After walking for a while, Judas met Mika and the other elves in a grassland just outside the village.
"Sir Judas, do you want me to demonstrate my magic spell right away? Or should I teach you the basics of magic first?"
Mika asked with a spark of enthusiasm.
Judas paused, deep in thought.
'I don't actually know much about the Danmachi magic system, just what I've seen in the anime. Different worlds have different laws of reality... there might be plenty of differences between how magic operates between both worlds.'
He was curious.
"Whatever you're comfortable with, I'll be happy to receive your guidance," Judas said humbly.
In terms of strength, Judas was many times superior, but he still appreciated that she and the others were taking time out of their day to teach a village boy like him.
"Ah... no, it's actually my honor to be able to teach you."
Mika replied, flustered.
A rosy blush appeared on her face.
'Such a noble and pure human.'
After a few fake coughs, Mika regained her composure and began to recall what she knew about magic.
"There are two types of magic: congenital magic, which is based on one's innate ability and race, and acquired magic, which comes from the falna given by the gods and goddesses."
"While congenital magic can be used without a falna, it requires a lot of training, rituals, and a long chant that was systematized in the Ancient Times. It's also much weaker and harder to control than acquired magic, making it impractical in a fight."
"As for me, while I don't have congenital magic, I was lucky enough to get my own acquired magic right after receiving my falna!"
Mika puffed out her chest with pride.
"In that case, Miss Mika must be very talented. I can't believe your god or familia let you leave so easily."
Judas said, puzzled.
"Well, Lord Anubis and the others were very understanding. I wanted to explore the world and not just stay in my home village."
Mika explained shyly.
"Enough about me. I want you to watch me closely as I chant, and try to sense something."
Mika's face became serious as she raised her staff and closed her eyes.
The other elves, who had been watching silently, seemed eager to witness Mika's performance.
"Miss Mika is going to summon her wooden soldiers again!" one exclaimed.
"No matter how many times I see it, her magic is amazing," another said.
Judas, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes.
'She's gathering some sort of invisible energy, very similar to mana but different. This must be mind, right?'
He remained silent and watched as Mika was covered in a soft green glow.
"Roots that bind, trunks that guard, awaken from slumber eternal. By leaf and bark, by earth and sap, rise and heed my call. Silent trees, ancient wardens, hear me. Lend me your strength, shape your bodies into shields. From forest's heart, awaken, ancient wardens, hear me."
"Viridia Excitare!"
From the ground, nearly a dozen wooden constructs as tall as a human emerged.
Their bodies were made of gnarled oak and moss-covered bark, with eyes that glowed faintly green with borrowed life.
'That many? I don't remember Level 2s being this strong in the show.'
Judas's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the strange wooden golems.
'Their vitality—they're all as strong as a Level 2.'
He hadn't expected her magic to be so formidable.
'With this many soldiers, she could probably take on a level 3 by herself, right?'
His bewildered reaction made the elves smile proudly.
"As expected from the most talented person to emerge from our home village, even Sir Judas was impressed by your display, Mika," one of the elves said with a thumbs-up.
"Hehe... compared to Nine Hell and Thousand Elf, I still have a long way to go."
Mika said, rubbing the back of her head with a smile.
"Did you sense it, Sir Judas?" she asked, turning to him.
"Yes, I can feel you gathering an invisible energy on your staff to cast your magic," Judas nodded.
"Exactly. What you felt was mind. Magic requires mind to be cast, and overusing it can cause a person to faint, a condition known as Mind Down or Mind Zero."
"For example, I can only cast my magic two more times before I faint. That's my limit."
Judas recalled Bell's first battle with the minotaur in the anime, remembering how Bell had earned a hard-won victory after firing several consecutive firebolts.
"This is one thing you have to be careful about: when a mage is unable to control their magical power while casting, an Ignis Fatuus occurs, causing it to explode and injure the user."
Mika held up her staff with pride.
"That's why I was given this staff. In addition to increasing power and control, it's used to gather the magical energy outside the body so that an Ignis Fatuus is less damaging. These can only be made by a specialized item creation mage and require specifically crafted magic stones."
She rubbed her magic staff gently.
"I'm lucky and grateful to have such a valuable item."
Judas stared at her staff and nodded.
While the staff itself wasn't that special in his eyes, he understood that for a beginner like Mika, it was extremely valuable.
"I have a question if you don't mind answering."
Judas said, his eyes darting between the wooden soldiers and Mika.
"Oh, not at all. Ask away! I'm honored to answer any questions you have, Sir Judas."
Mika smiled, her demeanor shifting to that of a teacher.
"Is chanting a necessary part of spellcasting? Is there any way to skip the entire process?"
Hearing his words, Mika's smile slowly faded.
She tapped her chin, lost in thought.
After a few seconds, she spoke.
"Most mages have to rely on a party to make up for this weakness. From what I know, most spells require a specific chant to activate, with the exception of extremely rare spells like no-chant magic."
"The longer the chant, the stronger the magic. If you try to shorten your chant, the spell won't activate."
"The only exception I know of is Princess Riveria, who has a special technique unique to her called chant connection, which lets her change the strength of her magic based on the chant length and mind usage."
"There's also concurrent chanting, a high-level technique that involves casting magic while fighting or moving around, but it's very difficult to learn. Only a handful of mages have mastered it."
Hearing this, Judas looked up and met Mika's gaze.
"Then have you learned concurrent chanting?"
"Ah, n-no, I'm not skilled enough for that. It could take many years of practice before I could even begin to learn it."
Mika quickly shook her head, a little embarrassed.
Half an hour passed, and then Mika's lecture came to an end.
"Thank you for taking the time to teach me."
Judas said, bowing his head.
"It's n-not a problem, Sir Judas. I only taught you some common knowledge that you would have learned eventually."
Mika said nervously, waving her hands back and forth.
Judas giggled, and the other elves laughed a little after seeing her reaction.
Out of the corner of his eye, Judas saw his parents in the distance, standing side-by-side and waving. He waved back.
"I was worried that with his reserved and introverted nature, he wouldn't be able to make any friends."
Irene said, her voice filled with relief.
"I told you there was no need to worry. He inherited my handsome looks, after all."
George said proudly, which earned him an elbow to the side.
"Agh!"
"What are you talking about? He obviously got it from me."
While nursing his side, George could only stare at his wife in mock grievance.