Lucas's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Really?!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement. Ever since he'd heard about Alberia's unique derivative magic, he'd been dying to learn it. He didn't yet know exactly what it did, but the mere fact that it was called Laser Magic meant it had to be amazing.
"Yes," replied Katerina in her usual calm, almost cold voice—but this time, with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "And considering how quickly you mastered the basic light spells and the experience you've gained in refining them, I'm confident you'll be able to learn a few laser spells before the tournament."
Then, after a brief pause, she met Lucas's sparkling eyes and added, "Before we begin, Mr. Lucas, if you have any questions, please ask."
Lucas paused to think. At first, he couldn't come up with any questions that wouldn't be answered once he started using the magic. He preferred to keep the surprise for himself anyway. But after a few seconds, a curiosity popped into his mind—specifically about the name.
'Isn't "laser" a little too recent a word for this world?' he wondered.
"Katerina, where does the name laser come from?" he asked aloud. "It reminds me of a term that existed in my world. And from what I've seen here, it doesn't seem like something that would naturally develop in this one."
"Yes," Katerina replied without hesitation. "Until about eighty years ago, this type of advanced magic was simply referred to as Light Rays Magic. But then a hero from your world, after witnessing Lady Alberia's magic in action, called it Laser Magic. Lady Alberia liked the term so much that she adopted it as the official name. Within a few years, it became the only term used to refer to this rare and powerful derivative magic."
"Ah, I see…" Lucas said, nodding thoughtfully. 'The people from my world seem to influence this one far more than I expected…'
"So, what's the first spell you're going to teach me?" he asked, practically trembling with anticipation.
Katerina reached into her pocket and pulled out a small book. A few seconds later, the book expanded to the size of a standard book.
She opened it, read the first page with careful eyes, then closed it again. As soon as it returned to its original size, she slipped it back into her pocket.
"Excuse me," she said evenly, "but since I am unable to use Laser Magic myself, I wanted to quickly review the guide Lady Alberia wrote specifically for this purpose."
Lucas's emerald eyes lit up even more.
"When today's lesson is over, could I have that book?" he asked eagerly, though a bit shyly. "I'd really love to start reading it tonight before I go to bed."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lucas," Katerina replied, bowing slightly, "but I'd prefer to wait a few more lessons before giving it to you. I want to personally guide your first steps in mastering Laser Magic. But don't worry—once I feel you're ready, I'll give it to you immediately. After all, Lady Alberia created it especially for you."
"Aww… that's a shame," Lucas murmured, clearly disappointed. "But I'll wait patiently."
"Good. Now, before we begin, I want to explain exactly what Laser Magic is—"
"Wait!" Lucas interrupted, his tone somewhere between pleading and playful. "Can we skip the general explanation? I'd like to discover it as I go. It sounds more exciting that way."
"I understand," Katerina replied, without the slightest hint of disapproval. "In that case, I'll go straight to explaining the simplest spell in Laser Magic: Laser Pistol."
Lucas, now completely focused, responded with a sharp nod.
"According to what Lady Alberia wrote," began Katerina, "you must concentrate a small amount of mana at the tip of one of your fingers, point it at the target you wish to hit, and then visualize a massive beam of light shrinking down to no more than ten centimeters in length and two centimeters in width. Once you have that image in your mind, speak the name of the spell."
Lucas immediately raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the wall in front of him. As instructed, he began concentrating mana at the fingertip, and in his mind, he conjured the image of a gigantic beam of light rapidly compressing into the dimensions Katerina had described. The tip of his finger soon began to glow red.
Seeing the glow, Lucas knew the spell was ready.
"Laser Pistol!" he shouted.
A red flash burst from his fingertip. When Lucas looked at the wall, he saw a small, circular scorch mark exactly where he had aimed. Though he hadn't seen the beam travel, the result spoke for itself—the spell had worked.
Then, his attention returned to his hand.
The tip of his index finger was still glowing with that same red light.
"Mr. Lucas, this spell allows you to fire miniature laser beams from your chosen finger," Katerina explained calmly, recognizing the perfect moment to clarify. "They don't pack much power, but they travel—literally—at the speed of light."
"I see…" Lucas replied, admiring the subtle glow. "But why is my finger still lit up?"
"Simple. As long as your finger remains glowing, you can keep firing mini-lasers without needing to recast the spell. Think of it as a gun with infinite ammunition—but with a one-minute time limit. After that, you'll need to activate the spell again."
Lucas nodded thoughtfully. "I get it... Wait a minute. Did you just say gun? There are guns in this world?!"
"Yes," Katerina answered without hesitation. "They were introduced by a hero from your world about fifty years ago. However, they're not widely used across all nations. Many countries lack the technological capability to mass-produce them, and others simply prefer traditional weapons like bows or crossbows. In our kingdom, thanks to Minister Macro, every ranger is equipped with one. I assume you didn't notice, but the ranger who came to warn us about Fortore's return yesterday had one strapped to his belt."
Now that she mentioned it, Lucas vaguely recalled seeing something on the ranger's hip. And considering what he'd recently learned about Alberia's magic and the influence of his Earth's heroes on this world, the existence of guns wasn't so far-fetched after all.
Still, that was a thought for another time. Right now, he was more interested in testing the spell's next feature.
Lucas pointed at the wall again—but noticed his finger had stopped glowing.
"A minute's passed already," he muttered, disappointed. "Guess I have to recast it."
He repeated the process: focusing mana into his fingertip, visualizing the shrinking beam of light, and activating the spell.
But this time, as he raised his hand again, he had an idea.
'If it's called Laser Pistol, it makes more sense to do this,' he thought, forming his hand into a classic finger-gun gesture—thumb raised, index finger extended.
Once again, his fingertip began to glow.
"Laser Pistol," he chanted.
The spell fired just like before. But this time, he didn't stop there.
He aimed at another part of the wall and simply thought about firing again—without saying anything.
A second laser shot out from his glowing finger, invisible to his eyes but unmistakable in its effect.
"Cool!" Lucas exclaimed, his voice brimming with childlike wonder.
Over the next minute, he gleefully fired lasers around the room, being careful not to aim near Katerina or Aislyra—even though a few of the beams misfired or missed their target by a few centimeters. Each shot was followed by another excited grin.
"I'm glad you're enjoying this spell, Mr. Lucas," said Katerina in her usual calm tone as the glow on his finger faded. "According to what Lady Alberia wrote, mastering that spell is the foundation for learning all the others. So, the rest of today's lesson will be dedicated to perfecting your Laser Pistol."
Lucas felt a twinge of disappointment. He had hoped to try more of the cool-sounding Laser Magic spells right away. Still, trusting his teacher, he nodded without complaint.
"Okay, let's get started."
The lesson continued for another two hours, during which Lucas was made to fire dozens—if not hundreds—of mini lasers in every direction, aiming at a variety of targets that Katerina summoned with magic. The targets varied in size, shape, material, and distance, challenging Lucas to adjust his aim and pacing.
Now, after a well-earned half-hour of rest, it was time for his physical training with Aislyra—and a sparring match between the two was about to begin.
Despite not being the type to get overly excited about combat, Lucas had a strange, eager smile on his face.
"What's with you, Lucas?" asked Aislyra, raising an eyebrow and grinning confidently. "You're unusually hyped up tonight. Did you eat something strange at lunch, or did learning my sister's Laser Magic go straight to your head?"
Lucas shook his head, his eyes shining with anticipation. "No, nothing like that. It's just... something I asked Macro for finally arrived this morning, and I can't wait to test it out in a fight."
With clear embarrassment, Lucas reached into the deep cleavage of his ceremonial outfit and, with a small shimmer of magic, pulled out a glowing white potion.
The moment Aislyra laid eyes on the potion, her confident grin was replaced by an excited smile. "Ah, I see. You want to test out that minotaur strength against me, huh? That's fine by me," she said with a smirk. "But a word of advice—don't rely on it in your fight against the tournament winner. Items like that aren't forbidden in the match, but since the fight is meant to demonstrate your strength as queen, it's best not to use anything besides your combat outfit. Still, outside the tournament, don't hesitate to use it if needed."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Lucas replied sincerely.
With that, he popped the cork and downed the potion in one gulp. This time, the transformation was nearly instantaneous, just as he had requested from Macro.
Once again, his body morphed into that of a powerful minotaur girl. And as before, he immediately felt a surge of pure strength running through every limb. His arms bulged with toned muscle, and the shift in weight and power felt oddly familiar—comforting, even.
But the potion wasn't the only thing Lucas wanted to test against Aislyra tonight.
There was a particular basic Light Magic spell he had recently learned—one that he thought would pair perfectly with the strength of a minotaur.
"Light Hammer," he chanted.
A massive warhammer, made of light, materialized in his hands. But unlike most basic Light Magic weapons, this one had weight—a lot of weight. In fact, it felt even heavier than a real iron hammer of the same size.
Aislyra's eyes lit up with interest. "Oh? Light Hammer, huh? That's a spell my sister rarely used. She always said it was too heavy for her. But with that minotaur strength that you have now, you shouldn't have any trouble swinging it around."
She cracked her knuckles with a confident grin. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Come at me. I'll show you how to really handle a heavy ram."
Lucas nodded, bracing himself. He activated the Physical Enhancement spell, infusing his powerful legs with mana.
Then, with explosive force, he launched himself forward.
The distance between him and Aislyra vanished in the blink of an eye.