Aria Shane Briqueville
So, from now on, you can slowly build up your mana control ability. There's no need to rush.
Following Zeroa's advice, Rai explained the lesson properly to the academy students gathered to listen. The students listened with interest and actively participated.
One student raised his hand and asked.
"I have a question. So, do pure mages become much stronger much faster? Because they need mana control ability quickly."
"No, it's completely different from simple strength."
The students' attention fixed completely on Rai's face as they listened to the next words. This was a completely different posture from the first lesson. They were still freely piled up sitting together, but their eyes were fixed on Rai's face, immersing themselves to hear even one more word.
"There are no pure magic users in this class, right? Any of you who can make this floor a muddy mess by using magic?"
"..."
No one raised their hand, and the place fell silent. Pure mages are rare in today's world. Most people mix magic with close combat; those who master only magic are either researchers or those specialized in magic.
"You can't use the magic that pure magic users could use at your age. So, are you weaker?"
"In a 1v1, I will never lose."
One student said confidently, and Rai nodded his head.
"Pure magic users who are weak against close combat serve as protectors and strengthen their powerful firepower or tactical breadth while being protected. The magic that makes the floor muddy may be weaker than the sword you swing while pumping mana, but it requires a much more complex technique. Of course, it requires much more mana control ability?"
The students' posture changed completely, and Rai felt a bit bewildered. When he once showed interest, the questions didn't stop. Following one question after another, Rai felt like he would run out of lecture time. When another student tried to ask another question, Rai said the lecture was over and to ask later, and started the practice.
Even so, since he explained properly, the students' evaluations of the lecture rose, and even the assistant professor who would get angry just by looking at him became silent. Rai thought it was fortunate.
"Do your best."
"I will cheer for you."
"I bet on you too."
With the evaluations of Rai changing, Philia naturally received sympathetic eyes and trembled. Close friends and academy students came over one by one, placed various comforts and sweet snacks on the seat where she sat, and left.
"Oh ho, oh ho. Your popularity is increasing, Miss Philia."
"Don't tease me, Cesset."
Cesset, approaching with a sly laugh, took one of the snacks placed on Philia's seat and ate it. While chewing with satisfaction at the sweetness and rolling her tongue, Philia suddenly struck the desk, startling her and making her look up.
"You clearly pretended to not be able to do it on purpose. That's mean."
"Why did the instructor Rai do such a thing?"
Cesset remembered the story Rai had added when explaining again during the lecture. Since this was her first time teaching the academy students, she had been inexperienced and apologized, saying she would explain from the beginning again.
No matter what happened, Rai's explanation was different from the first lesson; it entered her ears pleasantly, and most of them ended up positively regarding the Solterian Training Method.
"..."
"If you're going to be embarrassed, don't say it."
Rai saw Philia, whose face turned red with embarrassment even after saying it, and Cesset ate the snack calmly again.
"So, are you going to give up and apologize?"
"No, since things have come this far, I will definitely win. I have to win and then apologize."
Her face was red, but Philia's eyes were firm. Cesset smiled at her proud friend.
"Then I have to bet on Philia."
"Bet everything. I will definitely make you win."
"No, that's a bit... but it does carry risk, right?"
Philia lunged at the avoiding Cesset and tickled her. Cesset flailed her limbs while squealing to escape.
And returning to the story of Rai and Zeroa, the mood on that side was much more serious.
"Sorry..."
Looking at Zeroa, whose skill had not risen as much as expected, Rai pondered for a moment and opened his mouth.
"Mana control is originally difficult at first. So, I have to prescribe two things for you."
"What are they?"
"First, when you enter my class, deliberately fail."
"Huh? Why?"
Zeroa tilted his head at the deliberate failure instruction. Rai gave a mischievous smile and said.
"The strategy to create complacency... isn't that mean?"
"Y-yes..."
Rai's eyes that stared coldly while speaking pained Zeroa, so he put aside the strategic complacency and explained something else.
"The reason mana control failure is assumed differs for each person because the mana each person possesses is a different set. Think of it as personality. There might be similar personalities among people, but almost no completely identical ones. So, the training method doesn't present a definite solution but throws out tasks. You have to solve them and learn the way that suits you."
"Ah, so that's what it meant."
After listening to the advice, most of Zeroa's understanding came from Rai's explanation. Zeroa nodded at the fact he didn't know. Rai continued explaining.
"So, deliberate mistakes allow you to try various methods. For example, I feel like assembling puzzles with the way I handle mana. Someone else says it feels like spilling sand in their hand. They're all different."
"I didn't really think about it... I didn't know."
"Keep trying with the images. It's okay if the concept doesn't make sense. Burn it, wet it, knead it, harden it. Weave cloth, swing it, spill it, person, dog, sun, anything is fine. Try failing in various ways. Somewhere there will be a feeling that something is working. Usually, the familiar one is said to be the best."
After Rai's words, Zeroa pondered.
Up until now, Zeroa had simply let the mana in his body spill out at a target, but he learned that he had to handle mana with a much more solid image.
No one knew what would suit him. He had to pioneer it entirely with his own image.
Zeroa thought about what was most familiar to him.
He was born into a modest commoner's family and had done small chores since he was young. From small errands to cutting down trees, working at a slaughterhouse, and even hauling adventurers' luggage. He had done a considerable variety of jobs.
However, because he did different jobs whenever time allowed, the only thing he was truly familiar with was family.
When he finished work and returned, there was his mother weaving baskets or cooking dinner, and his younger sister's complaining face. The time he had dinner with his late-returning father was always precious.
He didn't know how to use family for mana control, but imagining mana as family, the shape of the flame began to form a bit. Since it was so momentary that he was unsure if it was an illusion and succeeded, Zeroa looked at Rai in surprise, but he was muttering while looking elsewhere.
"Is there a way to raise the dividend... huh? Why?"
Rai's eyes looking coldly at Zeroa startled him, so he closed his mouth and looked away. Zeroa also knew that students were betting on each other regarding the duel with Philia.
Unable to withstand Zeroa's staring eyes, Rai said as if making an excuse.
"I don't even have money to bet. And even if I do, since I trust you, I won't bet on you. If I don't trust you, will I bet?"
Zeroa sighed inwardly at Rai's rather bold attitude and asked the second prescription.
"Motivation."
"Motivation?"
"Yeah, motivation usually shows excellent efficiency. Things like protecting someone, getting revenge, and other common ones, and simply the desire to get stronger. Motivation becomes the driving force to move forward."
Zeroa nodded while listening and realized something strange.
"But motivation isn't something you can decide on your own."
"No, you can."
Rai smiled brightly and said. It was a rather peculiar smile, but since he said there was a solution, Zeroa felt relieved and awaited.
"This is a method I often use with my subordinates. Listen."
Rai approached Zeroa without continuing, placed his face close to Zeroa's curious ear, and whispered.
"If you lose the bet, I will be disgraced. So, to whom will the anger of the disgraced me be poured?"
"..."
"First, me for not teaching you properly. Second, you for not learning it properly."
Zeroa wanted to say first, but the hand gripping his shoulder felt strong, so he couldn't speak.
"Humans are selfish, so they throw responsibility onto others. I will never forgive the one who made me disgraced. I will pay back the disgrace I suffered. Even if I am kicked out, I will go find them and pay them back, no matter what stands in my way. I will never forgive them. Even in death, I will pay them back."
Rai stepped back and raised his thumb with a smile.
"The desire to live is an excellent motivation."
"What a... unusual motivation..."
"The effect is excellent."
Zeroa asked cautiously under the blackmailing motivation.
"You mean to cause motivation? So... you aren't sincere..."
"Curious?"
"No."
Still smiling brightly, Rai asked again, and Zeroa quietly focused on the flame.
***
As the time with Rai together in training passed, Zeroa gradually got the hang of it. The flame that had not moved at all was now completely in the shape of a human, and although it was not yet natural, he could clumsily control it as if dancing.
Moreover, the fact that his ability was improving could be seen with his eyes, so he trained with more passion.
Rai, at his own discretion, gave Philia permission to skip class. Not only her, but also those who said they didn't need to learn, like Violet and Sozeta, were removed from class and told to continue with the training method they were originally learning.
Normally, academy students skipping class would draw attention, but when they saw Rai's action of voluntarily letting them skip, some instructors spoke ill of it, while others rejoiced that it was practical.
When Philia didn't come to class, Zeroa couldn't tell her skill.
As he saw her visibly growing, he thought maybe he could win, but he warned himself not to be conceited and focused on training.
If he failed, he didn't know what Rai would do. Remembering the smile he had given when the instructor would really do such a thing was scary.
Still, Rai who devoted personal time to training made Zeroa feel grateful. Even though it was accidentally due to the bet between the two of them, Zeroa had to show a little gratitude to Rai who trained him earnestly.
Zeroa, who had learned that repaying a favor is only natural, gifted the food he bought outside the academy to Rai. Thinking the cheap street food would disappoint him, the worry was so absurd that Rai ate it with great delight.
Seeing Rai eat the gift-giver's favorite snack with a blissful face, Zeroa often bought food and returned to the academy, leaving a message that he would buy skewered skewers popular with the city residents today and to look forward to it.
The shop was small, but because it was delicious, many people came to eat after work, so he had to line up after the academy's daily schedule ended. It took quite a long time, but safely purchasing, Zeroa headed to Rai's house with light steps.
Although the sun had already set and it was dark, the magical lanterns lined along the road illuminated the path with a warm atmosphere. While walking along the road humming a song quietly and feeling shy if someone heard, Zeroa saw Aria sitting on a somewhat distant bench.
Aria Shane Briqueville. A distant relative of the Emperor. And the girl called a goddess at the academy.
Zeroa completely froze as he looked at her reading a book. The yellow light of the lantern made her jet-black hair sparkle as if there was something special about the light shining on Aria.
Every time her white, slender fingers turned the book page, Zeroa felt a jolt as if someone was touching him and tensed up.
'What should I do? Should I talk to him?'
Right after entering the academy, the top beauty became her, and countless people approached her.
But she often didn't answer properly or avoided the seat, saying that people's approach was bothersome. It could be seen as rude, but people praised even such attitude and followed her around, and there were few times when Aria was alone.
'This is a chance... No, what if I talk and get ignored... No, but she's alone... No, what if she hates me?'
While Zeroa's courage was wavering second by second, Aria looked up and turned her red jewel eyes toward him.
Zeroa, who met her eyes, was tense and stuttered.
"Ah, u-hello... hello, Aria... Miss..."
Blaming himself for not listening to his words, Zeroa screamed inwardly that he had ruined it all, and Aria, staring at him, lowered her head slightly and greeted.
"Hello. Zeroa-kun."
The clear voice pierced through his eardrum and shook his mind. The fact that her own name was remembered stabilized Zeroa's mind.
Shocked that she remembered his name, Zeroa tried to say something somehow, but nothing came to mind.
"Ah, u-..."
Zeroa couldn't speak as he stared at Aria's eyes. She tilted her head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then turned her gaze to the book.
'Uwaaaah-'
Countless words jumped in Zeroa's chest, but the scream didn't express his feelings as well as a scream. Wondering how he looked as an odd person, Zeroa was about to become sad when Aria looked up at him again.
Zeroa, noticing that her gaze had gone a bit lower, also lowered his head. There, a wrapped skewered skewer was emitting a delicious smell.
"Ah, over there. I bought from a popular place, but if you don't mind, would you like to eat together...? Rani, ahahaha! Skewers for someone like Miss Aria! I must have been too forward?! Ahahahaha!"
Embarrassed and awkward as he blurted out what he didn't mean to, Zeroa tried to run away, but Aria said.
"Are you really okay with that?"
"Y-yes...?"
Zeroa, who didn't understand the meaning for a moment, answered belatedly.
"Yes! It's okay. I'll give you everything!"
"No... I can't eat that much."
As he held out the skewers with both hands as if he would give all of them, Aria was startled and refused.
The expression change was gone, but the rumor that she was cold circulated, yet Zeroa saw the subtle expression on her face. Aria moved her seat a bit and extended her hand sideways to tell him to sit. Zeroa breathed in deeply unseen and sat on the bench.
'Did I really sit next to the goddess? Thank goodness I was born...'
Zeroa thanked his parents and handed the skewers to Aria. She only stared at the skewers held with both hands and didn't do anything.
While sitting on the bench eating skewers together, Zeroa, who had been dreaming of them as if lovers, quietly asked the still girl.
"Is there something wrong?"
Shaking her head slightly and saying no, Aria looked at the skewers again. Zeroa thought her appearance was cute.
'No no no, this is weird now. Is it not to my liking?'
Zeroa kept looking, and Aria, who had been hesitating, said quietly.
"How do you eat this? Is there no tool like a fork?"
Because of the characteristics of the Empire where social status differences weren't huge, things on the street were enjoyed by both nobles and commoners. There was no disdain for street food by nobles, and even if it was a high-end restaurant, commoners weren't prohibited from entering either.
But Zeroa thought the daughter of a duke was different, so he demonstrated it himself.
"You put it in your mouth and pull."
"I see."
He worried if she would think it was vulgar, but Aria immediately followed Zeroa and took the meat at the very front into her mouth.
The slightly visible white teeth between her red lips had a strangely bewitching look, and Aria's "hm, hm, hm" small exhale while the meat was hot made Zeroa feel his heart stop for a moment.
After Aria had tasted the skewers by smacking her lips several times, she looked at the skewers with surprised eyes.
"It's quite spicy."
"Was the taste bad?"
"No. It's different from the food I usually eat, so it was a bit surprising. Ah, you asked for the taste? There was a slightly burnt part, so I thought it would be spicy, but the strong seasoning neutralized the bitterness, making the outside crispy. The more you chew, the more the juices ooze out, revealing the lean meat without the liver, and the initial spicy seasoning balances perfectly with the mixture."
Zeroa felt that even high nobles' expressions about taste were excellent, and he was momentarily bewildered.
But her long speech, which was always short, stirred Zeroa's heart. Maybe Zeroa was the only one who had listened to her words the longest at the academy.
"It means it's delicious, right?"
"Yes, it's delicious."
And Zeroa was the first to see her smile. He barely stabilized his mind that was about to spin away and saw Aria, who was puzzled about how to eat the protruding skewer.
"You can pull it sideways or cut the skewer and eat."
"I see."
Aria immediately raised her fingers and swung them at the skewer, and it came out neatly cut like with a knife and fell to the ground. Although her appearance didn't seem related to combat, she was also a student at the academy.
Zeroa thought she was kind as he watched Aria step forward, pick up the fallen skewer, and place it aside. No one usually cares about fallen skewers, but every action was great.
Zeroa could watch Aria's hands holding the skewer and smacking her lips up close, and he wished this moment would last forever.
But eventually, the last piece of meat went into her mouth, and Zeroa had to leave with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you, Zeroa-kun."
"No, no. It's me who is grateful that you ate it deliciously."
Zeroa sincerely thanked her, and Aria smiled slightly and looked at the empty skewers regretfully.
"More... shall I give?"
"Thank you, but I'm really full. And I'm really grateful today. Actually... I wanted to eat that food... the one with the name I didn't know."
Aria, calling the skewers "that," hesitated for a moment and said again.
"When I entered the academy, I saw from the carriage window. I saw a boy eating with a happy smile and wondered what kind of taste could make him smile like that. Thanks to you, Zeroa-kun, I was able to know. Thank you."
"..."
"Skewers. This is."
"Skewers? Is it not a name but the form of the dish?"
"Yes, although it has names like chicken or pig in front depending on the meat type, it's called skewers."
"Interesting. There seem to be many fun foods in the city."
Unlike the "interesting" word, Aria's eyes looking at the empty skewer in her hand looked desolate, so Zeroa blurted out unintentionally.
"There are various foods at the stall. I'll bring them next time. Want to try?"
"No, I can't impose more."
"It's delicious. And it's not a bother."
Aria looked into the boy's eyes that didn't have any black-heartedness. Not familiar with meeting people due to her special environment, she answered Zeroa's eyes cautiously, which felt friendly.
"Are you really okay with that?"
"Yes. Eating together is more delicious."
The two agreed to meet again at this place next week. After parting with Aria, Zeroa heading to Rai's house collapsed helplessly.
'Oh my, is this a dream?'
He didn't know how those words came out. He hadn't summoned courage, nor had he said it while trembling with fear. He had just naturally said it, and Aria had agreed. Even now, he couldn't believe it.
Though he collapsed helplessly, his face was full of smiles. If someone had seen him waving his arms and legs in the air, they would have thought he was crazy, but currently, Zeroa was the happiest person in the academy.