As requested, he selected spells that were more difficult than those prescribed, but they were nonetheless standard fare from the textbooks. He made no alterations to the wording that might improve their efficiency. But then, he had enough aether that it wasn’t exactly necessary.
When he was done, the instructor looked at him with undisguised awe. “Eight out of ten, even with more complex spells. That was just the level of performance I’d been expecting of you.”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t make any mistakes at all.”
“The stronger the spell, the more difficult its incantation. Casting eight successfully is a wonderful result indeed. Naturally, my only advice is to keep it up.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Before long, it was time for the magicians to discuss with their nonmagical partners.
“Your thoughts, Setsura?”
“What do you want me to say? I just want to know how you cast all your spells perfectly. Is there some kind of trick to it?”
Arcus thought for a moment. “There’s a reason behind it, but it’s one I can’t share with you.”
“Wow, some discussion this is!”
“A magician doesn’t share his secrets. Everyone knows that.”
“I guess...” She didn’t push it.
While Arcus had spent most of his life working on his aetheric control, he couldn’t have perfected it without the aethometer. Witnessing what he had here, he again understood why the device had led to such a drastic decrease in mis-incanting in the military.
After the lesson, they had a bit of free time.
“Kane Lazrael!” called a rowdy voice. Whomever it belonged to was obviously not Kane’s friend.
In fact, Arcus recognized it. It belonged to one Orel Mark, as he recalled. He turned to see Kane approaching the hostile boy.
“Lord Orel. What can I do for you?”
“Let’s fight!”
“Um... Again?” A troubled smile rose to Kane’s lips.
“Not this again...” muttered the noble student standing on Setsura’s other side. His face gave off a tired impression. His features made him look young for his age, but he had the aura of an overworked, middle-aged man.
Arcus asked him to explain.
“Lord Orel’s always trying to provoke Kane.”
“Really?”
“Their families both come from the south. That’s why Lord Orel, at least, doesn’t like Kane. That’s how it seems to me, anyway.”
Perhaps Orel saw the other boy as a rival.
“They always had these little contests at Harveston too.”
“Who won?”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you. Lord Orel got his butt kicked every single time. He might outrank Kane, but Kane’s got the superior skills.”
“Huh.”
While they spoke, a ring of students marked out a makeshift arena at one end of the training grounds. The contest seemed to take inspiration from the lecture, with the winner being whoever could cast the most successful spells. The pair began at once. It looked like the spells weren’t predetermined, but neither of them was going for anything too simple, probably out of stubbornness. Their chosen techniques were either tricky to pull off, or consumed a lot of aether. It wasn’t long until a sheen of sweat appeared on Orel’s brow. Kane, meanwhile, looked perfectly comfortable, even after all the aether he’d used up in the lesson. The spells he was casting one after the other were just as energy-hungry. He would mis-incant now and then, but that was because he was using more sophisticated magic than Orel.
The skill difference was clear. Even with Orel using easier spells, he was making just as many mistakes as his opponent and getting evidently frustrated.
“Might I claim this victory, Lord Orel?”
“I’m having a bad day, okay?! You won’t get so lucky next time!”
His lines could have come straight from a phrasebook for sore losers.
The student next to Setsura shrugged. “This is how it always ends.”
While Orel seethed, Kane didn’t look the least bit bothered about what had happened. He showed no sign of the exhaustion that was common after expending aether against a worthy opponent.
“That’s what aether counts for...”
After seeing them cast so many demanding spells, Arcus finally understood how large the gap was between these students and himself. It was a reality that couldn’t be vanquished with cheap tricks. What if he had been standing in either of their places? He could not see how he would win when it came to a simple contest of aether. Having used all of his energy in the previous lesson, they wouldn’t even be able to compare their incanting skills.
And their magic skills were only set to improve. Arcus couldn’t help but wonder what that might mean if they ever tried to stand in his way.