On the left side of the screen, it was clearly displayed that the person's mana capacity was 643, and their affinity with [Fire] was 8. Meanwhile, on the right side of the screen, the mana capacity displayed was... 558, and the affinity to [Fire] was 7.Clearly, the one on the left should possess a stronger magic power, but why did they lose?
After a moment of silent, the students couldn't help but break in an uproar upon witnessing this mystery. Miss Norma didn't say anything, as if she was deliberately letting us speculate first.
"Let me tell you why I showed you this," Miss Norma said.All of the students went into silence, as we all were so eager to listen to her explanation."While it might be true that the loser should have possessed a stronger magic power, but the winner actually the one with lower magic power. Why was it possible?"She went silent before proceeding.
"It was simple. The winner was more diligent in training their magic, and they had a good strategy compared to their opponent. Thus, I'd like to say this to everyone here.""Having a lower affinity and mana capacity doesn't mean you will lose. After all, one's magic power also depends on how hard you train it. On how you use your mana. On how good you can build your strategy to defeat your opponent. The reason I showed you the scene just now was to encourage everyone that may be disappointed with their result. And to the ones with overwhelming results, don't let your guard down and stop working so hard just because you already possess a good inert talent. Practice, and practice, and you will be rewarded."
Miss Norma's image was so different from the one I remembered. This way, everyone could see that she was worthy of her title of Royal Magician, and of her position as the magic teacher here."To the ones that have difficulties in exercising magic but are eager to use magic, do not worry as technology is evolving. There are various devices invented that can more or less give you the experience of using magic. Though it might not be as convenient as using the power inside of you, if you truly love magic, you won't be discouraged by it."
I was stunned at her words, for I had no knowledge of such devices.But when I thought of it carefully, as Reinst, I was raised in a swordsman family. Nobody was there to nurture any passion for magic, so naturally, I didn't really pay any attention to things related to magic.
Therefore, I was very surprised at her revelations today.Mom never told me of such things, perhaps since I already possessed amazing magic capabilities, and that I was so diligent in my training.She indeed emphasized the importance of training, and never said anything about me not having to work so hard due to my amazing capabilities.She only told me that if I was careless and underestimated my opponent, then I could lose, and I thought it was quite a natural thing that I didn't ask further. It was the same in swordsmanship, too.
In short, since I was so cooperative and willing in my training so far, Mom didn't bother motivating me with this kind of thing, as I would definitely be all right.I wondered if she would show and tell me about this possibility if I were to laze around...?At the end of the sudden motivational session, I could see that some of the students who looked dejected at first—were now looking pretty determined.I smiled and felt that this academy was indeed a good academy.
***
That night, Mom naturally asked me about my magic test session at the academy, so I didn't think twice before divulging the whole matter to her.
...Surprisingly, she was stunned for she actually thought I already knew of this thing!!...Mom, please don't assume I know this sort of thing naturally...
"That's right, having a larger mana pool might give you an advantage, but it doesn't mean that you can keep up your mana when fighting against someone with smaller mana pool. Your opponent might be so adept at regenerating their mana, so the condition might be overturned.""And what use is having a good knife whose edge is never sharpened? The same goes for having a higher number of affinity but never bother to train it."Mom tried to clarify the matter after she cleared her throat from her initial surprise.I nodded at her explanation.
"I-I sharpen my daggers diligently, Mom!"Unexpectedly, Alt-nii was the one who exclaimed, and from his behavior, I could tell that... he was lying...Mom and Dad chuckled at the same time and Dad patted Alt-nii's head as his big hand messed Alt-nii's hair."Now now, make sure you really do that, Alt!" Dad said."Altaire, Mom didn't say it to remind you, but that's good that you are reminded of it," Mom added.
After we all calmed down from Alt-nii's sudden remark, Mom shifted her glance at me and added."But I believe it won't be a problem to you, Lyra. You've never lazed around in your training, after all," she said—perhaps trying to justify her reason for not telling me this before, and I guess my conjecture was right all along.
"Speaking of which, what did your teacher tell you about your result?" Mom suddenly asked."Eh? Ah... come to think of it, Miss Norma strangely didn't ask me anything in regards to my [Dark] magic..."Mom's question made me recall the thing I felt off the most during the testing session."Really? That's good," Mom smiled contently, and I had a hunch..."Did you tell her in advance, Mom?"Mom then smiled, and that smile answered everything to me.
As her subordinate, Mom could easily summon Miss Norma and talk to her about me and my [Dark] magic.Therefore, Miss Norma didn't make much of a ruckus out of it.I couldn't help but bloom in a smile. I felt so happy that I have such a considerate mother this time.And I guess it didn't count as overstepping one's boundary—I mean, making use of one's authority, right?I can consider it as a mother worrying about her daughter, thus the mother told the teacher beforehand.
"Thank you, Mom!"I smiled happily as I followed my childish instinct to come and hug Mom, before lightly kissing her cheek.Mom's face also turned gentle as she returned my hug and kisses."Eh, Lyra, no portion for Dad?"...Dad shamelessly asked."Mom, I want some hugs and kisses, too!"Alt-nii added as he demanded the same treatment from Mom.
"Then, Dad and Alt-nii can just exchange hugs and kisses!" I jokingly said."Haha, that's a nice idea!" Surprisingly, Mom went along with my joke."This is after all the privilege of a mother and a daughter!" She said with a content smile."T-then, this father and son won't hold back!!" Dad felt as if he was challenged and thus, he accepted the challenge.
...Really, this family.My chest felt an indescribable warmth spreading—but by this time, I was already used to this sort of feeling. It was a pleasant kind of warmth.It was the warm feeling of love.