"Then, first, show us what you can do," Vivi said, her voice dropping into a low, challenging hum that vibrated through the air.
"Hmm? Show you ? Shouldn't you teach me something first?" I countered, tilting my head. "Isn't that the point of a tutor?"
Vivi let out a soft, knowing chuckle. "Hehe... do you think you can outsmart me ? Ty. It is pretty clear that you have used magic before and have a pretty good amount of experience in it. The mana storage and circulation in your body says it all"
She can tell ? An SSS adventurer rank mage is really something else huh..
"I don't know about your martial arts," she continued, her black eyes narrowing as she stepped closer, "but you're certainly no novice in the art of magic. So, stop the games. Show me everything you've got."
There is no reason to hide it anyway.
"Very well then," I said, my expression hardening.
I didn't hold back. I cycled through the basic spells of the Seven Elements—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Nature, and finally, Lightning.
Vivi observed every flicker, her head tilted like an appraiser looking at a rare diamond. When the final spark of lightning faded from my fingertips, she let out a long, thoughtful breath.
"Hmmm... All Seven Elements. And not a single chant was used for any of them. You're quite the little rebel, aren't you?" She said with the thoughtful expression of a teacher.
There were actually chants for the spells in the library books that I borrowed. But when I tried using those spells without chanting, just as an innocent experiment and succeeded i thought they are not as much important as the book made them out to be.
"Are chanting really important ?" I asked with Genuine curiosity.
"Not really. When mages start to learn new magics, they use chanting at the beginning for a better visualization. But as they become proficient enough at it, they don't need to use chanting anymore"
That's a new information that i did not know.
She continued "for example, for using a fire ball spell You can say a chant like this with your mouth 'O fire, answer my call, burn and spark, gather before my palm and burn my enemies' or even in your brain. this sounds aesthetic and also help in visualization."
So people also do it because its Aesthetic ?
"Of course, You can also lengthen or shorten the chanting according to your level as a mage, your imagination capabilities, Creativity and advantage." She said
hmm... So, in short, chanting makes up for a lack of visualization power, I thought, filing the data in my little Brain. And with enough practice, it becomes a discarded crutch. You can just drop it completely.
In the world of Mage Academy Saga, the divide was clear: most of the important characters like the protagonist, His party members and important helper side characters could use magic without chanting while most of the background NPCs could not.
So, i thought it all depends on one's innate talent. But Vivi's explanation suggests otherwise.
"It's amazing, though," Vivi said, her black eyes studying the faint mana residue still clinging to my fingertips. "How many months have you been practicing these seven elements?"
"Months?" I looked up at her, my expression neutral. "This is the second time I've used these spells, with the exception of Water. The first time was the day before yesterday."
The silence that followed was heavy. Most protagonists in these stories hide their power, fearing the attention or the trouble of Butterfly effect that it brings. But I wasn't here to play a game of shadows with my own teachers.
A guide can only lead a student if they know the terrain. If I wanted Vivi to teach me Magic properly and push me to my limit, she had to know exactly how high that limit actually was.
"Power of this level... on the second attempt. Across seven distinct elemental types," Vivi whispered, her voice devoid of its earlier playfulness. "I see.... So that's how it is."
"And what exactly is it that you see?" I asked.
"I see that you're a magic genius," she replied, her gaze softening into something almost brotherly—or sisterly. "And I see that we are 'similar'."
Similar huh... Did she figure my trait out after all ?
"Similar?" I tilted my head, pitching my voice into the most innocent, childish tone I could muster. "Isn't flirting with a six-year-old a bit much, my dear teacher, Vivi? I mean, I know I am Handsome but still....."
A light silence descended and then The silence broke with a melodious and a rough laughter.
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
Vivi doubled over, her silver hair spilling over her shoulders as she burst into a fit of genuine, unbridled laughter.
"Hahaha! V-Vivi! The kid just roasted you! He's six and he's already got you pegged! You really are your Father's son." Boran roared, slapping his knee so hard it sounded like a drum.
It took a good minute for Vivi to regain her composure. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, her face flushed. "Haaaa... seriously... what on earth do they teach you in that Royal Palace, kid? Where did you learn to be so cheeky?"
"Nothing until now." I said calmly
It is the truth. My official royal lessons—the politics, the history, the etiquette—weren't scheduled to start just yet. maybe they will start in a few days.
Finding a suitable royal tutor is not something that can be done in just two or three days, after all.
Especially since I am the third prince, with no backing and no bloodline, there might not be that many people who are willing to take that position.
Normally, Someone from a high noble lineage is chosen to give these lesson to a prince, as a tutor. But I don't know about me.