Bethany was used to hearing heartbeats. The prey around her always had heightened heartbeats when she was near, be it because of lust, fear or awe. It was rare however that she felt as if she could hear her own. [Holy Magic] was an extraordinarily rare magic, many didn’t even understand what it truly was. They viewed it one in the same as [Healing Magic] but Bethany knew better, she was a [Ancient Black Sorcerer] after all. And she had lived for ever so long.
"You're telling me that you have [Holy Magic]?" She asked carefully, studying the little girl with careful eyes, and she was studied in return.
Lily frowned, and pinched her brow, "Ah. I take it that isn't normal. Well it seems we are in fact on equal grounds; we both have Magic that shan't be shared." Her voice was even, not betraying any concern. But Bethany could not just leave it like that, she quickly used [Blink] to be right in front of Lily as she grabbed the young noble's wrist.
"Do not take this lightly Lily Lightlash, heed my words carefully. Never, ever, cast that magic. Never reveal it." Her words were quick, no attempt to make herself sound more alluring, no husk in her voice. Just a quick and low warning. Lily looked at her in shock before slowly nodding.
"Is.. is it that odd to have?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Bethany frowned, and nodded.
"[Holy Magic] is unique, it is only allowed to those with [Divinity] in their blood or those who have achieved [Divinity]," Bethany explained, normally she wouldn't explain. The mere existence of this magic was secret and thus information on it was kept close to the chest. But if the girl truly had it then she needed to know. "I have no need of further proof, I shall be your teacher. You show much promise Lily Lightlash, however you lack proper experience. You are like a cannon, raw power but no fine training."
She tapped her on the nose before she turned, "I am a [Vampire], you already know this, but I am also a great mage who has studied magic for hundreds of years. You will find my tutoring harsh and demanding." She moved forward, "But you may achieve great things under my tuteluge. So tell me Lily Lightlash, what is the goal of the Young Lady of the Lightlash family? Why do you keep striving for improvement?" She turned back to look upon the young girl.
Lily was silent for a bit, she studied her and then smiled. The first genuine smile that she had shown thus far. "My goal? I will become Queen." Her words held confidence, assurance. Bethany began to laugh, how could she not, this little girl who hadn't even lived a single percentage of her life was claiming the goal to be queen and... Bethany couldn't help but feel as if she truly had the talent to do so.
"Very well. Let's ensure the future Queen of Elsetean is a proper mage."
I'm going to kill her
Lily thought as she glared at the [Vampire] in front of her. She no longer held the appearance of a well kept young lady, her hair was disheveled and sweat dripped down her forehead, her lips had begun to crack lightly and she looked pale.
"Again." The voice was sharp and to the point. Bethany stared at her with what was ultimately indifference, but to Lily it felt like taunting.
"[Strike and burst, flash and combust, all-consuming flame rain down... and...]" BOOM! Lily was sent flying back as her magic that had been forming exploded in front of her. She coughed and groaned while Bethany merely floated over.
"[Let flesh knit and mend, return blood to body and give upon this land your gift oh Dark One, Close Wounds]," Bethany said calmly. "You faltered again."
Lily let out a smaller groan as she got up, her flesh repairing itself. "That's because I'm out of Mana!" She snapped at the woman. Which only elected a chuckle that annoyed Lily.
"That is the point, if you rely on an abundance of Mana you will falter when you are out of it. Trust me, this lesson is vital in laying the groundwork for making you a proper mage. Or do you wish to be regarded as a mere Point Spender." Her words were cold at the end, Lily understood the implication, it was an insult thrown at many who simply got their skills from spending [Skill Points] and didn't properly train them.
Bethany extended a hand with a potion. Lily grumbled and snatched it out of her hand, sipping it so it only restored just enough Mana to cast her spell. "Again," Bethany commanded.
"[Strike and burst, flash and combust, all-consuming flame rain down and surround my foe, burn their body to ash, BLAZING RAIN!]" Her chanting was flawless. Her conducting less so due to her exhaustion, but the air heated all the same. Red flames bursted out above as various arrows of flame came flowing down towards Bethany, striking at her from all angles. However, Bethany had been chanting quietly, it was another lesson.
Most did not rely on [Chantless Casting], it was viewed as... inefficient due to how hard it was to advance and the reduction in power. So mages learned to whisper their chanting when they did not want others to know what they were doing. The quieter and faster the better of a combat mage they were. Apparently Bethany was famous for being quite the duelist and was often requested at tournaments by the royal family.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Lily was glad to hear this news. It meant that she had a clear goal on how to put herself in advantage over other mages. She simply needed to fully upgrade [Chantless Casting], there were a few ways around it. She could use [Skill Points], but that she learned was a critical error. Bethany explained that while yes you could upgrade any skill with your [Skill Points], doing so made your mastery of it unnatural and thus not rigid. It was better to naturally upgrade them with time and experience. Not to mention a skill such as [Chantless Casting] would require such a large amount of Skill Points you'd be foolish to do so.
Lily sighed watching the smoke disappear. Bethany had easily shielded herself from the girl’s magical onslaught. What's more is she was certain it had barely drained her to supply the mana needed.
"An improvement. I had to supply a second burst of mana to my [Mana Shield] to repair it. I believe that will be enough for today. Tomorrow we shall start again at sunrise," Bethany said as she turned to return to the manor. She gave a wave to the maids in the windows who were glaring at her.
"Wouldn't it be better for us if we practiced at night? I understand you have spells to protect yourself from the [Greater Sun Weakness] but surely that takes effort?" Lily asked as she followed after.
"Perhaps little queen," Bethany began, Lily rolled her eyes at the nickname that her teacher had chosen for her, "however if I did what was easy I wouldn't be here. Never take the easy route. When your training has progressed we will swap to night purely to train you on fighting at night."
Lily thought about it for a bit, "So you're only going to be teaching me how to fight?" She questioned.
Bethany sighed and shook her head, "I am laying foundations and ensuring you can protect yourself as your parents requested," she said, but then smiled, "but yes I will also teach you the secrets of the arcane. I will send word for some pieces from my personal library to be delivered here."
Lily smiled at that. She moved into the manor and was quickly fussed over by maids using [Lifestyle Magic] to clean off all the dirt and scorch marks on her skin. She sighed but decided it was best to allow them to do so.
"I take it you're enjoying yourself?" Her primary maid Lia commented. Lily quickly moved to her and then let a small smile form.
"It has been... interesting, refreshing compared to my normal training," Lily said calmly. "Lady De Cressier is truly a talented mage."
Lia nodded, then looked towards the woman in question as she entered the Manor herself. "Lady De Cressier, shall I show you to the guest quarters?" Lia questioned.
"Oh my, a cute little maid wants to take me to the bedroom already?" Bethany responded with her usual sultry tone. Lily inwardly rolled her eyes but outwardly pretended to not notice her flirting. The [Vampires] skills had told her plenty of what she needed to know about Bethany and her bedroom activities. She had briefly played with the idea of making a comment on the fact that she was a child and standing right here, but she presumed that would only get a response of asking why a child understood the meaning of her words.
"Lady De Cressier with all due respect I do request that you keep your crude humor out of earshot for my Young Lady." Lia responded with a bow, Lily had to do her best to not giggle at that she did find it enjoyable how many glares had been shot towards Bethany.
"Why of course I am ever so sorry," Bethany said, although there was a clear hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Please, do show me to the Guest Quarters and most importantly out of earshot of my apprentice," she added with a smug smile on her face.
Lily this time did not ignore her words, she would not be used in a petty game. "Lady De Cressier, will you be joining us for dinner? I am sure we can provide you with something worthy of your palette, perhaps a small rodent or bunny?" She smiled at her words expecting them to trip up the [Vampire].
"Oh do not worry about me, little queen. I am no stranger to... preparing my own meals. After all, I have a taste for... well a royal meal." Bethany's words were unexpected, and Lily found herself incredibly annoyed. She knew full well what the vampire meant, as much as she knew it was ultimately more to irritate her maids than to make any actual promise. But it did make her consider for a moment, to an ageless being such as an [Vampire] where did they draw the line? Would she become a target for this [Vampire] the moment she looked old enough for her tastes? She hadn't put much thought into it until now.
"Good. I shall see you tomorrow then." Lily decided it was better to concede, she was not in the position to verbally spar with the woman; that would need to wait until she was older and could be more free with her words. As she walked away she was sure had no idea what was happening elsewhere in Fairhill...
"[Pollute and ruin, let my blood seep in and taint this ground forevermore, let decay reign upon these lands, Decaying Root]" Jasper's blood flowed out of the cut on his hand into the farmland he was skulking about in. "Is this truly how I shall get revenge on that brat?" He asked to the cool night air. Of course he got no response, he had no idea who was helping him but they did not communicate with him normally. Instead he received [Quests] from the System.
It wasn't irregular to get [Quests], however usually you received them from The Coalition, those with an advanced enough [Scribe] class could write quests that the System would grant as official ones. Other than that you would receive generic [Quests] from the System, things like slay an amount of monsters or master a spell, these were hints at what was most useful for your further advancement. No one randomly received specific [Quests], they said that [Heroes] received such [Quests] but there had not been a certified [Hero] in some time.
Jasper knew he wasn't any damned [Hero], he would never even begin to believe such a lie. He knew full well the source of his [Quests].
Jasper would've laughed if it wasn't a notification. He never thought he would be someone with magic, a useless good for nothing with no real education who happened to be good with a sword. "Well?! What now King of Eternal Night!" He called out.
No response, he frowned. Was he meant to merely wait? No he wouldn't do that, he bandaged his hand and set off, if he was not going to get any further instruction he would take matters into his own hands. After all, plenty in the guild owed him and this girl had ruined their operations. A Count's daughter would be an easy assassination.