Since they were far away, Mason, Ron, and Edith merely nodded in greeting.
When he saw Ron, Mason remembered that Ron had said he would be coming to the Magic Academy to study soon. Professor Hicks was absent again today, so it made sense for Edith to teach him.
"They're looking over here!"
"Edith just looked at me! She even nodded!"
"Bullshit! She was obviously greeting me!"
"Hm? Who was it just now who said Ilya was the best?"
Mason rolled his eyes and scolded them a couple of times. Only then did the students quiet down a little.
Ron followed Edith to the spacious training grounds and stopped in an open area.
Edith turned to face Ron and explained the basic principles of the Soil Tilling Technique as she demonstrated it.
Ron could clearly sense the magic surging through Edith's body, traveling along fixed meridians before finally stirring the surrounding earth element and unleashing the spell!
The soil churned. A patch of ground about the size of a bed rippled like a wave, making Ron marvel.
Come to think of it, in the half month since he'd crossed over to this world, this was the first time Ron had seen real magic.
Feeling the earth element stirring in the churned soil with his mental power, Ron finally got to experience the fun of another world.
"Would you like to give it a try?" Edith stopped and said encouragingly. "This First-Order Magic only requires you to channel your magic along three fixed meridians. As long as you control the order in which you travel through them, you should be able to cast it."
"Of course, this is your first attempt, so it's perfectly normal to fail. Most mages need to train diligently for at least a week before they can cast their first spell." Edith added comfortingly, hoping to keep Ron from losing confidence if he failed.
Ron nodded and began trying to circulate his Magic Seed.
In the distance, the students who had just advanced to First-Order Mages were still trying the Soil Tilling Technique over and over, occasionally sneaking a glance toward Edith.
Whenever Teacher Mason wasn't paying attention, they also took the opportunity to chat.
"Edith's using the Soil Tilling Technique!"
"What are they doing over there?"
"That guy looks like he's learning the Soil Tilling Technique?"
"Damn! Who is he? Why is Edith teaching him personally?"
"Exactly... Why are we being taught by some short dwarf guy?"
"If Edith taught me one-on-one, I'd nail it on my first try!"
"Give it a rest... You can't even stir up a speck of dust yet..."
"Still, I bet I'm better than that pretty boy over there. I doubt he can even circulate his magic properly!"
"...Take a look at what's actually happening over there before you say that."
Ron controlled the magic, guiding it through the three fixed meridians. With his mental power leading the way, everything went smoothly.
The earth element received Ron's command and obediently gathered in the soil before him.
Soon, a ball of mud about the size of a human head rolled up from the ground, and it gradually began to grow.
Edith watched in astonishment. When she realized Ron was still controlling the Soil Tilling Technique, she quickly collected herself and said gently, "Very good, just like that. Feel how quickly and in what manner the magic travels through your meridians, then try making small adjustments and see if you can strengthen the Soil Tilling Technique."
Ron was concentrating on controlling the spell and didn't respond, but he had already begun following her instructions.
As time passed, the area affected by the Soil Tilling Technique gradually grew, spreading until it was about the size of a box.
At last, Ron's concentration slipped, and the Soil Tilling Technique abruptly came to a stop.
"Why is he so good at it..."
"There's no way this is his first time casting a spell!"
"Isn't that obvious? If it were his first try, he'd be lucky to kick up a little dust."
"Damn! Edith's even giving him such gentle guidance?"
"Am I seeing a fake Edith?"
"Look at the size of it. Do you really think that's a fake?"
Mason's face darkened as the students' conversation drifted off topic again. He coughed twice, and only then did they quiet down.
As for Ron casting the Soil Tilling Technique?
Mason didn't think it was anything surprising.
Though he knew this was Ron's first attempt at casting a spell, Ron's magical talent had even astonished Professor Hicks. A mere First-Order spell was nothing to make a fuss over.
But Edith, who didn't know that Ron had created an Elemental Ocean Vortex while condensing his Magic Seed, was just as astonished as the students. She was even a little shaken.
Even elves, whose magical talent surpassed that of ordinary people, couldn't all cast a spell as successfully as Ron had on their first try.
It seemed that Ron had an exceptionally high talent for Earth Magic, at the very least.
Otherwise, even if he had managed to cast a spell on his first try, there was no reason he would have been able to sustain it for so long and expand the area affected by the Soil Tilling Technique.
Even she, the Saintess of the Elf Race, hadn't managed anything like this on her first try.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've seen anyone do that," Edith said with a sigh. "Your talent for Earth Magic is absolutely astounding."
"I suppose I'm all right..." Ron felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
Ron had the Natural Meditation Method provided by the system, which subtly improved his affinity for water and earth elements.
On top of that, he had learned the Seed Germination Technique from the system. The prerequisite spells for it were the Dew Technique and the Soil Tilling Technique.
Although he couldn't cast the Seed Germination Technique because he hadn't learned those two prerequisite spells, the knowledge he'd received through the system's instant enlightenment had still helped him with the Soil Tilling Technique.
At the very least, three of the nine fixed meridians needed for the Seed Germination Technique were the same ones used to cast the Soil Tilling Technique.
This gave Ron a considerable advantage. Unlike everyone else, who had to learn through trial and error, he could get it right straight away.
Edith assumed Ron was just being modest. She thought that the Seventh Prince was truly humble: despite having such outstanding talent, he remained reserved and never showed off.
Ron kept practicing for a while longer, becoming increasingly proficient in the Soil Tilling Technique.
At Ron's request, Edith taught him the Dew Technique as well. He found it just as easy and smooth to cast, which astonished Edith once again.
After mastering the Dew Technique and the Soil Tilling Technique, Ron was satisfied. He then followed Edith's instructions and tried the Fireball Technique and Wind Blade.
Edith breathed a sigh of relief when Ron didn't succeed right away this time. It took him more than ten attempts to cast the Fireball Technique and Wind Blade, and he was still far from adept at controlling them.
It seemed Ron was a mage with a talent for both water and earth magic, but he didn't have any particularly outstanding talent for fire or wind magic.
Now that the word count has reached 100,000, I'll be returning to two updates a day starting today. If the contract goes through, I'll definitely slow down my updates and wait for the editor to arrange a recommendation spot for me. If all goes well, I'll probably be published in early May, by which time the word count should be at least 300,000.
Before you continue