Lucia carefully placed the three iron ingots on the bedroom floor, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She mentally replayed all her past training experiences before extending her hands to unleash her power and surround the target.
This was the training method Anna devised for her, and the iron ingots were custom-made by Anna herself—three pieces of wrought iron, each containing distinct elements: silver, copper, lead, and various impurities. Her task now was to reduce them to pure elements while preserving the impurities, and to identify the ingot with the highest silver content.
This means she must control the Magic Power output and perform only one action on the target.
Otherwise, the impurities would undergo further dissociation—this was why she had previously struggled to control her abilities during her time at the Golden Ear of Rice City residence. Even with identical paper, the resulting products were entirely different. The root cause was her failure to comprehend the correlation between the magnitude of Magic Power and its effects, causing some papers to undergo multiple rounds of decomposition, ultimately reducing most raw materials to water and gas.
Upon arriving at Border Town, the first lesson the witches taught her was to master the control of her Magic Power through practice.
Lucia had initially doubted that such intangible entities could be precisely controlled. But when Anna demonstrated measuring length with black fire, she realized her skepticism was unfounded. The practitioner could even adjust the black fire's size and thickness by regulating Magic Power output, achieving perfect precision every time.
"Sis, you're practicing again?" Ling asked curiously, sticking her head out of bed. "I just had lunch." Lucia's hand trembled, and the iron ingot instantly turned into a clump of powder.
"I told you not to interrupt me when I'm using my powers," she said, turning to tap her sister's head. "Just focus on your book!" "I don't get it," Ling pouted. "Half the words are completely unclear. I'm not like you—able to read and write." "That's why you need to read more. Many words share similar structures. Even if you've never seen them, you should be able to guess their meanings. Learning to read is a process of familiarity." "Alright." Ling lowered her head.
Lucia refocused her attention on the second iron ingot, channeling the Magic Power to flow gently. She envisioned it as a delicate veil, softly draping over the target and wrapping it in even layers.
"Hey, I'm here," the door suddenly creaked open, and a blonde woman darted into the room. "Hey, are you practicing your abilities?" "Sister Nightingale!" Ling exclaimed cheerfully.
The second piece of iron ingot was turned into powder again.
Lucia sighed and gathered all the metal fragments from the ground into her leather bag, realizing she might not be able to practice this noon.
Here, here, here. A fragrant ice cream with a rich milk flavor was handed to her.
"Thank you," Lucia took the ice cream, "but isn't this usually served only during afternoon tea?" The Nightingale patted her chest proudly. "This is a reward I specifically asked for from Your Highness. Oh, and you get one too." She handed another to Ling, which made the little girl burst into laughter.
"Sister Nightingale treats me the best!" Lucia thought helplessly, as the guy would always forget about delicious treats. But when the ice cream hit her mouth, she realized if she were the younger sister, her reaction would probably mirror Ling's—rich honey and creamy flavors melting in her mouth, while the icy freshness blended with them, amplifying the sweetness. Even after swallowing, a cool sensation lingered between her lips and teeth.
No one can resist its irresistible flavor, especially on sweltering summer days. It's no surprise Your Highness only serves ice cream during weekend afternoon tea—such a distinctive treat must be quite pricey, as she had never heard of this dessert in Golden Spike City.
At this, Lucia couldn't help but ask, "How did you get your Highness to give me this?" "Heh heh," Nightingale smirked, "I ranked third in this test, just behind Wendy and Leaf, yet Your Highness Roland deemed me failing. With such a huge gap between reality and expectations, I naturally demanded the reward." "So... that's it," she hesitated for a moment, "What about me?" "Sixty-eight points. I don't know where I ranked." "Ugh, that's pretty low," Lucia sighed. Out of a hundred and twenty questions, she'd only got a little over half right—despite having learned to read long ago.
"That's pretty good," Nightingale patted her head. "You've only been attending classes for a short while, so you're bound to struggle with math and science. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions." "Me? I can ask!" Ling raised her hand.
"Of course," the Nightingale replied with a smile, "you're welcome." "Will I be able to choose my own job once I pass the elementary school exam?" "It's too early. Your Highness decreed that one must be at least fourteen to work. You're only ten—why rush?" Lucia shot her a glare.
The young girl replied defiantly, "I want to help you relieve the burden sooner too. Matters like marriage and childbirth require significant financial expenditure. Without sufficient funds, life would be extremely difficult!" "Who told you that?" Lucia asked, placing her hand on her forehead.
"Dad, he's always nagging—we're almost broke." "Pfft," the Nightingale chuckled, "Where would you go if you could work?" "The chemistry lab!" Ling raised her hand. "I want to be an alchemist, earn the title of Sage, and be revered and celebrated by all!" "This... I'd better not," she shook her head. "The lab's actually pretty dangerous." "Dangerous?" The sisters exclaimed in unison, surprised.
"Yes," Nightingale said with a shrug, "not only do we constantly handle acid, but it can even explode. Even Chief Alchemist S. couldn't avoid accidents—last time, he lost four fingers. Without Nana Wa, Mr.Kaimoschuir might never have picked up those bottles again." She paused. "And Your Highness seems to be developing a new type of gunpowder recently. He himself considers it extremely dangerous, requiring a dedicated laboratory for preparation." "Well, if that's the case, do you have any suggestions?" Lucia pulled Ling close, determined not to let her sister work in such a terrifying place.
"Of course, it's about going into the city hall and becoming a civil servant." "Civil servant?" She repeated.
"Ah, that's how Your Highness would describe himself. In plain terms, he's a municipal official," Nightingale cleared his throat. "Stable and secure, with a mid-to-high salary, but promising prospects. Once you become a department head, the pay won't be lower than Witch's." "I see," Lucia mused.
"Sister Nightingale, do you like Your Highness?" Ling blurted out. "Your words are full of 'Your Highness says' —Mom says only someone who truly admires you would say that so often." Lucia's face froze at her sister's question. Good grief, how could she even ask such a thing? It was utterly impolite. Even with ordinary friends, one shouldn 't ask directly, let alone someone they deeply admire. She hurriedly covered Ling's mouth, about to apologize, when Nightingale answered bluntly, "Well, I do."