The commotion caused by Lefiya's magic was felt throughout the entire Loki Familia, though there weren't many members around at the time.
So only a handful of people actually noticed it.
Among them was the Level 5 Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, who clearly sensed the vibrations.
Ais, who had been planning to head to the Adventurer's Guild for some business, immediately rushed toward the source of the tremor—the training grounds—as soon as she felt the sudden shaking.
By the time she arrived, however…
Ais found that nothing seemed to be happening.
"Lefiya, Riveria… and… who?" Ais tilted her head slightly, gazing curiously at the unfamiliar golden-haired girl standing beside her companions.
A pretty person.
That was Ais's first impression upon seeing Alice.
In Ais's mind, the phrase "a pretty person" had never really surfaced before—though she supposed Riveria could also be described that way.
But with Riveria… well, Ais had been raised by her since childhood. They were a little too familiar. So Ais never felt that sudden sense of dazzlement around Riveria.
Besides, Ais wasn't someone who paid much attention to appearances. In fact, when it came to looks, she tended to be rather slow on the uptake.
With Alice, it was simply because this was their first meeting—a natural reaction to something beautiful and pleasing to the eye, nothing more.
"Ais?" Riveria spoke up when she noticed her. "What brings you here?"
"I felt a vibration, so I came to check," Ais replied flatly.
"I see." Riveria understood. Lefiya's magic had caused quite a stir. No doubt others had felt it too, not just Ais.
"Did something happen?" Ais asked, still puzzled.
"Well, you could say that." Riveria glanced toward Alice.
Alice was also studying Ais with mild curiosity.
With ordinary people, Alice's senses remained fairly dull. But when it came to those with magical power, she could perceive their mana quite clearly.
For instance, with Lefiya and Riveria, she could feel strong magical energy. Because of their spellcraft, Lefiya's mana felt slightly rough, like material still being tempered.
Riveria, on the other hand, was different—her mana felt fully refined, brilliant and polished.
And as for Ais in front of her… Alice could sense something fiercely violent about her, something that didn't match her calm appearance at all.
Despite her composed expression, Alice could feel the wildly turbulent mana swirling inside Ais.
Mana and mental energy are interconnected.
In this world, everyone's mana was intertwined with their spirit. So by sensing someone's mana, Alice could get a fairly clear idea of their mental state.
She'd first noticed this with Lefiya earlier. When Lefiya heard from her that it was possible to learn chantless magic, her mana became intensely active. From that feeling, Alice could tell Lefiya was thrilled.
Now, though, Lefiya had calmed down.
But in Ais, Alice sensed a more restless, agitated flow of mana—a sign that lately, Ais had been feeling anxious about something.
And her mana was even rougher than Lefiya's.
Alice concluded that this Sword Princess, calm as she seemed, was probably a bit of a reckless soul deep down.
While Alice was carefully observing Ais, Ais was also staring intently back at her.
Noticing the two locking eyes, Riveria introduced them. "Ais, this is Alice, the doll maker. She hasn't joined our Familia, but Loki has given her permission to move freely within our home. She's a friend of the Loki Familia."
Hearing Riveria's words, Ais suddenly understood. "Ah, you're the one who made Bete make a mistake."
"That sounds a bit odd, but never mind…" Alice thought to herself. Even though this girl seemed like the unruly type, she also came across as very straightforward.
Ais's words might have been easily misunderstood, but Alice didn't mind.
"Hello, my name is Alice. It's nice to meet you."
She was quite familiar with Ais already—not just from sensing her mana, but also because Lefiya had talked about her often.
Plus, Alice had made quite a few dolls of Ais.
"Nice to meet you," Ais replied calmly, and after that, she simply stood there without another word.
"Ahem." Riveria knew Ais's personality all too well. If left to her own devices, Ais could easily stand like that all day without moving.
"Ais, we're heading to the Dungeon to test out a new form of magic. If it works, Lefiya will become incredibly powerful in an instant. Would you like to join us? That is… if it's alright with you, Alice?"
Trying to prevent her naturally airheaded companion from just standing there frozen, Riveria invited Ais along, then turned to Alice for confirmation.
"Of course, it's fine," Alice replied with a soft smile. "Besides, there's something I'd like to ask the famous Sword Princess myself."
"Is that so? Well then, Ais, how about it? You'll get to see something you've never seen before. It should be quite interesting," Riveria said with a light laugh.
[Get stronger.]
"Is Lefiya going to level up?" Ais immediately picked up on the hidden meaning in Riveria's words.
Lefiya had already developed all three of her magics. Her biggest issue was with chanting, and because of her personality, that wasn't something she could improve quickly. So in Ais's mind, if Lefiya was going to get stronger, it had to be in that area.
But Riveria shook her head.
"No, it's an entirely new concept of magic. If Lefiya—or anyone else, for that matter—can master it, their power will increase dramatically." Even Riveria couldn't hide her excitement.
Through her own earlier verification, she had confirmed that Alice's theory was sound.
But due to her unique skill, [Fairy Anthem], shortening incantations would actually weaken her magic. For Lefiya, however, it was completely different.
She didn't have a skill like [Fairy Anthem]. Instead, she possessed [Elf Ring], which enhanced all offensive magic.
Shortening chants—or even casting without chanting—was the most suitable ability for Lefiya, one she needed to train with all her heart.
And truth be told, Riveria really wanted to see what Lefiya would become if she could cast all her spells without chanting.
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