The next morning the rain stopped. We get down from the wagon and stretch our stiff bodies.
“Ah~”
Yuni moans comfortably as she stretches.
“We will continue our way when the sun is high. The road is still muddy.”
I say as I look towards the mountain pass. The sky is clearing up really nice and the sun is warm, though the forest dampen it quite a bit. The humidity is high.
“What should we do now?”
I ask while looking towards the others. Mary looks over the surrounding before saying.
“This is a good chance. Alice, show me your magic.”
“What for?”
“I want to check what kind of training I can guide you in.”
“...Okay.”
Alishia anxiously runs over to Mary’s side and look towards a tree pointed by Mary. It is a larger tree than the surroundings. Approximately three adults are needed to hug it.
Mary waves her hand. A few drops of water suddenly raise up from the ground and they slash at the tree trunk. Shortly after a large circle is formed on the trunk.
“Strike at the circle with whatever magic you can use.”
Alishia nervously raises her hands while holding her staff following Mary’s instruction. She stares at it for a long time. Every once in awhile, she murmurs.
“Water… Please…”
Small orbs of light gather around her. The strange scene attracts Mary and our attention. Surrounded by light orbs, Alishia looks like an angel.
“What is that? She looks like a goddess.” Frank speaks out in a low voice.
Personally, I think she is less than a goddess for me. If she can show a gentle expression instead of serious expression, that will be more like a goddess.
“She looks like a little angel to me. So cute and pretty.” Yuni speaks out beside me.
“I wonder why Mary’s magic didn’t have that kind of appearance. I also have never heard of any magician doing that.”
Yuni and Frank look toward me in confusion. I wave my hand and say.
“Let’s watch for now. We can ask Mary later.” With it, the three of us look towards Alishia once again.
Slowly, drop after drop of water appear in front of her staff. It is the same unstable water ball from when we met her at the inn back then. However, this water ball is coagulating much slower.
When the water ball reach the size of a baseball, Alishia pushes her staff forward. The water ball flies towards the tree and hit the trunk above the circle. A layer of ice appears at the place it hit.
Alishia slowly lowers her staff and catches her breath. Mary watches as the layer of ice slowly melts. A while later, the slightly damaged trunk is revealed.
“Again.” After confirming Alishia has rested enough, Mary instructs.
Alishia once again raises her staff. The same scene as before happens. As Alishia murmurs, light gathers and an unstable water ball slowly appears after that. With a swing of the staff, it strikes the trunk.
This time, it is closer to the circle but is still outside of it. The layer of ice looks to be a bit larger than before as well. There are very slight improvements than before.
I look at Alishia and discover than she already can’t stand properly. Mary is holding her up while watching the target. Then she turns to Alishia.
“I have to ask my master. I fear that he alone can explain your attribute.”
“What’s the matter?” I ask from the side.
“I think that her current attribute should be holy attribute. It is a rare attribute so I am not sure about it.”
Mary turns to us and replies before she seizes up Alishia once again. Alishia turns her head away. A drop of tear appears at the corner of her eye.
“Do you feel something different recently? Like there is something more in your surrounding. Something more gentle and warm.”
Alishia looks back in confusion. She stands up and closes her eyes at Mary’s question. She turns her head around, seemingly trying to look for something unseen. A while later, she anxiously opens her eyes and looks at Mary.
“Yes. It is really warm and I feel like I am being hugged but it’s hard to use my magic.”
“Don’t be anxious. It is alright. Do you remember when you felt this feeling the strongest?”
“Hmm… At the village before we left? No… I think when I saw Erwin at the bandit camp.”
“Huh?”
Mary and the others simultaneously look over to me. I raise both my hands and shout.
“I didn’t do anything!”
Mary takes out a book from her storage. She looks over the directory and turns the pages. Soon after she finds what she wants.
She reads intently while ignoring others. Yuni can’t wait so she walks over to read the book as well. However her shoulders soon droop down in disappointment.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her.
“The book is in a language I don’t understand.”
Soon after, Mary closes her book. Yuni looks expectantly at her while Alishia is nervous.
“Can I still use magic?” Alishia asks in low voice.
“It’s okay. You can still use magic.” Mary comfortingly brushes Alishia’s hair. She hugs her for a while.
After Alishia calmed down, Mary says.
“I think we missed the most suitable time to train the holy attribute. Fortunately she can still feel it. Alice, from now on, you will have to train in order to not lose that feeling.”
“En. Okay.”
“Mary, what do you mean the most suitable time?”
Yuni asks from beside her. When Mary is trying to explain, Alishia sways a little. Mary catches her.
“How about we sit down first?”
I take out a thick cloth and spread them on a relatively dry patch of land. All of us sit down on the cloth. Mary takes out a few drinks from her storage and distributes them.
Alishia lays down on Mary’s lap and takes a nap. Mary gently brushes her hair and looks at us.
“Before I talk about suitable time, I think I need to explain magic’s attribute.”
The rest of us nod as we somehow know that Alishia’s attribute is special.
“I should explain this when she is awake but… nevermind. I will ask my master to teach her later. I don’t know much about it. So here is what I know right now.”
Magic’s attributes or it can also be said to be magic types can be divided into three.
First is Elemental Attributes. Fire, Water, Wind, and other elements are in this group. This can be considered as one of the most common magic attributes as almost all magicians use them.
Second is Neutral Attribute. Mental type magic is in this group. There are others but we don’t need to know too much. This magic type doesn’t use any elemental attribute.
The last type is Special Attribute. The reason is because there is no clear defining cause that allow the magicians to use it. Holy attribute is one of them.
Some said that faith is required to use holy attribute. However, there are many arguments denying that. The most debated argument is ‘Whom should our faith be directed to?’. There are also a lot of devoted magicians who can’t use it.
“Hmm. So, you don’t know how Alice got the new attribute?” (Erwin)
“I have no idea. I only discovered it after looking at her magic. Her water magic has turned really slow and kind of weak. Did you notice it?” (Mary)
“Yeah. Compared to the time at the inn, it can no longer be used even as offensive magic.” (Erwin)
“...And the most obvious ones are those light orbs. It is a sign of holy attribute magicians. Can you report this at the next report?”
“Just write the report and send it to me. I will forward it.”
“Alright.”
Around noon Alishia wakes up. After I deactivated and collected the perimeter wall, we eat out lunch and continue on our way to the pass.
****************************
In a huge mansion in the capital of Zero Kingdom….
“How is the progress?”
“All progress are according to plan. Taros Kingdom, no, it is Yamato Kingdom now. They have been completely isolated. The last hidden pass has been sealed.”
“Good. Capture any magicians that passes through the passes. Also what is the situation of the war?”
“Yamato’s forces are collapsing. The alliance will soon reach the inner defense ring.”
“Good then. Keep up the good work.”
“Master… I would like to request for something.”
“What is it?”
“Can I have the dead bodies?”
“Hmm… You can. Just don’t take too many so we won’t be discovered.”
“Thank you for your generosity.”
“We will need your army sooner or later. Go.”
"Yes, Master."