“Eh? Um, is it normal here to sleep in a trash can?”
Emma, who came from the countryside, was thoroughly shocked and couldn’t understand these “city folk” and their ways.
“No, that’s not normal at all. The weird one is that person.”
Ophelia shook her head and, propping her chin up, asked,
“By the way, Camilla, you don’t seem too surprised by this description. Do you know her?”
“I wouldn’t say I know her, but I’ve heard that there’s such a weirdo in the Magic Swordsman Department. I didn’t know who it was, so I wanted to ask you, sis.”
Camilla answered smoothly, her expression unchanged.
“I see…”
Ophelia’s slight confusion dissipated after hearing Camilla’s response, replaced by a familiar sense of unease.
Ever since they were young, she had always felt something was off about her little sister, but couldn’t quite put her finger on what. If she had to say, it was that Camilla seemed a bit too mature for her age, and always knew all sorts of strange things.
But Ophelia quickly tossed that thought to the back of her mind. To her, Camilla was just Camilla—her most beloved little sister.
Naturally, Camilla had no idea what Ophelia was thinking. She was considering whether to find a chance to secretly meet Ludmila, but for the moment, couldn’t think of a good excuse.
Forget it, let’s put this aside for now. There’s still at least half a year until the plot point is triggered, no need to rush.
Right now, she had to focus on frantically writing to placate the demanding Liao Ai, so where would she find the time to care about that? Camilla decided to trust her sister for once, and hoped she could “fall in love with her over time” during these next six months.
Noticing that Emma’s plate finally had some decent food, Camilla’s mood lightened, and she smiled, taking the initiative to bring the topic back to Emma.
“Let’s not worry about Ludmila. Let’s talk about something else… Oh, Emma, you’re in the Mage Department, right? I’ve heard that being a mage requires memorizing a ton of books, and learning all sorts of magical knowledge. Is that true?”
At the mention of studies, Emma immediately forgot about the previous gossip. Her sapphire-blue eyes once again lit up with focus, but soon clouded over with a trace of worry.
“Y-Yes, there’s a lot to learn. Not only that, but there’s also high requirements for one’s own magic power…”
She put down her fork, a bit embarrassed, tracing lines on the table with her finger.
“My magic power is too low. Although I can construct Magic Arrays successfully, I lack the ability to activate them. Right now, I can only manage up to Second-Tier, but when it comes to Third-Tier, it’s just not enough…”
Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, a hint of the inferiority common among commoner students who lacked resources.
“I—I want to try adjusting the Array Structure to see if I can find a construction method better suited to my Low Magic Power Physique, one with gentler consumption… I wanted to consult a professor after class, but there are always so many people waiting to ask questions, I just can’t get in…”
After speaking, she looked pitifully at Camilla, then nervously glanced at the intimidating Ophelia beside her, hesitated, and finally asked,
“Could you help me?”
Ophelia frowned slightly at this, set down her knife and fork, and replied bluntly with her characteristically cool voice.
“Lack of magic power? Then increase your magic power and precision of control. For such low-tier Magic Arrays, there’s no need to adjust the structure.”
For someone like her, born with vast magic power and masterful control, “Low Magic Power Physique” and “structural optimization” were true blind spots.
Her way of solving problems was usually far more direct—just overpower everything with greater strength.
Hearing Ophelia’s words, Emma’s cheeks flushed slightly, a flash of envy in her eyes as she lowered her head even more.
Ophelia looked at the somewhat downcast Emma, then at her own sister, as if remembering something, and added,
“Of course, I’m not good at this kind of thing, but that doesn’t mean my sister isn’t. She’s also got a Low Magic Power Physique, but when it comes to magical knowledge, even ten of me can’t compare to her.”
Ophelia wasn’t lying.
Long before she’d been adopted by their father and joined this family, the younger Camilla already seemed to be working silently toward her goal of “living a good life.”
While other kids played, she practiced Basic Physical Training. While others slept in, she trained her magic power, and would even sneak into the kitchen to concoct some Nutrition Potions with odd smells but seemingly good effects.
To Ophelia, her sister was so outstanding, so dazzling, that even as her elder sister, she felt unworthy in comparison.
Seeing the hope-filled gaze Emma instantly shot at her, as if looking at her only savior, Camilla sighed inwardly.
Oh well, might as well help all the way—invest early in a future Archmage’s friendship.
“Ahem.”
Camilla cleared her throat, trying her best to appear modest and “somewhat knowledgeable.”
“All right, Emma, you’re talking about the magic power supply issue for the Third-Tier spell ‘Protector Barrier’, right?”
“Yes!”
Emma nodded eagerly, her sapphire eyes sparkling with thirst for knowledge.
“My talent for this isn’t anything special. I just want to master a skill, so that after graduation I can return to my hometown and become a Support Mage—that would be good enough.”
Support Mage—a newly emerged mage branch in the past few centuries, whose core was not casting spells alone, but working in concert with other mages through special methods, to achieve results greater than the sum of their parts.
This branch had both strengths and weaknesses. The advantage was a relatively low entry threshold; the drawback was that individual strength was weak, and it was rare for anyone to become a Fourth-Tier powerhouse or higher.
In the Empire, the mage profession was deeply involved in both the army and the defense of towns. A stable job as a Support Mage was already an excellent prospect for many mages of commoner birth.
Camilla looked into Emma’s eyes, pure and pragmatic, and felt a stir in her heart. The future Silent Sage, yet her dream right now was so simple.
She gathered her thoughts and focused on the issue at hand.
“The Protector Barrier… the standard structure for this spell really is a bit ‘clunky’—it’s all about absolute defensive strength, but it drains magic power at a high rate.”
Camilla tapped her finger lightly on the table, swiftly recalling all the relevant magical knowledge in her mind.
“Emma, have you considered that you don’t necessarily need to insist on a perfectly spherical barrier?”
“No need for a complete sphere?”
Emma blinked in confusion.
“But the textbook…”
“The textbook is just the basics, but real combat is flexible.”
Camilla interrupted her, took out paper and pen from her storage bracelet, and deftly sketched a “damaged” version of the Magic Array.
“Look, if you give up on constructing the top arc—which consumes the most energy—and instead focus your magic power forward to build a curved shield, or even combine several small rhombus-shaped shields in the predicted direction of attack for a layered defense…”
Emma stared intently at the drawing on the table, her pupils shrinking slightly, as if she had opened the door to a new world.
“Well, for a Support Mage who needs to cooperate with teammates and is mainly responsible for defending specific directions, this kind of directional barrier might be more practical anyway—as long as you can provide the support, it’s fine.”
“I… I think I understand now! Miss Camilla, you’re a genius!”
Emma’s voice trembled with excitement as she suddenly looked up, her gaze towards Camilla full of admiration and gratitude.
Camilla felt a little embarrassed by the praise, waved her hand, and said,
“It’s nothing, just a little trick that suits your situation. The truly strong, like my sister, don’t need to worry about these things… Wait, Rimuru! You glutton!”
Rimuru, apparently displeased at being ignored while everyone chatted, poked its head out of the satchel, let out a “plop,” and precisely stole the last piece of fruit from Camilla’s plate.
Camilla’s exclamation and Emma’s barely suppressed laughter filled this corner of the dining hall with a light and joyful atmosphere.