Supreme Magus novel Chapter 232

"Even if they are just deep blue crystals, they are still very expensive. If you fail the following procedure, the gemstone will be destroyed and you will receive another one. There are only three crystals for each one of you.

"Destroying them all will mark the end of the lesson, of the need of attend this subject as well as of any chance of becoming a Crystalsmith."

"Since you have come so far, you will still get a passing grade, but no Master Crystalsmith will take an apprentice incapable of handling a blue crystal after three months of practice." Professor Farg explained.

"What’s required from you it’s the same thing you have already done countless times, but with a major difference. When you’ll use the Crystalsmith spell Scope on the gemstone, you’ll notice there are no lines inside.

You will only see a dot moving at a speed that will change from time to time. That’s because, unlike the mid tier crystals, high tier ones are able to replenish their mana quickly. This property gives them a unique mana flow that is called Mana Breath.

A true Crystalsmith must be able to perceive the Breath clearly enough to follow its movements and cut the gemstone accordingly. Remember, the density of the mana blade must be kept constant.

If you focus too much on the Breath, the blade will damage the crystal. If the crystal receives too much damage, it will explode. Like everything in life, the key is to find balance in what you do. Good luck to everyone."

The Magic Crystal course was the reason why Lith’s mana sensibility had improved so much during the last months.

Scope was a spell that relied entirely on the caster’s perception and he had always used it instead of Invigoration during the exercises. It was the first opportunity he had to train his mana sensibility without endangering anyone.

Unlike healing magic, there was no life on the line, wasting a crystal scrap meant nothing to him. Also, it was much simpler than dimensional magic, since he didn’t have to feel and manipulate multiple flows at a time, but only a static one.

Lith cast Scope, becoming able to see the dot Farg talked about. It moved with an irregular pattern and speed. Lith studied it for a while before understanding that the Breath had no fixed route. He was forced to rotate the crystal from time to time to follow its movements.

’Let’s see what Invigoration reveals.’ He thought.

Lith discovered that even the size of the dot changed with time, but most importantly, he was now able to see the circulatory system of the breath. It was like a maze, the branches of which crossed over several times.

It was still a chaotic mess that allowed the Breath to change direction most of the time, but Invigoration would still give him a great edge compared to the Scope spell. With Invigoration, Lith would know when the Breath could change direction and when it would be forced to move in a straight line instead.

’My mana sensibility still needs some work. I’ll use Scope on the first two crystals and save Invigoration for the last. I don’t aim to become a Crystalsmith, so I better use this opportunity to practice at the academy’s expense rather than mine.’

No matter how much pain or grief Lith was going through, he was still stingy beyond belief.

After conjuring Scope once again, Lith began cutting the crystal. The more progress he made, the more the gemstone shrunk, increasing in power and quality. The problem was that the smaller it became, the more sudden the turns the Breath would take.

It was like an Earth roguelike game. At each new level, the difficulty would go up and what he learned from the previous run was useless. It was all a matter of focus and precision, never letting the mana blade stray too much from the dot.

Lith almost managed to refine the first crystal, but one error too many made it crumble and he had to start over. At the second attempt, his efforts were rewarded with success. He took a short break to relax, discovering that even Quylla had failed once.

"I got too cocky and paid for it." She explained while shrugging. Lith used Scope on the third Crystal too. He had already passed the exercise, but he needed all the training he could get to sharpen his senses.

By the end of the lesson, Lith’s group had successfully cut all of their crystals. Only Lith and Quylla had lost one.

The second lesson of the day was the Healer specialization. The group performed the house calls under Professor Ironhelm’s escort. Professor Trasque was dead and Ironhelm had been assigned to replace him.

Lukart had long fled the Griffon Kingdom thanks to the traitor’s help, so no one was making attempts on Yurial’s life anymore. Their rounds were peaceful, traveling from town to town and seeing many different cities bustling with the daily activities helped them to relax.

It also gave Yurial an idea that he shared with the others during dinner back at the academy.

"Why don’t you all come to my house after we graduate from the fourth year? In my Duchy, the weather is nice even during winter. We could travel together and I would show you the best places my lands have to offer.

"If I go back home alone, I’ll be forced to spend all the winter break before the fifth year studying magic and so would you. I say we deserve a couple of weeks of vacation."

The girls unanimously agreed. When Orion was home with them, he was a great father, but also a strict teacher. He left them little time for slacking off. When he was away for work, Jirni would turn everything into a competition.

She wouldn’t force them to do anything, but she always seemed to know which buttons to push to make them dance in her hands. Compared to her, the academy was a relaxing environment.

Lith was the only one still on the fence. Two weeks was a lot of time for him. He had yet to inform Selia of her loss and had no idea how to give her the bad news. In his experience, no matter what he said, it would break her heart.

With the baby coming, she would need all the help she could get. Even if Lith had never agreed with Protector’s request, he was determined to fulfill his friend’s last wish.

No matter what the others said to convince him, the best they could get was a hollow:

"I’ll think about it."

Later, after much thinking, he went to Phloria’s room.

When she opened the door, her hair was arranged in a strange updo, held in place by hairpins and curlers Lith had never seen before.

"Nice hair." He said, failing to suppress a chuckle. "What’s that stuff?"

"Something you were never supposed to see. Having long hair is a hassle. Or did you think they are naturally that wavy?" She replied with an annoyed tone.

"I never saw you using them at the mining town or when I was a guest in your home."

"Well, duh! I had more important things to care about at the moment. In fact, I was always a mess."

"So you say, I never noticed any mess." His words turned Phloria’s mood upside down, making her smile from ear to ear.

"Well, come in. Sorry for the mess, I have just finished bathing. Your visit caught me by surprise." She let him inside her room, but aside from a bathrobe on the bed and more curlers on the nightstand, there was nothing out of place.

"Yeah, sorry. We need to talk." Phloria froze in place. In her mind, those words still meant: "We have to break up."

"Please, it’s better for you to sit down. Some of the things I have to say aren’t exactly good news."