“So, the mana surge is what we elves use to sense magic? Without it, elves would lose their magical abilities?” Like a student being taught by a teacher, Fia sat at the table, listening to Anastasia’s guidance.
After the introductions during the day, Claire left to treat patients, leaving only Fia and Anastasia in the clinic.
There was no one else in the clinic besides Claire, so there was no worry about being discovered—though it wouldn’t matter if they were.
As for Claire’s question about “who exactly is Fia,” Fia’s answer left Claire puzzled, not understanding why the elven princess could be unaffected by the curse, but Claire didn’t delve deeper.
Claire might seem a bit mischievous on the surface, but she was actually a very kind and approachable woman.
“Yes.
Elves can have their legs cut off, but they must not lose the mana surge on their arms. However, not all elves have their mana surge on their right arm.
For example, Your Highness’s mana surge is on the back of your right wrist, while mine is on my left shoulder.
When using magic, as long as you feel a change in the mana within the surge, it means the magic has been successfully activated.
This is where we elves excel over other races.”
“The process of humans sensing magic is extremely long, usually taking between two months to two years, and some may never understand what magic feels like in their lifetime.
But for us elves, the time needed is far less than that.”
A look of pride appeared on Anastasia’s usually serious face, clearly proud of being superior to humans in this regard.
“Does that mean every elf is a magic caster?”
“You could say that, but with advantages come disadvantages.
Compared to humans, it’s harder for us elves to accumulate magic power.
For example, if it takes a human one year to advance from a first-tier magic caster to a second-tier, it would take us elves two, three, or even four times as long.
However, our average lifespan is much longer than that of humans, so it’s not too much of a disadvantage.”
Anastasia paused, looking at Fia with a very respectful gaze.
“Moreover, we elves can also have geniuses like Your Highness, who can reach the seventh tier in less than a century.
Oh, I forgot to explain the significance of tiers for magic casters.
Magic casters are ranked based on the amount of magic power they have and whether they can use magic of the corresponding tier.
For example, although my magic power has reached the fifth tier, I can’t use fifth-tier magic, so at most, I can only be considered a ‘quasi-fifth-tier’ warrior.”
It sounds a bit like a game.
If you think of magic power as experience points and tiers as levels, with each tier requiring ten levels, then Anastasia would be at level fifty but without enough skill points to learn level fifty skills, while the elven princess would be between level seventy-one and seventy-five, barely able to use some of the less powerful seventh-tier magic.
It’s worth mentioning that in this world, the greater the magic power, the stronger the physical attributes.
Once you have magic power, everything becomes much easier.
For example, a farmer with high magic power would have better stamina and could plow more land.
And if you have magic power equivalent to the first tier, you could take on a position like a captain in the army, not necessarily taking on ten people at once, but at least being able to handle three.
Someone like Anastasia, a quasi-fifth-tier warrior, is already among the few and ranks high in strength in this world.
Even in the entire Aurora City, you could only find one or two like her.
Of course, Fia’s attention wasn’t on this.
She cautiously asked.
“Less than a century? Anastasia, how old am I now?”
You can look up how often elves have their physiological cycles, so you just need to ask how old you are to determine if you’ve reached that threshold.
“Elves are considered adults after a hundred years, and Your Highness, you are not yet an adult—I have only just recently become an adult myself.
Also, Your Highness, please don’t keep your hand on the mana surge, even through clothing, as it would be considered impolite, like a human walking around with their hand over their private parts.”
“Uh.
I understand.”
Fia quickly removed her hand from the mana surge.
“The reason for this is that we elves can reproduce through the mana surge, so in a way, the mana surge is also considered a reproductive organ.
Of course, we can also reproduce like humans through sexual intercourse, but that is limited to heterosexual pairs.
When both are male elves or both are female elves, the mana surge becomes the only tool for reproduction.”
“Huh?” Fia’s head was instantly filled with question marks.
If it weren’t for Anastasia’s serious expression, Fia would have suspected Anastasia was trying to trick her.
The idea that the mana surge could replace reproductive organs to pass on genes didn’t surprise Fia, as she had seen the ecology of silicon-based life forms. And the idea of two female elves reproducing was something she could barely accept, as cloning and gene editing had already spread in her world, but the idea of two males reproducing was too far-fetched, as males simply don’t have organs to carry a baby.
“Anastasia, can magic really allow for external cultivation of a baby?”
“Your Highness, what are you talking about? If there were such magic, we would have long since cultivated countless elves who see the state as their parent and are loyal only to the state.
Are you asking how males reproduce? Solving this problem requires the use of the ‘World Tree Branch.’ When two elves complete the ceremony with their mana surges, they can pray to the World Tree Branch to give birth to offspring.”
Is this the world of magic… Fia couldn’t help but feel at a loss for words.
In a way, while it might not match the atomic reconstruction of her time, it was definitely more advanced than gene editing technology.
It’s so magical.
“Ahem, so Your Highness should not easily expose your mana surge to others, nor let them touch it.
Otherwise, it will affect your reputation.”
Anastasia’s serious expression reminded Fia of something, and she hesitantly asked while hiding her right hand under the table.
“Then didn’t Anastasia yesterday…”
Yesterday, to confirm if she was the elven princess, Anastasia not only looked at her mana surge but also touched it.
Anastasia’s facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, but she maintained her expressionless demeanor.
“Your Highness, we are half-sisters from the same mother, and it was just to confirm your identity, so of course, there was no issue.
As your personal maid, how many times do you think I’ve seen your mana surge?”
“Uh…” That was indeed an irrefutable argument.
Not noticing Anastasia’s unnatural expression, Fia quickly dismissed this seemingly “insignificant matter.”
Anastasia swiftly changed the topic.
“When we elves calm down and infuse magic into the mana surge, we can know all the magic we have mastered from the surge.
For example, the ‘Calamity Crimson Lotus’ you used this morning should appear in the mana surge’s record.
However, although you are skilled in fire magic, I don’t recall you mastering the fifth-tier ‘Calamity Crimson Lotus,’ let alone casting it without incantation.
When did you learn it?”
So the mana surge can check the magic you’ve learned? What should that silver nebula be called? Anastasia’s words gave Fia an idea, and she quickly focused her attention on the mana surge on her right hand.
Soon, Fia felt a faint presence gathering in her right arm—this was probably magic, and she imagined her attention as a hand, grabbing the magic and stuffing it into the mana surge.
In an instant, just like when she saw the life flash before the elven princess’s death, a piece of information suddenly appeared in Fia’s mind.
First, the most prominent was the ‘Elven Fire’ expressed in the elven language, and further back, there were words in the human alliance language that only Fia could understand.
Fia’s eyes caught the top two lines.
‘Particle Repair’
‘Orbital Beacon Bombardment.’
“…Huh?” A cute sound escaped her lips, and Fia couldn’t help but tilt her head.
