As I stepped up on the stage, I could see that instructor Jasmine was not in a good mood. I guess missing out on seeing Adel's magic really did not sit well with her. So I guess now she will take it out on me.
"Baroness Cyrillia. I know your magic is on a grand scale and you are probably already one of the best mages in the kingdom, so I will not battle you normally. If you can withstand my attacks for a whole ten minutes of time, I will consider it that you passed." Wait, she calls me one of the best mages in the kingdom yet says I can only pass if I withstand her attacks? How is this fair?
I sighed and nodded my head. "Alright." Not like I had a choice, she seems dead set on wanting to vent her rage on me, and I could also use this kind of training. But for some reason, she keeps looking behind me. I turned and looked behind me to see Adel standing there with clenched fists and a murderous look on her face. Ahhh! Now I see… I forgot that Instructor Jasmine does not remember being slapped by Adel.
Aw, well… Anyway… I turned back around and bowed my head slightly: "Ready when you are."
"Then I will start. Put up your defenses!" Instructor Jasmine suddenly summoned ten magic circles almost instantly. Umm… This is a test, right!? Right!? I quickly wave my hand, making a five layered barrier. I am glad I did not hesitate and that I was actually paying attention. But I soon frowned when I saw that her spells were all hitting the same exact point one after the other, causing the first barrier to crack and shatter.
"Hmm…. Strong barriers, I guess I will need to step it up a notch." I heard Instructor Jasmine say as she waved her hand, creating twenty more magic circles in an instant. Her speed of casting was on par with my own. And what was more was she was experienced. She was experienced in fighting mages. Her attacks were all precise. As this second barrage came down, she destroyed three of my barriers.
"This is not going to work. She keeps hitting the same spot….." An idea came to mind. It was a long shot, but it may just work. Since she wanted to continuously attack the same point, why not make it so she can't keep hitting it? A sly smile formed on my lips as I cast only a single barrier this time. My actions seemed to cause Instructor Jasmine to react in surprise. She waved her hand once more, this time sending out thirty fireballs, each one of equal power at me single barrier. But this time, before they could hit the barrier, it began to spin. Yes, I made it so that the barrier was not stationary. The strength was not reduced in the slightest. And on top of that, I made it so that it could draw mana from me and repair itself.
Barrier repair took time and was not instant, so even if I had used it before, the barrier would have still shattered from so many hits in a row. As the barrier spun, Instructor Jasmine's fireballs landed in the same area as they normally would but on different spots on the barrier, causing the cracks that formed to be healed by the time they came around again. It was just enough time and speed of the spin to keep any cracks from growing too big. I looked up at Instructor Jasmine, who stared at me in shock. Only after a few seconds did she suddenly shake her head and smile. "I should have guessed the Demon of the East would have a trick up her sleeve."
"Why this nickname again!?" I yelled out. Why do they keep calling me that!?
"Hahaha! Well, It's my loss. If you are able to withstand the damage no matter what, there is no point in continuing. Also…." Instructor Jasmine walked over and leaned in close as she whispered into my ear: "Can you tell the Princess not to send me death glares? It is very scary."
"Pfft!" I let out a laugh. "Don't worry. I will get her to stop." I answered with a smile.
"Thanks!" Instructor Jasmine replied, letting out a sigh of relief. I guess it must not be fun being stared at like that by the Princess of the kingdom.
As I stepped off the stage, I heard Instructor Jasmine calling Sophie next. I did not know what kind of magic Sophie could use besides spatial magic, so I was quite interested in this test. I wondered if she was hiding something more from me.
"Faith! What did that bi-... Ahem… what did the instructor say to you?" Adel asked. But I could have sworn she was about to call the instructor a nasty word. Adel's jealous meter was off the charts. I reached up, balled up my fist, and whacked the angry Princess on the head.
"Ouch! Faith!? What was that for?" Adel cried out and asked with an aggrieved look on her face. This, of course, gained more stares of hatred, but I no longer care about them.
"You need to stop getting mad over every little thing. I am happy you get angry for me, but there is no need to act like people have run away with your wife. So don't umm… bite everyone." I was actually unsure of what to say. But I was trying to not make it sound like I was mad at her either.
"Fine..." Adel pouted her bottom lip, causing me to sigh. I reached up and rubbed her head. "But really, thank you." Only after hearing me say this did she finally smile again.
Now that Adel was settled, I turned and looked at Sei. "Sei, what secret training did Sophie do when I was not looking?"
"You knew about her magic training!?" Sei asked in surprise.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking!"
