บท 20: 020 Wind Spirit Swift Walk
In the morning courtyard, a beautiful scene unknown to others quietly unfolded.
Winds were forming.
Winds were gathering.
The visible flows of air danced about, like mischievous fairies, suddenly blowing in from all directions to envelop Ais.
Within this visible wind, the young girl wrapped in gentle breezes had her golden hair, shining bright like sand gold, fluttering and rippling.
That scene was as beautiful as a painting.
"This is my magic,"
Ais, her body entwined with wind as if she had transformed into a sprite of the breeze, spoke to Reiger.
Reiger stared intently at the winds swirling around Ais, his memories becoming active.
——— Wind Spirit Swift Walk.
This was Ais's sole spell, a type of enhancement magic.
So-called enhancement magic is the art of bestowing a magical attribute upon oneself or upon objects one comes into contact with, thereby granting magical power and boosting one's own abilities.
Ais's Wind Spirit Swift Walk was an enhancement spell of this type, imbued with the attribute of wind.
The incantation for this magic was but a single line, deemed a super short chant within the category of super short spells, thus it could be activated very swiftly, and its difficulty to cast was uncommonly low among the multitude of spells.
When this enhancement spell was enacted, the caster would receive the blessing of the wind, gain the magical power of the wind attribute, control the force of the wind to wrap around the body and weapon, giving protection, assisting in attacks, increasing speed, and even granting the caster the ability for short-distance flight. It was nearly an all-rounder, combining attack, defense, acceleration, and assistance, except for lacking long-distance offensive capabilities.
Now, this magic was displayed before Reiger, entering his sight.
It was at that moment that Reiger felt it.
His memories were stirring.
"Awaken, Tempest."
As if blessed with a divine grace, Reiger naturally chanted the super short spell he had heard just seconds before.
The stirring memories immediately responded to the chant.
"Whoosh———"
The wind blew once more.
This time, however, the tangible gusts of wind that rushed in from all sides, initially faint but increasingly majestic, entwined themselves around the body of Reiger, standing before Ais.
"My magic..."
Ais's beautiful large eyes involuntarily widened.
Watching Reiger, surrounded by the gentle wind and cloaked in flowing air just like her, Ais was speechless for a long time.
It wasn't just Ais.
The two in the courtyard failed to notice that above the mansion, several windows of rooms had been opened, allowing gazes to peer through and focus on this scene.
"He actually succeeded?"
Loki watched Reiger successfully use Ais's magic, his expression comically torn between laughter and tears.
"That newcomer, did he really just use Ais's magic?"
"This is going to be good."
The Amazonian twin sisters were peeking from a room, clearly witnessing everything.
"Tch."
The werewolf youth clicked his tongue in secret and left.
Meanwhile, Finn, Revilia, and Grace gathered in the same room, looking at each other as they viewed the man and woman in the courtyard, both enveloped in wind.
"He did it," Finn said with a sigh of wonder, "It seems that our newcomer's magic, in terms of uniqueness, could perhaps be ranked first in the entire clan."
"Isn't that obvious?" Grace grunted, arms crossed, "If he can learn Ais's spell, is he not just like her, more than merely a human?"
Hearing this, Revilia remained silent, her gaze shifting between Reiger and Ais, her eyebrows knitting together slightly.
She knew all too well how special Ais's magic was.
At first glance, it seemed like a rather common enhancement spell with nothing peculiar about it. Enhancement magic wasn't rare; in Orario, there were probably a hundred or so adventurers possessing it, not to mention that even in the Loki Familia, Ais wasn't the only one with such magic.
But when compared to those spells, Ais's magic was fundamentally different.
The super short incantation was just one feature of this spell.
The true uniqueness of this magic couldn't be discerned by the naked eye.
"Reiger Brillhaut, huh?" Revilia murmured to herself, "I wonder if it is good or bad for him to have learned Ais's magic."
Finn and Grace both kept silent.
Until a while later, Finn was the first to break the silence.
"Regardless, our clan has gained a potential genius, which is good news," Finn said with a slight smile, "We should nurture him well; he may very well become another cornerstone of our clan in the future."
"Indeed," Grace agreeing while stroking his beard and smiling, "I see now why Loki brought us all together to showcase the lad. It's definitely not just about teaching him magic."
"She wants us to focus on cultivating him, right?" Revilia looked to Finn, asking, "What do you plan to do, Finn?"
"For now, I don't plan on doing anything special," Finn bit the nail of his thumb, pondered for a while, and then said, "He's only joined the familia for two days, and has only been receiving Grace's blessings for the same amount of time. Right now, it's crucial for him to establish a foundation and clarify his own direction. If we intervene rashly, it might actually do more harm than good."
"Oh?" Grace raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you worried that we might lead him astray?"
"Exactly." Revilia actually agreed with Finn's opinion, saying, "We still don't know enough about him, and his combat system isn't fully formed yet. If we meddle at random, he's very likely to be influenced by us."
The path that suits oneself might not be suitable for others.
Perhaps it could be said that everyone should have their own development, their own path; only that path is truly the best fit for them.
Reiger was still too young and immature, his growth period too short. Without a clear understanding of his own development and role, if he were to be influenced too much by others, he might end up on a path that's totally unsuitable for him.
This would not be good and must be prevented.
Hence, Finn had no intention of getting involved too soon in Reiger's growth phase.
"Later on, I'll chat with Loki and see if she can reveal anything," Finn said with a smile: "Considering her attitude yesterday, there should be something special about Reiger that we don't know yet. It's best to understand it first before making plans."
"That kid is hiding something, right?" Grace said, not without expectation, "What could it be? It's really intriguing!"
"It could be some skill, or perhaps it's another magic," Revilia mused, "Anyway, there's definitely something off about Loki's attitude."
The three leaders set their plans for dealing with Reiger in just a few words.
This also signified that, from this moment, Reiger officially came into the sight of the familia's higher echelons and started to be taken seriously.
However, the three leaders, as well as those secretly watching, still underestimated Reiger.
The events that would follow were going to shatter their understanding of Reiger, causing them to recognize his uniqueness once again.
...
Ais continued to look at Reiger with a complex gaze; he was enshrouded with wind and confirming his current state.
"He really learned it..."
Ais found it difficult to describe her feelings at the moment.
Seeing someone else use "Wind" magic just like her, Ais strangely couldn't feel happy, but rather touched a chord of sentimentality.
After all, this magic held extraordinary significance for Ais.
Ais could only suppress the emotions that were about to erupt in her heart, her gaze fleetingly catching the sword in Reiger's hand.
After a flicker in her eyes, Ais pondered for a moment and then looked straight at Reiger.
"Want to give it a try?"
Ais uttered these words.
Reiger, who was observing himself and curiously examining his own transformation, immediately understood her meaning upon hearing Ais's words.
"Draw your sword," Ais said, "Let me see what your 'Wind' is like."
As she spoke, Ais herself drew her sword, allowing her bright silver saber to unsheathe.
However, Ais didn't hold the saber itself, but took hold of its scabbard, propping it up, while throwing the sword to the side.
Seeing this, Reiger's eyes sparkled too.
The person before him was Orario's strongest female Swordsman, a Swordsman of the first rank in every sense of the title.
She was incredibly strong.
At least, for the current him, she was an unattainable entity, no matter what.
Not to mention anything else, the mere difference in their levels was like heaven and earth; they were definitely not on the same level.
You see, leveling up could arguably be described as a full-body-and-mind evolution.
Therefore, in this world, even a single level difference was considered immense.
Let alone facing a Lv.5 first-rank adventurer, even a Lv.2 third-rank adventurer was almost impossible for the current Reiger to beat.
...But what of it?
With a powerful enemy before him, he could challenge at any time; wasn't that thought exhilarating?
Reiger's heartbeat started to accelerate, and a familiar thrill surged within him.
"Please go easy on me."
As the longsword was drawn, Reiger adopted his stance without any hesitation or second thoughts, pointing the sharp tip of his sword at Ais's throat.
In his eyes, a hint of coldness emerged, contrary to the thrill building in his heart.
...
Ais, who had been casually posing, seemed to sense something, her heart tensed, and her body slightly stiffened.
It was like being targeted by a wild beast, a feeling that swamped Ais's mind.
Though not particularly strong or dangerous, that sensation still caused Ais to instinctively tighten her guard.
"Snap!"
In that instant, Reiger stamped fiercely on the ground and, with the wind wrapping around his body, charged at Ais.
The air exploded around him, and under the magic's augmentation, Reiger's form shot towards his opponent like a bullet, the narrowing of her pupils marking the commencement of their battle.
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