If I was to judge the strength of our group, and give a proper ranking on our members, then...
'First would obviously be Neron. Then, we have Serah. I come in after that, and after we have...' I looked at the rest of our members.
In terms of pure ability, Aloe Vida seemed to be the most powerful.
It was a tough pick, but I would still place Ciara over Edward.
Not only did she seem distracted during the sparring lesson, but Gawain was an Automaton, so her mind-based Original Magic had no effect.
If she was to fight with Edward, I could only imagine the damage.
After Ciara and Edward, the next was Maria. Her power was more than I bargained for—almost similar to Serah.
For someone who looked so gentle, I never expected her brute force to be so immense. Still, though...
'Brute force isn't enough...'
I could tell that, due to the circumstances, some of our members couldn't exhibit their full capabilities.
For example, Ana didn't have her aids with her, Ciara couldn't rely on her Original Magic, and Maria seemed to be holding back on using her Original Magic.
'Serah already told me she has one, so why didn't she use it?'
I decided to let it go, probably because it wouldn't have made a difference, anyway.
After Maria, the next would be Jerry.
He had improved considerably, especially since the last I saw him.
'He's proof that constant practice works wonders...'
Taking last place were Ivan and Lemi. Based on potential alone, my daughter should have ranked a lot higher, but she was just too green.
'And, she did faint when the moment of truth arrived...'
Ivan ranked the lowest when it came to combat potential, and he had no worth in other departments as well.
Bluntly speaking, he was the least capable member.
As for Maro, his value didn't lie in Magic Combat, so he wasn't even a part of the ranking.
Normally, I would have relegated Lemi to that role as well, but she was capable of so much more.
There was no way I would let her waste her potential in a lab.
'Ah, am I being too overbearing?'
There was the tendency of being too hard on her since she was my daughter. But, it was simply because I cared.
"Well, this is all I can say for now," I spoke to my audience, breaking down my observations.
I noticed Ivan's face clouding up again, but I wasn't going to stop because of that.
Everyone had shortcomings—even me.
I recently lost to the enemy because I wasn't prepared enough. I was just as hard on myself as I was on my teammates.
"Despite all I've said, though... I still need everyone's help."
I realized it already—that I couldn't win by myself.
"But, not like this. We still have a lot of work to do. There's a lot of room to grow."
That's right! It was time to evolve once more.
"I've been doing some thinking, and I would like to help everyone achieve the next step of advancement."
After observing them—both individually and as a collective, many flaws came to my notice.
It was time to rectify that.
"We have limited time. I want to wrap this up before the wedding in three months... oh wait, my bad."
Widened eyes and surprised gasps escaped everyone as they stared at me, and then traced their attention to the only people amid us who could be considered prime suspects.
"Jared!" Serah yelled, and I profusely apologized.
Neron said nothing, but his silence was received loud and clear.
'He's giving that dangerous smile... I'm in so much trouble.'
Me and my big mouth!
"A-anyway, we have limited time, and the enemy will definitely not be waiting for us to get stronger before making their move."
That was why we needed to hurry. There was no time for practice or training.
Inasmuch as it didn't sound ideal, the best course of action was a method that guaranteed quick growth.
There were a few things that came to mind—one of which was the use of Magic Items.
Other than that, though... something else surged in my thoughts.
'I should teach them how to increase the power of their Familiars as well.'
Usually, a Bond Soul only had a fraction of the power they possessed when they were still alive.
What I did to Kahn—and even my other Familiars—was to restore the lost parts of their Souls and make them whole.
That way, they had the same abilities as in their prime.
'If I show them this, and also give them Magic Items, their powers are sure to rise...'
But, that wasn't enough for me.
'It's time I revealed this to them... the concept of multiple Mana Cores.'
For people like Ciara and Serah, whose Mana Cores had limitless potential, such knowledge would be useless.
However...
'This is a chance, Ivan... you can overcome your limits and grow stronger this way.' I smiled at the young man.
Jerry would also be able to push past his limits, and the others were guaranteed exponential growth.
'As for Spellcraft... it's not time yet.'
Inasmuch as I wanted my allies to be a force to be reckoned with, carelessness was a deadly foe.
'I trust them, but...'
They weren't skilled enough to hide the Spellcraft technique, unlike me. Anyone who was skillful in sensing Mana would be able to perceive the use of Spellcraft.
It was only after years of practice that I could mask it, but they didn't have that luxury at this point.
In short... they weren't ready for it.
"Edward, you have what I asked you to get, right?"
"Yeah. I kept it where you asked me to."
"Perfect. That's the edge we'll have over our opponents." I grinned happily.
Some confused stared greeted me.
"What's in the book?"
"Well, let's just say it's—" I was still speaking when I was assailed by an unexpected sensation...
... PAIN!
"—Guark!!!"
My body suddenly felt a strong sensation, and I clutched my chest tightly.
It felt like my insides would burst, so I went to my knees instantly, fighting indescribable agony.
"ARRGHHH!!!"
