Ch. 169: The Reward and the Wizard

To the Heroes who saved the Empire, the medal of honor

Igni bowed low as he heard the Emperor make the announcement.

They were all manners and rituals he learned during his days as a Noble, and though it was the Kingdoms style, it was known that Igni was from the Kingdom, so it was pardoned.

Next to Igni was Alicia.

She also held her head in a low bow in the presence of the Emperor.

At a glance, her expression was several times brighter than before.

She was able to break the shackles of her cursed chains with her own hands.

Next to the Emperor was Celia.

Being the [Extreme] of [Life], she is known as the Empires sword. That is why she was chosen as the Emperors personal guard.

In addition, the day after Igni and Alicia caught Fram, Celia brought the head of a young man with black hair. She then restored Ignis lost arms in a blink and immediately strengthened the Spells confining Fram.

She later explained that she fought many battles against the Vampires, and the fight was over, a [Transgressor] came and fought with her. On top of it all, she was responsible for taking care of the aftermath at the Imperial Capital.

Even Igni could not hide his surprise at Celias bottomless energy and solidified his resolve to train his stamina to be able to fight continually like her.

Once he received the medal from the Emperor, Igni relocated with Alicia to her room.

Igni: Fwew.. Once there, he let out a long, slow breath.

Alicia: Not used to it? Igni: I really hate formal ceremonies like that.

Alicia smiled at Ignis comment.

Alicia: But arent you formerly a Noble?

Igni: Thats exactly why. Im a former Noble.

They continued to pass each others jabs back and forth playfully.

Of course they did.

Between them was now a [Path] of Magic that connected them together.

Alicia: Oh yeah. Igni, there was something I was meaning to tell you. Igni: Me?

Alicia: Yes, watch this.

Alicia summoned a beginners Spell {Wind Ball} over her palm.

Then

Alicia: [Wind Mantle] {Alicient}

And suddenly, a strong gale blew in all directions.

Watching the wind spiral upwards, Igni narrowed his eyes in observation, and before him, he saw a {Wind Ball} with overwhelming Magic churning inside.

Igni: Is that? Alicia: I copied the way you were doing [Equip Flame] {Ignition} and strengthened my Spells.

Though Alicia said it nonchalantly, it was like handling an explosive on the verge of exploding.

If you manipulate Magic at such high densities, yes, the power of the Spell will increase.

But there is a reason why all Wizards do not attempt this.

Theres no reason to.

Ignis [Equip Flame] {Ignition} was Ignis secret technique to be able to utilize a Beginners Spell against Intermediate Spells and above. But that is also a double-edged sword.

Normally, the more Magic you have to manipulate, the more skill and technique is required.

Igni would pour a few hundred times the Magic required for {Fireball}, but all the other Wizards do not need to go to such lengths.

Its because they can just use an Expert-Class Spell instead.

Igni: ........but, Alicia..you really dont have to do that.

Alicia: No, wait. This is what I wanted you to see.

And with that, Alicia pointed her finger to the window and the world outside.

Today was an unfortunate cloudy day. Though it was sad to not see the summer sun, the day was cooler under the cover of clouds.

Alicia: [To me, Wind] {Ventos}

The {Wind Ball} Alicia still controlled began flying towards the sky.

It lightly darted across as it rode the wind and high up in the air it erupted.

<BOOOOOOOOOM!!!> (*sfx)

and not a <single cloud was left in the sky>.

Alicia: A small Spell like this can be turned into a [Disaster-Level] Spell.

And this was exactly what Igni was doing.

He had also, in the past, used his {Fireball} to wipe away the clouds in the sky.

Alicia: If a Beginners Spell has this power, what would happen if I used an Expert-level Spell?

Igni: ..........probably something incredible.

Igni looked at the suns rays beaming down from a cloudless sky and then turned towards Alicia.

This was something Igni would never be able to do.

Igni: Youre amazing, Alicia. And he meant that sincerely with the utmost respect.

Unlike Igni who could only sharpen a single weapon, Alicia now had many more options available to her.

Alicia: No, its all thanks to you, Igni. Igni: Me? Alicia: Yes. As soon as the [Path] was connected, I was able to see inside my head how you were using Spells. The information came flowing into me.

Igni: Ohhhhh, thats why.. Alicia: Yes, thats why I was able to do this. As Igni was able to see the path of the wind, Alicia also saw Magic the way Igni did.

Igni: That.makes me pretty happy to hear. Igni was certain that Alicia would get stronger.

Even though she might still be a fledgling, it would take very little time for her to start climbing higher and higher.

Thats why genuinely Igni was happy that he was able to help her start making that journey.

Alicia: But I wasnt sure what to make of how you used [Magic] at all. Watching her face from the side, the way Alicia smiled and chuckled looked very beautiful to Igni.

Igni kept his gaze on Alicia for a while after that.

Oh my. I thought it was cool just a moment ago. Is this cloudless sky you alls doing?

And Hayem gracefully entered Alicias room.

Holding the title of [Frozen Winter], it was no surprise that she was not comfortable in the summer heat.

She looked a little irritated and avoided the direct sunlight.

Alicia: Yes, it was. Now we can change the weather back even if you make it snow again.

Hayem: Theres no need. I really like this bracelet.

And Hayem flashed and showed off her bracelet with pride.

It was the Magic Artifact composed of the Empires best technology and skill.

Those who wear the bracelet will have a simple Magic Barrier surround the wearer. This barrier will collect the Magic that is flowing out of the wearer, collect it back into the bracelet, filter it, and disperse it back into the air. By doing so, Sara and Hayems specialized Magic Powers effects are being nullified.

Alicia: Im glad you like that bracelet. Our Research Team will be delighted to hear that.

Hayem: Yes, please relay my gratitude to them. With this, I can finally be by my [Magicians] side.

Igni: Just because youre standing next to a [Magician] doesnt mean youll be able to start using Magic, you know?

Igni spelled out that obvious to Hayem just in case.

[Magic], but its very nature, comes from inspiration or an epiphany.

Depending on whether you catch onto that realization or not is what determines whether you can cross into the realm of a [Magician] or not.

Hence, age is not relevant to whether you can or cannot become a [Magician].

Hayem: But it might at least give me a hint.

Igni: Well..I meanthat could happen but..

But Ignis [Magic] is a specialized form of {Fireball}.

Hayem can use a variety of different Spells, so whether she would be able to take a hint from Ignis way of using [Magic] is questionable at best.

But, Igni got his inspiration from studying many kinds of Magic Theories, so from that perspective, having Hayem watch his [Magic] from up close may not be a waste of her time.

Sir Igni, I finally found you.

From outside the room, Igni heard someone calling for him.

The owner of the voice was most definitely Sebastian.

Sebastian: I wanted to discuss with you about your <reward>. Could we speak privately about this matter? Igni: Yes, of course. Igni couldnt hide his excitement as he spoke.

Alicia: A reward? From Frams incident? Igni: No, about Hayems. Hayem: Oh, me? Igni: Yeah, Sebastian asked me to do something about it.

And with just that, Igni left the room.

There, Sebastian stood with a serious expression.

Sebastian: From the incident with Hayem, we had some difficulty locating somebody suitable and acceptable, Sir Igni. Our deepest apologies.

Igni: No, please. Thats okay. I dont mind if it took time.

Sebastian: Thank you. We were able to locate someone that would most definitely meet your expectations. Please allow me to guide you.

The reward they were speaking of was about being able to feel and enjoy the fur on a beast girls ears.

Sebastian: This way, please. You may enter the room. As Igni followed Sebastian to a certain room, there, he saw one girl sitting on a large bed.

She had beautiful flowing hair that contrasted with her snow-white skin.

On her head were two cat ears that perked up and moved this way and that.

But even more, Igni was shocked that it was someone he knew.

CCmonlets just get this over with.

Igni: EEllie?!?!

There sat the Empires second Imperial Princess.

<<<<>>>>

CHONKY TL Pivot(?)

Classes and Tiers can be really annoying for translators because hierarchy can be represented in many ways:

Beginner(?) / Fundamental(?) / Basic (?) Intermediate Expert Master

Low Medium High

Lower Mid Upper

Also, the categorical verbiage for tiers, classes, grades, levels, degrees, etc. is usually up to the author to decide. When TLing, its like taking a stab in the dark with no access to the authors thoughts or opinions.

The way authors use varying hierarchy brings a different flavor to their Magic and Class systems. And this can be painful to stay consistent for TLs when working on multiple different systems for different novels or as systems evolve with the author within the same novel (hence, its the job of editors to communicate with the original author and review and keep the verbiage consistent - a luxury I dont have). Authors also like introducing new categories as a way to elevate the readers excitement, and TLs can be stuck with, Ummmmm, so HOW do I fit that into our existing system and categories?

Over time, I have some on-going notes on each Light Novel series to keep the verbiage more consistent, but this was created after the fact for the on-going TLs.

For now, EFW Spells will follow:

Beginner Intermediate Expert Disaster-Level (?) [Magic]

In a (deeply embedded somewhere), the author did make some distinctions. If I do find it, Ill.probably revise this again. (*bangs. head. on. keyboard.)

Lastly..

Curly Brackets { } are the designation of Spells and their specific names.

Squire Brackets [ ] are for key terms, kanji (chinese characters) that expand on the authors written vs spoken intent, or words with more nuance than their standard usage.

Carrots < > are reserved for instances when the author places direct emphasis (think italicized words in English) on the written words.

This alsoprobably has not been as consistent as it should be.

Thank you all for your patience.