Chapter 20
“In my case, I have trouble controlling my magic power for a long time.”
“Be more specific.”
At Fritz’s request, Sue tried her best to explain the sensation that she couldn’t quite grasp.
“Um, I can fly to the starting point without any problems. And I can maintain my balance in the air. But once I start running, the magic power I inject backfires. Then I try to force it back in, but it doesn’t work.”
“Backfires…”
Fritz didn’t insult or dismiss those who were incompetent. One of his hobbies was taking a useless tool and making it usable. If Enzhe was the type to carefully select her toys and play with them until they were worn out, Fritz didn’t care what kind of toy it was, as long as he found it amusing.
Sue thought they were both terrible, but she decided that Fritz was slightly better because he didn’t take pleasure in physical violence.
“How about you?”
Fritz, who had been resting his chin on his hand, organizing his thoughts, turned to Vercia. Vercia clasped her hands together and smiled sweetly when Fritz’s gaze fell on her.
“Yes, Master Fritz. I’m fine with magic control. But I often fall off the Cribon while running… That’s what I’m struggling with.”
“Lady Vercia, didn’t I tell you I could help you with that?”
Melaine said, looking at Vercia pointedly. How many people noticed the underlying barb in her sweet tone?
“L-Lady Vava’s teaching methods are a bit difficult…”
Vercia replied, breaking out in a cold sweat. Melaine simply nodded, not pressing her further.
“Alright, I think I understand the problem. You two will practice with me for a while. You can’t be ranked if you can’t even finish the course.”
“Ah… Y-yes! Thank you, Master Fritz!”
Vercia’s eyes sparkled.
“Thank you, Master Fritz.”
Sue also smiled brightly and expressed her gratitude. It hurt to feel the judgmental gazes piercing her back, but learning how to ride a Cribon properly was more important. It was only right for Fritz to take responsibility since he was the one who had chosen them. She didn’t want to be accused of putting on an act even in an event she had been forced to participate in.
Sue and Vercia followed Fritz to a corner of the field. At Fritz’s instruction, Sue was the first to practice with him. Fritz stroked Sue’s Cribon for a while before mounting it behind the saddle.
“Get on.”
At his curt command, Sue sat in front of him like a well-trained puppy.
“Fly.”
Fritz leaned forward, his arms wrapped around Sue’s waist to maintain his balance. It looked like he was hugging her, but to Sue, this situation felt more like pet training than anything else. She couldn’t feel any excitement, only dejection.
‘But I liked him in the novel.’
“I’ll hold the reins, so you focus on injecting magic power.”
“Yes.”
Pushing aside her silly thoughts, Sue started injecting magic power into the Cribon’s back, following Fritz’s instructions. The Cribon rumbled, sensing Sue’s magic power, and Fritz pulled the reins up.
The Cribon spread its wings and soared into the sky. It was a familiar sensation, but seeing the vast landscape of Full Bloom spread out beneath her was still exhilarating.
“When your magic power backfires…”
“Yes?”
Sue turned around reflexively at the sudden start of the conversation. Fritz, who was holding her from behind, continued without pausing.
“Don’t panic, and don’t try to force it down. Absorb the backfiring magic power.”
“Absorb… you mean?”
Fritz nodded.
“Don’t let the magic power that leaks out escape. Make it yours again. And the Cribon won’t immediately crash to the ground just because it loses some magic power.”
“….”
“If you can endure a brief fall, absorb all the backfiring magic power, and then slowly inject magic power again. Slowly, so you don’t startle the Cribon.”
“Yes! I’ll try it. Thank you for the advice, Master Fritz.”
Sue smiled faintly. He was surprisingly serious about every little detail, considering he was a young master. Of course, only when it benefited him.
“Alright, try it. Don’t worry about steering.”
Fritz was holding the reins, so he would be the one steering. Sue, her eyes filled with determination, started controlling the magic power flowing into the Cribon.
“Run!”
Sue shouted, and at the same time, Fritz pulled the reins down. The Cribon flapped its wings rapidly and shot forward, cutting through the sky. As it started to gain speed, Sue felt the magic power backfiring again.
“Ugh…!”
The magic power she had injected leaked out. At first, she panicked and tried to suppress the magic power, trying to force it back in like she had done before. But then she remembered Fritz’s words.
‘If you can endure a brief fall…’ Yes…!
She could endure falling from the sky, even if it was terrifying. All she had to do was reabsorb the backfiring magic power.
“Just absorb what you can at first!”
Fritz shouted from behind her. Sue didn’t have time to answer. She simply followed his advice instinctively. She decided to ignore the magic power that was leaking out uncontrollably. Just absorb what she could. Just accept what was flowing back to her.
Sue’s magic power gradually flowed back into her body. She smiled unconsciously. As all her magic power was drained from the Cribon, it stopped flapping its wings. And then they began to fall.
‘It’s just a brief fall…!’
Believing that, Sue injected magic power into the Cribon’s black scales, very slowly and carefully.
It was a simple control that anyone could do, but Sue had never done it before. The Cribon, sensing the magic power returning, rumbled and flapped its wings. Their falling body rose into the sky once more.
“I did it…!”
Sue stared ahead, her eyes sparkling with delight. The blue sky was still there. That alone filled her with a sense of accomplishment.
“Ah, ahhh!”
But as if to remind her that things wouldn’t be easy, the Cribon lost its strength and started to fall again. This time, the protective barrier activated, slowing their descent significantly, and Sue once again found herself lying flat on her back, staring up at the sky.
“This is because the Cribon doesn’t understand the situation yet, so you need to keep repeating it until it gets used to it.”
Fritz was lying next to her, in the same position. He hadn’t looked at Sue’s face even once, but his explanations were thorough.
“Don’t forget the sensation you just felt. Let’s try again once we land.”
“Yes!”
Sue smiled brightly, but Fritz didn’t look at her. Sue didn’t either. They were both content with the teaching and learning process. She actually liked this situation.
Once they landed, Sue flew again with Fritz. This time, they almost reached the finish line. It was slow, and she had to repeatedly prevent her magic power from surging, but still.
“Keep practicing like that. As long as you can finish the course, victory is practically guaranteed.”
This was Fritz’s final piece of advice, delivered with a smug smile after their practice session.
His last words also explained why he had chosen the Ribbon Race athletes so randomly. Since there weren’t many people who could properly handle a Cribon, even finishing the course would earn you a decent ranking. Although, as Fritz had said, winning might be difficult.
But Sue didn’t have the courage to argue with him, and she was in such high spirits that she simply nodded vigorously. Her red hair, slightly damp with sweat, swayed with the motion.
“Thank you, Master Fritz!”
Fritz finally looked at Sue properly. The boy, who had a childish side to him, smiled faintly at Sue’s genuine smile before walking over to where Vercia was.
After Fritz left, Sue lovingly stroked the neck of her Cribon, which was sitting beside her, munching on grass.
“Yes, yes, you seem to be in a good mood too. Let’s not fall anymore, okay?”
As expected of the protagonist, he knows a lot.
This poor guy must have been disheartened by his owner. But with more practice, they would be fine.
“Sue, are you done practicing?”
Having found a solution, the frustration that had been weighing on her chest for days lifted. She was laughing and playing with the Cribon, imagining herself getting a C in magic for the summer evaluations, when Melaine approached.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
The sun, which had been high in the sky, was slowly setting in the west. The gentle breeze carried a refreshing scent.
“Yes! Master Fritz taught me a good trick.”
Sue replied brightly.
This probably isn’t a lie either.
Melaine looked at her with a knowing smile.
“That’s good to hear.”