Time ticked by, second by second. Under the immense pressure, Miss Kanne spent a good few minutes finally swallowing the contents of the grimoire whole, though to be honest, she didn't have a shred of confidence regarding how much she had actually mastered.
"Oh? Faster than I imagined. Not bad. As expected, potential is something that only shows up when forced."
Seeing Kanne close the book, Fíliya nodded immediately with satisfaction.
"How much did you memorize?" she continued to ask.
"Maybe... one third?" Kanne answered somewhat uncertainly.
"Umu. Under these conditions, you remembered a third just after finishing it? Miss Kanne, you are a little genius."
As Fíliya spoke, she gave Kanne a thumbs-up directly.
However, Kanne felt no joy whatsoever because her nerves were strung too tight.
"Alright, now close your eyes. Yes, just like that. Deep breath. Then think back on the book's contents."
Fíliya continued to guide Kanne, and Kanne obediently followed her instructions.
Another thirty seconds passed just like that.
"Good. Now tell me, how much do you remember?"
"One tenth... No, something's wrong. I think I've forgotten it all..."
Kanne's tone became incredibly nervous. She even opened one eye to peek worriedly at Fíliya, as if afraid of being reprimanded.
After all, someone had kindly offered to guide her, yet she had read the grimoire only to forget it immediately. It was simply too pathetic.
"Excellent!"
But contrary to Kanne's expectations, upon hearing her say she had "forgotten it all," Fíliya actually became even more excited.
"That's exactly right. That is the feeling I wanted. Go! I choose you, Kanne."
Saying this, Fíliya pushed Kanne's shoulder with her hand, signaling that she could go and fight Richter.
"Eh! How can I do that!"
Kanne clutched her staff, her expression somewhat shrinking back. She didn't dare face a strong enemy in such a muddled state. After reading Fíliya's book, she felt her brain was a chaotic mess; her current strength might be even worse than before she read it.
"Is this really going to work..."
To the side, Lawine was even more bewildered by this current development.
"It's fine, I've got your back."
Fíliya shot her a look that said, "Don't worry."
"So, can I make my move now?"
Richter, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, finally spoke. He just felt very bored right now; it was simply a waste of time. He had thought that under Fíliya's guidance, this girl named Kanne might make some progress, but hasn't she turned out worse than before...?
Truly a buzzkill.
Thinking this, Richter pressed both hands directly onto the ground, activating Earth Manipulation Magic (Askeriehm) to generate several stone cones that shot toward Kanne.
Yet, Kanne remained standing there with a bewildered look.
"Tsk... What are you standing there stupidly for? Hurry up and use Defensive Magic!"
Lawine, unable to watch any longer, hurriedly shouted.
Defensive Magic? No... that's not right. There should be a better solution now...
Kanne wasn't actually spacing out. She just felt that her current state was somewhat subtle. From that book just now, she had indeed received something... Although she didn't yet understand what it represented, this subtle feeling allowed her body to move one step ahead of her thoughts.
In a flash, Kanne rolled, dodging the stone cones, and arrived at Richter's flank. Then, she directly raised her hand.
A clear jet of water surged from the tip of her staff, striking toward Richter.
"..."
Seeing this, Richter's eyes instantly widened, but his reaction was also swift; he deployed Defensive Magic to block the water flow.
"I... I created water??!"
It wasn't until after the attack had been launched that Miss Kanne finally let out a murmur, realizing it with hindsight.
Not far away, seeing this, Fíliya immediately began to applaud.
"That's right, Kanne. Forget all that red tape and those rigid rules you learned in school. Right now, you just need to believe that 'creating water out of thin air' is a very 'natural' thing, and that's enough."
"Easier said than done..."
Kanne couldn't help but reveal a wry smile upon hearing this, but she also felt a bit more confident in her heart. After all, the reality just now couldn't lie.
"Heh... Even if this girl can produce water, so what? With the power of Water Magic, it's impossible to breach Defensive Magic. And in a contest of total mana capacity, I still have the advantage."
"Is that so? Then, Uncle, you truly have no reverence for 'Water'..."
Fíliya shook her head with some disappointment.
"The reason Water Magic has left people with the impression of insufficient 'Attack Power' is because it's used incorrectly. Water—if you just spray it out, sure, it won't have much power. But if you can continuously compress the internal pressure of the water flow, that high-pressure water jet can pierce through rock, and even slice through metal."
"Of course, even if your mastery hasn't reached that level, there is a simpler and more effective way to use water."
Fíliya explained with a relaxed expression.
"That is to gather the water directly, forming a large water ball to smash onto the enemy... Many people subconsciously ignore the [Mass] of water. But in reality, the power of a large water ball is in no way inferior to a large fireball or a large stone ball... Can your Defensive Magic withstand it?"
...It had to be said, Fíliya's words indeed brought a sense of crisis to Richter. But after carefully observing Kanne for a short while, he immediately dispelled his doubts.
"Even if what you say is correct, this girl clearly can't do that kind of thing. Although she has learned to create water, she doesn't seem able to generate enough water to launch a [Mass Attack] against me."
"Oh? I'll give you credit for having some eyesight. Indeed, that is true. However, Kanne already has her own ideas now. Uncle, let me give you a piece of advice: if you don't get serious soon, you're going to lose miserably."
Saying this, Fíliya crossed her arms over her chest, wearing an expression ready to watch a good show.
Richter had no way to continue conversing with Fíliya because Kanne's attacks were obviously fiercer than before. Even he had to focus his mind to respond.
Fortunately, the girl was still only spraying non-threatening water at him. Defensive Magic could easily intercept this level of attack.
"Uncle, you really are guarding strictly against everything... Do you hate getting wet that much?"
In this battle, Kanne seemed to have found a bit of confidence, even managing to utter some teasing words.
Immediately following that, Kanne changed her move again. She sprayed the water flow toward the sky, and then detonated those sprayed streams into countless mists of water.
"Using fire to detonate the water? Very nice. She thought of a new way to play immediately."
Fíliya's lips curled into a smile as she offered her commentary. As for why a Water Mage like Kanne would use techniques from Fire Magic, that was something that needed no explanation. After all, Fire Magic is a foundational magic; every mage knows it.
____
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