Just after Rudeus finished his exam.
Even after the supply of magic power stopped, light rain still dripped from the sky.
Rudeus suddenly tilted his head up and looked at Roxy, his tone a mixture of innocence and curiosity.
"Miss Roxy..."
Roxy replied gently, "Hmm? Was there something else?"
Rudeus blinked his big eyes and asked, seemingly offhandedly:
"I remember... Mr. Ciyou once said you were actually... a really amazing Water King-level mage, right?"
Then Rudeus gazed at Roxy with eyes full of longing and anticipation.
Naturally, he followed with his request:
"Since I've successfully mastered Saint-level magic and proved my ability..."
"Could you... also teach me the Water King-level magic you know... that's even stronger than Saint-level magic?"
"I want to get stronger, too! I want to be as strong as you and Mr. Ciyou! I want to learn even more powerful magic!"
At his words, Roxy's heart jolted again, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
Almost reflexively, a name carrying a special meaning surfaced clearly in Roxy's mind:
Blue Stream Blade!
Water King-level magic? I... the only truly King-level spell I've mastered is... Blue Stream Blade...
But that was... that was Ciyou... he...
Her chaotic thoughts flooded over her reason like water bursting through a dam:
The confident, composed figure of that Black-Haired Youth that day;
That Water Blade, like a streak of blue light, effortlessly slicing through trees;
The light in his eyes as he patiently explained the "magic model" and "extreme compression"-a light she had never seen before;
Her heartbeat when he pronounced "Lán Xī Rèn" in that distinctive Chinese, with sounds echoing her name-stopping for an instant as though lightning had struck her, then pounding wildly...
*This is a spell Ciyou created... something he made especially for me... or rather, a miracle he