to give it a try.
"You want to learn my magic?" Alice studied Lefiya thoughtfully, then smiled. "Of course. This was part of my deal with Loki, after all. But if I teach you, then you must teach me what I want to learn in return. Is that alright?"
Hearing this, Lefiya cheered with joy.
"Yes! Anything! I'll teach you everything I know, Alice!"
Just as Alice had said—it was part of the agreement between her and Loki.
"Then let's not waste any time. The Loki Familia must have a training ground, right? Let's go there now." Alice slipped a small, Shanghai-themed bookmark into the introductory swordsmanship manual she'd been reading, returned it to the shelf, and took Lefiya's hand.
She led her out of the library and asked her to take them to the training grounds.
As the two hurried through the hallway, heading toward the training area—
A short young man from the Pallum race spotted them. He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of uncertainty in his expression.
"Lefiya, and… is that the Alice Loki mentioned?"
The moment Finn saw Alice, he immediately realized who the girl with Lefiya must be.
After all, the one million valis Loki spent at the black market for intel had been exchanged with him.
As the familia's patron god, Loki certainly received support from her children and had considerable wealth—but she had a habit of collecting books, armor, and other curiosities.
So she didn't always have much cash on hand.
The funds she used for that black market transaction had come from pawning some of her collection to Finn.
And then last night, Loki had been running through the household, shouting Alice's name in excitement.
So it wasn't hard for Finn to deduce that the girl beside Lefiya was the very Alice Loki had gone to such lengths to find and bring home.
"So she's joined the Loki Familia," Finn murmured, a faint smile appearing on his face.
By now, Lefiya and Alice had already left the building and were heading toward the back of the familia's property.
Watching the direction they were going, Finn's eyes gleamed with interest.
"The training ground… going to test her abilities, are they?"
"If so, this should be quite interesting. Someone who can use magic without a blessing… and who managed to evade Bete."
"I'm very curious indeed."
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