A clearing in a small courtyard.
Gauss was full of anticipation.
3rd Ring Spell [Fly] lv1 (1/10)
"Have you really mastered it?" Alya asked him again.
"Do you want to try it first?" Gauss looked at her.
"Maybe not. I'm afraid of heights. I meant, do you want to try it on another creature first? Ulfhen, for example."
Alya patted the large wolf beside her.
"He's tough. If he falls, it won't hurt."
"Never mind. It's fine. I'll get a better feel for it if I try it myself." Gauss shook his head, declining her kind offer.
"Besides, I have a safeguard: Feather Fall."
Not long after obtaining Fly, he had quietly bought this spell and practiced until he could use it.
Before casting Fly, he could prepare Feather Fall on himself in advance.
If the spell suddenly failed during flight because of some mishap, the instant he began to fall, he could immediately activate and cast Feather Fall.
Feather Fall greatly slowed his descent and prevented any damage caused by the fall itself when he landed.
Of course, if he took an enemy's attack in midair or fell into a dangerous area—lava or a place filled with poison, for instance—Feather Fall couldn't protect him from that.
Used together, the two spells made flying fairly safe in most situations.
Still, he had to recognize that taking off and flying high carried risks of their own.
At high altitudes, it was easy for enemies to concentrate their attacks on him. And if trouble arose, he had fewer options for dealing with it than he would on the ground.
Moreover, as a 3rd Circle Spell, Fly consumed a great deal of mana and was difficult to master. Ordinary Spellcasters couldn't use it casually, nor could they rely on it as