Chapter 33…………………………..
The day for practical training finally arrived.
With a nervous heart, Evelina waited for Leonard to arrive at the training grounds.
Instead of her usual dress, she wore tight-fitting pants and a shirt.
It was similar to the outfit Karina had worn when she sparred with Arsen last time.
She also had her hair tied up high.
A moment later, guided by Noel, Leonard entered the training grounds.
Looking around, Leonard adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“The training grounds are quite spacious. This should be enough for whatever we need to do.”
Leonard stood in front of Evelina.
“Have you read the book on offensive magic?”
“Yes.”
“Then is there anything in particular that stood out to you?”
She pondered at his question.
The book had contained a large variety of attack magic.
After a moment of thought, Evelina spoke.
“The spell you mentioned last time… the one that strikes a lightning bolt into the ground.”
“The easiest way to learn is by watching. I’ll show you myself.”
Leonard raised his hand toward the air.
A few seconds later, lightning crashed down from the sky with a loud boom.
Evelina’s eyes widened in shock as Leonard lowered his arm.
“Well… without a magic circle or anything, it’s a bit boring. Or Lady Evelina may create a magic circle herself if you’d like.”
“Create a magic circle?”
“Yes. You create and imprint the circle. Then when you use magic, drawing the circle will activate the spell.”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
“No… that seems inefficient. I don’t think I need it.”
“That’s true. There’s no real advantage. It’s mostly for show. Drawing a magic circle doesn’t make the spell stronger.”
Leonard nodded, and Evelina took her stance.
“Then try doing exactly what I did.”
Evelina moved her mana.
A bolt of lightning far stronger than Leonard’s struck down.
The surroundings flashed, and the ground was deeply gouged.
“……”
“……”
Silence filled the training grounds.
The power was far greater than she expected, and Evelina looked flustered.
“Hmm… since you have more mana than I do, the power is stronger.”
“Is… that bad?”
She glanced at Leonard anxiously.
He looked at her as if wondering what she meant.
“For a mage, the amount of mana you possess is your skill and talent. It’s much better than weak attacks from having too little mana. It’s certainly not a bad thing. However, depending on the situation, you will need to learn to control the intensity.”
“Yes…”
Evelina let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If he had said it was bad, she had planned to give up learning offensive magic entirely.
She feared she might cause serious harm if she made a mistake.
After that, she learned several other types of offensive magic.
Checking the time on his pocket watch, Leonard spoke.
“Then lastly, we will end today’s lesson by creating a weapon from mana.”
He created a bow made of mana— the same blue bow as before.
“Think of pulling your mana long, like a thread. You layer that thread over and over to form the shape of a bow. Focus and mold the mana.”
Evelina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Silver mana glimmered faintly at her fingertips.
The mana moved this way and that as obediently as a well-behaved child under her will.
She carefully shaped a bow.
At first she fumbled, having trouble getting a feel for it, but with Leonard’s advice, she improved step by step.
After who knew how long, a bow made of mana finally rested in her hands.
“Do not lose your focus. The moment your concentration breaks, the bow will disappear. That’s why this is considered much harder than offensive magic—offensive magic requires only momentary focus, while this requires constant focus.”
Evelina nodded slowly.
“Because it’s made of mana, the weight is light and easy to hold. But if you practice shooting with this, even ten minutes will exhaust you completely.”
Leonard spoke seriously.
“You must get used to the feel by actually shooting it. Your assignment is to practice until you can hit at least one arrow on the target before the next lesson.”
“…Yes.”
Evelina rolled her eyes, then nodded.
Leonard glanced behind her, then continued.
“His Grace is far better with a sword, but he’s no slouch with a bow either. You may learn from him.”
“Arsen…?”
Since Arsen had many other duties, it seemed unlikely he would have time to teach her archery.
She was thinking she should ask Karina instead when a voice sounded from behind.
“Then you should do as Marquis Veloce says, Evelina.”
Startled by the sudden voice, Evelina spun around.
Arsen was walking toward her—she hadn’t even noticed when he arrived.
“Arsen!”
“Sorry if I startled you.”
“No, it’s fine. When did you get here?”
“Right around when Marquis Veloce said you could learn archery from me.”
Marquis Veloce took out his watch, checked the time, then said,
“Since the lesson is over, I shall take my leave.”
“Return safely.”
“Goodbye, Master.”
Leonard bowed politely and vanished using warp magic.
A clean, sharp exit.
“If you’re busy, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“No matter how busy I am, I will always make time for you, Evelina. Don’t worry.”
Even at Arsen’s words, Evelina still looked uneasy.
Only after he reassured her several times did her expression soften a little.
“Is shooting a bow very difficult?”
“For beginners, maintaining the correct posture is the hardest part. But I’ll teach you well.”
Arsen smiled gently and added,
“You should be grateful to Marquis Veloce.”
“Huh? Why?”
Evelina tilted her head with wide eyes.
He leaned slightly and whispered at her ear.
“Because this gives me the chance to go on a date with you.”
At the word date, Evelina’s cheeks flushed red.
She quickly looked away and walked a bit faster.
Arsen chuckled and followed her.
“Evelina, your face is red. Are you hot?”
“W-what? Oh, um—yes! I moved around earlier so I’m warm.”
He squinted his eyes teasingly.
“I thought you might be embarrassed because I said ‘date.’”
“……”
Realizing he was teasing her, Evelina shot him a glare.
When he moved closer, she pushed him lightly.
“There’s a lot of dust on me from using magic earlier. If you get too close, it might get on you.”
Arsen didn’t seem bothered at all.
“It’s fine. I was about to change clothes anyway.”
In truth, he had already changed before coming to her—but he lied without hesitation.
Since he said so, Evelina didn’t argue further.
They walked side by side, chatting quietly until they reached her room.
“See you later.”
“Yes, Evelina. Rest well until dinner.”
Arsen gently kissed the back of her hand.
Inside the room, Berry was waiting.
“I prepared the bathwater in advance.”
“Thank you, Berry.”
With Berry’s help, Evelina undressed and washed away the dust.
Berry even massaged her to relieve her fatigue, leaving her much more refreshed.
Watching Berry tidy her hair, Evelina zoned out, deep in thought.
‘I need to send out the wedding invitations soon… I should ask Mother. And have Noel order fresh flowers… Do I need to build stamina for archery? I can ask Arsen about that.’
There was a lot to do, and it was tiring—but compared to her old life trapped in the attic, doing nothing, this was much happier.
With her hair neatly arranged, Evelina stood up.
Checking the time, she realized that bathing had taken long enough for it to already be dinner time.
When she went downstairs, Arsen was waiting for her as always.
Neither Karina nor Arsen had ever once appeared after her—both were always waiting.
No matter when she came out, Arsen was there.
Whenever she asked how long he’d been waiting, he always said, “I just got here.”
So she had a humble goal:
To come out before him just once, so she could be the one waiting.
Anyone else might laugh at such a goal, but Evelina was earnest.
She had failed today, so she vowed to try again next time as she descended the stairs.
Her steps were light as feathers, but Arsen heard them instantly and turned to her.
A soft smile slowly formed on his usually expressionless face.
“Did you rest well? You looked tired earlier.”
“Berry massaged me while I bathed, so I feel better.”
Evelina naturally linked her arm with his.
She no longer felt awkward with him at her side.
At first, having someone near her all the time felt unnatural and burdensome—but not anymore.
Arsen, who had once been a stranger, was now precious to her.
He and Karina were the ones who had waited for her, encouraged her, and helped her grow out of her timid self-blame.
Without them, she would have remained in the attic of the duke’s house until she died.
Evelina looked up at Arsen.
Sensing her gaze, he tilted his head and asked,
“Is something on my face?”
“No, I just… I like this moment.”
“I like you too, Evelina.”
His gentle words always warmed her heart.
Evelina tightened her grip around his arm.
These truly were the happiest days of her life.
