Is it wrong to be a magical girl but always study art?

Using the excuse of studying art and practicing painting, Lux and Sona began their hands-on practice of drawing Magic Circuits.

Once they actually got started, the two young girls finally understood why Karya had set aside a full six months specifically for their specialized training in drawing Magic Circuits.

Magic Circuits... were too difficult to draw.

Although most of these lines and patterns were composed of the simplest geometric shapes, and drawing individual functional circuit units could be done quite standardly with a bit of practice, the difficulty increased exponentially once they were combined.

Magic Circuits were interconnected, and a complete Magic Circuit had anywhere from a dozen units to dozens or even hundreds of units. These units had specific connection methods, and to satisfy these connection methods, it was sometimes necessary to add parallel or series circuits – compared to drawing Magic Circuits, drawing circuit diagrams was practically child's play.

At least the wires in circuit diagrams were straight lines, whereas in Magic Circuits, even the simplest connections involved a mess of geometric shapes that had to be joined end-to-end in a winding, irregular fashion according to specific rules.

Even more outrageous was that to ensure smooth Magic Power flow, the entire process had to be completed in a single stroke, with absolutely no interruptions. Forget about correcting mistakes; even pausing was not allowed!

Underneath such astonishing difficulty, Lux and Sona exhausted all their efforts, slowly progressing from "knowing roughly how to draw" to "knowing specifically how to draw but being unable to complete it in one go."

The progress of this process was exactly in line with Karya's estimate – it took the two of them a full six months.

It wasn't until summer arrived, on a cool morning, that Sona successfully drew a complete, one-time circuit for extracting and amplifying Magic Power for the first time.

The two young girls were overjoyed.

Then, they were informed that it wasn't over yet.

"You've been using charcoal pencils, which are the easiest to draw with, and drawing paper," Karya said, pouring cold water on their excited celebration. "To truly draw Magic Circuits that can assist in spellcasting and guide Magic Power, you need to use more specialized materials."

Lux and Sona couldn't help but have a premonition.

Then... the premonition came true.

"Considering that most Magic materials are difficult to find in Demacia and are too attention-grabbing, your best option is actually carving – you guessed it, carving with Nullstone."

Hearing Karya's words, Lux really wanted to throw her rapier into the muddy bottom of the pond – even the usually gentle Sona was contemplating if the sword was too cold in the summer heat and if it should be thrown into a furnace to warm up.

After glaring fiercely at Karya, the two girls simultaneously turned their gaze to the freshly drawn, one-foot-square drawing paper, and automatically imagined replacing it with a similarly sized block of Nullstone.

The Magic Circuits painstakingly drawn on it were replaced by recessed carvings.

Drawing Magic Circuits required a single stroke, and carving Nullstone would likely require a similar feat.

In other words...

"Next, we're going to learn carving, right?" Lux's tone was devoid of emotion, as if she had seen through the world and had no worldly desires. "And, you happen to know a little about relief carving."

"Congratulations, you've learned to answer ahead of time!" Karya's tone was filled with the relief of a father proud of his son. "Relax, Nullstone is much softer than ordinary stone. Carving an entire Magic Circuit in one go won't be too much of a problem for you – at least in terms of strength."

"Oh, that's just wonderful." Lux's voice was flat and emotionless as she looked at her dear friend. "Sona, what do you think?"

"I think so too." Sona nodded expressionlessly. "This is truly wonderful."

"Mhm!"

"Exactly."

Then, amidst their synchronized responses, Lux's rapier was "accidentally" unbuckled from her waist and, along with its scabbard, "coincidentally" fell into the small pond in the Crown Guard family's garden, sinking to the bottom.

"Karya, where are you?" Lux asked, feigning concern, and immediately took off her shoes to step into the water. "Sona, come help!"

Sona, after a moment of hesitation, finally chose to join Lux in the knee-deep pond.

And so, amidst the "enthusiastic search" by the two students, Karya was repeatedly stomped into the mud at the bottom of the pond – it wasn't until Garen also attempted to join this water-playing game that he was "finally found" by Lux.

Regardless of the process, after their studies in music and painting, Lux and Sona began their third artistic pursuit.

However, unlike the previous two times, Ogesha, who had always been very supportive of Lux, showed her opposition for the first time.

"Sweetie, Mom has always supported you," Ogesha said helplessly, looking at her daughter. "Music and painting can cultivate one's temperament and artistic sensibility, so I'm very happy for you to learn in these areas – but sculpture is best left to observation, there's really no need for you to do it yourself."

"Only by doing it yourself can you truly experience the charm of art," Lux said, forcing herself to utter her chuunibyo declaration as taught by Karya. "What does a pear taste like? You only know after tasting it, this is my artistic path!"

"But you don't need to personally plant a pear tree to know that," Ogesha reached up and rubbed her temples. "Sweetie, carving is ultimately not something a lady does, and being covered in dust and looking disheveled doesn't align with etiquette."

"That's why I want to use Nullstone for carving – I've specifically researched the material, Nullstone generally doesn't produce a lot of dust when carved!"

"...But swinging a hammer is just too ungraceful."

"That's also a form of exercise – Mom, I know I can't go into battle like my brother or little sister Kashina, but I sometimes long to do something with my own strength. Carving is one of the best ways I can think of."

"..."

Seeing Lux's persistence, Ogesha finally relented.

In her eyes, her daughter was entering her rebellious phase, and her little cotton jacket seemed to be developing a trend towards bizarre clothing. However, given the traditions of the Crown Guard family, and the fact that her daughter wasn't disguising herself as a man to fight in the Fearless Vanguard like her aunt Tiana did back then, she could consider herself fortunate.

Carving... carving was at least better than clamoring to join the army, wasn't it?

If you like carving, then carve!

"As long as you don't neglect your responsibilities," Ogesha gritted her teeth, trying not to think about her little princess looking disheveled amidst piles of stone fragments. "I'll instruct the butler to prepare a carving studio for you!"

"Mom, you're the best!" Lux raised her face and unhesitatingly planted a kiss on her mother's cheek. "I love you, Mom!"

"Hmph, I knew you'd say something nice at a time like this!" Ogesha said dismissively, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upwards. "Oh well, who am I to refuse, I'm your mother..."

And so, having secured her mother's approval, Lux officially began her practice of carving Nullstone.

Half a month later.

Lux's "Nullstone Carving Art" hadn't seen much progress.

However, the number of people who approached her at the noble banquet had broken through – one unfamiliar face after another, finding Lux through various connections.

These people came from different backgrounds and had all sorts of histories, but the vast majority were struggling artists.

They seemed uneasy in the face of Lux's perfect noble etiquette, even stammering when they spoke. Even though Lux listened attentively, and even though she now had some understanding of the convoluted art of noble speech, the results were still confusing – until Karya translated it into plain language for her.

"They're all artists, hoping to get some sponsorship."

"But why are they looking for me?" Lux was completely bewildered. "This is the Guv family's engagement banquet, I'm not the host!"

"But you're the one in Demacian noble circles who knows the most about art," Karya said, barely suppressing a smile. "And frankly, even though these people are more down on their luck than the last, they usually have some talent... Remember that guy who just praised you as a 'true artist'?"

"You mean that nervous guy with the little mustache?"

"Exactly, him! I heard from Sona that last year, when he was facing the young master of the Dekk family, he even explicitly called him an 'art-ignorant scoundrel'!" Karya finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "And even an artist with such artistic integrity still holds you in such high regard. Clearly, our Miss Luxanna Crownguard has now become the last great savior of Demacian art!"

"Why is that?" Lux maintained her composure with a slightly stiff smile, but inwardly she was speechless. "I'm studying magic?!"

"A great mage who doesn't want to be an artist isn't a good swordsman," Karya whistled cheerfully. "Too bad I'm not very good at dealing with these art types, and they won't notice if your etiquette slips a bit. So, let me rest for a while..."

"No way!" Lux stared, dumbfounded. "If you do that... I'll be exposed. I don't have any artistic talent, these are just quick, unorthodox skills I picked up. I can't handle talking to them!"

"Everyone has things they're not good at," Karya said with apparent understanding. "Like me, right now I have no hands or feet, so I'm not very good at pulling myself out of this mud..."

Karya's vindictiveness stunned Lux.

"My dear, great, knowledgeable, and omnipotent teacher, I was wrong!" Realizing the problem, Lux immediately conceded. "I shouldn't have taken my own laziness in learning out on you, nor should I have offended you--"

"When did you ever offend me?"

"Oh, right, right, right. I would never dare to offend you, and I never will!" Lux was adaptable. "This time, considering my youth and ignorance, you absolutely must help me. Help me deal with these artists... I really can't connect with them!"

"Hmph--" Karya drawled condescendingly. "Fine, I am a truly kind person... Next, I'll say one sentence, and you repeat it. Also, watch your facial expressions. Artists should be elegant, not look like a grumpy simpleton!"