Witch Taming System-Chapter 6: Water Exercise

"So? Are you satisfied?" Lancel asked.

Faust remained silent for a moment, studying the sample with a thoughtful expression.

"The last time I saw sperm this closely was when I was still an apprentice," she said. "That memory isn’t exactly fresh in my mind anymore. Still... I can say with confidence that yours is unusual."

Lancel grimaced.

Hearing someone speak so casually about his sperm reminded him of those apprentice witches in Angelica’s lecture hall.

Nevertheless, he forced the memory aside and let Faust continue.

"First of all, the trace of mana within it is quite potent."

"...."

Faust tapped the side of the container.

"The density alone is impressive. If you condensed this level of mana into liquid form, it would be comparable to a high-tier mana elixir."

Lancel stared at her.

"...You’re kidding."

Faust shook her head.

"No."

She looked back at him.

"No wonder Angelica kept you locked in her basement for an entire year."

"...."

"You’re practically a gold mine for mana elixir production."

Not that Angelica had ever done anything like that. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

In fact, thinking back on it now, Angelica had never once mentioned the true purpose of her research.

"So, Lancel. Who exactly are you?"

"...?"

"What makes you so special?"

Lancel considered the question for a moment before responding.

"...If I knew that," he muttered, "I probably wouldn’t have spent a year chained in someone’s basement."

"You want to learn magic, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I’ll teach you."

For a moment, Lancel stared at her, unsure if he had heard correctly.

Just hours ago, she had laughed at the idea.

Now she was offering to teach him herself.

* * *

"It seems you still lack the proper output to condense mana correctly," Faust said. "We’ll start with the water test."

Lancel frowned.

"The water test?"

Faust walked toward the table and placed a simple cup in front of him. She then filled it with water until it nearly reached the rim.

"This is the most basic control exercise."

She pointed at the surface of the water.

"Watch carefully."

As Faust extended a hand and began to circulate her mana, the surface of the water moved, reacting to the invisible pressure.

Then, slowly, the water began to rise.

The liquid climbed higher and higher, forming a smooth dome above the rim of the cup. It rose well past the edge, yet not a single drop spilled over the sides.

The entire surface remained perfectly intact.

Faust withdrew her hand, and the water gently settled back to its original level.

"That is what proper mana control looks like."

The water test sounded simple enough.

When mana entered the liquid, it increased the internal pressure within it.

If the flow of mana was unstable or poorly controlled, the pressure would force the water upward until it overflowed immediately.

But if the control was stable, the water would rise without spilling.

Lancel raised his hand and attempted to replicate what Faust had just shown him.

He circulated the little mana inside his body and directed it toward the cup.

Then the water rose.

For a brief moment, it seemed like it might work.

But the moment the liquid lifted above the rim, it spilled over the side and dripped down the cup.

"Ah."

Lancel lowered his hand and stared at the small puddle forming on the table.

Faust did not seem surprised.

"Keep trying," she said. "Consider this the first hurdle."

Lancel exhaled and raised his hand again, focusing on circulating the mana through his fingertips.

Once more, the water began to react.

And once more, it overflowed.

Faust watched as he repeated the process again and again. Each attempt ended the same way.

Lancel wiped the side of the cup with a cloth and tried again.

The result did not change.

After several attempts, he moved back and rubbed his forehead.

"This is harder than it looks."

Faust nodded.

"Of course it is."

She stepped closer to the table and gestured toward the cup.

"You have mana, but your control is still crude. Right now, your output is inconsistent."

Lancel glanced at the water again.

"So I just keep doing this until it stops spilling?"

"Yes. When you can raise the water without a single drop spilling, then we’ll move to the next step."

"Alright."

Faust checked the small clock on the wall.

"I have a tutoring session in an hour," she said. "You can leave if you want. Go home if you will."

She walked toward the door and picked up her coat.

"But if you’re still here when I get back, I’ll start questioning you about Angelica."

Lancel scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, right. That was your original reason for helping me. Do you actually trust me enough not to disappear?"

"Not really."

Faust glanced at the cup on the table.

"But I doubt you’ll find anyone else willing to teach you magic."

That was true. There was only so much someone could learn from books. Theory meant little without someone experienced enough to correct mistakes and guide the process.

Faust opened the door and stepped outside.

"Try not to flood the table while I’m gone," she said.

The door closed behind her.

Lancel remained alone in the quiet house.

He looked down at the cup again and slowly raised his hand above it.

"...Guess I’m staying."

Leaving had never really been his intention now anyway.

After all...

────────────

➤ Faust Lieber

[Bond Level : 2]

∎ Bond Progress : 17% / 100%

────────────

"So this spell..."

He frowned.

"How exactly am I supposed to use it? Do I just..."

He paused and tried to recall the description of the spell. Closing his eyes, he envisioned the structure of Frostnova the way the system had presented it.

Then he extended his hand.

A sense of chill spread through the air.

Slowly, veins of frost crept along the wall in front of him. The ice spread outward like growing branches, forming crystalline patterns across the surface.

Lancel felt the flow of mana inside his body shift. It ached slightly, but not nearly as much as when he attempted the water test for some inexplicable reason.

Then suddenly.

———!

The frost detonated.

A burst of freezing energy exploded outward, covering the entire room in a wave of ice. Frost coated the walls, the floor, and even the edge of the table beside him.

The temperature dropped instantly.

"...Oops."

Lancel stared at the frozen room in silence.

The spell was powerful. Far more powerful than he expected.

If he could cast something like this repeatedly, then it might actually give him a way to defend himself. Witch attacks were rare in Riviere, but they did happen from time to time.

And if that ever happened... this spell might be strong enough to keep him alive.

"So if I use spells coming from... whatever sort of wall of text this is, it barely affects my mana?"

Lancel looked down at his hand, then back at the frozen room around him.

Something about this did not make sense.

Every phenomenon in the world followed rules. Magic was no exception. Even the most basic spell required a proportional amount of mana to sustain its structure and effect.

A spell of this magnitude should have drained him dry.

Mana was what amplified a spell’s lethality. The stronger the spell, the more mana it required to stabilize it.

At least, that was how Lancel understood it.

Yet the Frostnova he had just cast barely affected him at all.

So where was the energy coming from?

Lancel frowned and glanced again at the system interface floating in his vision.

"Could it be...?"

Since the spell belonged to Faust, perhaps the cost was being drawn from her instead.

"That shouldn’t be the case..."

Even magical contracts did not normally allow someone to siphon mana directly from another person without consent. At least, not without complex rituals and severe backlash.

Which meant something else had to be happening.

Lancel rubbed the back of his neck.

But before he could think about it any further, another problem became painfully obvious.

The entire room was frozen.

"...Right."

How exactly was he going to explain this mess when Faust came back?

Well, saust could probably undo all of this with a spell or two.

Still, the room had become unbearably cold.

"Yeah... I should probably get some fresh air."

He turned toward the balcony.

But just as he took a step forward, something fizzled in the corner of his vision.

Lancel stopped.

"...Huh?"

Another panel had appeared.

But unlike the others, this one looked... wrong.

────────────

➤ ▒▓█▌▐░▞▟

[Bond Level : 999]

────────────

The text flickered as if it were struggling to stabilize. The letters were distorting and shifting like a corrupted signal, glitching between unreadable symbols.

Lancel stared at it.

"...What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

And...

────────────

Category

────────────

➤ ▒▓█▌▐░▞▟

[Unlocked Spells:]

∎ Nyarlathotep

────────────

"...."