Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: A Private Demonstration
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The day after the ceremony.
Only a handful of full-time staff were present at the Faith and Honor Divisions.
This was a consideration for the late-night drinking that had followed the celebration of their great achievements.
Thanks to this, Loan found himself with a rare day off.
It was his first holiday since joining the Union, come to think of it.
Loan began his day as usual, training in his private gymnasium.
*The transitions between Convection, Domain, and Narrow Path have become quite fluid.*
By concentrating on his physical movements while facing an opponent, he found his body often reacted before he could even think.
The intent and magic he used to directly manipulate mana and create Convection now flowed from him as naturally as if they were involuntary muscles.
At the very least, he no longer had to worry about botching things by standing still to chant an incantation.
*I've only just managed to lay the barest foundation.*
He didn't allow himself to become complacent.
He had to train more, to hone his skills until they were second nature.
Loan moved nonstop, replaying yesterday's duel in his mind, before finally returning to his quarters.
Then, he summoned Aul.
"Aul!"
He hadn't had enough time to have a proper conversation with Aul or to ponder the applications of the mass of magic.
This power was potentially his greatest asset.
He needed to understand and master it to overwhelm opponents in situations like the one yesterday.
First, he examined the creature's body.
"Aul?"
There was nothing particularly special about it.
He'd thought it was incredibly stretchy, but it didn't seem to be when he touched it.
He wondered how he'd even managed to fit his hand into that tiny mouth.
Since he could now communicate with Aul, Loan decided to ask about the things he'd always been curious about.
It was a rare moment of leisure.
"Aul, when you disappear leaving a footprint behind, where do you go? To the demon world, perhaps?"
"Aul!"
"Ah, why? Is it because your mana is pure?"
"Aul."
"Hmm, I suppose that's because I purified it. In any case, you're saying you're stuck somewhere between here and there."
It seemed Aul was wandering somewhere in search of its memories. A place that was neither this world nor the demon world.
A place he couldn't perceive, but could react to.
Aul was always in that state whenever it vanished, leaving only a footprint behind.
A few more questions followed, but there wasn't much to be gleaned from the amnesiac Aul.
However, he did make progress concerning its abilities.
"Ah... so you also don't know what will form inside you."
"Aul."
The mass he had retrieved last time was of the water attribute.
But apparently, that wasn't always the case.
There was no telling what kind of magic mass would be produced. It didn't seem to have anything to do with the properties of the head it consumed, either.
*It's a good thing I diligently studied the elemental schools at the academy. My skills in harmony and manipulation will be useful, too.*
Since he understood the properties and nature of mana and could manipulate it directly, he could give it any form he wished.
He was well-prepared to make proper use of it when the opportunity arose.
With a pleasant smile, Loan began to mentally review the water-attribute spells he knew.
But with such a vast amount of attributed magic at his disposal, there was no need to limit himself to mental simulations.
He suddenly felt the urge to test the high-level spells he had only learned in theory by directly manipulating their properties.
*To do that, I'll have to feed Aul something.*
Loan immediately headed for the Union headquarters.
If the Commander was inconvenienced by his visit on a day off, he planned to just grab the dark priest's head and leave.
A short while later.
In the office, the Commander was lying alone on the sofa, nursing a hangover.
Before Loan could get to the point, he had to endure the Commander's enthusiastic praise.
"You were brilliant yesterday. The way you blended your martial arts and magic so exquisitely... even the Crown Prince was completely helpless."
"Thank you."
"But for all the excitement, there was one little thing that felt lacking. You had a few openings, but you only wrapped him in dust. It didn't quite show an overwhelming difference in power, you know?"
"Is that so?"
"I figured you were holding back because of who your opponent was. Is it because you still have trouble controlling your more powerful spells?"
He seemed to be basing his comment on the time Loan had unleashed that torrent of water.
He was implying that Loan possessed such power yet chose to hold back.
Loan was pleased by the Commander's misconception.
"I'm still working on it. Which is why... I was wondering if I could take some of those dark priest heads I fed to Aul before? Spells that consume a lot of magic aren't something I can cast frequently."
"Ah, those."
Adrian, his face scrunched up as his hangover refused to subside, went into the back room of his office and returned with the three remaining heads.
He added a condition.
"Unless you're set on doing this alone, how about I help? A test is more meaningful with a partner."
A familiar, curious glint sparkled in his eyes, contrasting with his haggard face.
He said it was for Loan's benefit, but he was clearly doing it for himself.
The two headed to Adrian's private gymnasium, where Loan immediately fed one of the heads to Aul.
"*Buuuurp—*"
It was a thunderous sound. At least it didn't smell, which was a small mercy.
Frowning once more, Loan shoved his hand into Aul's mouth.
He felt a squishy sensation as he pulled his hand out, revealing a mass of water-attribute magic, just like last time.
To his relief, it was a form Adrian was already familiar with.
There was no need to mention that the attribute of the magic mass was random.
"Then I'll practice some of the water-attribute magic I was working on last time."
Without being asked, Adrian positioned himself in the center of the gymnasium.
He pushed up his glasses and looked at Loan, his eyes hollow.
"So, I just stand here?"
"Will you be all right?"
"If I die, you can be the Commander."
"..."
*Can someone so flippant really become the Commander just because he's skilled? I'm not so sure about his character.*
Loan shook off the stray thought and immediately dissolved the mass of magic into a Convection current.
After solidifying the outer shell of the Convection to fully contain the magic as his own...
He muttered a few words, conjuring a violent tidal wave above the Commander's head.
"Ooh... this looks even more terrifying from down here."
If he were to unleash it as it was, it would be a 'Wrathful Downpour'.
But now was the time to test more varied applications.
*A solid form wouldn't be bad for increasing its striking power.*
He cast [Increase Heat Exchange], [Strengthen Cohesion], and [Accelerate Crystallization] on the mana crystals under his control.
The tidal wave soon subsided, transforming into countless ice crystals that began to fuse.
Picturing a specific shape, he interfered a little more with the fusion process.
Soon, the vast mass of water transformed into a single, sharp, solid icicle.
"Huh?"
Adrian, who had been staring up at the sky, was stunned.
The icicle was immense.
And that was *after* he had maximized its cohesive force to increase its density and destructive power.
If he simply let it drop, it would inflict considerable damage on a single target.
A significant Convection current was already being used just to support its weight, so all he had to do to drop it was release the current.
*I can't just rely on magic and intent. I need to understand the laws of motion and use them at the right time. In this case, adding just a bit of downward force should do it. Like this.*
*Swoosh—!*
With a sound of tearing air, the massive icicle plummeted toward Adrian's head, stopping abruptly just above the crown.
Controlling it wasn't difficult, as he had already wrapped the icicle in a spiral of Convection that he then tightened his grip on.
Though it did consume a great deal of magic.
Adrian, who had thrown his hands over his head and squeezed his eyes shut, let out a sigh.
"...That was terrifying."
"Does this feel overwhelming enough?"
"Yeah. I was scared."
"..."
Loan raised the icicle back into the air and cast a spell to release its cohesion.
*Crack—shatter—!*
Without liquefying the shattered ice crystals, he immediately reformed them into numerous, uniform shapes.
*To crystallize a mana structure into a solid, I have to expend magic. In essence, the magic is dispersed. From a purely efficient standpoint, which is better, liquid or solid?*
The two transformations had already consumed a considerable amount of magic, but this was easier than the initial condensation.
The massive icicle became hundreds of smaller ones, densely filling the sky above the Commander.
The process was so fluid it was almost beautiful.
"This is... incredible, too. It would be extremely effective as an area-of-effect attack."
"Thank you for everything."
"Yeah, keep it up. Terrify me."
Adrian was just standing there in admiration, but Loan knew his presence made a huge difference.
Thanks to him, Loan could rein in his potentially complacent mind and focus more on controlling his magic with finesse.
Loan looked at the icicles floating in the air and thought.
*Actually, I don't even need to keep them floating in the air. If I make active use of Convection, I can create much more diverse movements.*
Manipulating hundreds of icicles with telekinesis alone wasn't easy.
So he grouped them using individual Convection currents, then slowly coordinated them to prevent collisions.
It required incredibly delicate work. The mana in his heart swirled frantically, and a headache began to build.
But he pushed on without stopping.
He assigned a set of rules to their movements, set their individual target points, and left the rest to the flow of the Convection currents.
Soon, the horizontal icicles began to swim through the air, circling Adrian.
Their movements weren't fast or threatening.
Nor did any single one of them make a move to attack Adrian.
They simply circled quietly, like a patient predator watching its prey.
*Wheee-wheee—ing.*
An eerie sound circled around Adrian.
It was the sound of wind striking and passing through the layers of air created by the icicles.
"...This is pretty unnerving, too."
Though his control was still unrefined, it had coincidentally created a tense atmosphere.
Loan had designed the Convection currents to make the icicles orbit automatically, so once he set them in motion, he didn't have to pay them much mind.
It was perfect for both a distraction and a surprise attack.
Loan said.
"You might get wet, Commander."
"These clothes are waterproof."
Adrian shrugged.
Be that as it may.
Taking that gesture as his cue, Loan poured his intent into the magic controlling a portion of the icicles, along with a few minor spells.
In the blink of an eye, the first group of icicles approaching Adrian turned into a shower of water droplets.
Like raindrops in a sudden gale, they pelted Adrian's face and body from the side.
*Patter-patter—!*
Then came the second group, and then the third.
It was a good thing he was wrapped in an aura shield; otherwise, it would have been an ugly sight.
"Ah, what a surprise."
Having confirmed that the water droplet attack was only forceful enough to startle his opponent, Loan decided to pour all his remaining magic into one final test.
He wanted to test the maximum power water could possess.
To do that, he needed immense pressure.
Loan adjusted the Convection current into a very narrow cylinder and simultaneously liquefied all the icicles.
*Fwoom—!*
Based on the image forming in his mind, he hammered a series of mana-manipulation spells into the thin, cylindrical Convection: [Generate, Correct, and Maintain Pressure], [Set Flow Rate], [Guide Fluid], [Increase Density], [Enhance Viscosity], and more.
All at once, he converted every last bit of magic into kinetic energy for the stream of water.
*Zzzzing—!*
In the time it took Adrian to blink, a powerful jet of water shot forth from a minuscule point.
The beam, shooting in a straight line, passed through Adrian's mana shield and pierced clean through the wall behind him.
The water droplets vaporized as they collided with the mana in the atmosphere.
Adrian was completely enveloped in a fine mist.
"Wow..."
A sigh of astonishment escaped the haze.
As the mist cleared, a pair of glasses with a hole punched through one lens lay discarded by his feet.