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Sha!
With a sharp sound slicing through the air, the massive Water Sphere hurtled toward him at astonishing speed. However, unfazed, Seir raised his hand and activated his trait.
"[Crack]!"
The moment Seir activated his trait, a crack appeared on the Water Sphere, causing it to break apart. However, despite this, its momentum remained unaffected, and it continued hurtling toward him, now with a portion of its side sliced away.
"I didn't [Crack] the core…" he murmured, realizing his mistake. Let alone cracking the core at the center—his aim wasn't even close. It was so far off that he had only managed to slice away the edge.
This was the difference between using his trait by directly touching the target and aiming from a distance. His first attempt was bound to be less effective. He tried to use [Crack] again, but it was already too late—the Water Sphere was too close. With no other option, he quickly dodged to avoid being hit.
Splash! Crack!
A loud explosion of water erupted as the sphere struck the ground, breaking apart and sending water splashing in all directions.
'That could've hurt…' Seir thought, staring at the damage caused by the Water Sphere, momentarily lost in thought.
"Where are you looking? Pay attention!" Roygun's voice snapped him out of his trance, but before he could react—Bang!
"Huh? Can the mouth rotate?!" murmured Seir in shock not having expected the Pitching Machine to be able to
Panic surged through him as the sharp sound of air being sliced reached his ears. The massive Water Sphere was already upon him—Sha!
"This machine will keep firing Water Spheres until the Stop button is pressed… so don't drop your guard," Roygun informed him.
"You could've told me that earlier…" he muttered in frustration. Still unsteady, he hastily activated [Crack] again, but just like before, he only managed to slice away the edge of the Sphere. With no time for a second attempt, he quickly spread his wings and launched himself into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Splash! Crack!
Seir ignored the splash this time and focused on the pitching machine, which had already turned its mouth toward him in the air, launching the third Water Sphere.
"Alright… this time…" he murmured, activating [Crack] on the sphere. It split into two, but his attack still wasn't centered properly, allowing the remnants of the sphere to continue flying toward him.
'Next, try then…' he thought. Rather than using [Crack] again, he chose to dodge to the side, allowing the sphere to crash into the ground like a projectile. Meanwhile, he shifted his focus back to the pitching machine, preparing himself to use [Crack] on the fourth Water Sphere that would be fired a moment later.
Seeing his reaction and reading his thoughts, Roygun's lips arched into a smirk, "Fufu… you dropped your guard there, little brother…"
'Huh?' Roygun's words confused him and only the approaching Water sphere at the corner of his vision made him understand the cause of her smirk.
"What?!" he exclaimed, and exclaiming was all he could do at that moment except instinctively crossing his arms over him since it was too late to do anything else as the Massive Water sphere slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground.
Splash!
Standing behind the pitching machine, Roygun tapped the 'Pause' button to stop the fourth Water Sphere from being launched. She then asked, "You okay?"
"It didn't hurt that much…" Seir murmured, sitting on the ground. He lifted his drenched cape and ran a hand through his soaked hair before sighing, "But I'm completely drenched…" His dissatisfaction evident, he shot Roygun a look and complained, "You could have warned me that the Water Spheres had a homing attribute…"
Had he known about the homing attribute, he would have been better prepared and wouldn't have completely ignored the sphere after dodging it once.
Roygun merely shrugged and countered, "Is that what you're going to complain about when an enemy's magic strikes you?"
"I…" Seir faltered, realizing he had no good response.
Yeah, he couldn't exactly complain like that if an enemy's arrow or magic attack struck him just because they hadn't told him what it would do. It was his fault for not considering such a basic possibility… He had been careless.
Roygun observed his silence and said, "Since you have nothing to say in return, I assume you understand what I mean." Then, she asked, "Do you want to take a break?"
"Just give me a moment…" Seir muttered as he gathered his long, wet hair and tied it into a simple bun on top of his head. 'With this, they won't get in the way…' Then, despite his soaked clothes clinging uncomfortably to him, he pushed himself to his feet and said, "Alright… let's 'Start' again. Round two."
"Very well…" Roygun nodded and pressed the 'Pause' button again, reactivating the machine. Instantly, the fourth Water Sphere launched straight toward him.
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"Haah… Haah…" Seir panted heavily, struggling to stay afloat. He was so utterly drained that even flapping his wings properly felt like a monumental task. Sweat poured down his body, mixing with the water that had drenched his clothes from countless Water Spheres crashing into him.
His clothes… they were so filthy at this point that it was hard to tell whether he was a noble or just some poor, ragged peasant. Any normal devil who saw him now would probably mistake him for the latter.
"Let's take a break," Roygun suggested, noting his exhausted state.
But Seir refused to give in. "I… Haah… haah… I can still… this time I will succeed for sure… I just know it…" he gasped, forcing himself to stay upright.
The truth was, it had already been hours since they had started training, and despite all his efforts, he hadn't managed to perfectly [Crack] a single Water Sphere.
The real challenge here was the aim. Using [Crack] on a magic spell was like trying to shoot a moving target with a gun or an arrow—precision was everything. Unlike a human, who could die whether struck in the heart or the brain, or at the very least be severely injured even if the bullet hit elsewhere, a magic spell wouldn't stop unless its 'Core' was cracked.
Seir, who had no experience wielding a bow or a gun, naturally struggled to aim accurately.
The frustration gnawed at him—he refused to stop until he got it right.
But Roygun wasn't having any of it. She could see that Seir was utterly exhausted—so much so that he could lose consciousness at any moment. Without giving him a chance to protest, she simply said, "Don't be a reckless fool." Then, without hesitation, she pressed the 'Stop' button, bringing the pitching machine to a halt.
That seemed to be the final push he needed. With a weary sigh, Seir finally relented. "Alright…" he muttered and began his descent.
However, before he could even make it to the ground, his vision blurred, and his body went limp.
"Eh…?" was all he managed to say before completely losing control and plummeting toward the ground.
"I knew it…" Roygun murmured, unsurprised. She had seen this coming from the start. Without missing a beat, she used Telekinesis Magic to stop his fall, preventing him from crashing headfirst into the ground.
With Seir securely in her arms, Roygun made her way toward the gazebo, where Lucia and Kuisha—who appeared to be taking a break from her own training—were waiting.
As she approached, they greeted her respectfully.
"Mistress… Lord Seirios…" Lucia said with a nod.
"Lady Roygun… my Lord…" Kuisha added, her gaze briefly shifting to Seir's unconscious form.
Looking at the exhausted, dirty, wet, and unconscious Seir in Roygun's arms, Lucia remarked, "It seems Lord Seirios overdid it a little…"
Roygun sighed and nodded. "Yeah… this kid brother of mine can be such a reckless fool sometimes." Then, turning to Lucia, she requested, "Use a Clean spell on him, would you?"
"Very well, Mistress," Lucia replied, casting a Clean spell to remove all the water, sweat, and filth clinging to Seir's body from his training.
Once finished, she asked, "Shall I send Lord Seirios to his bedroom to rest?"
Roygun shook her head. "No need for that. He'll probably want to continue training as soon as he wakes up, so let's not send him back just yet."
With that, she sat down on the bench and gently laid Seir beside her, resting his head on her thighs.
"This is fine," she murmured, a faint blush dusting her cheeks—so subtle that only Lucia noticed.
Even in his unconscious state, Seir's expression softened, a small smile forming on his lips as though the frustration from his training was slowly fading away. Though he remained asleep, completely unaware that he was receiving a lap pillow, a soft Zzz… escaped him.
Settling in comfortably, Roygun let out a small sigh. "Even I'm a little exhausted…"
Lucia blinked upon seeing Roygun and Seir, her lips curving into a knowing smile. "Very well… Shall I prepare some tea, Mistress?"
"Hm? Yes… do that," Roygun nodded, absentmindedly running her fingers through Seir's now-dry hair, gently caressing it to make him feel relaxed.
Lucia gave a small nod before quietly vanishing from the gazebo.
Kuisha sat silently on the side, watching the unconscious Seir with a hint of doubt in her eyes. 'Why is my Lord pushing himself to the point of losing consciousness?' she wondered.
To her, his actions seemed strange.
'After all, we have an eternity to live, don't we? So what need is there to push oneself to this extent?' she mused.
Before she could dwell on the thought any further, Roygun's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Kuisha…"
"Y-Yes, Lady Roygun?" she responded quickly, her nerves suddenly tensing.
Roygun chuckled lightly. "There's no need to be so worked up," she reassured with a smile. "I simply wanted to ask how your training has been going. Has it been fruitful?"
Kuisha let out a small breath, realizing her unnecessary tension. "Ah… My apologies for getting flustered so suddenly," she said, bowing her head slightly before answering the question. "Madam Lucia has been guiding me in controlling my Demonic Power. My control isn't perfect yet, but I've improved a lot since I started training."
"I see. That's good to hear," Roygun nodded in satisfaction before engaging Kuisha in small talk, asking about her life at the castle and how she had been faring so far.
Not long after, Lucia reappeared at the gazebo with tea and a selection of snacks. The trio of women began to enjoy their tea, engaging in conversation. Though Kuisha remained mostly silent, she listened attentively to Roygun and Lucia, only speaking when they directed a question toward her.
As she observed their interaction, a thought crossed her mind, 'Lady Roygun and Madam Lucia do seem to get along quite well—just as my Lord said…'
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Sometime later, Seir regained consciousness, his head resting on something soft. As he slowly opened his eyes, his vision was immediately shadowed by a pair of twin peaks blocking his view.
For a moment, he was confused, but thanks to a devil's ability to see clearly even in complete darkness, he quickly realized what those fabric-covered mounds were.
'Is my head resting on Roygun's lap?' he thought to himself.
Seir remained still for a moment, allowing the warmth of Roygun's lap to sink in. The gentle rise and fall of her breathing, the faint scent of lilacs clinging to her, and the delicate touch of her fingers brushing against his hair—it was a stark contrast to the pain and exhaustion that had consumed him before he lost consciousness.
"You're finally awake," Roygun's voice came, smooth and teasing, as she looked down at him with a smirk. "I was beginning to think I'd have to keep you on my lap for the rest of the day."
Seir blinked a few times, his mind still hazy from whatever had happened before he passed out. He tried to sit up, but a sudden pain shot through his body, forcing a sharp breath through his teeth.
"Careful," Roygun chided gently, pressing her fingers against his forehead to keep him from sitting up. "Rest a bit longer… you've only been asleep for less than an hour, which isn't nearly enough for you to recover your Demonic Power."
Seir exhaled in frustration. "Where are we?" he asked, noticing that no one else was around, not even Lucia and Kuisha.
"We're inside the gazebo in my gardens," she replied, brushing a stray lock of his hair aside. "You seemed to have overdone it a little."
He let out a low chuckle, but it quickly turned into a pained groan. "Yeah… seems like that's the case."
"Hm," she quipped, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest—an action that, to his mild embarrassment, caused her 'twin peaks' to shift slightly above him.
Noticing his flickering gaze, she smirked. "Like what you see?"
He coughed, quickly looking away, though he didn't bother denying it. Instead, he murmured in a low voice, "I guess?"
Of course, his murmur didn't go unnoticed by Roygun. Though a flicker of surprise and embarrassment stirred within her, she masked it well, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Hehe… I'm glad. You can enjoy it all you like," she teased before placing a hand on his chest, her expression shifting to something more serious. "But first, you need to rest for a while, so go back to sleep."
Seir sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her. "Fine, fine…" he muttered, closing his eyes briefly. Despite the lingering soreness in his body, the warmth of her lap and the steady rhythm of her breathing were oddly soothing.
"Good boy," she murmured with a teasing smile, her fingers threading gently through his hair.
Seir let out a relaxed sigh. "Hmm~" Though he still had something on his mind, he began, "But I still want to—"
Roygun interrupted him by gently placing her index finger over his lips. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I'll wake you up when I feel you're ready to continue training… since that's what you want, right?"
"Yeah…" Seir nodded, finally closing his eyes.
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A while later, back at the training field
"Shall we restart then?" Roygun asked, her hand resting on the pitching machine, index finger poised over the 'Start' button.
"Yeah," Seir nodded, bracing himself.
"Alright then…" she said and pressed the button. A massive water sphere began forming at the mouth of the pitching machine before being launched straight toward him.
"Here it comes…" Seir murmured, raising his hand, now wrapped in his Demonic Power. His sharp gaze locked onto the rapidly approaching sphere as he activated his trait, [Crack].
"Crack down for me!" he shouted, focusing his ability on the dead center of the sphere, aiming to perfectly split the magic spell from the core.
Instantly, a jagged crack appeared across the surface of the Water Sphere. This time, it was exactly where he intended—right at the center. The sphere split cleanly into two, its momentum scattering into separate masses of water that rushed past him before crashing onto the ground—Splash!
"Hehe… that's how it's done!" Seir shouted, throwing both hands into the air in triumph. After hundreds of attempts, he had finally succeeded. In his excitement, he forgot everything else at that moment.
Roygun's voice quickly brought him back to reality. "Don't drop your guard—"
But it was already too late.
Another Water Sphere was already upon him, crashing into his body with—a splash! The impact sent him tumbling to the ground, his clothes and hair once again drenched.
"Damn it!" he groaned in frustration.
Roygun pressed the 'Pause' button, stopping the pitching machine from firing the third Water Sphere. Crossing her arms, she remarked, "Let this be a lesson—you shouldn't have dropped your guard."
"Yeah, yeah… I know. Lesson learned," Seir sighed as he got back on his feet.
He really had no excuses. He had been too quick to celebrate, almost forgetting that the pitching machine wasn't going to stop launching attacks just because he had finally succeeded in cracking one.
"Let's resume," Seir said, getting back on his feet.
"Alright," Roygun nodded and pressed the 'Start' button, making the pitching machine once again start shooting massive Magic Spheres at him.
Since this was akin to archery or marksmanship, aiming wasn't something that could be perfected after just one success. For all he knew, his previous attempt might have been a fluke. Consistent practice was necessary to refine his accuracy, and that's exactly what they were going to focus on for a while.
As the next Water Sphere came hurtling toward him, Seir smirked and activated his trait—[Crack]!
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A few days later
"I… haah… haah… fifty out of fifty… I guess my aim is perfect now," Seir panted, trying to catch his breath as Roygun pressed the 'Pause' button on the pitching machine.
"Yes, you've improved significantly," Roygun nodded, not hesitating to praise him.
"Hmm… what now?" Seir asked between breaths. "Since I can crack all the Water Spheres perfectly without missing a single one, does that mean the second phase of Stage 1 is complete? Can we move on to Stage 2?"
Roygun chuckled, shaking her head. "Stage 2? That's still a long way off. All you've done is crack Water Spheres. My dear little brother, that's nowhere near completing the second phase."
She paused for a moment before adding with a smirk, "That was just Level 1 of the second phase. Now, it's time for Level 2."
"Level 2?" Seir murmured, his brows furrowing in confusion as he waited for an explanation.
But all Roygun said was, "Get ready… and don't drop your guard. Just because you managed to clear Level 1 doesn't mean Level 2 will be as easy."
Without further explanation, she pressed the 'Level 2' button on the pitching machine, followed by 'Start.'
Instantly, a magic circle appeared at the mouth of the pitching machine, and a spell began to take shape.
'This circle is different… which means it's not a Water Sphere,' Seir observed, narrowing his eyes. Just as he had expected, instead of a Water Sphere, a Drilling Water Lance formed at the machine's opening.
"Although I believe you already know this, I'll remind you just in case—since this is your training," Roygun called out from behind the machine. "The core of every magic spell isn't always at its center."
"I know," Seir responded.
If he was going to use [Crack] on the Drilling Water Lance—or any spell, for that matter—he would first need to locate its core. This wasn't something he could always determine easily, and some spells even had cores that constantly shifted.
While spells with shifting cores tended to be unstable and difficult to control, that wouldn't stop opponents from using them against him. After all, an unpredictable core would make it much harder for him to crack a spell with his trait.
That was precisely why he needed to master the ability to locate a spell's core. And the only way to do that was through practice and experience.
Understanding what Roygun was trying to teach him, he murmured, "Alright then…" His expression turned serious as he fixed his gaze on the rapidly approaching Drilling Water Lance and activated his trait—[Crack].
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That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this one!
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