Chapter 269

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Kevin asked for an explanation.

He showed considerable interest and enthusiasm for Oliver's teaching method.

This was quite an unusual reaction from him, someone who normally didn't get surprised easily.

Oliver elaborated on his unique teaching method in response to this reaction.

He mentioned focusing on self-improvement through individual practice, but also providing assistance to gain a feel when there were obstacles.

Kevin asked a question.

"What do you mean by helping to get a feel?"

"By making slight physical contact, I allow them to indirectly experience it... It's somewhat similar to having someone hold you from behind while you ride a bicycle."

Oliver spoke without any false modesty or arrogance, expressing his thoughts straightforwardly.

Although it was an effective method, it was different from holding a bike.

However, Kevin's reaction was slightly different from what was expected.

He was more surprised than Oliver thought, casting doubt.

As if he had never heard of such a thing.

"I... I don't quite understand."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, this is the first time I'm hearing about such a case."

Kevin was sincere, and Oliver was slightly surprised.

Hearing it for the first time... Although he hadn't thought deeply about this ability, he hadn't expected such a reaction.

Especially from Kevin, who he thought would have a broad knowledge and would at least know something similar...

Though it seemed exaggerated, Kevin's reaction was genuine, and he was greatly shocked and amazed by what Oliver had said. It was as if he had discovered something incredible.

When asked about it, Kevin cautiously opened his mouth.

"...Though I can't assert it rashly as it's not an area I know in detail, my personal opinion is that it's remarkable."

"Is it?"

"Yes, because it can dramatically improve the efficiency of education."

Improving the efficiency of education dramatically... That didn't seem wrong.

After all, he had expedited the growth of the Joseph Family and the Fighter Crew using this method.

'Hmm... Thinking about it, it seems I've made quite a good use of it?'

Looking back on the smooth educational process, Oliver glanced at his hand.

Kevin spoke to Oliver, who was lost in thought.

"Do you have any specific cases where you used this method for training? I'm not doubting you."

He was sincere again. Kevin believed everything Oliver said.

"I can't speak specifically, but there have been two instances."

Oliver deliberately didn't mention the Joseph Family and the Fighter Crew.

Though they hadn't promised not to discuss it, he felt it would be impolite to bring it up unilaterally.

Fortunately, Kevin didn't dig further.

"I see... Are there any training records or documents?"

"No, there aren't."

"That's unfortunate."

"I find it slightly regrettable too."

Oliver sincerely spoke. He had belatedly realized how important training records were in the process of teaching Magic Tower students.

After a moment, Kevin opened his mouth again.

"Hmm... then, can you test it on me? I want to see it for myself as it's a new case."

Oliver contemplated briefly, then condensed mana at his fingertips and flicked it.

With a snap, two spells activated simultaneously.

One was a silence spell to prevent any sound from leaking out of the room, and the other was a sensor spell to alert of any approach.

While they didn't mean much to Oliver, who possessed the Warlock's eye, he took the precaution just in case.

"If you don't mind, could you please extend your hand?"

Kevin extended his hand without hesitation.

Oliver then extracted the emotion from the test tube in his pocket and placed it in Kevin's hand.

"Do you feel anything?"

"No. I'm not a warlock, you know."

Upon hearing the answer, Oliver placed his own hand over Kevin's.

This was his first time in such a case, so he was skeptical whether it would work, but well, there was no loss in trying.

"Oh... It works."

A moment later, Oliver spoke.

The intangible, smoky black emotion that had been between Kevin's hands transformed into a circle under Oliver's guidance.

"......Wow."

Kevin uttered in amazement.

"What is this?"

"This is one of the basic training I learned when I was serving my master."

"Basic training?"

"Yes, just as wizards handle mana, warlocks must know how to handle emotions. First, they check whether they have the eye to see emotions, then they learn extraction, and control."

Oliver recollected his past experiences.

About two or three years ago? It wasn't that long ago, but it felt like a considerable amount of time had passed.

"It's interesting... I've faced warlocks on the battlefield and in cities, but I've never thought about their training methods."

"Is that so?"

Oliver asked back in surprise.

In the case of Oliver, he himself had a lot of interest in the training methods of wizards.

That was one of the reasons he readily accepted when Merlin told him to go to the Magic Tower.

But if you think about it calmly, it could have been obvious.

Comparing wizards and warlocks on the same level was a stretch.

It wasn't about who was superior. Oliver no longer thought that way.

However, in terms of the scale and systematic nature of the organization, wizards were still far ahead.

Having indirectly observed the organizational power at the Magic Tower, Oliver thought so.

"What's next?"

Oliver, distracted by his thoughts, was questioned by Kevin.

Gathering his thoughts, Oliver moved on to the next step.

"You start creating more complex shapes."

Oliver manipulated the emotion through Kevin's hands to change its shape.

From a circle to a square, triangle, star, cone, spiral, and even spider web...

"I taught them something like this. Most of them caught on quickly... Can you feel it?"

Kevin responded by manipulating the emotion himself.

Surprisingly, despite being a wizard who had never handled emotions before, he was able to control the emotion quite adeptly.

"Oh, excellent. You also have talent in this."

"Well...?"

Kevin responded with a questioning look.

His lack of confidence was puzzling, but Oliver cheered him on.

"No, at least from what I've seen, you seem to have talent. It's rare to see someone handle it so directly."

Kevin stared at the emotion moving in his hand, seemingly unmoved by Oliver's words.

"......And what's next?"

"Once you can control the emotion properly, the next step is to manipulate it more quickly."

Oliver held up his index finger to the back of Kevin's hand and once again took control of the emotion.

The emotion in Kevin's hand morphed freely, like a living, shapeless creature, tracing a certain flow.

It was so quick that it was difficult to follow with the eyes.

"However, what's important here is not just the speed, but also accurately forming the shape."

"Okay, I understand... It's similar to mana."

"Oh... I agree. Although magic and black magic seem very different, in my personal opinion, they seem to have a connection."

Oliver responded enthusiastically. It was delightful to hear a wizard agree with a thought he had harbored for a long time.

However, Kevin only stared at Oliver without any particular response.

"Did I say something wrong again?"

"No, it's not that. But can you apply this to magic?"

"I'm not sure about that. After all, this is my first time teaching a wizard."

While it was a correct response, the somewhat audacious reply seemed to perplex the listener.

Fortunately, Kevin had become somewhat accustomed to Oliver and was not so shaken.

"Good. Then, test it on me."

"... Can I do that?"

"Of course. I would rather like to ask for it."

"Ah, well, I will gratefully conduct the experiment."

Oliver held up his hand in response, and then placed it on the back of Kevin's hand.

"... But are there any spells you can't cast?"

Oliver asked belatedly, remembering a crucial fact.

Kevin was a wizard of the Magic Tower. Moreover, he was a Master.

The rank following the Grand Master and the One Master was the Master.

It was absurd to indirectly teach magic to such a person.

Kevin also seemed to realize this fact just now, and hesitated for a moment.

"Well... Spatial magic?"

"I'm not very good at that either... What about ice or air magic?"

"I can use all elemental magic. The proficiency difference is all. The same goes for pure magic."

"Ah..."

Oliver exclaimed looking at the too-competent Kevin.

Being too competent was a hindrance. It was a tricky situation. In the midst of this, a good idea suddenly crossed Oliver's mind.

"Excuse me."

Oliver again embraced Kevin's hand.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Just wait a moment."

Oliver focused his mind and controlled Kevin's mana through the back of his hand, causing a small flame between his hands.

"This is-"

"-not an ordinary flame."

Kevin interrupted Oliver's explanation.

"It's Willes' flame."

"Do you know each other?"

"No. I just heard rumors when I was a war wizard. There's a guy who uses a malicious flame that sucks up mana... But you're using it now."

"I worked together on the last trip, and I just copied what I saw then."

Oliver casually said it was nothing, but Kevin was confused.

He had been interested in the spell and researched it, but he couldn't achieve significant results. But Oliver had implemented this by merely imitating it, a casual response.

However, what was even more shocking was that he was teaching this to Kevin.

The fact that he understood this complex spell and the subtle tricks by just touching hands... He couldn't figure out what to say.

"Do you understand? The spell and the trick to handle it."

Oliver asked, and Kevin answered.

"... I think I understand."

As if to prove his words, Kevin carefully controlled the flame that could even engulf the spellcaster.

It was a bit clumsy, but considering it was his first time handling it, it was quite impressive.

"Thank goodness... So, can I help the students I'm currently in charge of with this method?"

"Do you plan to help them from start to finish?"

Oliver shook his head.

"No, not that. I'm just going to help them a little with the parts they're struggling with. If they can't make a circle, I'll show them how to make one to get a feel for it. The rest they have to learn on their own."

"I kind of get what you're saying... Did you teach the other warlocks the same way?"

"Yes."

"...I'm just curious, why did you teach them that way? It would have been faster and easier if you taught them this way from the beginning."

"...? I just helped them with their efforts, wouldn't that be missing the point?"

Oliver answered with a face as if he couldn't comprehend what Kevin was trying to say.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

"So what did he say?"

In the library inside the mansion, Merlin asked while looking for a book.

"It was the same as before. He asked if he could use that method to help hardworking students, including Felix. He said that if he helped a few hardworking students, it would motivate the others." answered Kevin.

"That's not a bad idea, mate. So, what was your response?"

"I told him to wait a little. I said I need to ask your opinion."

"My opinion?"

"Yes, aren't you the person in charge of this?"

"And if anythin' goes wrong, ya reckon you're gonna pretend ya don't know?"

Merlin joked, but as always, Kevin didn't play along.

Especially, this time even more so.

"Isn't this not a matter of joking?"

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I certainly said that we should face various situations, but this is... beyond imagination."

Kevin, who had prepared for some disturbance, said so. Because it was really beyond imagination.

"From the way you're talkin', it seems Dave's talent is truly tremendous."

"Master... Talent for people means being stronger than others, or running faster. It's not a term to use when flying in the sky."

It was a remark that might seem exaggerated to a stranger, but Kevin, the actual person, did not think so. This was a restrained expression.

"It's not like Dave simply knows the trick. From what I've seen, it's something beyond that."

"What?"

"...I never thought I would use such an emotional expression, but it's like sharing the talent... No, this is wrong too. To share means to give away what's yours. But he's simply granting it... like a blessing."

"That's not like you at all."

"I think so too. However, there's no other way to express it."

Kevin told his honest thoughts.

To be able to teach the trick of using high-level magic through just one intervention could only be described as a blessing, or a miracle.

"If Dave decides, he has the skill to build a school with a history of hundreds of years or a Tower with a history of decades in a short period of time... Do you still not know what his identity is? Does it have anything to do with the prophecy and apocalypse, the chronicles of the Archive, and the book about Demons you are rummaging through now?"

At Kevin's questioning, Merlin answered after a moment of thought.

"I'm not sure, but I've come up with a few hypotheses."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. They're just hypotheses."

Kevin tried to protest, but seeing Merlin's expression, he gave up.

It was a face he hadn't seen in a long time, the same expression when he officially inherited the Archive.

"...Is it very serious?"

"It could be serious, or it could not be. Any matter becomes a bloody comedy when ya look at it from afar."

"...Dave asked if there was a way to contact you. He wants to meet Master."

"Me?"

"Yes, he said he has a question about the World Tree. What should I tell him?"

"Hmm... that's good news, mate. I've got somethin' to check too, so I was reckonin' 'bout droppin' by again. It'll be good for us to catch up and sort out our questions. I'll chat 'bout the trainin' then. Ya can bugger off now."

Merlin finished his words and took out an old book from the bookshelf.

The title <The Sleeping Princess in the Forest> was engraved on the bookshelf.

(To be Continued)

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