Chapter 171 Master and Teacher
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A few days have passed since Diana and Mei left for the capital to attend the banquet hosted by His Majesty, and I was feeling bored and crushed. Recently, I have been spending most of my days in the laboratory, usually chatting with Mei about trivial things. However, since Mei is not here anymore, that time has become a time for me to work alone in silence. Moreover, Diana, whom I often talk to after Mei, has also gone with her. Even if I try to talk to Lewya, who I usually have conversations with after Diana, she is too busy filling the void left by Diana, so she doesn’t have the time to engage in conversation with me. As a result, my daily conversations have drastically decreased, and I have been feeling extremely lonely.
”Sigh… Should I go check on them today?”
I muttered to myself and left the seat, leaving the laboratory. I headed to the square, which has become a training ground, where Eurus and others are still training. However, there was something different from before. When I arrived at the training ground, there was a field separated by a circular earthen wall used for combat training with Eurus, and another makeshift stone spectator seat made with magic to overlook the field from above. As I approached the spectator seat, there were already a few people there, and I greeted them.
”Hello, Alex-san, Shaina-san, Oza-san.”
”This is Master Neil, good morning.”
”…Hello.”
”…”
As I greeted them, the three of them responded with different greetings. Alex-san was polite, but Shaina-san responded with an indifferent reply with a poker face, and Oza-san only nodded slightly without opening his mouth. Since this is always the case, I didn’t particularly mind, and I sat down next to Alex-san.
”Are you here to watch the three of them today?”
”In actual combat, there may be more than one enemy, Alex-san.”
In front of my gaze, there were Eurus, Ranbaa, and Seira fighting in the field surrounded by the earthen wall. Eurus had started the combat training earlier, but Ranbaa and Seira caught up and all three of them started receiving combat training. I thought that it would be more beneficial for them to compete with someone whose abilities are closer to their own rather than me as their opponent, so I watched their fights from the spectator seat and gave them advice. However, since the spear users who were off duty and had free time started peeking in, I asked them to give advice to Eurus and the others. Honestly, I thought it would be more suitable to leave it to those who have more combat experience than me, who have only trained for self-defense, and recently I haven’t been giving any advice and have only been coming to watch.
”Their movements have improved since three days ago. But Ranbaa’s movements seem a bit awkward.”
”Yes, his concentration is truly amazing, but because of that high concentration, he tends to focus only on one person and neglect the others, which leads to being attacked by another person. He has made that mistake many times.”
”I see, so that’s why Ranbaa’s movements are awkward.”
”If he can focus that concentration not only on one point but on multiple points, he will be able to use it in actual combat right away. But what we should pay attention to is their innovative use of magic.”
I looked at the three of them fighting in the field as Alex-san spoke. When Ranbaa hid behind a pillar of earth and Eurus thrust her staff towards that pillar, the pillar shattered into pieces, and Ranbaa was dragged out from behind the pillar.
That was a combination of the magic of shooting fireballs that Eurus had been practicing and the magic of pressure, which created a pressure that was more powerful than simply applying pressure. Although a similar effect could be achieved by enhancing strength with auxiliary magic and punching, the advantage of this magic is that it does not depend on the person’s strength, so even weak children and women can achieve sufficient power. Another advantage is that it does not strain the arm because it punches with magic instead of directly punching.
”Tch!”
While blocking the shattered fragments of the pillar with his arm, Ranbaa stabbed the pointed end of his staff into the pillar behind him, causing the pillar behind him to shatter. However, the shattered fragments suddenly changed direction and scattered in all directions, with some flying towards Eurus.
”Damn, was that the pillar I created!”
Currently, if the field used by the Eurus is damaged in battle, it is repaired by the Eurus themselves. Therefore, naturally, there are pillars of soil imbued with the Eurus’ magic scattered throughout the field. When Ranbaa destroys the pillar created by the Eurus and casts a suction magic, the fragments affected by the destruction and suction magic react to the same type of magic. Some of them are drawn towards the pillar imbued with the Eurus’ magic, while others fly towards the Eurus themselves. To prevent this, Ranbaa stops pursuing Ranbaa and the Eurus deploy a soil wall.
Compared to the other two, Ranbaa’s handling of magic itself is not as advanced. He doesn’t combine magic like the Eurus do. However, he excels in making quick judgments and utilizing the surrounding environment in battle. He is skilled at using magic while engaging in close combat.
”Hah! I’ll attack again with the fragments made by breaking that soil wall!”
Ranbaa charges forward with magic imbued in his staff, but as soon as he takes a step, one of his legs is pulled towards the ground.
”What!?”
With one leg pulled towards the ground, Ranbaa stumbles and crashes face-first into the soil wall.
”Oof!”
”Now’s my chance――oh no!?”
When Ranbaa is off balance, Eurus tries to distance himself by running, but the ground suddenly bursts open, causing Eurus to lose balance and roll on the ground.
That was Seira’s magic just now. Perhaps because her parent is a hunter, Seira’s magic is mainly trap-like installations rather than directly targeting the opponent. Ranbaa got caught in a trap that utilizes suction reacting to the same type of magic, while Eurus used a trap that utilizes repulsion reacting to different magic. Unlike ordinary traps used by hunters, this magic allows the person who set it up to move without worrying about getting caught in the trap. It is also very simple and consumes little magic, allowing for the placement of multiple traps in a short amount of time. Additionally, due to the low amount of magic used, it is difficult to detect with magic detection as it blends into the naturally existing magic.
”I’ve seen various ways of fighting from different people in my line of work, but their way of fighting by utilizing the opponent’s magic is really interesting and informative.”
”Is that so? I won’t say it’s completely ineffective, but in actual combat, it would be tough without more powerful magic.”
”Indeed, there are few types of magic that would be effective in actual combat. However, what I am evaluating is not the magic itself, but their way of fighting. Utilizing the opponent’s magic in battle may be strong if you can fit into a certain mold, but it would require a considerable level of skill to use it in actual combat. But if Master Neil were to find out that his own magic is being used against him, what would Master Neil do?”
”…If I don’t know what kind of magic the opponent will use with that magic, I would refrain from using magic as much as possible to prevent giving them my magic.”
”That’s right. The actual effectiveness of the magic itself is not a big issue. The tricky part of this way of fighting is utilizing the opponent’s magic. If the opponent knows that their magic can be collected and used against them, they won’t be able to use magic easily. If you know what the opponent is capable of, you can come up with countermeasures, but there are very few people who fight in such a way, so it would be difficult to come up with countermeasures on the first encounter.”
I see. I only showed them an example to demonstrate the potential of magic, and I thought it would be almost useless in actual combat due to the nature of utilizing the opponent’s magic. But it seems that my judgment was wrong from the perspective of a professional.
”I heard that they learned it from Master Neil when you first talked to them.”
”Indeed, I did demonstrate it in front of the three of them, but I don’t fight in that way myself. I just wanted to show them that there is such a way of using magic.”
”Then, what kind of magic does Master Neil use? I’m personally very interested in the magic of Master Neil, who is the only disciple of Amelia Pordhale.”
The only disciple of Amelia Pordhale, huh? In response to Alex’s words, I give a self-deprecating smile.
”To call me a disciple, I’m not that grand. I’m just a student.”
”What do you mean by that?”
”It means exactly that. I am not the master’s disciple, because I have not inherited any of the master’s magic.”
”What do you mean?”
Alex-san showed surprise at my words.
The magic in this world is created by combining symbolic characters. There are countless combinations, and by changing the order of the characters and the distribution of magic power, different magic can be created. Therefore, the construction of magic reflects an individual’s way of thinking and habits. The relationship between a master and disciple of a magician is about inheriting the master’s thoughts and techniques regarding the construction of magic. But I haven’t inherited anything from the master. The reason is simple: my lack of ability prevents me from using the magic the master has conceived. The master is a true genius, said to be one in a hundred years, and the magic he conceives is something that can only be constructed by such a genius.
”What I learned from the master was about magic control and fighting as a magician, and at most, I received feedback on the magic I came up with myself. That’s why I call the master ‘sensei’ instead of ‘shishou (mentor).’ Oh, it’s not because I think I haven’t learned anything significant or that I look down on the master. Even though it’s just the basics, I learned a lot about magic control and fighting… But for someone like me who hasn’t inherited anything, calling that person ‘master’ or claiming to be their disciple, it feels presumptuous, that’s what I think.”
”So you call her sensei instead of shishou, and student instead of disciple.”
”I might be laughed at for being timid, but I think it takes courage, or rather, it requires having the ability, for someone like me to claim to be that person’s disciple.”
”I won’t laugh. Among the living members of the Pordhail family, Amelia Pordhail is an exceptional existence. I can imagine the pressure of calling oneself her disciple… no, even if not a disciple, the pressure of calling oneself her student.”
”Hahaha, do you understand? Among magicians, the fact that I am the master’s only disciple has spread widely, but my abilities have not been recognized at all. It’s really frustrating.”
Because of my fame as the child prodigy of Atmiras, I was often misunderstood to have exceptional talent in magic, as well as in magic tool development and alchemy. However, although it may contradict what I said earlier, I have no regrets about receiving teachings from the master. I even felt proud. Of course, I feel the pressure of being seen as Amelia Pordhail’s disciple, and there are times when I want to escape from that pressure. But the days when I received teachings from the master are one of the precious memories in the fifteen years I have lived as Neil Atmiras. I don’t want to regret that, so I remind myself not to do anything that would embarrass the master.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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