Learning Magic

"There's no need to be suspicious of me. As I mentioned before, I assure you that I won't cause you any harm," she reassured, noticing my reaction.

'I've crossed paths with various individuals, and I've learned to recognize when someone has ulterior motives' I stated, narrowing my eyes and regarding her with suspicion. However, her smile in response sent a chill down my spine.

"your planning to leave this forest eventually, yes?" she responded with her soft, gentle voice.

'Y-yes' I replied, my voice a bit hesitant as I remained on her lap. As she acknowledged my response, she smiled at me before carefully lifting me in her arms and began to walk towards the trees.

'where is she taking me?' i wondered as she continued to walk while ignoring my thoughts. she walked carrying me for a few moments, leaving the lake behind as we approached the tree.

'Huh? Isn't that the little girl I followed?' I exclaimed, noticing the familiar figure of the young girl hiding behind the tree. Her head poked out, her curious gaze fixed on our approach.

Stopping near the tree, she carefully released her hold on me. i looked at her trying to find out her intentions.

"Come here, Nixie," she called out to the little girl, extending her arms. The little girl then ran towards her and leaped at her, hugging her.

'This is?' I asked, my voice filled with curiosity and wonder, as I watched Lady Lorelei gracefully lift the little girl into her arms. With gentle steps, she approached me, a soft smile playing on her lips, before finally coming to a stop right in front of me.

"i want you to take her with you to the outside world" her response left me utterly bewildered, my mind trying to process her words. A surge of emotions coursing through me—confusion, astonishment, and a hint of apprehension mingled together, while she just stood there smiling as if what she said was normal.

'pardon? aren't you being a bit excessive?! entrusting your child to someone you just met is' i exclaimed as i tried to comprehend her reason for saying this.

"no need to worry, i know i can trust you" she replied, her voice filled with brimming confidence, as if she know everything about me.

'how can you be so sure?' i responded, my voice filled with concern and uncertainty.

"I can perceive your soul and comprehend it through my eyes, that's why im certain" she replied, her words catching me off guard and prompting a wave of questions in my mind.

"you might not know it yet, but you have a kind soul" she added, smiling gently at me who was stunned.

'perceive? comprehend? what are you talking about? me? kind?' I asked, my mind struggling to process the meaning behind her words.

"It is as I said. I can perceive your personality, your current emotions, your mana, and even discern whether your lying or not" she replied as i stood there like a statue.

'i–ehem, may I ask why you want to take her outside the forest?' I asked, disregarding the fact that she can see through my soul but feeling uneasy at the thought of someone peering into the depths of my being.

"well, i think i spoiled her too much, she's already 209 years old yet she's still in the form of a child, normally she would have matured upon reaching the age of 200." she replied with a sigh, her expression resembling that of a troubled mother.

'You spoiled her so much to the point she couldn't mature?' I retorted, my gaze fixed upon Lady Lorelei with a mixture of disbelief and bemusement.

"well, I can't help it, it's the first time i took care of a newborn spirit" she replied, restless and flustered by my response.

'she's a newborn spirit? but aren't those orbs also spirits?' i thought as i looked at the orbs hovering around the air.

"those are indeed spirits, but they aren't the same as us, we're like a superior version of the spirits." she answered my question as i turned my head towards the two of them.

'so your planning on letting her out the forest to experience various things that would make her mature?' i responded, i pondered whether i should help her.

"i'll teach you magic if you help me" she replied trying to coerce me to accepting her request.

'magic?' i pondered for a moment before asking 'can magic turn me into a human?'

"Well yes," she replied, a gentle smile on her lips, as she carefully placed Nixie down on the lush ground. "You can also use it for something like this," she continued, rising gracefully in front of the glistening lake. With an air of confidence, she lifted her hand, and in an instant, the tranquil water erupted, surging upward and coalescing into a mesmerizing display. The liquid tendrils danced and twisted, forming the shape of a sinuous serpent, its scales shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

'so this is magic'

"fufu~ are you tempted enough?" she stated playfully as she looked at me, confident i'll accept her offer.

'fine, i'll do it, i'll take her outside the forest, but it'll take some time.' i accepted her offer as i gazed at nixie who were watching lorelei, her eyes filled with amusement.

"great! then i'll teach you how to use water magic and also the fundamentals of magic" she responded enthusiasticly, As she started teaching me magic.

according to Lady Lorelei, mana is the central force around which the world revolves, and that every living thing possesses mana within them. she also mentioned that in order to use magic, one needs to learn how to control mana and focus their mind on the desired spell.

The following explanation she gave was that while individuals may have aptitudes or a natural affinity for certain elements, it doesn't necessarily mean they are limited to using only those elements. Aptitude signifies which element their soul is more compatible with, and having an aptitude can enhance proficiency and power over that specific element.

"now, just imagine a ball of water while transferring your mana to your front? then unleash it" she explained as she guided me to use magic.

'it feels like this is also your first time teaching someone' i looked at her weirdly as her teaching method is a bit...

"w-well, anyway just do what i told you!" she exclaimed as she eagerly told me what to do.

'alright. imagine a ball of water while transferring mana to my front?' i tried the method she taught me as i closed my eyes, but i wasn't able to do it.

'this is troublesome. mana, if i remember correctly whenever i use a skill i feel something flow within my body, i might be able to use magic if i remember that same sensation' as i thought of a different method to use magic, i felt something warm flow through my veins as i imagined a ball of water in front of me.

"you did it, viridian!" lady Lorelei exclaimed, making me open my eyes.

i saw a ball of water floating in front of me, as i became accustomed to the sensation of controlling mana, i tried to propel the ball of water through the air and surprisingly it worked!.

"great! you were able to use it!" she happily expressed her joy witnessing me using magic.

'i see. so this is how to use magic, but how do you get skills?' i asked. but her response was something i wasn't expecting.

"what do you mean by skills? are you referring to combat skills?" she said confused.

'no. i meant, skills that use mana? don't you have a status?' i replied, but after she heard that, she became even more confused as she looked at me.

"i don't know what status you're talking about, but when it comes to status, i'm close to a duke in the spirit realm" her reply made me ponder whether was i the only one that had a status interface.

'okay...but do you become stronger when you kill other creatures like monsters?' i asked trying to confirm my assumption.

"no,we don't. we grow stronger through training and combat experience, why?"

'this is getting more confusing' i pondered for a moment before deciding it's better to hide the fact that i can get stronger from killing other creatures.