Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 50: Ignition and Flamethrower

She even had to sacrifice her sleep, fearing she wouldn't be able to keep up.

Hearing Astrid's words, Lyra lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before whispering, "I want to become stronger than before..."

"So that I can protect Your Highness Astrid."

The girl's tone was sincere, without a trace of falsehood.

Astrid studied Lyra's downcast face, her expression lazy yet thoughtful.

"So, you want to become stronger for me?"

If she remembered correctly, the original book had stated that Lyra's initial motivation for becoming stronger was simply to provide a better life for her family.

That was all.

Now, Lyra had added another reason, to protect Princess Astrid.

This suggested that Astrid's recent "villainous" demeanor hadn't earned as much hatred as she might have expected.

Lyra paused for a moment, her voice quiet.

"This is part of the reason for this..."

It wasn't entirely for Astrid.

Lyra still hoped to become a strong individual, earn more money, and buy a large house in the city to repay her parents.

Hearing Lyra's answer, Astrid's expression remained neutral, neither sad nor pleased.

She casually picked up the small branch on the table and examined it closely.

"If you're practicing Ignition Spell, you should find a slightly drier branch."

The small, half-dead leaves on the branch had already been burned away by the flames, leaving only the emerald-green veins and the sap-filled body.

"If you need any materials in the future, just tell Elise directly. Don't go collecting them yourself."

It just so happened that she had a new batch of maids, and these chores would be handled by them from now on.

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Lyra nodded softly and slowly walked to Astrid's side.

The next moment, she heard Astrid speak again.

"Miss Lyra, please don't sacrifice your sleep time to practice magic anymore."

Astrid closed the magic book, her tone serious.

"Who told you that this is the way to become stronger?"

In addition to accumulating mental strength, the most important aspect of learning magic is comprehension, not blindly memorizing books.

Astrid herself was the best example of this.

She didn't spend excessive amounts of time studying, yet with her advanced understanding of ancient magic, she could cast many high-level spells effortlessly.

As it stood, Lyra studying for an hour at night was far less effective than studying for ten minutes during the day.

Noticing that her words were a little too strong, Astrid sat up straight and handed the branch to Lyra.

"Show me the results of your training."

Hearing this, Lyra took the branch, looked at Astrid, and quickly moved to her next casting target. Her pink lips opened and closed silently.

"The element of fire that exists forever in the world, I pray that you will set it on fire."

As she attempted to transfer mental power, a small amount of white smoke emerged from the branch in Lyra's hand.

After a long pause, accompanied by the choking smell of burning, a few sparks lit up on the brown and yellow bark.

However, they did not evolve into flames.

Upon touching the well-hydrated branches, the sparks ceased spreading inward, forming clear boundaries.

At this point, if Lyra increased the delivery of mental power, she could still ignite the branches.

However, the total amount of mental power she was currently using was already the limit required for this spell.

In theory, even slightly damp branches should be able to burn.

This indicated that Lyra had not yet fully comprehended the magic.

"Let me show you," Astrid said.

Hearing the woman's words, Lyra terminated the transfer of mental power and returned the scorching branch to Astrid.

"The element of fire that exists forever in the world, I pray that you will set it on fire."

Astrid chanted the same spell as Lyra.

Within two or three seconds, a ray of fire burst from the tip of the branch, and a faint flame burned silently above it, as if the slightest breeze would extinguish it.

"Although Ignition and Flamethrower are both fire-based spells and share many similarities in the casting process, they are ultimately two different spells with some differences in the details."

Astrid turned the branch, allowing Lyra a clearer view of the core.

"Flamethrower requires you to condense the flowing flame with your mental power and release it explosively at the right moment."

"The Ignition spell, on the other hand, requires you to slowly spread that small flame to the surrounding area, allowing the fire element to propagate like a wave."

The latter was an Elders Speech spell for Ignition, and Astrid slightly modified the wording to explain it to Lyra in concise and understandable terms.

"Her Highness Astrid means... Flamethrower focuses on the explosive damage created at the moment of casting, while the key to Ignition lies in the spread of heat during the burning process?" A faint flame flickered in Lyra's sky-blue pupils, and her watery eyes glittered in the candlelight.

Seeing that Lyra once again demonstrated her excellent comprehension as the protagonist, Astrid nodded, her voice softening slightly.

"Yes, including the high-level magic derived from the Ignition spell, the primary spell Flame Spread also focuses on the nature of diffusion. When it comes to intermediate spell like Flame Haunting, you need to incorporate the wind element to construct the magic circle."

In addition to the entry-level spells previously discussed, Astrid also explained some intermediate spells to Lyra, hoping the other party could gain further insight.

"Try it yourself."

Astrid didn't bother to cast a wind spell.

Instead, she leaned closer to the branch and blew lightly, extinguishing the flames burning above.

She then handed the branch back to Lyra.

After Astrid's intervention, Lyra's second attempt was quickly successful.

The branch, which wasn't long enough, was completely burned down to the size of a knuckle.

Lyra, startled as if by an electric shock, almost dropped it into the bucket, leaving only a wisp of green smoke behind.

Seeing Lyra's reaction, Astrid couldn't help but raise her lips in a soft chuckle.

"Miss Lyra seems to be a little more careless than I thought."

How could someone release a fire spell without any disturbance and end up burning themselves?

Lyra, misunderstanding Astrid's comment, thought she was referring to her previous failed attempts and her lack of understanding.

Feeling slightly aggrieved, she quickly reminded herself that Astrid was, in a way, her teacher, and it was normal for a student to be corrected.

She adjusted her mood swiftly.

"Because I'm not very clever..."

Hearing Lyra speak so earnestly and self-deprecatingly, Astrid wondered if she had been too harsh.

After a moment's thought, she decided to encourage the girl in front of her.

"Occasionally, you might act a bit foolish, but most of the time, you're far smarter than the other noble ladies I know," Astrid said.

"Don't underestimate yourself. Your magical talent is among the best. I didn't mention it earlier because I didn't want you to become complacent."

In terms of talent, Lyra, as depicted in the original novel, was second to none.

No other character could claim to surpass her.

She was simply in the early stages of her growth, accumulating knowledge and experience.

Once she advanced, her progress would accelerate like a boulder rolling down a mountain.

There was even a classic moment in the story where she, with the strength of a Master Knight, defeated a Crusader—a scene readers often referred to as a "leapfrog challenge."

"Your Highness Astrid... are you comforting me?" Lyra asked, feeling a little better inside.

She was beginning to see that Astrid wasn't as cold as she appeared on the surface; there was a gentleness beneath her exterior.

"Your Highness Astrid, have you taught anyone else before?" Lyra suddenly wondered aloud.

Hearing Astrid's words, it seemed she might have taught others before.

Astrid shook her head softly. "You are the first, and most likely the only one."

She didn't elaborate on how she knew about Lyra's talent.

Judging by the descriptions in the book, Lyra was nothing short of a prodigy.

"It's getting late, Miss Lyra. Go take a shower and rest. You may need to carry the best knight's sword with you in the near future," Astrid said, noticing Lyra's lingering curiosity.

"Do I have to bring a sword when I go out from now on?" Lyra asked softly.

Astrid stood up and nodded lightly. "Yes. Tomorrow, Elise will teach you how to conceal a knight's sword under a maid's skirt."

Lyra: "???"

So big... so long... Could it really fit under a skirt?

Seeing Lyra's bewildered expression as she glanced at the knight's sword in the corner, Astrid remained composed.

"One more thing," Astrid added. "Don't stay up late reading books anymore. Finish the magic homework I assigned, and that should be enough for today. Don't overpractice."

"Save some energy for tomorrow. Pay close attention and listen carefully."

With that, Astrid walked slowly to the door, gazing at the first quarter moon outside the window.

She whispered softly, almost to herself, "Magical learning is like filling a glass with water... You can only pour so much each day. It will overflow when it's full."