Volume 4, Chapter 6 – A Disturbing Forgetfulness

“Cl…aire?” Anastasia’s brow furrowed tightly as she hesitated. “I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere…”

“In the Milcandis Holy Kingdom. Aurora City.”

Although Anastasia had clearly forgotten her past with Claire, Fia’s expression remained unchanged as she offered the reminder.

“Ah! I remember now. Silver hair, and she was a doctor, powerful enough to destroy the Unsinkable Moon.”

“Is that all?”

A hint of hope appeared in Fia’s magnificent, ruby-like eyes, but Anastasia simply shook her head, her sapphire eyes showing her difficulty.

“There’s nothing more. I don’t know why, but I know such a person exists, and it seems we interacted a lot, but whenever I try to think about her, it’s as if there’s a wall in my head. No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember.”

“Is that so… It’s already quite something to remember this much. It probably won’t disappoint Claire too much.”

“Your Highness means?”

“It’s nothing. We’ll talk after the experiment is done.”

Fia gave a light wave of her hand in response to Anastasia’s question.

On their way here, she had already confirmed with Anastasia and Liti whether they still remembered Claire. The result was that while they did remember her, they had already begun to forget certain things. Even when Fia reminded them, they could only retain the memory for less than a day. Once a night passed, they would again forget what Fia had told them. It was as if a part of their memory was being fixedly erased; no matter how hard they tried, they would inevitably forget by the next day.

Faced with this, Fia could do nothing but feel uneasy. Her only hope was to return to the capital and see Claire as soon as possible, which would hopefully interrupt the forgetting process.

Moreover, there was something that worried Fia even more.

Have I forgotten my own past with Claire?

She had no way of knowing. Because her companions were forgetting faster than she was, there was no reference point. She couldn’t know if she had forgotten her memories with Claire, and even if she had, she wouldn’t be able to notice. The feeling was like watching an apple slowly rot, powerless to do anything, which made her anxious.

Whenever she thought of this possibility, Fia could only console herself: since she didn’t find Claire terrifying when they first met, it meant Claire’s curse didn’t work on her. Therefore, it should be impossible for her to forget her past with Claire. Thinking this way lessened her inner turmoil a great deal.

Fia suppressed her anxiety and shifted her attention to her magic sword, Laevateinn.

Anastasia asked at the opportune moment.

“Does Your Highness know how to use [Enchanted Blade]?”

“I’ve learned a little from books, but the descriptions were very vague and not specific enough.”

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[Enchanted Blade] was not a chanting magic, but a skill-based magic, like Milu’s [Heavy Strike] and [Beast Form].

So-called skill-based magic referred to spells that required no chanting, or only a small amount, and relied more on manipulating the flow of mana within one’s body.

To be more specific, it was a type of magic that directly used mana to strengthen the body or a weapon to form a “spell,” without needing the mana to resonate with the elements in the air. On the World Tree Continent, this type of magic had another name: ‘Martial Skill.’

It was worth noting that the line between Martial Skills and chanting magic was very blurry. Sometimes a spell looked like a Martial Skill but was actually a chanting magic, while other spells that required resonance with elements were still classified as Martial Skills.

The fire-elemental [Enchanted Blade] was a typical example. The non-elemental version was a standard Martial Skill, but since scholars considered the elemental version to be an upgrade, it was also considered a Martial Skill.

As for the specific manifestation of [Enchanted Blade], according to what Fia had read, it was essentially about focusing one’s will on a single point, driving mana from inside the body to the outside, and continuously compressing that externalized mana until it formed a solid, crystal-like substance. This crystallized mana was the most basic form of [Enchanted Blade], with a hardness comparable to orichalcum and the ability to be reassembled after being shattered.

Fia had chosen to learn [Enchanted Blade] precisely for this reason. Her magic sword, Laevateinn, was too short, making it less effective against large-bodied Darkborn. If she learned the freely assemblable [Enchanted Blade], she would possess a weapon whose length and width could be changed at will.

“Indeed… [Enchanted Blade] is a Martial Skill, and Martial Skills require a great deal of insight and effort. It’s difficult to explain in just a few words. Let’s start with the most basic part. Your Highness should be able to feel the flow of mana in your body. You can first try to draw the mana out from your mana surge and gather it at the tip of your right index finger.”

“Mhm.”

Fia followed Anastasia’s instructions, gathering mana at the tip of her right finger.

The process was not difficult. With just a thought, Fia had a large amount of mana gathered at her fingertip.

After about a minute, Anastasia gave the next step.

“Once all the mana is gathered at your fingertip, you can try to use your will to manipulate it out of your finger. A typical beginner will be stuck here for one to six months. Those with less aptitude may never be able to expel mana beyond the barrier of their body in their entire lives. However, as a high-rank magic-caster, you often feel mana flowing out of your body, so this process shouldn’t be difficult for you—”

Bang.

Just as Anastasia finished speaking, a sound like a balloon popping rang out.

A forward blast of air erupted from Fia’s right index finger, and countless Lantern Stems were blown sideways.

Anastasia was stunned for a moment, then she clapped lightly, her expression full of praise.

“As expected of Your Highness, to grasp it so quickly. Although the power of a simple mana release is worrying, with enough mana invested, it’s sufficient to move the air. Judging from that air pressure, it’s already close to the level of a First-Rank spell. To be able to create the effect of magic just by releasing mana, you are truly a Seventh-Rank magic-caster.”

Isn’t it like this for everyone?

Fia looked away from her finger and towards Anastasia.

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“What is a normal mana release supposed to look like?”

“Less than a puff of breath. Even this subordinate, at the quasi-Fifth-Rank, can only manage this much.”

As she spoke, Anastasia demonstrated by doing the same thing Fia had. Unlike Fia, who had easily blown over the distant Lantern Stems, Anastasia’s finger only produced a gentle breeze.

It feels like if I gathered enough mana at my fingertip and released it, it could become a powerful spell. But it would be more direct to just use [Fairy Fire]. The mana efficiency of [Fairy Fire] is higher; the amount of mana I just used would be enough for about ten fireballs.

Just as this thought flashed through her mind, a stream of information flooded into Fia’s head.

It was information from [Hyper-computation].

[Hyper-computation] had registered the mana release process as a type of spell. If she were to use [Mana Release] again now, it should have the power of a pistol bullet. If she gathered even more mana, the power would increase further.

Since using it immediately would startle Anastasia, Fia decided to try a high-powered version of [Mana Release] later.

“Your Highness can try again, this time holding the Laevateinn the Witch left for you. Infuse the mana that you would have gathered in your hand into Laevateinn, and then repeat the process, releasing the mana through the sword.”

“I understand.”

Fia held her right hand out flat, infused mana into Laevateinn, and with a thought, shot the mana through the sword towards an empty patch of field.

Bang!

The mana released through Laevateinn was exceptionally focused, like a cannonball. It left a half-meter-wide trench in the grassy ground, sending countless blades of grass flying into the air before they slowly drifted back down.

The corner of Anastasia’s mouth twitched unnaturally.

“Uh, did Your Highness increase the mana output?”

“No, this is the effect of Laevateinn. I felt it amplify the power of the mana.”

“I see… As expected of a miracle-grade weapon created by a Ninth-Rank Witch. If Your Highness were to release even more mana, just the release alone could become a decent long-range spell. Most importantly, it would save the time needed for chanting, allowing for a surprise—”

As if realizing something, Anastasia’s words trailed off into a wry smile.

“Your Highness already uses magic without chanting. In that light, Laevateinn seems rather redundant.”

“It might come in handy sometime. Let’s move on to the next step. Is it time to condense the mana onto the sword?”

“Yes. This step usually stumps ninety percent of people. Even you, Your Highness, before you lost your memory, were stuck on this step for three days. You must not be impatient.”

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What Anastasia didn’t say was that mastering [Enchanted Blade] in three days had already broken the record in the Elf Kingdom, and indeed, the entire continent. The previous record holder was a human Saint hailed as a prodigy, and it took him a full month to master it.

As for Anastasia herself, it had taken her two years.

Three days, huh… Fia murmured internally.

If Anastasia hadn’t mentioned that the original princess took three days, Fia wouldn’t have cared. But now that she had, her competitive spirit was pushing her to do even better.

Her expression grew serious. Fia asked Anastasia, “I just have to make the mana gather at the tip of the sword without releasing it, right?”

“Exactly so. After the mana is compressed to a certain degree, it will form a crystal on the weapon. Your Highness must imagine the mana extending from the sword, enveloping Laevateinn.”

“I understand.”

Fia poured mana into Laevateinn. Then, while increasing the flow, she carefully controlled the mana to seep out of the blade without bursting forth, letting it linger on the sword’s edge.

It was indeed very difficult to control.

The mana leaving Laevateinn was extremely unstable, darting about the tip of the blade erratically. Without restraint, it would instantly explode. Controlling this mana was like trying to make countless crazed wild bulls line up and advance slowly and steadily. It was truly a challenge.

A normal person could never succeed on the first try. They would have to start by controlling a single “crazed bull” and slowly build up experience until they could manage the entire herd.

As Fia thought this, she gathered more and more mana on Laevateinn. A faint blue glow was now visible at the tip of the blade, a sign that the crystal was about to form.

With the computational ability to control hundreds of fireballs to precisely find every target, and to use [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to blend her entire body with the environment’s colors, manipulating mana to stay on the blade was not difficult for Fia.

And with the beginning made, the rest was as easy as copy-and-paste. The faint blue crystal on Laevateinn’s tip grew at a visible rate. Its length, originally that of a short dagger, quickly grew to over a foot. At the same time, the crystal rapidly spread from the tip towards the hilt. The formation was so fast that it even produced a series of cracking sounds, like water freezing into ice.

When Fia stopped infusing mana, Laevateinn had transformed into a single-handed sword that glowed with a faint blue light in the night sky, like a blue torch.

From start to finish, it had taken less than ten seconds.

“Hah.”

Lightly exhaling, Fia tried swinging the sword, then used a Lantern Stem on the ground as a test subject. The result was that this [Enchanted Blade] was exceptionally sharp. Even just lightly touching the Lantern Stem, it would be split in two. The cold glint reflecting from the blade was incredibly sharp; one could feel a piercing pain just by looking at it.

Success.

It took me less time than the original princess.

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Fia quickly turned to look at Anastasia, only to find her staring blankly, as if she had been hit by an illusion spell.

“Anastasia?”

“Ah!”

Startled by Fia’s call, Anastasia quickly came to her senses. As if remembering something, she pointed frantically at the sword in Fia’s hand.

“Your… Your Highness, your hand! Your hand!”

“My hand?”

Fia tilted her head in confusion. And just as she did, with a soft pop, she felt the weight of Laevateinn in her hand lighten instantly.

The crystal attached to Laevateinn had shattered on its own, turning into countless motes of powder and disappearing. The [Enchanted Blade] had dispelled itself.

“Huh? I didn’t make it disappear.”

“Th-that’s because when you first learn [Enchanted Blade], you must maintain a certain level of concentration on it, otherwise the mana will dissipate on its own without anyone controlling it. Once you get used to it, your will will subconsciously maintain it even if you aren’t paying special attention. My apologies, Your Highness, I… I thought it would take you some time to master it, so I didn’t tell you in time…”

As if waiting for punishment, Anastasia lowered her head, looking somewhat timid.

She looks like she gets punished often, even though the princess never did such a thing.

Anastasia has too little self-esteem.

Fia sighed helplessly and waved a hand at her.

“I don’t blame you, Anastasia. Raise your head. Does this count as a success?”

“Yes, without a doubt, you succeeded. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed someone could form an [Enchanted Blade] on their first try… The whole process was as easy as mastering a First-Rank spell. It’s presumptuous of me to ask, but… have you really lost your memory?”

Anastasia’s eyes were filled with doubt. To succeed at [Enchanted Blade] on the first attempt was an impossible task in the eyes of anyone who had ever studied it. The only one who could do it would be a god, but gods were born knowing everything and wouldn’t need to learn from scratch.

If she were to tell anyone what Fia had just done, they would treat her like a fool.

If this was the gap between a genius and a mortal, then the gap was far too vast. If those who called themselves geniuses were to see this, they would be overcome with shame and lose all their confidence.

Anastasia’s words reminded Fia of her conversation with Renee that morning. She let Laevateinn float in the air and raised her hands with a wry smile.

“My memory loss is as genuine as it gets.”