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“Mana Tempering, to put it simply, is based on the same concept as Mana Hardening. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to learn considering you already know Mana Hardening.”
“Even if you say that…”

Merc had been attempting for some time to increase the hardness of the Mana that encircled her entire body, but despite pouring in even more Mana, it had failed miserably.
　
She hadn’t been able to change her Mana’s color. The most she had achieved was a slightly stronger Mana Hardening.

“Phew… This is quite tiring.”
“You are free to rest for as long as you like. As long as you learn it before the end of today, that is.”
“Urgh…”

Merc drank the Mana Potion she had brought to recover her Mana after hearing Rosemary mention that.
　
Despite the fact that she was just coating her body with Mana rather than expending it, some of it would inevitably seep out over time. It was akin to having a small hole in a bucket full of water.
　
Fortunately, the quantity leaking out was minimal, and she was able to recuperate by consuming Mana Potions.

“Let’s give it one more shot…”

Even though the sun was still shining, Merc couldn’t afford to waste any time. She could replenish her Mana using Mana Potions, but there was a limit on how many she could consume. If she drank too many of them in a short amount of time, her body would reject the potions, and she’d have to spit it out.
　
In the worst-case scenario, her body would become permanently incapable of consuming Mana Potions.

Master did say that finer Mana Manipulation control was necessary. She was probably hinting that I should finish up before I wear my mind out.

No matter how many potions one drank to recover their Mana, their mental fatigue could not be replenished. Healing, on the other hand, could do this, but Rosemary disliked Merc’s use of it. That had been the case ever since Merc first learned the spell.
　
Which was why Merc was holding back on using it.

“Haaa!”

Merc shouted to energize herself and began to harden her Mana. She tapped into the mana that was hidden deep inside her, but all she managed to do was increase the diameter of her Mana veil. Its hue didn’t seem to be changing at all.

“I’m not done yet!”
“Stop being an idiot and put your Mana away.”
“… Okay.”

Merc nodded, tucking away her Mana back inside her body. This had proven to be considerably more difficult than she had anticipated.

Is she trying to tell me that adding more Mana isn’t the way to go?

Merc’s Mana pool was unusually large for an elf, which were known for having large Mana pools.
　
This was primarily due to her rigorous training from an early age. When it came to raw Mana amount, Merc would not even lose against Rosemary.
　
However, given that she hadn’t been able to achieve the tempering even after pouring out virtually all of her mana, this implied that Mana had nothing to do with it.

“You’re struggling quite a bit it seems. I did explain that Mana Tempering and Mana Hardening are both based on the same concept, but you’re concentrating much too much on merely increasing the amount of Mana.”
“What?”
“It is true that the more Mana you spend; the stronger Mana Hardening becomes. However, that only raises the quality of your Mana Hardening and nothing more… Are you seeing where I’m going with this?”
“In other words, increasing the amount of Mana while utilizing Mana Hardening will make it stronger, but it will hinder me from progressing to the next level?”
“Something like that.”

Rosemary agreed with Merc’s comment. Even so, Merc was still at a loss about what to do.
　
Other than increasing Mana, she wasn’t aware of any other way to increase hardness.

“Merc, how do you harden Mana?”
“… What? Well I gather the Mana about my body and start condensing it till it hardens. I envision the Mana to be a clump of sand that I’m squeezing until it hardens into a solid mass, exactly as you taught me.”
“That’s right. With that in mind, what do you think will happen if you just pile additional sand on top of the original batch without thoroughly compressing it?”
“Oh…”
“That’s what I meant when I stated you’d need more precise Mana Manipulation control. By piling more sand on top of the previously compressed one, you are just increasing its volume. You must compress the previously compressed sand even further in order to achieve true Mana Tempering. Although that’s easier said than done.”

Merc felt as though a whole new world had opened up before her after hearing Rosemary’s explanation.

Rosemary had explained that the process was similar to Mana Hardening, but she had also stated that it would need far finer Mana Manipulation control.
　
Merc, on the other hand, had disregarded this point and assumed that simply pouring in more Mana would suffice.

“Compress the Mana further… Compress… Compress…”

Merc found that compressing merely a part of her Mana veil was using much more Mana than usual. However, she wasn’t using nearly as much Mana as she had when attempting to pour Mana all over her body. She chose to compress her Mana even more because the current quantity was manageable.

A moment later, the Mana that surrounded her right palm turned a slight shade of crimson. Merc grasped the sensation and directed her attention to her entire right arm, which was enveloped by a translucent crimson veil in a matter of seconds.

This is Mana Tempering!

“Impressive… When you know what you’re doing, you’re fairly quick. Are you really just fourteen? You know, your rate of growth is enough to put all elves to shame.”
“Put all elves to shame… Are you praising me, Master?”
“Of course I am. That aside, try covering your whole body with Mana Tempering. It should be fairly simple, right?”
“Right…”

Merc began to picture the Mana surrounding her entire body compressing even further after being urged by her Master.
　
She found it a little more difficult than focusing just on her right arm, but she got it done.
　
Rosemary picked up her sword once again after witnessing Merc’s body had been effectively wrapped in a red colored Mana. She then spread Mana to her sword, but it remained colorless, indicating that she was just employing Mana Hardening.

“I’ll put everything into this strike.”
“Huh?”

The Mana surrounding the blade doubled in width as soon as Rosemary said that, sending off a powerful sensation of intimidation
The ordinary sword now appeared to be capable of defeating any first-class weapon.

“M-Master! T-This is a bit…”
“Don’t worry. There should be no issues if your Mana Tempering is perfect.”
“A-And what if it isn’t?”
“Well… you’ll just have to die in that case!”
“WHAT?!”

A distinct metallic clang resonated just before Rosemary’s vicious downward swing was about to land on Merc’s skull.

Merc caught a glimpse of the sword’s splintered blade dropping to the ground from the corner of her eye. Rosemary examined her sword, which had been shattered cleanly in the center, with indifference.

“Master…”
“I guess you pass. It’s still a bit rough around the edges but that will smooth out with time. Just like I did with my sword you’ll be able to cover anything with it after you’ve become used to it, just like you can cover your wooden stick with Mana Hardening.”
“Right…”

Having come to the realization that this would be her final lesson, Merc felt lonely and guilty.

It had been six years since she had become Rosemary’s disciple. Her Master had taught her a lot of things.

Whether that’s Alchemy, Healing, or simply showing her how to look after the village’s cattle.
　
Thanks to Rosemary, Merc had been able to learn magic and improve her Mana Manipulation to the point where she was now.
　
She had also taught her various other important things as well. Merc, on the other hand, had done nothing to repay Rosemary.

She hadn’t paid her, and she hadn’t offered her any emotional support.
　
Merc had not given Rosemary anything since forcing her to embrace her as her disciple when she was eight years old.

What can I give back to her?

Merc couldn’t leave the village without doing something for Rosemary.
　
Merc, on the other hand, didn’t know what she could do for Rosemary, who had lived far longer than she had, so she just asked.

“Master, is there anything I can do for you?
“That’s quite unusual of you to ask. What’s gotten over you?”
“It’s just that I wanted to repay back the kindness you’ve given me before leaving the village.”
“Is that so…”

Rosemary was taken aback when she heard Merc say that, but she nodded gently, accepting her offer. She sat on a nearby chair after putting away the shattered blade and motioned Merc to get closer with her hand.

“In that case, how about you listen to a story of mine?”
“… What? Is that all?”
“That’s all. I’m sure this story will also clarify some of your questions, so come here and listen. It’s the story about my first disciple…”

Rosemary then proceeded to tell the story of the human who became her student before Merc¹.

1. Robinxen: Oh who could it be?!