Supplementary Lessons
The afternoon of a truly beautiful day found Nahen in the rear garden with Seere. As a reward for her perfect execution of the training he'd assigned in the Training Journal that day, he was carefully slicing sweet fruit for her.
Seere's eyes sparkled at the sight of the obviously delicious fruit. Nahen speared a piece with a fork and held it up for her to see.
“Here, Seere. This is fruit given by Her Majesty Sitri. Doesn't it look tasty?”
“Yes~!”
“Just in case there might be poison, I'll try it first...”
“I didn't put anything like that in it...!”
And there was one more person in the garden.
It was Sitri, the ruler of the 71st Floor and a former high-ranking Demon King who had once held the 12th position. While Nahen and Seere sat comfortably in their chairs, Sitri was laboriously crawling across the grass on her hands and knees.
Of course, this wasn't because Sitri had any peculiar tastes. She wasn't doing it willingly. The entire backyard was blanketed in Nahen's mana, creating an overwhelming pressure. Because of this, even Kain—who was supposed to attend to Seere—couldn't approach and could only watch them from afar.
Nahen glanced at her and spoke.
“I told you it would be better to rest for a day.”
“Shut... up...!”
Yesterday on the training grounds, Sitri had failed to reach Nahen no matter how hard she tried. Whether he was sitting there yawning, distracted while playing with Seere, or even deliberately seated and giving Seere lessons—she couldn't touch him.
Nahen had suggested she rest for a day to recover her condition, but her pride must have been badly wounded, because here she was again today.
“I'll definitely... land one hit on you...!!”
“I look forward to seeing the results.”
Though Nahen spoke casually, he was actually quite surprised by how quickly Sitri was adapting. She didn't reach the 12th rank for nothing.
Just yesterday she couldn't move at all, yet now she was crawling. Even if her movements were extremely slow, adapting this much in a single day meant it probably wouldn't be long before she managed to land a blow on him.
“Teacher, Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Please teach me.”
“We already had lessons this morning, didn't we?”
Not only had they finished the day's lessons, but all of her training as well. Still, Seere didn't seem satisfied. She hugged her teddy bear tightly and said,
“I want to learn more.”
There was such a thing as an appropriate amount. If he pushed her too hard and her condition worsened the next day, the lessons would end up doing more harm than good. But when Nahen looked into Seere's eyes, he decided to give her just a little supplementary lesson.
There was no teacher who could refuse a student whose eyes were filled with such curiosity and determination.
“Then I'll teach you just a bit of the advanced material from this morning's lesson.”
“Yes!”
Nahen gathered the mana he had scattered around them. An enormous amount of power flowed back into his body. Sitri, who had been struggling to crawl, lifted her head at the sudden release of pressure and looked at him.
“Take a short break.”
“Haa... understood.”
Even Sitri herself could feel she had reached her physical limit. Nahen hadn't suggested resting for a day for no reason. She lay spread-eagled on the grass and caught her breath.
Nahen turned to Seere.
“Tell me what you learned today.”
“How to use the mana scattered in the air!”
“Very good. We call that external mana. What effect did I say you could achieve by using external mana?”
“You can cast spells that require more mana than what you can normally use!”
Normally, the type and power of magic one could use depended on their available mana. However, there was one trick: utilizing the mana floating in the atmosphere. This method couldn't be used in the Human Realm or Heaven where atmospheric mana density was low, but in the Demon Realm—where the concentration was extremely high—it was entirely possible.
For Seere, whose young age and small body limited the circuits she could create within herself, this shortcut was essential if she wanted to wield powerful magic.
Nahen nodded, confirming her answer was correct, and continued his explanation.
“We said you gather the scattered mana and make it your own, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then how do you catch mana that drifts freely through the air?”
“Umm...”
Seere seemed lost in thought. After pondering for a while, she offered her answer.
“You ask it for help!”
The very idea of speaking to mana—which was nothing more than a form of energy, not a living thing—revealed a child's pure innocence. Nahen asked her,
“How would you ask? Mana can't understand our words.”
“Umm...”
“Actually, there is a way to ask for help.”
“Really?”
Nahen never forgot that Seere was only seven years old. Even when teaching, it was faster to explain concepts at a child's level.
“We can't speak to it, but our own mana can.”
“Because it's the same kind of mana?”
“That's right. So the answer is...”
Nahen scattered his mana around them once more.
“You spread your own mana to bring the mana floating in the air to you. Your mana becomes friends with the drifting mana and leads them back to you.”
Though explained from a child's perspective, his theory was correct. Mana had the property of reacting to other mana. What Nahen described was a method that utilized that characteristic. After scattering your mana and then gathering it back, the external mana that reacted to yours would be pulled along with it.
Of course, absorbing it all the way into your body and converting it into your own mana was impossible, but you could use the gathered mana as the cost to activate spells.
“Friends!”
“Yes. By borrowing the power of those friends, you can cast much stronger magic.”
Nahen asked Seere,
“Would you like to try it yourself?”
“Yes!”
Seere closed her eyes slightly. Then mana began to flow from her. Thanks to her daily training to increase her circuits, she was already quite skilled at releasing mana outward.
“Good. Now slowly spread your mana wide.”
She nodded. Seere maintained her concentration and gradually extended her mana around them. Both Nahen and Sitri could feel her power spreading and claiming the surrounding space.
Sitri pushed herself up slightly and stared at the focused girl.
A seven-year-old's mana?
This was the first time Sitri had directly witnessed Seere's mana like this. It was astonishing. She didn't think her own mana had been anywhere near this level when she was seven.
......
Sitri felt it once again in her heart. This alliance must never be lost. Even if all the others proved useless, just the existence of Nahen and Seere alone would be worth more than enough.
“Good. Now gather your mana back in.”
“Okay.”
Seere began slowly drawing her scattered mana back in. Compared to Nahen, who could spread and retract his mana in an instant, she was much slower—but considering her age, it wasn't slow at all.
“Huh?”
Then Seere let out a strange little sound, as if she'd felt something odd. Nahen smiled at her reaction, finding it adorable.
“Does it feel strange?”
“Yes...”
Seere wore a puzzled expression. She was sensing a foreign mana that didn't belong to her.
“What you're feeling right now that feels unfamiliar isn't your own mana—it's the mana that was drifting in the air. That's what we're using.”
As he spoke, Nahen showed her a spell that would normally be impossible for Seere to cast with her current available mana.
“Try copying me.”
“Okay.”
Nahen demonstrated a certain spell. At that moment, someone cried out in shock.
“W-what are you teaching her!?”
It was Sitri, who had been watching their lesson. Nahen tilted his head at her startled expression.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not exactly a problem... How do you know that spell?”
It wasn't because the spell was particularly powerful. Nor was it because it was too advanced for Seere. The reason Sitri was so shocked was...
“That's a lost ancient spell!!”
It was a method of magic that no longer existed in the present day.
Ancient magic?
Nahen pondered inwardly. He had simply used one of the spells from the memories that had flowed into him.
This is considered a lost spell?
After thinking for a moment, Nahen answered Sitri.
“Yes, that's correct.”
“How in the world do you know it?!”
When Nahen gave a vague reply, Sitri narrowed her eyes sharply. It was a clear demand for a proper answer, but he had no intention of giving one. He naturally continued the lesson with Seere.
“Alright, Seere. Try copying what you just saw.”
“Yes!”
Though it was called a lost spell, what Nahen had taught her was actually quite simple. It was an ignition spell.
Creating flames in empty space with no medium at all—it looked simple, but it was slightly advanced for a child to learn. That was because it consumed a considerable amount of mana. Without a medium, a great deal of power was required to produce fire.
Ignition magic still existed today, but the ancient version was far simpler than the current method. The technique had been lost, so modern mages used a much more complicated process.
Yet Nahen had shown Seere the lost version right before her eyes. The ancient ignition spell, which could be used in a far simpler way than today's version, was easy for Seere to understand at a glance.
“Use some of your own mana, and all of the mana you just gathered, to create the flame.”
Nahen whispered to her.
“Imagine a brilliant, blooming flame in your mind.”
“...Yes.”
Thinking of the spell Nahen had shown her, Seere pictured a flame in her heart just as he had instructed. After thinking carefully for a while, she gently opened her eyes.
“Ignition.”
"Ignis"
⟨ Ancient Ignition ⟩
Whoosh!
Flames bloomed. Not through today's method, but through the ancient 'rune characters.'
Seere's eyes widened in surprise at the fire that had sprung from her fingertips. Nahen reached out, gently stroked her head, and praised her.
“Well done.”
“Hehe... ehehe.”
Seeing Seere beam with a wide, happy smile at the praise, Nahen smiled softly as well.
“You must use the drifting mana like that. To do so, you'll also need to practice quickly releasing and gathering your mana, right?”
“Yes!”
“Keep up your usual training without getting lazy. That will be enough.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
As Nahen watched Seere smile brightly, he noticed Sitri had approached his side and said,
“Landing a hit on me is something we'll discuss during training, Your Majesty.”
“That's not what I meant.”
Sitri pointed at herself.
“Teach me ancient magic too.”
“No.”
It was a blunt refusal. Sitri stared at him blankly for a moment, then snapped back to her senses and asked again.
“Why not?!”
“Because the trust between Your Majesty and myself has not yet reached that level.”
“What... trust?”
“Yes. I don't believe our relationship is close enough for me to share the ancient magic I know.”
Nahen rested his chin on his hand, pretending to ponder.
“If you wish to learn, I would prefer our relationship to grow a little closer first.”
“...You want our relationship to become more trusting?”
“You catch on quickly.”
“Fine.”
Nahen tilted his head in confusion at how readily Sitri agreed. She smirked, then leaned in close and whispered into his ear.
“Then I'll come to your room tonight.”
“...Pardon?”
For a moment Nahen didn't understand, but once he grasped her meaning, his expression hardened instantly. Sitri wore a confident smile, but he had not meant it in that way at all.
Nahen pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“...Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly is your understanding of sexual concepts?”
“W-what's the problem!? Isn't this what you wanted? To build trust between a man and a woman, of course you have to...”
“I'm not talking about trust between a man and a woman. I'm referring to trust between the 72nd Floor and the 71st Floor. Must I really explain this verbally?”
“Ah.”
Only then did Sitri realize she had completely misunderstood. Recalling the seductive offer she'd just made, her face flushed bright red with embarrassment.
“F-forget what I just said...”
“I will. Now that you understand properly, I hope you'll bring me a more tempting offer next time.”
“...Got it.”
Seere, sitting in front of them, could only tilt her head in confusion at their conversation, not understanding a word of it.
“Hmm?”