Vol 2 Chapter 22 – The Flames of Jealousy【Vol 2: The Blazing Labyrinth and the Lonely Witch】 

After returning to the commercial city of Darius, we immediately started magic training in a room at the inn.

Night had fully fallen outside, and from beyond the window, I could faintly hear the noise from the taverns.

“Listen carefully, Fuyuya! Magic isn’t just about blasting out mana! Spell construction, mana refinement, and the image in your head all the way up to activation! Only when all of that comes together perfectly does it become real ‘magic’!”

Standing there with her arms crossed, passionately lecturing me, was my new master—Elmina.

Her bad mood from earlier was nowhere to be seen. The moment the topic turned to magic, her red eyes started sparkling like a little kid’s.

(She really does love magic, huh.)

That pure drive to understand it was probably exactly why she was called a “genius.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. So what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“First, show me your mana. I’ll judge what kind of magic you can use.”

“Got it.”

Just like she said, I focused mana into my palm.

It was the most basic attack spell I’d learned from my game knowledge.

“—《Fireball》”

Pop.

A basketball-sized ball of fire appeared above my palm.

Elmina gave it a quick glance, then snorted in an exaggeratedly smug way.

“…I see. It takes shape, but it’s completely no good.”

“No good?”

“Your mana density is way too thin. At that level, I doubt you could even take down a single goblin. And your spell construction is sloppy too. Honestly, I’m impressed you even managed to activate it.”

(Ugh… harsh.)

So this was the limit of self-study. Having a real expert look at it really did make a difference.

While I was feeling a little discouraged, Elmina puffed out her chest proudly, like she was saying, Well, it can’t be helped.

“Well, don’t get discouraged. Compared to a true genius like me, any mage would look like an amateur! It’s not that you’re bad—it’s just that I’m way too amazing!”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing, you’re amazing.”

“W-What’s with that attitude!? Show a little more respect when you’re talking to your master!”

Brushing off Elmina while she huffed and fumed, I asked seriously,

“So, what do I do? If I want to make this flimsy Fireball stronger.”

“It’s simple. Refine your mana. Make it denser, purer. Don’t just gather mana—picture yourself carefully weaving it together along the spell formula.”

As she said that, Elmina lit a small flame in her own palm.

It was far smaller than my Fireball, almost like a candle flame.

But the condensed heat and mana density inside it far surpassed my fireball.

“…That’s amazing.”

“Right? That’s real magic. Aim for this.”

“Yeah!”

Just as she said, I started building the image of refining mana in my head.

Not just gathering it. Carefully, precisely weaving each strand of mana together, one by one.

(…Huh. So the concentration I built up through sword training is useful like this, too.)

Maybe swords and magic weren’t so different after all when you got down to the underlying principles.

“…How’s this!?”

A few minutes later, a Fireball appeared in my palm again.

It was the same size as before, but its glow and heat had clearly increased.

“…Well, it’s better than before. I guess it’s a passing grade.”

Elmina crossed her arms and gave her judgment from on high.

But I didn’t miss the way the corners of her mouth softened just a little.

(Maybe she actually likes teaching, deep down.)

The lonely genius witch had gotten her first “disciple.”

Watching that disciple improve was probably something new for her—something she actually enjoyed.

In that calm, almost friendly atmosphere, I suddenly found myself remembering my days back in Sera Village.

“Come to think of it, I was told something similar during sword training. That just swinging with brute force wasn’t enough.”

“Sword?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a sword master named Lilia. Her blade work is really beautiful. No wasted force at all—it’s like watching water flow…”

The moment I casually brought up Lilia, the air around Elmina froze with a sharp snap.

“…Lilia…?”

(What’s with this guy…?! Bringing up some other girl out of nowhere!)

“Hm? Yeah. She’s the dojo master’s daughter from the first village I stayed in. She’s younger than me, but her sword skills are unbelievable. Training with her really taught me a lot—”

“Hmph!”

Cutting me off, Elmina let out a loud, angry snort.

Her face was twisted into a scowl, like her good mood from a moment ago had been a complete lie.

“H-Hey, what was that for all of a sudden?”

“Nothing! I just don’t want you lumping my noble magic in with some crude, barbaric sword technique!”

“No, both are amazing. If you master either one, they’re both paths to the strongest.”

“Shut up! My magic is a hundred times more useful than that swordswoman, whoever she is!”

(…What is this rivalry supposed to be?)

Elmina was openly hostile toward Lilia, a girl she’d never even met.

(I get it now. Genius pride, huh? She just doesn’t like her field being compared to someone else’s. What a pain…)

I had absolutely no idea what the real reason was.

“Listen, Fuyuya! If you’re talking about that swordswoman, that just means my teaching still isn’t enough!”

(My disciple saying another woman’s name? He’s ten thousand years too early for that! I’ll use my magic and make him forget all about that girl!)

“W-Wait, what!? How did you get there!?”

“No arguments! We’re starting over from the basics of mana circulation! I’ll train you one-on-one and make you master it in one night!”

From that day on, Elmina’s instruction took on a fiery intensity, and it grew harsher with each passing day.

Fuyuya had no way of knowing the real reason she’d suddenly gotten so upset.

But one thing was certain—the burning flames of jealousy were only pushing her teaching harder.

Completely unaware of the first spark that had flared up between his two heroines, he spent his days buried in brutal (but precise) magic training.