Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

"Called 'sloppy,' Althea was shocked and bewildered.

Certainly, she had been meticulous for these past three years, striving to embody the ideal of a lady. Though there were occasional romps within her domain... she restrained her tomboyish behavior. Yet to be labeled as 'sloppy,' a term completely incongruous with her refined demeanor, by someone she trusted was deeply unsettling.

Was focusing only on my actions not enough? Am I fundamentally 'sloppy'?

Seeing Althea's expression, Siegfried hastily corrected himself.

"Ah... no, 'sloppy' was specifically about your spellcasting... Althea, ordinarily when casting magic, you channel magical energy to the place of casting. However, it seems you're unconsciously gathering and activating magic, which prevents you from concentrating the magic energy into a single point. That's why you're having difficulty materializing the weapon you desire, particularly a small weapon like a dagger. Perhaps you could succeed with larger weapons like an axe, spear, or staff?"

Reflecting on Siegfried's words, Althea murmured while staring at her hands.

"...I can't concentrate my magic?"

"Not that you can't concentrate, but that you're not aware of it. You have plenty of magical energy and talent, so it hasn't been necessary until now. Even your teachers probably didn't notice because spells still activated. But..."

"..."

"Althea, why not try materializing a large staff first? Then gradually decrease the size, moving to a sword, and finally to a dagger. If you focus on the concentration of magic each time, I believe your precision will improve. Even though the dagger you desire most will be the last, conscious magic concentration will definitely prove invaluable in the future."

Listening to Siegfried's guidance, Althea suddenly lifted her head.

"...Yes, 'sloppy' magic would tarnish the name of the Monclair House. Surely, this is a trial bestowed upon me. I will do my best!"

With renewed determination, she struck a victorious pose.

Later, after envisioning the staff and concentrating on her palms, Althea attempted to materialize it.

"Shape the mana from the earth into form, 'Ops.'"

This time, as she chanted the spell, magical energy flowed from her arms, swiftly taking the shape of a large staff she could hold with both hands.

"It's done... Your Highness, I did it!"

Grinning with delight as she embraced the newly materialized staff, Althea's smile brought relief to Siegfried.

"Well done. Though... with such intricate decoration on this staff, won't it consume a lot of magical energy? ...Oh, never mind."

Seeing Althea's puzzled expression, Siegfried decided not to say more.

Perhaps to Althea, even using this much magical energy for a staff of this size didn't feel like much at all.

"...Magic truly favors her," Siegfried murmured softly, unheard by Althea.

After successfully casting the materialization spell, Althea and Siegfried left the central building's classroom, ensuring they didn't disturb other struggling students.

Exiting the central building, they headed toward RGC's dormitory while continuing their conversation.

"We finished much earlier than the class time."

"Yes, but... I couldn't materialize the weapon I desired..."

Seeing Althea muttering her dissatisfaction, Siegfried stifled a laugh before responding.

"With the basics in place, today's lesson is over. I understand you wanted more practice, but that's something you should do on your own. It's good that you made way for other students who are struggling."

"...Does the space affect today's materialization magic?"

"Well, it's not entirely irrelevant. After all, magic practice requires a certain amount of space, right? Unlike swords, which can be aimed more precisely in practice, magic doesn't always go exactly as intended. If you misjudge the amount of magic output, especially with creation magic, the potential for unintended consequences increases."

"Is that the same for materialization magic? Not attack magic, but magic for creating material?"

"Exactly. Creating something requires precise internal magical manipulation. So, if you make a mistake..."

"...There's a risk of causing harm to others around?"

"Exactly."

"...I'm glad my 'sloppy' magic didn't cause any harm."

"No, it's not like that!"

Apparently, the issue still bothered him.

Seeing Siegfried flustered, Althea turned her face away slightly, shoulders trembling slightly. Recognizing this, Siegfried coughed before asking,

"Althea, were you teasing me?"

In response, Althea smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry... I've never seen you flustered like that before, Your Highness..."

"Indeed... It's good that you don't fear me, but is it because of Monclair blood?"

"Eh? Monclair blood?"

"Yes, Lord Monclair and even my father, His Majesty, never intimidated me. Regalus and my friends don't either. Well, I appreciate it... I think it's valuable to have them keep me in check. Left to myself, I might develop too narrow a perspective."

"...Even Sir Cartlis offers advice? I haven't seen him talk much, though..."

"Cartlis usually doesn't speak much... But he'll say something when needed."

"I see... Having friends like that seems wonderful."

Glancing at Althea's smiling profile, Siegfried pondered how to broach the topic he'd been curious about lately. Before he could, Althea began thanking him for the day's lesson.

"...Thank you for today, Your Highness."

"Wait a moment."

Siegfried, fearing he might miss out on something important if they parted ways, instinctively cut Althea off mid-sentence.

Though surprised by being interrupted, Althea, thinking he might have another matter to attend to, waited expectantly.

"Ahem... Lady Althea, your graduation is approaching soon... um..."

Struggling to articulate what he most wanted to ask,

"Sieg?"

Regalus's voice came from behind Siegfried. It seemed Regalus had also finished his instruction and emerged from the central building.

"Eh? Brother?"

Althea peeked out from beside Siegfried.

"You two are still together? What are you doing in a place like this?"

Regalus asked with a slightly puzzled expression.

Siegfried, harboring a hidden agenda to discreetly inquire about their graduation party plans, stuttered for a moment before replying,

"We were just chatting... hehe. I was curious about how important you and your friends are to His Highness."

With an innocent smile, Althea provided an unexpectedly candid answer.

"Wait...!"

"We're important...?"

"Yes. I thought your relationships were lovely..."

"Althea!! Please... stop..."

Caught off guard by this unexpected revelation, Siegfried's face flushed red.

While Althea laughed joyfully at their interaction, she noticed that even Regalus's ears were turning slightly red. Peering at Regalus's face, she teased,

"Oh my! It seems even His Highness's face is turning red?"

Reacting to her remark, Regalus turned his face away and said,

"Don't tease me... Come on, Althea, you should head back to the dorm before it gets late. We'll go home too..."

Blushing despite his embarrassment, Regalus gently redirected Althea and nudged her to leave.

"Yes... Your Highness, thank you for today's guidance. I'll inform you of any progress in the future. Please do witness the results of our special training together with your friends... Farewell."

With a bow, Althea returned to the girls' dormitory. Watching her depart,

"Siegfried, what were you two really talking about?"

Regalus asked without turning to face him.

"...As Lady Althea said?"

"Is that so? I thought you were trying to ask about the partners for the graduation party."

"Wha...!?"

"Oh, I see, I see... Was I mistaken?"

Nodding knowingly, Regalus headed towards the boys' dormitory without further explanation.

"Ah... no, that's not it... or maybe... Reg, do you know something?"

Reacting to Regalus's cryptic words, Siegfried followed after him, probing for more information. But Regalus, appearing amused, deftly dodged the question with casual responses.

And so, after about a month of personal training, Althea mastered the manifestation of 'Staff,' 'Sword,' and 'Twin Short Swords,' which she then demonstrated to her mentor Siegfried and her brother Regalus.