When Alice and Lefiya returned to the training grounds once more, Riveria had also rushed over after receiving Finn's message.
As for Finn's mention of guiding the two in magical research, Riveria paid it little mind. What truly captured her attention was what kind of magic Alice and Lefiya were actually studying.
Like Finn, Riveria was aware of Alice's origins.
In fact, she knew even more than Finn did. Riveria had always been particularly interested in Alice's magic. She had initially assumed that Alice had come simply to browse Loki's collection of books. It never crossed her mind that Alice would dive into magical research so soon.
Had she known earlier, Riveria would have definitely stayed by Alice's side the entire time.
After hearing from Finn that Alice and Lefiya had sparred at the training grounds, a wave of regret washed over Riveria.
Hoping that Alice and Lefiya were still there, Riveria rushed over as soon as she got the news from Finn, only to find the training grounds completely empty. Without hesitation, she made her way toward Loki's study.
She ran into Alice and Lefiya along the way.
Upon learning that Alice indeed had some ideas about Lefiya's magic, Riveria decided to join them.
Back at the training grounds, Alice held a notebook in her hand, on which was written the incantation for the magic Lefiya possessed.
"First of all, I'm not sure how deeply ingrained your mental image of magic is, Lefiya, but we can start by testing the most fundamental aspects."
Alice was brimming with excitement. The magical knowledge inherited from Patchouli was far too vast and profound for her to fully absorb—who knew how long it would take to master it all?
Yet, thanks to Patchouli's expertise, Alice found a certain thrill in playing the role of a teacher. She had to admit, teaching was indeed a rather enjoyable experience.
"Yes! Professor Alice! I have a question!" Lefiya, too, was caught up in the excitement.
"Mm! Go ahead, student Lefiya," Alice replied with a smile.
In Riveria's eyes, their playful teacher-student act was utterly adorable. Though Lefiya was sixteen years old, by elf standards, she was practically still a child in human years.
And while Alice appeared mature and generally carried herself with composure, right now she was acting just like a kid.
Their interaction was genuinely entertaining. Watching them, Riveria couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corners of her lips.
"Professor Alice, what exactly do you mean by 'fundamental testing'?" Lefiya asked curiously.
With a faint smile, Alice tore a page out of her notebook and handed it to Lefiya. "First, let's try something—see if modifying your magical incantation still allows you to successfully cast the spell. This is the revised version I came up with. If any part feels awkward to you, feel free to tweak it a little."
"Huh? Okay..." Taking the paper from Alice, Lefiya scanned the written lines and looked up puzzled. "But Alice, I thought the goal was to shorten the incantation? Why does this version you gave me seem even longer than my original one?"
"Simple." Alice adjusted a pair of glasses that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, perched on the bridge of her nose. "If we want to shorten the chant or achieve incantation-less magic, the first thing we need to confirm is whether the magic you've learned operates under the same principle I suspect—that magical incantations serve to deepen the caster's mental imagery, thereby enabling the spell's release."
"If we jump straight into shortening the incantation, it might weaken the clarity of your mental image to the point where the magic fails to manifest."
"So, rather than shortening it right away, it makes more sense to start by lengthening the incantation and testing whether the spell can still be cast."
"Once we confirm that the function of the incantation is indeed to reinforce the mental imagery during spellcasting, we can then work on shortening the chant to a certain extent."
"Anyway, for now, just try reading the incantation on the paper aloud. Recite it with the same focus and intention you always use when casting magic."
Hearing Alice's explanation, Riveria, who had been standing to the side, felt her eyes light up.
Riveria knew perfectly well whether Alice's theory was correct—after all, the purpose of magical incantations was clearly outlined in the introductory texts on elven magic.
Magic was a force that invoked supernatural phenomena through incantation, consuming corresponding mental and magical energy in the process. The longer the incantation, the more powerful the spell tended to be.
The fundamental reason was that magic was a method of materializing concepts from the caster's mind using mental and magical energy.
Just as Alice had said, magical incantations were a means to deepen one's mental imagery of the spell.
For instance, Riveria's own [Concurrent Chanting] was an application of this principle—using incantations to forcibly alter her mental impression of a spell, allowing her to unleash multiple different magics within a single casting.
At that moment, the way Riveria looked at Alice had completely changed.
If before she had merely been curious about Alice's magic, now she felt a intense fascination with Alice herself.
Never before had anyone thought to achieve incantation-less magic by modifying the chant itself.
It was true that many mages were aware of this principle of deepening mental imagery through incantation. However, because longer chants generally resulted in more powerful spells, the focus had always been on how to use incantations to enhance magical potency.
Even Riveria herself was no exception—lengthening the incantation boosted the spell's power, but it also required more time to chant.
Just as Riveria was marveling at Alice's keen insight, Lefiya began her incantation.
"[Unleash, luminous holy arrow—nock upon the supreme bowstaff of the sacred tree, and ignite the blaze.]"
"[Take aim! Archer of the fairies!]"
Lefiya's voice grew louder and more passionate as she chanted.
She could feel it—the incantation she was reciting seemed to be a modified, stitched-together version of her two existing spells.
With every line she spoke, a clear image of what the words represented flashed vividly in her mind.
As the chant progressed, Lefiya could sense the magical energy within her being steadily consumed. She knew—she had succeeded.
Except, this spell… seemed to be slipping beyond her control.
"[Explode! Arcs Ray!]"
As the final line of the incantation left her lips, Alice watched on with eager anticipation, while Riveria's face suddenly paled. She could keenly sense the immense power gathering within the spell.
Without a moment's hesitation, Riveria began chanting as well.
--+--
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