"Okay, Caster, now that we're outside, I want you to show me everything you can do. As your Master, I need to know your skill set so I can adjust properly." Edelfelt said, her sharp eyes studying the Servant before her.
"Well, if I showed you everything, you'd probably die. I'll stick to spells that don't have a lot of aoe." Rudeus muttered, glancing at his hand.
Edelfelt tilted her head, frowning. "What could that word 'aoe possibly mean?" she asked in her usual pompous tone, clearly expecting an answer.
Rudeus rubbed his chin. "Like… widerange destruction? I don't know. A term from my past life, I guess."
Edelfelt raised a brow but nodded. She didn't like not knowing things. "Strange way of putting it. Very unrefined."
She folded her arms, her eyes flicking to his staff. "Are you not going to cast a spell through your Noble Phantasm? That is how most Casters conduct their magecraft."
Rudeus shook his head. "I don't wanna waste mana on something too destructive. I'll just use my hand. That's more than enough to show you. But please, stay back. I don't want to accidentally kill my Master." He chuckled lightly.
Luvia scoffed. "I'll have you know, as heir to the Edelfelt family, I can protect myself from even some of the strongest mages." She struck a confident pose, tapping a finger against her temple, smiling as if daring him to underestimate her.
Rudeus smirked at the display. "You really are a very arrogant woman."
"Of course," Luvia replied, chin raised. "A woman should always be confident in her abilities. Especially a mage."
Their banter ended as mana gathered in Rudeus' hand, the air crackling faintly. Luvia's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Are you not going to prepare a bounded field first?" she asked, surprised.
Rudeus blinked. "What's a bounded field?"
Her lips curled into a mocking smile. "Don't make such crude jokes in front of me. How could a Caster not know something as basic as a bounded field?"
Rudeus scratched his head. "Then I must not be a proper Caster, because I don't know the first thing about these socalled 'bounded fields.'" He even raised his fingers to make mocking air quotes.
Luvia's composure cracked. She looked at him in disbelief, her thoughts racing. This must be a joke of the highest order. A Caster who doesn't know bounded fields? Her stomach twisted with dread. For a brief moment, despair showed on her face.
"This is absurd. Are you just a lump of mana with no refinement? How can you not know the basics? What can you even do?" Her voice trembled with both anger and doubt.
Her mind screamed. Why me? Why did I end up with this useless, perverted Servant who doesn't know beginner magecraft?
Rudeus noticed her expression worsening and quickly lifted his hand. Rain began to pour from the sky. Luvia froze, blinking. What was he doing? She didn't recognize this spell.
Thunder roared. Wind whipped violently, forcing her to hold down her dress and brace her stance. Yet not a single drop of rain touched her. Warm air wrapped around her body like a protective veil, shielding her fair skin.
Her eyes widened. "What is this magic…?" she whispered.
A bolt of lightning crashed into a nearby tree. In an instant, it evaporated, leaving only a trace of ash.
"Controlled lightning strikes?" she muttered, unsettled. "The mana behind it is vast, but… barbaric."
The noise, the rawness it offended her refined sense of magecraft. Was this truly all he had? Childish elemental magic? The thought burned her pride. How could an Edelfelt Master be saddled with such a savage Servant? Could he even stand against Saber? Assassin?
Before she could think further, the rain stopped. She looked down. Her eyes widened. The entire estate was covered in ice. The air shimmered with cold. Frost crystallized around her feet.
"What!" She tried to move, but the ice was too strong. Panic flashed across her face as the cold crept up her legs, numbing her body. "Hey, Greyrat, release me! Now!"
She struggled, but the ice spread higher. Then, just as quickly, it evaporated. The sun returned. Not a trace remained.
Rudeus lowered his hand, smiling proudly. "So, what do you think? Not much, but a little display of what I can do."
Luvia's face hardened. "My thoughts? Barbaric. Using such childlike magecraft disrespects the very name of magecraft. I don't even wish to call it that."
Rudeus' proud smile faltered. His chest tightened in frustration. He even kept her dry, warm, unharmed yet she dismissed it all as childish.
He grumbled. "Fine then. Since my magic is childish, let's see yours." His mocking tone was sharp, his grin daring her.
Luvia chuckled, amused. "I thought you'd never ask."
She stepped forward, fingers raised. "This is Edelfelt magecraft. Red, yellow, blue, greenobey your queen!"
Four gems shot from her hands, exploding against a tree. The trunk shattered, splintering into fragments.
She flicked her golden drills with satisfaction. "Flashy for you, perhaps, but elegant for me. A simpleton like you could never understand."
Rudeus narrowed his eyes, hand at his chin. "Do you have an affinity for all elements?"
Luvia smirked. "Outclassed by your own Master. How tragic. But now my affinity is Earth. The gems allow me to wield every element."
"Can I see some?" Rudeus asked, holding out his hand.
Suspicious but curious, Luvia placed several gems in his palm. "What are you planning, Servant?"
"Just testing something."
He focused. The gems glowed, then shot from his hand. Six colors streaked through the air and obliterated a tree faster than her eyes could track.
Luvia froze. Her world spun. He had copied her family's technique flawlessly. Was this mockery? Her pride screamed.
"How did you do that? Answer me, or I'll force it out of you." Her hand rose, Command Seals glowing faintly like sapphire facets.
Rudeus' expression darkened. He knew the power of those marks. His voice grew firm. "It's my ability. I'm proficient in all magecraft. I can cast silently, and once I see a technique, I can reproduce it."
Luvia's breath caught. For a moment, her thoughts were still. Then the realization struck. A Servant with affinity for everything. Infinite growth. Unlimited potential. This ability… it was beyond perfection.
"You say well, Rudeus. You've gained some of my respect. Knowing this, I'll train you myself. Since you can wield all magecraft, I'll teach you as much as I can."
Rudeus blinked, then nodded. He had never thought of using his skill this way. "From what the Grail told me, there are three months until the War. Is that enough to teach me properly?"
Luvia chuckled, a sly smirk gracing her lips. Her beauty shone like polished gemwork. For a moment, Rudeus wanted nothing more than to seize her.
Then she suddenly hooked behind him and slammed him into the ground with a perfect German suplex.
Grass filled his mouth. He groaned, rubbing his head. "What the hell was that for?"
"I could see your dirty intentions through your eyes. Next time, hide them better. I know I'm desirable, but not everyone can have me." She gave him a sharp look, one eye halflidded in suggestive mockery.
Rudeus grumbled into the dirt. "Troublesome blondes…."