Chapter 25: Alchemy
Arthur felt satisfied and praised her, "Well done. Now maintain that posture—don't let the water scatter and keep it moving."
Octavia smiled happily. "Yes, my lord."
'Hmm, she managed to cast the Water Manipulation Spell. That's good. She might reach Rank E in a day or two.'
To cast magical spells, mages had to complete three steps. First, they needed to sense the mana within their bodies and guide it according to the type of spell. Second, they had to imagine the shape or function of the spell—such as picturing the water moving according to their will. Third, and finally, they had to recite the incantation in the Runic language. The incantation helped with controlling and directing the mana, which accelerated the casting process for beginners.
The Runic language was the ancient language of magic. Although Arthur knew many spells, he didn't actually understand the meanings of their incantations—they sounded like random words to him. However, he also knew how to write in runes; the novel had described the runic letters in detail, and he had seen illustrations of several written spells.
In truth, the third stage wasn't really necessary—experienced mages could cast spells without uttering them at all.
Time passed slowly. After about ten minutes, the water dispersed and settled back into stillness in the bowl. Arthur instinctively looked at Octavia and noticed she was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, barely able to remain standing.
'She depleted her mana reserve that fast?'
"You may rest now." His words felt like a royal pardon. The moment Octavia heard them, she collapsed to the floor and began breathing deeply.
'Now that I think about it, I did gather some quality medicinal herbs. With them, I could make a few new types of potions.'
With that thought in mind, Arthur got out of bed and ordered Octavia to bring him the ingredients and tools, and to bring Selene along with her.