Leticia’s thoughts
AN: Since the first half is explanation, skipping it is fine. (TL: I don’t really agree? World building, and magic explanation…)
Since Simurgh Knight School was a repurposed palace, the ceilings were tall, and the walls and pillars exuded an air of solemnity.
The auditorium was once used as a meeting place for the imperial bureaucrats and the knight order. From the raised platform, chairs and desks were arranged in a fan-like formation, with the seats higher up they get closer to the back.
When it was a palace, many tactics and strategies were discussed there.
Now, instead of officers and executives in those seats, there sat students striving for knowledge.
That day, the first lecture of the school year, about the foundations of magic usage, was to be held.
Among the freshmen, however, were many uppercla.s.smen who were apprentice knights. [1]
Seats already filled, there were many students standing.
Their objective was the girl on the stage.
Generals and officers once stood there, but as a school, instructors now stood there.
The one who was standing there was the girl who was the most famous person in the world: Leticia.
She had asked the instructors for the opportunity to stand there.
“The most important thing when using magic, no matter how fast you cast it, you must have a clear image in mind.”
She wore a soft smile, and her pleasant voice resounded throughout the auditorium.
I believe that most of you have learned magic before you enrolled, but I want to demonstrate and review here. [2]
When the instructor originally responsible for the cla.s.s nodded at her from below the stage, Leticia held out her right hand
“I, who has understood the way of fire, light up!”
A small candle-like flame appeared on Leticia’s fingertip.
“This is one of the most basic spells of the Physics System magic, “Light”. The second part of the incantation: “…who has understood the way of fire…” shows that the caster has in mind his understanding of fire… including heat, light, color, form, and so on. These are the typical magic words in most cases of magic spells. Now, I will focus magic power into the spell.”
The flame on Leticia’s index finger grew to be as big as a head.
“… Wow…” [3]
Those words escaped from the mouth of somebody among the students.
Beginning with that word, sighs of wonder and sounds of praise were heard.
The flames flickered quicker and quicker.
She had demonstrated a perfect control of her magic power.
“If you use less magic power, then the magic’s effectiveness also decreases.”
In a moment, the flame shrunk from the size of a head to the size of Leticia’s fist.
Then, to end the spell, if you stop supplying magic power, the spell will extinguish.
Waving her hand, the flame disappeared.
“Like this, the effectiveness of magic can be changed by controlling the amount of magic power used. It can’t be helped that related to magical ability, is decided at birth. However, speed of invocation of magic power can be increased through training. Magical combat is not only decided by magical ability. Please keep in mind that a magic’s efficacy is also greatly influenced by speed of invocation.”
The students listened to her earnest words and took notes.
“Now, let’s move to the next stage — “I, who has understood the way of fire, Fireball!”
This time, a spherical flame the size of a head appeared atop Leticia’s palm.
“The difference just now lies in the third part of the incantation. The caster changed the image, and the magic materializes accordingly. What is important here, is that if one doesn’t thoroughly understand the image, the magic will fail. If one does not understand the phenomenon, even if there is an image, it will not materialize.”
Leticia turned her right palm upwards, holding it overhead.
At the same time, with a ‘Bon!’ sound, the fireball grew to twice its size.
“Now, the same amount of magic that was used to grow the torch magic was put into the fireball. If ten units of magic power were used for the spell, and ten more was added, then the effectiveness would be the equivalent of twenty units of magic power. If twenty units were used in the spell, and ten were added, you would end up with the effectiveness of thirty units of available magic. Does everybody understand? Since magic is directly proportional to the amount of magic power inputted, it is important to choose the magic. Naturally, when you use higher effectiveness magic, it takes longer to collect magic power, so one must use magic according to the situation. These concepts are the foundations of magic.”[4]
Once again, Leticia extinguished the flame, then bowed.
The sound applause arose, filling the auditorium.
“Incredible~!”
“Kyaa, Leticia-samaaa!”
The cheers and applause made the auditorium tremble.
With a slight smile and a deep bow, she descended from the stage.
Her gaze drifted to the window of the auditorium, where the garden remodeled into a practice field was.
There, a freshmen exclusive practical skills cla.s.s was taking place.
Though she couldn’t see him clearly, Wynn should still be in cla.s.s swinging his sword.
For a moment, her feet stopped, but as if it were nothing, Leticia slowly made her way to the deepest part of the auditorium and sat down.
As Leticia left the stage, the original instructor rose to the stage, giving a supplementary explanation to Leticia’s demonstration.
Due to this, the previously noisy auditorium returned to silence.
However, rather than the instructor’s explanation, the students paid attention to Leticia, who sat in the back. [5]
Meanwhile, Leticia ignored the instructor’s lecture, looking out the window.
She looked towards the practical skills cla.s.s, while thinking of Wynn, who was among those students.
“Sorry, Leti… Leticia…-sama, Locke. I’ll go on ahead.”
The rift had opened up four years ago.
Before, it was physical distance, but now, their positions distanced Wynn and her.
A sigh leaked out.
(Back then, I didn’t have to worry about such things…)
When they were young, Leticia would spend practically the whole day by Wynn’s side.
It was due to the oracle’s proclamation, that miraculously, suddenly, her surroundings conveniently set her up as the Brave, and she was dragged out from her most comfortable place. [6]
“Leticia, won’t you show us your power?”
The day Leticia was p.r.o.nounced the Brave, her father, Duke Mavis, asked her to show him her power.
After having been ignored by her parents, siblings, and her surroundings, for the first time in her life, they held expectations for her.
As a naive ten year old, n.o.body would blame her for being excited.
She used strengthening magic with all her strength.
At the knight who had his sword prepared, she took a step and faced him.
With tremendous speed, she struck at the sword of the defending knight.
One bout.[7]
Leticia swung her sword, and the knight’s sword flew from his hands.
As the sword fell to the ground, Leticia’s knight opponent also fell over.
An ominous silence fell, due to everyone being shocked at the overwhelming strength she showed, until they finally came to their sense.
“O, Oh, Wonderful, Leticia. You are the pride of the Mavis House.”[8]
“Your mother is also very happy.”
Somehow squeezing out a sound, her parents spoke.
Leticia turned around with an elated smile.
However, contrary to the words, the crowd wore terrified expressions.
Even her parents. Similarly, her siblings, the servants, the Knight Order staffers, and clergy wore smiles and praised her strength, but their pupil betrayed their fear.[9]
Her opponent, who was a prominent knight officer in the Knight Order, was on the ground, sweating a lot, and his eyes looked at Leticia with fear.
That day on, Leticia’s environment changed drastically, and she would experience the changes many times.
She understood that.
No matter how many people she rescues, no matter how many towns and cities she saves, no matter how many countries she helps, people would never accept her incomprehensible existence.
Thus, Wynn who had cared so much for her, became an indispensable existence to her. [10]
Ever since she was a child, he was the only one that truly accepted her as she was.
Wynn might not have noticed.
He did not play with the other children.
But wouldn’t people envy those who showed more talent than them, or otherwise reject the fact?
Many people she had met on her journey were like that.
Among them, only he didn’t envy her, nor avoid her.
“Leti is amazing. You have become an amazing knight!”
Even before becoming the Brave, after being shown talents much higher than his, rather than envy, he faced her with a gaze of honest praise.
How amazing that was for her.
She realized this after she became the Brave.
She thought that she was no match for him.
Therefore, she was shocked.
She who was the “Brave” and “Duke’s Third Daughter”, a status she didn’t want, she didn’t expect that he would distance himself– [11]
Perhaps he thought that he was not suitable to be by Leticia’s side, the thought had never occurred to her. [12]
Not as “Brave”, not as “Duke’s Daughter”, not as a tool, not as an enemy, of all the people in the world, she wanted to be seen by Wynn as a person.
She couldn’t bear parting with that person.
‘Even if the rest of the world doesn’t recognize it, I believe he is a suitable person.’
Although he hadn’t been at school for long, he was put in a cruel, hostile environment.
The many students would backbite him, scorn him.
She heard from Locke, that he felt that the examinations were somehow unfair.
If that were true…
Leticia slowly closed her eyes, hid her face from the surroundings, and smiled.
They would regret having made enemies of her.