“Good morning, Ellaine.”

“Mhm…Bwuh! Whe-Where am…I? Lady Hestia?”

“You know…Considering how you bragged about being able to stay up the whole night, I actually thought you could do it with that determination I saw in your eyes. I even use my fulinoe leaves to help reduce your arcane corruption so we could continue training!” I expressed my exasperation at the young noblewoman who was looking up from my lap, her face still appearing blue-ish. “As a mage, you should understand where your limits are! You have [Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 4], in other words, you should understand when your body cannot handle it anymore. Geez, Ellaine, you made me worry!”

“‘Ellaine’? So casual, Lady-” She was about to say but I interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

“That’s not the point, dummy! Barathan, Manuela, Svena, your knights, and don’t get me started on Josine! She almost had a heart attack!” Irritated at her obstinate persistence to adhere to formality, despite being among us girls, I lightly tapped her forehead.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I looked up as I ignored Ellaine’s painful yelp. I observed the room we were in — a magical training room located under House Helvas’s mansion designed as a safe space for nobles to train and experiment to prevent collateral damage. Before I came in here to train Ellaine, it was white and spotless; now it was riddled with burn marks and rocks.

To work as a magical training room, there were countless safety measures in place in case of an emergency. A ventilation system made with wind magic, a sprinkler system, and sturdy walls made out of fairnite and eoriant to absorb mana-based attacks. According to Ellaine, with fairnite’s high mana insulation and eoriant’s ability to absorb and store mana, it made it hard for spells to escape outside this room.

As this was another fantasy metal, I was curious and asked Ellaine what eoriant actually was, and apparently it was an alloy made with steel and euorinium. If I wanted more info on it, it was better to read a book on it or ask a blacksmith. Ellaine was educated but she didn’t have all the answers on hand.

“If that is the case, are they used to make shields and armor?” I’d asked her when I received this information two days ago.

The answer was a clear yes, but it would be expensive. Fairnite, by itself, was a beloved stone among nobles due to its color and ability to insulate against mana attacks, in addition to its many other usages that Ellaine didn’t want to explain as she was too impatient to start her training.

So, two days ago, I trained Ellaine in magic and combat. Due to her prior education and experience as a mage, she already knew basic stuff like the four processes of casting and already learned two of the four advanced casting techniques. Unlike me, who still couldn’t get [Multi-Cast] no matter how much I tried, she’d learned it.

Profile: Name: Ellaine Fiero Helvas Level: 13 Race: Human Age: 15 Years Job: Magic Tinkerer Level: 3/5 Status: Health: 301/301 Mana: 454/454 Strength: 158 Intelligence: 298 Vitality: 73 Wisdom: 208 Agility: 139 Stamina: 243/243 Effects: None Skill:

Magic skills and related:

[Mana Efficiency Lv. 6]

[Mana Control Lv. 5]

[Arcane Mind Lv. 4]

[Earth Magic Lv. 5]

[Wind Magic Lv. 5]

[Synergist’s Oath Lv. 1]

[Silent Casting Lv. 2]

[Chant Revocation Lv. 1]

[Mental Warfare Lv. 1]

[Fluid Cast Lv. 1]

[Multi-Cast Lv. 1]

Physical skills and related:

[Sword Technique Lv. 1]

Senses and movement skills:

[Stealth Lv. 1]

[Accuracy Correction Lv. 2]

[Concentration Lv. 4]

[Prediction Lv. 1]

[Danger Perception Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 6]

[Enhanced Vision Lv. 1]

[Evasion Lv. 2]

[Acrobatic Lv. 2]

Resistances:

[Physical Resistance Lv. 2]

[Pain Resistance Lv. 1]

[Holy Resistance Lv. 2]

[Fire Resistance Lv. 6]

[Water Resistance Lv. 6]

[Earth Resistance Lv. 5]

[Wind Resistance Lv. 5]

[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 4]

Stat growth and related:

[Mana Recovery Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv.´4]

[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 1]

Others:

[Singing Lv. 4]

[Dancing Lv. 5]

[Musician Lv. 6]

[Handicraft Lv. 1]

[Enchanting Lv. 4]

[Artificer Lv. 1]

[Identify Lv. 1]

[Identity Blocker Lv. 3]

[Noble Aura Lv. 3]

[Royal Etiquette Lv. 6]

[Riding Lv. 2]

[Scholar Lv. 2]

[Calligraphy Lv. 6]

[Mathematician Lv. 6]

Spell List:

Custom Spells:

[Create Crack]

[Wind Gust]

Earth Magic:

[Earth Wall]

[Rock Blast]

[Earth Strike]

[Rock Bullet]

[Sturdy Earth]

Custom Spells:

[Wind Bullet]

[Wind Cutter]

[Air Shield]

[Wind Slash]

[Swift Winds]

I had the chance to use my new party bracelet to read her ID, giving me all the information stored inside her ID, which meant her profile. To tell the truth, her stats were lackluster but that was to be expected considering her level. The only other person whose profile I’d had a good look at and was around her level was Caszcur, and his was of a lower quality compared to Ellaine’s.

Thanks to her noble lineage, I guess, her Mana was decently high and with her previous Jobs revolving around mages, her Intelligence and Wisdom were good enough for her level. However, stats weren’t everything. Skills mattered, too. On that front, she did well to train up her magic-related ones but she has been neglecting her other combat-related skills, like her senses and resistances.

On the first day of her training, I received detailed information on how Ellaine usually trained with her tutors and parents. Most of the information concerned her time in the royal academy but she also had private tutoring to complement it. Honestly, if it weren’t for Tasianna and Master Kush, I wouldn’t have been able to decipher most of it as I was mostly self-taught. There were a lot of special terms.

Once I understood the gist of it, I threw everything out of the window. The reason? They focused too much on skill acquisition and improvements through practice. Her schedule was mostly theoretical with minimal amounts of practical applications, especially during her time in the academy as it seemed to have a heavy focus on socializing with other aristocrats, instead of combat training.

When I explained this to Barathan and Manuela, two of her former tutors, they looked aghast. Excuses like, “A noble lady should also appear graceful and refined even during training” or “Sparring could cause serious damage.” I wasn’t sure if they were being overprotective or if this was just normal in noble society.

Still, I told Ellaine I couldn’t help her train if she wasn’t willing to do what I wanted her to do. I only knew how to train one way and adapting everything around her wishes was too much work for me when I myself was still inexperienced. The look in her eyes was enough for me to nod my head in satisfaction.

I did contemplate giving her the SP system and my bonuses through [Hestia’s Retainer] but I wasn’t sure if I could fully 100% trust Ellaine yet. It’s not about her, it’s about her family and whatever they were planning to do with me. Thankfully, Ellaine accepted my reasoning without any further arguments.

As my dance instructor always told me, “Haste makes waste.” He always advocated for a slow but steady training regimen to iron out my foundation. When the time came for me to show off the fruits of my training, the basics I’d learned would always be there for me. Sure, sometimes I would lose myself in my idol training but I’ve been following my instructor’s motto since then. Train a little bit every day and never go overboard.

“Here, don’t lose your catalyst.” Returning my mind to reality, I handed Ellaine a ring adorned with both a brown gem and a green gem once she was back on her feet.

“Thank you, Lady Hestia…and thank you for healing me. I’ll make sure to repay you for the white grace,” Ellaine said with downcast eyes.

Waving my hand in dismissal, I looked at her with a frown. “Nonsense, as if I would take payment for saving a friend’s life. Do me a favor, instead, tell me you have [Arcane Corruption (Minor)] before you suddenly collapse on the ground.”

While training on the first day went smoothly with me helping Ellaine develop some sorta stamina and seeing how well she can cast magic, the second day didn’t. After I returned from the Binding Festival, she immediately asked me to train with her despite it nearly being midnight. We haven’t slept since we started and I’ve just learned from Barathan the sun was about to come up.

Our training involved training her stats and skills through competition. Another thing I learned through my idol training was that rivalry is an incredible motivator. The other idol trainees were bitches, but their ridicule did make me want to work harder, even to the point when I had that delusional “perfect debut” mindset.

The only problem was she underestimated her mana usage and built up too much arcane corruption until she collapsed. Fulinoe leaves, a plant you could only find in the Belzac Forest and the elven kingdom Saelariel, had an effect similar to an antioxidant that reduces arcane corruption when made into tea.

Apparently, it was a luxury product among nobles and potion makers which could fetch us a good amount of money if we sold it. Tasianna was growing a ton of those leaves in our garden, so I felt it was alright to use it to help Ellaine’s training free of charge. Like Ellaine said, a noble should flaunt her wealth, so I was simply flaunting mine.

Still, even with all that fulinoe tea, if you didn’t rest once in a while, even the tea couldn’t keep up with your arcane corruption accumulation.

When she collapsed, luckily, I was around to nurse her with healing spells much like I’d done for Saori. However, when I informed Barathan and her other servants, they were devastated and wanted to bring Ellaine back to her room, but I told them off. I didn’t want them to disrupt us.

“Dawn is about to come. Do you want to continue?” I asked her.

After drinking another cup of fulinoe tea, Ellaine smiled and caressed her ring. “…One more round, please. Just one more and I’ll be satisfied for today, Lady Hestia.”

We took our positions inside the room. With one of her ring’s gems shining an emerald green, Ellaine cast [Swift Winds]. This ring was actually something similar to Master Kush’s amulet, which was called a catalyst or magic tool by proper mages. With the skills enchanted on it, it helped every single aspect of magic casting: speed, power, efficiency.

The difference between a catalyst-less mage and a mage with a high-quality catalyst was huge. A great example would be my spars with Master Kush. The fights would always feel equal before he pulled out his catalyst, leading to a quick victory in his favor. Ellaine was using a catalyst her mother made for her, but our stat difference was far too large for it to make a difference, unfortunately.

A magic tool, or catalyst, was similar to manatech where it needed an external influx of mana to activate, but what differentiated the two was that a manatech required a mana battery to work while a magic tool needed an alchemic stone. The former was more complicated and expensive to make, while the latter was simpler and only needed magical knowledge.

Alchemic stones were gemstones transformed through alchemy to focus a mage’s mana and to heighten the effects of runes and enchantments etched onto the tool. While warriors could improve themselves with stronger weapons, a mage needed higher-quality catalysts. Wands, staves, amulets, rings; whatever you could think a magician would bring to a fight to become stronger.

Our party needs an equipment day, urgently. We could improve ourselves so much with some weapons and catalysts.

“Just a reminder, you only need to touch me once, while I can only avoid your attacks with [Warp Point: Entry] and [Warp Point: Exit]. Understood, Lady Ellaine?” I told Ellaine, who gave me a confirming nod.

I’ve lost track of when I actually got [Space-Time Magic Lv. 4] and its system spell [Warp Point: Entry] but I know for sure it has been over three months. While training with Ellaine two days ago, I leveled up both [Storm Magic] and [Space-Time Magic]. From those two skills, I learned [Sylphid’s Cloak], a buffing and damage reduction spell, and [Warp Point: Exit], which finally allowed me to use [Warp Point: Entry].

Think of [Warp Point: Entry] and [Warp Point: Exit] like portals that can only work if I cast both of them. They open up a crack in the air right above their magic circles, which anybody can use to, well, teleport themselves from one point to the other.

Unfortunately, despite how amazing it was to teleport everywhere, two restrictions were holding them back. First of all, the cast didn’t cost too much mana but once both portals were open, my mana would be continuously drained to keep them open until I closed them myself. And secondly, the larger the distance between the two, the more mana I had to pay to maintain them.

With that said, what could I use warp point for? Well, I could use it as an instant teleport to avoid attacks, a quick long-range escape from a tricky situation, or mass group teleportation from one point to the next.

The first option is redundant since dodging attacks with my high Agility would be faster than casting those two spells. The second could be useful but without using [Delay Cast] on the entry, it would timeout eventually, which means it would cost me mana to maintain it. Also, if somebody were to damage the magic circle before I cast exit, the circle would dissipate. The last option was actually the most useful part of this spell. If I needed to rescue a large group of people or animals, I could place “entry” down and then get slingshotted by Saori at a far-away point, place “exit” down, and then bring everybody to safety instantly. I just have to make sure the mana cost doesn’t kill me, he he.

So why was I using warp point to dodge here? Well, I’m using a portal to move around and that’s cool. Isn’t that reason enough? I’m in a world with dragons and magic, going through portals is just part of the fun.

Once the match began, Ellaine chanted [Wind Slash] and shot it at me. I placed one grey magic circle next to me and then another next to Ellaine, causing a crack in the air to open up. I entered through the portal next to me, shouted “Peekaboo,” and attempted to touch Ellaine with my hand but she quickly dodged. I was holding my power back.

Our little competition was a game of tag but with magic. Luckily for me, I didn’t need to explain the rules as it seems this game existed at the royal academy as a way for students to train against each other. Similar to the rules of tag, once you touch somebody they are out of the game, however, unlike Earth’s tag, Peolyncians could use magic to extend their touch range. There also wasn’t a single “it” among the players as the game was played more like a battle royal, where the person who caught the most people would be the winner.

Usually, the players could use any spells or tricks they had up their sleeves, barring any lethal ones of course, but since it wouldn’t be fun if I gave it my all, I suggested playing under a handicap. I was only allowed to tag Ellaine with my hand and my only dodging method was to use warp point. Otherwise, I could be liberal with my usage of spells to block, disorientate, and trick.

The idea behind this training was to help Ellaine level up her sensory and movement skills as I knew from experience that relying only on magic and resistances was too unreliable. If she were to ever meet an Agility or stealth-reliant monster, she would have a hard time fighting it. Saori and the garm matriarch are great examples of this.

Movement Skills and [Prediction] were also phenomenal to win in Peolyncian tag and a normal magician duel. Unlike the magician duel I had with Master Kush, in a normal one, the rules state the moment a mage loses their catalyst or if they received a certain amount of damage, they would lose. In both rulesets, being able to predict your opponent’s moves and accurately hit them with a counter were effective methods to win.

The two of us continued for a while until Ellaine’s concentration waned. Noticing it, I decided we had trained enough. Using [Wind Blast], I blew her off her feet, then used [White Flames] to blind her in conjunction with my scale-dust to make her flinch, causing her already deteriorating focus to drop even more. Using my last portal, I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into the portal to bring her to my side.

“Don’t use your spells only for attacks and feints. There are many other ways you could use them, you just need to be creative about it.”

Breathing heavily, Ellaine slouched onto the ground and congratulated me for winning. Seeing her messy hair, sweat-covered face, and the dirtied training suit she was wearing, it made it hard to think this was the elegant, refined noblewomen I’d come to know. The exhaustion she was showing was proof of the effort she put in today.

“This was the 5th match and I’m still unable to put, huff, your suggestions into practice,” Ellaine complained with a shake of her head. “I’m learning far too slowly, considering all you’ve for me, Lady Hestia. I apologize for my incompetence.”

“Ellaine, this is only the second day, geez.” Massaging my temples in exasperation, I couldn’t help but show a hint of annoyance at her self-deprecation. “The academy starts at the beginning of spring, right? We have so much time to train with each other. Ellaine, you can’t expect to catch up with your brother in such a short period.”

“I know…I understand. It’s just…frustrating,” Ellaine forced herself to admit. “I am the daughter born between a Count and a noble from an Arcanuess family. Mother could have inherited her House’s title and become Arcaliess Talshia, if only she’d been born earlier. Brother Jonathan inherited our parent's talents, so why couldn’t I?”

In the Kingdom of Artorias, nobles inherit their parent’s title not through the time of their birth, but through their abilities and amount of Mana. Mana was the foundation of noble society and what differentiated them from commoners. As nobles were considered the elites and protectors of the kingdom, it was expected of House heads to not only be strong warriors but also capable magicians.

Inheritance rules state the children of the first wife/husband would compete in an assessment of their total Mana and the quality of their profile, ending with a duel between each of them. The second and third of the head of the house had the option of competing against the first in the same way, and if they could best the first spouse, then their children would be eligible to compete for succession, too.

As Mana and high stats could be inherited by their children, nobles prioritized merit and abilities over arbitrary barriers like a child’s age and the ranking of the head’s spouses. Ellaine’s mother Marianne, for example, was the second daughter of the second wife of an Arcanuess, but could still participate in the inheritance battle despite being the youngest. She only lost the right due to her siblings being more capable.

Another example was Count Helvas himself. He was the second son but he bested his older brother in a duel with his sword despite having less mana than him.

While age wasn’t a factor, that didn’t mean it was irrelevant. Once the first child was born, parents usually gave him or her the most resources to improve until the next child was born. This meant that Jonathan, who was three years older than Ellaine, had more time to benefit from his House’s resources and teachings.

Aside from the age gap, Ellaine also mentioned the talents of her brother. Not only was he a capable swordsman like their father but also inherited their mother’s talents as a mage. On the other hand, Ellaine was just normal. She was average and took longer to learn new subjects compared to her brother.

When the first child comes of age at 15, the inheritance battles would start. At the age of twelve, Ellaine was forced to compete with her brother for the noble title of her house, but after years of possessing an inferiority complex and knowing how far ahead her brother was, she gave up her right before the competition even started. Her brother was made her father’s successor, while she lost all respect from her former retainers.

The only retainers Ellaine still had were Josine, who was only a commoner, and her two personal knights, who were only the children of barons. It seems her parents still loved her despite what she called an “embarrassing display.” Ellaine’s failure and cowardice still clung to her three years later, which is why she asked me to train her.

I could sympathize with Ellaine. I knew too well how it felt to disappoint your parents despite all the love and support they’d given you. Ellaine couldn’t become a countess anymore and it was likely she would be married off to another House, but I didn’t want her to feel like she was worthless.

Students at the royal academy graduated at the age of 18, so if I could help make her feel better for herself, I would gladly. Sure, “haste makes waste” so training during the night without any sleep might be counterproductive but the fire I saw in her eyes when she asked for more training yesterday evening was enough for me to know she wasn’t fooling around.

Pressing a button on the wall, I spoke into a blue crystal. “Barathan or Manuela, Lady Ellaine and I are done training. Lady Ellaine is probably too tired to move by herself so please have somebody carry her up to her room.” After a few seconds, the crystal glowed blue and Barathan’s voice came out from it. I didn’t ask how this intercom-like manatech exactly worked but looking at it with [Mana Eyes] it seemed it was connected through a wire to the other end.

Ellaine was then brought back to her room by Josine and Manuella while Barathan and Svena guided me back up to my room. Inside my room, Saori and Tasianna were seated, looking slightly troubled as they stared at Barathan and Svena. At that point, a chill went up to my spine as I noticed the two servants glaring at me.

“No matter how strong you are, a noble lady should never, ever be left alone inside the city!” They gave us a lecture so intense it even made Saori look apoplectic because I’d walked through the streets without anybody attending to me. Regardless of whether I could protect myself or not, it was seen as inappropriate for a noblewoman to be completely alone without an attendant or retainer. Rumors could be created from it.

While I didn’t care much about it, Tasianna was the one who was affected the most by the lecture. “I have grown too lazy and abandoned my Lady,” she muttered before affirming her loyalty to me again. “I shall never leave your side again!” she proclaimed.

Once that was done, our days in Firwood went on. A week has passed where I would split my time with training Ellaine, working on Quests at the hunters guild, and preparing for my next idol concert, whenever it would be scheduled. In this time, our party was able to gain two more Job changes.

Max level of Job [Mage] has been reached Attributes have increased due to level up Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Fighter] Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change Fighter Level: 0/5 Max level of Job [Fighter] has been reached Attributes have increased due to level up Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Cleric] Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change Cleric Level: 0/5

The monsters and Quest experience we gained weren’t enough for any of us to level up, but our Job levels received experience independently. Instead of choosing more mage Jobs, I wanted to see what Jobs would open up if I were to take [Fighter] and [Cleric]. I had so many skills that I wanted to know how many options I had before taking harder to level up Jobs.

Saori did the same thing by acquiring [Caster] and [Fighter] herself after finishing [Rogue]. Tasianna, on the other hand, became a [Torrent Sorcerer] to improve her water magic even more. Unlike all the Jobs Saori and I have gained so far, [Torrent Sorcerer] could be leveled up to level 15, instead, of only five. This was our first experience with a Job of a higher tier, meaning it had not only a higher level cap but was also harder to level up. Similar to how a G rank monster would level up more quickly than a D rank one.

Weekly Job Change Limit: 2/3

Previous Jobs: [Caster] [Mage] [Fighter]

Main Job: [Cleric]

Available Jobs

[Freelancer] [Pyromancer] [Earth Mage] [Aeromancer] [Wind Mage] [Holy Mage] [Space-Time Mage] [Magus] [Healer] [Priestess] [Shrine Maiden] [Synergist] [Warrior Priestess] [Brawler] [Aggravator] [Ravager] [Hellblade] [Bard] [Scout] [Worker] [Academic] [Noble] [Scale-Dust User] [White Pyromancer] [Corrosive Pyromancer] [Usurper] [Champion of Aurena] [Crimson Saintess] [Idol]

As expected, having certain Jobs would open up hybrid Jobs like [Magus], a warrior mage, or [Warrior Priestess], the precursor for paladin-based Jobs. Interestingly enough, there was a job named [Hellblade] and I could unlock it since I had the [Hellblade Dragon] skill, so apparently my unique draconic skills also affected the Jobs I could take. I guess that should’ve already been obvious with [Scale-Dust User], though.

I was planning to get these advance Jobs one day but unlocking the easy ones first was my priority. What I currently needed wasn’t just skills and abilities, but also stats. Stats weren’t everything but it would be stupid to say they were irrevelant. After all, the higher my Mana becomes, the more reckless I could be with spell casting.

During this week, signs of my [Battle Frenzy] eventually showed up during a Quest. Saori mentioned I lasted almost two weeks without showing symptoms, probably ‘cause of my choice to evolve into a [Young Sunfang Dragon], but it was still a bit disappointing to see the status effect wasn’t gone for good. Damn you, Grandpa Kargryxmor!

Taking the opportunity to fight outside the town, Saori, Tasianna, and I had one of our usual duels. The symptoms quickly disappeared before our spar ended. While we were there, I tested something I’d been wondering about this whole time: whether the skills and stats I got from my Jobs transferred to my dragon form.

As the Main Job benefit, [Cleric] gave the Job skill [Healing Amp], which improves the effectiveness of my healing spells, so I wanted to see if it stayed when I transformed. Unfortunately, it didn’t; meaning Job skills, abilities, and spells couldn’t be used when I’m fighting in my original form. However, any bonuses to my stats stayed. That was really good news and gave Saori and me another incentive to get more Jobs and level them up.

As a result we knew for sure that staying in our beastmen forms was the best to enjoy the perks of being a monster and a humanoid. Being a full human meant losing skills like [Draconic Barrier] or my ability to produce scale-dusts, while being a dragon meant losing precious Main Job skills. It wasn’t too bad now, as I only had low-ranking Jobs, but once I get “Supreme Overlord of the Heavenly Orchestra” or “Mega Super Bla Bla Bla Bla Idol,” that’s when losing some skills will hurt.

Still, being a dragon meant being able to fully release all my power. Nothing can beat that.

However, from now on, our three free Job changes were all used up. From now on, we had to spend one small silvite, or 1000 Davi, for each Job acquisition. Due to our financial situation and our need to get more Jobs the moment we could, Saori told us to start making money.