"Lia, don't worry."
Subaru linked her arm with Emilia's, swaying. "Just like you trust Puck, I also super trust Tsukasa."
At this moment, the two were walking side by side down the wide corridor, and Subaru had just explained the mystery of that night's "transformation" to Emilia.
Upon hearing that Tsukasa was residing within Subaru's body, Emilia couldn't help but knit her brows in worry and asked, "Is that really okay?"
Subaru flashed a bright, reassuring smile. "It's totally fine."
Seeing this, Emilia didn't ask any further.
However, Tsukasa, who was floating in the air, couldn't help but protest, "Hey, I'm the hero who saved everyone, right? Why am I being talked about like some kind of dangerous element?"
Subaru helplessly glanced upward. "Great hero, Lia is just worried that your combative personality might hurt me, so don't go blaming her."
Tsukasa was momentarily speechless. Although he wanted to defend himself, deep down he had to admit—even if he were to do it a thousand times over, he would still, without hesitation, have a thrilling fight with Reinhard. That kind of exhilarating battle was truly addictive.
Emilia heard Subaru's relay and quickly apologized to the air, "I'm sorry, Tsukasa-san. Even though you saved us, I still doubted you like that..."
Watching Emilia apologizing sincerely below, Tsukasa's little bit of temper instantly vanished.
He waved his hand. "Tell her that if she lets me observe the spirit communication later, we'll call it even."
At this moment, Emilia was looking at Subaru somewhat nervously, because she was afraid that Tsukasa might be angry after she had said something so rude just now.
Subaru said cheerfully, "Tsukasa says he forgives you. But he has a small request, he wants to see how you communicate with spirits."
Seeing this, Emilia let out a sigh of relief, then immediately smiled and replied, "Of course. I'd be happy to let Tsukasa-san observe."
The two continued walking toward the courtyard, chatting and laughing. It is worth mentioning that they only revealed to Emilia that "Tsukasa" was an existence similar to a spirit, while other details were kept confidential according to Tsukasa's request.
This wasn't due to a lack of trust, but given the stakes involved, it was best to be cautious.
Along the way, Subaru and Tsukasa learned about the general situation of this country. The Kingdom of Lugunica is located in the east of the continent and is famous for its benevolent rule. After its founding, it had constant conflicts with the neighboring Vollachia Empire until the "Lion King" and the Divine Dragon Volcanica concluded a pact 400 years ago, which finally brought peace.
However, not long ago, the King suddenly passed away, and now the Council of Wise Men is temporarily handling state affairs. They are currently searching for five Dragon Priestesses recognized by the Dragon Jewels to inherit the throne.
Emilia had just finished speaking when they arrived at a courtyard as vast as a plain.
"This is way too big."
Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, Subaru was so stunned by the sight before her that she couldn't close her mouth.
This wasn't a courtyard, it was clearly a vast wilderness. She had only seen such a spectacular sight in anime. One could practically hold a large-scale festival here.
In order not to disturb Emilia's communication with the spirits, Subaru sat on the lawn not far away.
At this moment, Tsukasa floated back, bored, his face full of weariness as he said, "This is so boring. I'd rather go fight Reinhard."
It seems that only battle can ignite the passion of this strongest individual. After all, having obtained such power, apart from that red-haired swordsman, no one else could make him get serious.
Looking at the life-weary Tsukasa, Subaru playfully tapped her chin with her fingertip. "Then how about you teach me that? The move that makes your fist glow."
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. "Not waiting for your body to fully recover?"
Subaru made a cheering gesture, full of energy. "My current state is just right."
Tsukasa showed an interested smile. "Since the guidance is already complete, let's start right away."
Looking at Emilia in the distance, who was still focused on communicating with the spirits, Subaru straightened her back, turned to Tsukasa floating in mid-air, and asked with sparkling eyes, "Tsukasa, let's start then. What's the first step?"
Tsukasa didn't answer directly. Instead, he crossed his arms and sat cross-legged, floating in the air, and said, "Let's first clarify the training direction. You are following a Taijutsu + Magic path. Do you remember observing anything special when I fought Reinhard?"
Subaru tilted her head in thought, tapping her chin with her fingertip. Soon, she reached a conclusion.
"Is it the influence of emotions? When you dealt with that bad woman versus when you fought Reinhard, the momentum was completely different."
Tsukasa nodded approvingly. "You guessed part of it. In actual combat, emotional fluctuations indeed affect mana circulation. However—"
He changed the subject, using a very common metaphor, "Emotions are like a switch. They can start the magic, but maintaining operation requires something more stable."
Seeing that Subaru seemed to half-understand, he continued to explain patiently, "Imagine your body is a refrigerator, and mana is the electric current powering it. After my guidance, your circuit is now connected, but the current is not very stable yet."
"Your physical body is quite impressive, and with my mana continuously optimizing your body, taking the 'Taijutsu + Magic' path is the most suitable."
He floated a bit lower, and with a sense of mystery, spoke to Subaru below again, "Actually, you can learn magic in the future too, but for now, focus on building a solid foundation. The key is to learn how to control mana output at will, letting the current flow steadily throughout your body."
After finishing his explanation, Tsukasa observed Subaru's reaction. After all, it was his first time being a teacher, and he was a bit worried that he hadn't explained it clearly enough for Subaru to understand the relationship between 'electrical appliances' and 'electricity.'
To his surprise, Subaru clapped her hands happily and understood everything. "I get it. It means learning to output mana stably under various emotions, right? Whether I'm angry, sad, or bored, I need to keep the refrigerator running normally."
"Perfect understanding."
Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief and revealed a gratified smile. "Then shall we try it now? First, guide the mana out from your gate, then imagine something very infuriating, and release the mana accumulated in your body through this feeling of anger."
Subaru closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the sunlight. She took a deep breath, and her whole body seemed to instantly enter another state.
That focused expression, and the aura emanating from Subaru's entire body, made Tsukasa, who was floating in the air, involuntarily raise his eyebrows.
"Subaru..."
Tsukasa sighed softly in his heart, 'Could she really be a genius?'
Of course, he wouldn't know that from elementary school to high school, there was only one type of score on Subaru's report card—full marks in every subject.
Whether it was math and science subjects requiring logical thinking, humanities courses requiring memory, or even art classes requiring creativity, she could handle them all with ease.
On the sports field, she was a sports genius beyond reach, and in the exam hall, she was an academic god who made all competitors despair.
At this moment, this rare genius of the current world was understanding the way mana circulates at an astonishing speed.
Accompanied by the slight trembling of her fingertips, a faint blue halo was slowly condensing at her fingertips.