- Dammit, you really didn't go easy on my mana. Please, next time don't go that far.

That complaint came from Nohana after she slumped on a chair inside the General's tent. Jane scratched her head sheepishly, a smile on her face.

- I'm sorry, I'll try to not make it happen again.

- I want a reward, though! Like a k-

She couldn't finish her sentence. Eliza appeared in front of her vision like a ghost, an eyebrow lifted. She smiled a bit and flicked Nohana's forehead.

- Civilized adults, Nohana.

The green-eyed woman rubbed her forehead with a mischievous smile, nodding. Jane shook her head and turned her attention to the general that was observing their shenanigans.

- Sorry about that, General Talr. How did the other three gates do?

- Well, first of all, I have to thank you, Miss Jane. Thanks to you, we suffered almost no losses. At least, it was minimized as much as possible. About the other three gates, they did have more losses. But we got help from the mercenaries that have this city as a base of operations. The enemy fled a bit later than your gate.

- Oh, about the fight over there. I'm wondering, do you have a really good archer? I mean, someone capable of shooting perfectly from the city to the battlefield.

Now that she said it, it sounded even more impossible than she thought. The only way for someone to do that… is with a gift of some sort.

General Talr looked at Jane with curiosity and amazement. He wondered how she could think of something like that. He shook his head before answering, his eyes betraying how insane he thought Jane was.

- No, I have no one that skilled in the army, Miss Jane. It's impossible.

- Yeah. Sorry I asked. It's silly now that I think of it!

- No problem, Miss Jane. You can ask any silly question you have. You did help tremendously. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to figure out how they could bring that kind of army here.

General Talr bowed toward the three ladies before getting out of the tent. Jane turned toward Eliza, tilting her head.

- Don't you need to accompany him to investigate?

- No, like I told you, my position may be of a princess. But I don't have much say in anything. I do have some powers, but it's irrelevant here. It's okay, though. I prefer being a mercenary. It's better for my goals anyway. Let's go, we should go back to my mansion. You need a bath, Jane, before the blood dries too much.

Eliza shrugged at the end, giving Jane and Nohana a smile before getting out of the tent too. Both ladies followed her, Nohana complaining about her exhaustion.

This time they didn't rely on Jane's speed, so the way back took longer. Jane used that time to ask Anna.

[{ - Anna, I was thinking, what does someone have to do to learn magic? I guess some affinity with it? Maybe we have to sense something? }]

{ - Oh? Why the sudden interest in magic? }

[{ - Well, I don't really want to rely too much on you for that. I don't mean I want to take your place at all. But if I learn some simple spells, I won't have to ask you every time, right? I don't want to burden you too. }]

Jane felt a wave of gratitude coming from Anna's soul. She could feel her touched by her words, making the redhead smile unconsciously.

{ - You know you will never burden me, Jane. Actually, I am the burden here. You have to hear me and my rants about girls every day. }

Stolen novel; please report.

[{ - Well, that isn't really a burden, you know? And look, it seems to work a bit. }]

{ - That's not my doing at all. I only held her hand once. I just think she was already quite open to that kind of relationship. And look at what you did. Time and time again, you got shot down to the ground, but you stood back up. And every time she was here. Didn't you notice that, Jane? }

Jane's eyes opened wide at that. She hadn't thought of that. It was true, Eliza did see her each moment she took a hit, making her fall hard. But each time she got back up, stronger than before. Maybe it was a weak link, but the princess was still here every time.

{ - And, Nohana too, kind of at least. But I would still be a bit careful around her. She seems open, but she hides something. }

[{ - Yes, I felt that, and… Call me stupid or paranoid, but I think I saw something in her eyes. Nothing dangerous, for me at least, but there's something buried in her… }]

{ - Oh? I didn't notice anything about that. How did you? }

[{ - I… I don't really know, it's just a gut feeling I guess. I think the eyes are incapable of lying. So I usually observe them closely. }]

The redhead could feel the approval of her friend, and a little bit of pride.

{ - Well, let's talk about magic. You wanted to learn a bit, right? The biggest hurdle is getting exposed to magic. And I don't mean the magic in the little artifacts you use every day. But pure magic. Of course, it's not a problem for you! You have me, and two gorgeous girlfriends, to help! }

[{ - Anna, they aren't my girlfriends. }]

{ - Yet! Anyway! Once we are clean, I think we can start. Let me just explain something to you. Almost anyone can use little spells, as long as you can sense magic though, but for more advanced spells you need to know your affinity. By that, I mean your elemental affinity. }

[{ - Like you and your fire, right? }]

{ - Yes. There's a lot of elements. There's the basic ones: fire, wind, water, and earth. But there's lightning, dark, light, ice, and metal too. Other than the basic elements, the rest are pretty rare. Some people can wield more than one element, and they are damn lucky. }

While they were talking, they finally arrived at Eliza's mansion. Jane didn't even wait and vanished to the closest bathroom there was. She got out after a good thirty minutes, her hair still wet. She sighed with glee.

- It's always great to get clean. Blood is too sticky even after drying… Well, let's go and try to see if I can use magic.

She felt Anna nodding in her head. While she was resting the other time, she saw a nice courtyard in the back of the mansion, so she made her way toward it. She met Eliza and Nohana, who seemed to have taken a bath too since their hair was wet, on the way to the courtyard. The green-eyed woman tilted her head.

- Where are you going, Jane?

- I'm… Anna said she will test if I can wield magic. It would be nice. I'm thinking of some little uses for it. If I can really use magic, of course.

- Ooh! Can we watch?

- I don't see why not.

Jane just shrugged and resumed her walk, the two ladies following her excitedly. Once in the courtyard, Anna asked her to sit on the grass.

{ - It's better to be as close as possible to the earth when trying to know your affinity with magic and your elemental affinity. Now, close your eyes and let me take control of your body. I'll set up a magic field around us. }

Jane nodded and then closed her eyes. The two ladies, seated a bit farther away to not disturb Jane, noticed the change of atmosphere around their friend. They looked at each other for a second, wanting to know if they understood what happened.

The redhead, her body now controlled by Anna, lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Less than a second later, the air around her felt heavy, like she was submerged in the ocean. There was also some kind of blue mist slowly rising from the earth.

Eliza and Nohana gasped at the same time.

- That's…

- Yes, a highly concentrated magic field. Who knew that… Anna, was it? Had such control over mana.

The white-haired woman nodded at that but stayed silent, observing what would happen next.

{ - Okay, now I'll give it back to you. Tell me if you feel anything around you, and if you see anything. }

The next moment, Jane was again in control of her body. She immediately felt the heavy air around her. She opened her eyes and shook for a second; she didn't expect that. Everywhere she was looking, she saw blue mist, like it was morning and the sun still hadn't warmed the air enough.

[{ - That's a lot of… Mist? What's that? }]

{ - That's mana. I didn't expect you to see it though. I would have been happy with you just feeling a bit heavy. But I guess you can become a mage. Do you want to? }

Jane thought a bit about it. It would, of course, be nice, but she still liked melee a lot more. She shook her head.

[{ - No, I don't think so. I just have some ideas for some simple spells. But I can change my mind based on my elemental affinity. How do we test that? }]

{ - Focus and try to move the mana in the field. That kind of state is attracting all the elements. When you move the mana in there, your affinity will move too. }

Jane nodded again and closed her eyes once more. She lifted her hand and tried to focus on the mist in front of her.

For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, a blue lightning bolt struck down in front of her, barely missing her hand. The electricity in the air stayed a bit, then rushed toward Jane, entering her body. She opened her eyes wide, and we could see the blue of them shining like sapphires.

{ - Welp. I guess that's it. I expected that, actually. Your speed is perfect with that element… }