章 50: Chapter 49: Leone's Breakthrough
Hearing Leone let out a laugh, all three of us turned to see her surrounded by dozens of runes.
Each rune was glowing crimson, and they slowly moved to create a ritual circle in front of her.
A wave of heat radiated from the ritual circle, and we watched as Leone stood up, her orange eyes glowing as she inspected the circle with a wide grin on her face.
Her ashen hair billowed slightly in the heat wave, before she reached out a hand and touched the circle.
Rippling, it slowly spun clockwise before shrinking in on itself, going from being as tall as Leone to being the size of her palm. As it shrunk, it spun faster and faster, before it shot towards her chest.
She groaned in pain as it touched her skin, and we rushed towards her when we saw her clothes burning away.
However, before we could take another step Leone shouted "It's fine! Don't worry!"
Even as she said that, we knelt beside her, gritting our teeth as we heard her grunting in pain.
The ritual circle was searing itself onto her skin, the deep crimson a stark contrast to her almost paper white skin.
Taking shuddering breaths, I was about to ask Jahi to heal her when we felt someone appear behind us. Turning, we looked up to see her personal guard staring down at Leone, shaking his head.
Like the guards that accompanied the Empress before, they were dressed in a deep red armor with a dragon mask helmet. However, their armor was much more intricate than the previous guards, as golden runes were etched across various parts of their armor. Additionally, a spear was strapped to their back instead of a claymore.
"Princess, did the Empress and Queen Presa not tell you to wait? Hah... I really don't get paid enough for this..."
With a weary sigh the guard knelt behind Leone, placing their hand on her back.
Leone gasped, before taking in a deep breath. The ritual circles glow faded, and eventually the heat stopped as well.
Looking at her chest, Leone grinned widely before slumping backwards, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
"Really... Hah, whatever. Listen, there is no need to worry; the princess will be fine. She just needs sleep."
The guard gently scooped Leone up before making their way to the door.
Turning, they said "She should be awake in a few hours, so hold your questions till then."
Bowing slightly, they left the Training Ground.
Looking between the two girls, I saw that Anput and Jahi were just as surprised as I was, their mouths wide open as their gaze was fixed on the door.
"Was that... a magic tattoo?"
Hearing Jahi's voice filled with disbelief, I nodded my head.
"Yeah... imprinting a rune on the skin is said to be painful, let alone a ritual circle... I wonder what it was?"
Anput chuckled, saying "Well, I guess that just proves that Leone is going to be quite the mage huh? After all, creating ritual circles is already quite difficult at this age, but imprinting it on your skin? Almost impossible."
We looked at one another, before smiling.
"Well, I guess we should follow her example, hmm? How about another spar?"
~~~
For the next few hours Anput and Jahi sparred, with me sitting on the rock slowly getting myself used to my magic and flow of mana. Every once in awhile Jahi would cast her healing spell on me, allowing me to push myself further.
However, while I was creating sequence after sequence, I noticed that they came to me much quicker than before, and that I was casting them with much more ease.
Eventually, my mana slowly ran out, producing a large headache for me to deal with.
As I clutched my head in my hands, I received a notification:
[Skills Unlocked:
Mana Control (Novice) - Spells and Ritual Circles are easier to cast
Undine's Blessing (Novice) - Spells and Ritual Circles related to the Water Domain are stronger; mana regenerates quicker while in water]
For a brief moment I forgot about my headache, instead marveling at my new skills.
Mana Control is something that, while basic, was really important. Being able to control my mana better would be necessary to creating and casting awesome spells, like coating my body in mana to create an armor of sorts.
As for Undine's Blessing? Being able to have stronger healing spells or creating a condensed stream of water would be great spells to have. Besides, regenerating mana while in water is insane!
'However, why are they using vague words like easier, stronger, and quicker?'
[They use such words because you have no way to see the values assigned to those things. For instance, you have no idea what the numerical value assigned to casting a water sphere is, nor do you know the power behind a water spear. Unless you yourself calculate it, the skills stay vague. However, do know that it isn't by a small amount; it is actually quite generous.]
Hearing the explanation, I sighed before groaning.
I probably shouldn't use this much mana ever again...
Opening my eyes, I had to blink a few times to clear my vision, watching as Jahi swung her blade at Anput, only to be blocked with a loud 'clang!'
Getting up, I looked at the sky and saw the sky was darkening, so I wobbled over to the girls and said "Keep sparing... I'm going to go to take a bath..."
Yawning slightly, I saw Jahi nod before blocking a slash from Anput. I smiled before making my way to the door, slowly traversing the halls until I reached our room.
Opening the doors, I shuffled to the bedroom, where I threw off my clothes and quickly made my way into the bath.
After rinsing my body off I lowered myself into the warm water, moaning slightly at the small rush of energy I felt when the water lapped over my skin.
Sighing, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander as I let myself recover.
I don't know how much time had passed, but eventually I felt someone wrap their arm around me.
Looking to my right, I saw Jahi smiling down at me as she sat besides me. Without a word I leaned closer into her, enjoying the warmth of both the water and her body.
Giving me a brief kiss on my cheek, Jahi sighed as she leaned into me.
Closing my eyes again, my mind drifted away, enjoying the warm silence in the bath.
~~~
Opening my eyes, I noticed that I was lying on our couch, wearing my chemise. Looking around, I saw Jahi standing in front of a bookshelf, sorting through the various books before grabbing one.
Turning, she grinned at me before saying "Sleep well?"
Yawning, I nodded, before asking "How long was I asleep?"
"Only an hour. However, I heard that Leone was awake. Did you want to go see her?"
I nodded, curious about what she had done earlier. Seeing that, Jahi chuckled before moving into the bedroom, coming back out with one of her jackets.
Tossing it to me, she placed her book on the table before moving towards the door. Throwing on the jacket, I followed behind her.
We made our way towards Leone's guest room, where we saw Anput leaning next to the door.
Nodding to us, Anput knocked on the door twice.
After a moment the door opened, the guard looking outside. Seeing us, they sighed before opening the door wider, gesturing for us to enter.
"Please mind your voices, as the princess has a headache. Additionally, please let her explain first before you ask a million and one questions."
We nodded at the guard before entering the room. Looking around, we spotted Leone sprawled out on one of the couches, a book in her hand.
Hearing us enter she looked up, smiling at us before closing the book.
"Well, as you probably guessed... that was a magic tattoo..."
Her voice was slightly raspy, and she had to take a sip from the teacup in front of her to continue.
"Over the last year I worked with Mother to develop a ritual circle to increase the amount of mana someone could absorb from their surroundings and that amplified their spells. Obviously, it is quite complex, and is different per person, as it is tuned specifically to your mana. So, we managed to get most of it done. Earlier, I managed to finish it, and well... I guess I got too excited..."
Chuckling, she gently touched the center of her chest, continuing.
"I completed it... and while it hurt, quite a bit actually, I think it was worth it. Now, all my spells related to fire will contain more heat, and I can gather more mana from the surroundings."
Taking a deep breath, she leaned back into the couch as she looked at us.
"So? Any questions? I know it's simple, but... magic tattoos are quite complex..."
Anput and Jahi shook their heads, satisfied with the answer.
Looking over at me, Leone raised a brow. Seeing that, I shook my head as well, before moving closer to her.
"Are you okay now?"
She chuckled, before nodding.
"It aches, and I have a headache, but other than that... I feel fine."
I nodded, before saying "Have you eaten? Would you like me to make you something?"
Leone pursed her lips, her cheeks darkening slightly as she nodded.
Smiling down at her, I turned to see Jahi narrowing her eyes at me, while Anput had a brow raised.
Sighing, I said "I'll make something for all of us. Stay here..."
Making my way to the door, I looked towards the guard and asked "Will you be joining us?"
Chuckling, the guard shook their head.
"Thank you for offering, but I'm not hungry."
I nodded, before making my way out of the room, towards the kitchen.
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