"~~~Z~..."
"~~~~~..."
Sinvira, Royal Magic Academy.
Inside an old-looking building covered in lush green vines, Roland stood on stone tiers like those of a theater, chanting strange incantations.
His voice echoed through the air with a distinctly inhuman cadence.
These incantations were the "Chinese-Style Draconic" he had recently developed with Trina's help.
In arcane terms, they already fell within the Draconic language family, under the category of "pseudo-draconic."
In the ancient age of magic, many creatures with dragon blood, such as kobolds, wyverns, and draconic sorcerers, had used similar incantations. They were variants of a special dialect that had spread widely, yet retained characteristics unique to each race.
Their distinguishing feature was a syllabic rhythm perfectly aligned with the laws of the world, allowing them to induce resonance to the greatest possible extent.
In the world of magic, incantations were not merely linguistic expressions. They possessed tremendous power in their own right, and could even directly affect the movement of matter and the resonance of the mind.
The concept that "incantations are magic" had long taken root. As a result, certain spells required neither mana nor gestures or materials, and could be cast with verbal components alone.
As Roland chanted, a strange fluctuation began to permeate the air, and mana gradually surged.
Trina stood beside him, listening to the chanting. Her scalp tingled, and the vibrations made her bones go numb.
But a moment later, the incantation stopped abruptly.
"Cough... cough, cough!"
With a peculiar look on his face, Roland stopped and gently pinched his throat.
"Why did you stop?"
Trina could not help asking.
"It still isn't quite right. Some of the vocal parts in the combined sounds are off.
"I've arranged these incantations according to the pronunciation techniques of dragonkin and the principles of dragon-speech magic, but I