NOVEL NEXT Chapter 135: Spellcasting
Although Van didn't check the leatherbound spellbook that Julia was reading, he knew that there wasn't a lot of Zero-Circle Spell…
After all, even after studying in the Obsidian Tower for several months, Killian and the other lecturers had only mentioned about 20 Zero-Circle Spells.
Julia then flipped through her spellbook with the impatience of a child forced to study.
The pages rustled as she stopped at a marked section—The Zero-Circle Manipulations.
Hayden could see this thanks to his Lens working really well.
"Ugh. Right, I have to practice at least three spells every day…" She grumbled, though her eyes gleamed with competitiveness.
"Watch closely, Van. Maybe you'll learn something." She said with a chuckle.
Van remained silent as his Ocularis Lens already started analyzing her posture, breathing, and the minute fluctuations of mana around her.
"This is Mana Bullet!"
Julia then stood at the center of the courtyard as she took a deep breath to focus. Then her tiny hands cupped together as if holding an invisible ball.
"Mana, gather in my palm—take form, attack them!"
The incantation was simple, the words were rigidly structured—perfect for beginners. Then, a faint glow flickered between her fingers, but the energy dispersed almost immediately.
"Blast it!" She stomped her foot. "Why won't it stay?"
Van's Lens noted:
[ Cause of failure: Possible mana dispersion due to uneven pressure in the palm. Suggested correction: Tighten grip on release. ]
This wasn't a suggestion that came out of nowhere. During his training in the Tower, the lecturers acted as their masters and would cast Zero-Circle Spells to familiarize themselves with spells.
Because of that, his Ocularis Lens already had a large amount of data from Zero to Third-Circle Spells.
Julia tried again, her voice louder this time.
"Mana, gather in my palm—take form, attack them!!"
This time, a pea-sized orb of light shot forward—barely strong enough to disturb the grass.
"Ha!" She grinned. "Did you see that?"
Van nodded. "A successful cast, my lady."
Julia's smile faltered. "It's pathetic. Grandfather's bullets can punch through stone."
[ Observation: Child prodigy complex. Unrealistic self-expectations. ]
'Seriously? You still have to comment on that?' Van thought as he saw the information given by the Lens.
Nonetheless, there was also other information given by the lens. At first, he was actually curious why there was only 30 minutes allotted to practice Spellcasting. It seemed lazy and the result of practice would certainly not be that great.
After all, Aura Users like him would practice for long hours every day to improve… If it was possible to just practice, eat, and sleep, many would do so just to improve themselves and become an Aura Knight as quickly as possible.
Thirty minutes or one hour every day was definitely not a lot.
However, he finally found the answer after watching her practice. The reason why the training was only about 30 minutes wasn't because Lady Julia didn't want to train for a longer time. It was actually due to her very insufficient mana.
'She may not even last 30 minutes… We may be finishing after 10 minutes.' Van thought as his Lens showed the percentage drop of her Mana Fluctuations.
Still, Van decided not to comment on it.
Soon, Julia started practicing the Minor Mana Barrier.
Julia flipped to the next page.
"This one's stupid…" she muttered. "It's just a dumb shield."
She then raised both hands, palms outward, and recited…
"Mana, become my wall—defend, endure!"
Just like that, a thin, translucent film shone into existence—for about two seconds—before popping like a soap bubble.
"Tsk…" Julia groaned.
Van's Lens detected the issue immediately:
[ Cause of failure: Instability caused by uneven mana distribution. The left hand outputs about 12% less than the right. ]
Then, three attempts later, Julia managed to sustain the barrier for five whole seconds. She collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.
"This is impossible," she complained.
However, Van said nothing.
A seven-year-old holding a barrier for five seconds was, in fact, impressive. This was according to what he learned from the Tower. But Julia didn't need praise—she needed results.
She then started a quick Mana Breathing Cycle, not just to recover her Mana but also to calm down and focus…
It seemed that she was taught really well by her previous teachers.
After five minutes or so, she then started with her third Zero-Circle Spell.
Julia then sat up, but this time, she calmly looked at the spellbook.
"I hate this one. It's for maids."
This confused Van for a moment but as his Lens caught the spellbook's page, he realized what it was.
She pointed at a pebble a few feet away.
"Mana, extend my will—lift, carry, obey!"
Just like that, a ghostly, translucent hand materialized… However, its fingers started twitching like a dying spider before dissolving.
"Haaa~"
Julia was frustrated, but this time, she didn't throw a fit. She simply closed her eyes as if she were trying to recall what mistake she had made.
This time, however, Van was quite curious about the Lens' analysis of Julia's Spellcasting. After all, he felt that the posture she made and the way she gathered her mana were acceptable…
[ Cause of Failure: Possible lack of spatial awareness. The specific Zero-Circle Spell requires mental visualization—the child's focus may be too scattered... ]
'Hmm? Is she not focusing enough? I guess this might be really hard.' Van thought as he watched the young lady continue her practice.
After eight tries, the hand finally grabbed the pebble… only to drop it immediately.
Julia flopped onto her back as she felt that this was already too much.
"I'm terrible at this."
After some time, the bell finally chimed.
It was 10:00 AM. Library time.
Julia groaned and only rested for about three minutes but she already sat up and prepared to leave.
"Alright… Let's go to the library! If Teacher Renji asked you, tell him that I did my best today… Understood?" Julia said with a hint of excitement.
It seemed that she liked studying in the library.
Van then bowed as he heard her instruction.
"Your perseverance was commendable, my lady."