"What's this? Is Alice-chan about to cast some strange magic?"
Tiona, having overheard the conversation from Alice's side, grew intensely curious and wandered over. With the easy familiarity of an old friend, she struck up a conversation with Alice.
"You know, Alice-chan, about your healing magic... if only the method could be changed a little. Having trees sprout from wounds feels kinda terrifying, to be honest.."
As she spoke, Tiona couldn't suppress a slight shiver.
"You idiot, Tiona! Healing magic is already incredibly rare! Dian Cécht has even decreed that just watching Airmid's magic, regardless of whether you receive treatment, costs a hefty sum!"
"And besides, as long as the healing effect is good, that's all that matters, right? Raul, back me up here. When you were corroded by those maggots, how effective was Alice's treatment?"
Tione, walking ahead, countered Tiona's complaint.
Hearing Tione's question, Raul, who was following close behind Finn, replied with deep respect.
"Miss Alice's healing magic was extremely effective. While having branches grow from the wound was... a bit unusual, the therapeutic results were truly outstanding. It's absolutely on par with the healing magic of Lady Airmid from the Dian Cécht Familia."
Getting Raul's confirmation, Tione raised an eyebrow and looked back at her sister.
"Tch... I never said anything about Alice-chan's healing magic being ineffective or anything," Tiona pouted, clasping her hands behind her back, clearly annoyed by Tione's nitpicking.
"Speaking of which, Raul got pretty badly hurt facing those maggots. My Urga even melted! And you, you went and shoved your hands right inside those maggots's bodies! Commander, aren't you going to scold Tione for that? Such reckless behavior shouldn't be praised, right?"
Tiona directly tattled to Finn.
"I've already given her a proper talking-to," Finn replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Raul, standing beside Finn, twitched the corner of his mouth and muttered under his breath, "A talking-to... For Tione-san, the Commander's 'talking-to' probably feels more like a reward..."
The group chatted and laughed, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Alice watched their interactions, a soft smile gracing her features. While she usually preferred quiet, a scene like this wasn't so bad after all.
Tug tug.
Alice felt a slight tug on the corner of her clothes.
She turned to find Ais staring at her with a serious expression.
"Um... Ais, what is it?" Alice tilted her head, looking at Ais quizzically.
"The magic you used against the Goliath. I want to try it."
Ais's eyes were clear, but Alice could see the anticipation shining within them.
"The magic against the Goliath?" Alice thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "That gravity magic that restrained it?"
"Mhm." Ais nodded. "I want to experience that gravity magic."
"Experience it? How?" Alice looked at her strangely.
The gravity magic was a fusion of Alice's Earthly Radiance spell and the power of boundaries—something Ais couldn't possibly learn.
So, what did Ais mean by 'try'? Did she mean...?
Ais said earnestly, "Use it on me. I want to feel what it's like inside that gravity magic."
Hearing this, Alice blinked.
Riveria and Lefiya, who had also heard Ais, simultaneously looked at her with shocked expressions.
"Ais, are you serious?" Alice asked.
"Mhm. Very serious," Ais replied, her tone flat.
Alice frowned and looked toward Riveria.
She could roughly understand Ais's thinking. Through their recent time together, Alice had gained a more direct sense of just how intensely Ais desired to grow stronger.
Before, Alice had thought Ais was just anxious about being stuck at Level 5, unable to break through to Level 6. But now...
Ais's drive to become stronger seemed almost frantic, as if she was being relentlessly pushed toward a specific goal.
Alice could grasp Ais's mindset.
Similarly, Riveria, who had cared for Ais since childhood, understood Ais's motives even better. In response to Alice's questioning look, Riveria simply asked,
"Alice, can you stop the magic circle instantly?"
Hearing Riveria's question, Alice understood that Ais's actions wouldn't be stopped.
"I can, yes. But after I stop the magic circle, it will continue operating briefly for a few more seconds. The magic will only truly cease once the mana is exhausted. So Ais mustn't push herself too hard. She has to call out the very moment before she can no longer endure it."
Alice explained this to Riveria, then turned her gaze to Ais, speaking seriously. "I haven't researched how to reduce the gravitational pressure for this magic. Using it on a person is extremely dangerous."
"You must call out before you feel things are going wrong. Otherwise, your internal organs could be crushed."
Even though Ais was a Level 5 adventurer with a powerful physique, that didn't mean she could truly withstand gravity fundamentally different from the surface's.
One had to remember that the thick-skinned Goliath had been utterly helpless under Alice's gravity magic. Ais's body was strong, but it clearly couldn't be compared to a Goliath's.
"I understand."
Ais nodded seriously. Even someone as airheaded as her could tell that Alice was worried.
Seeing the unwavering determination in Ais's eyes, Alice let out a helpless sigh.
"Honestly, who knew becoming friends with you guys would lead to this? I'm still not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing for me."
As she spoke, Alice came to a stop. The grimoire in her hand floated up beside her, its pages rapidly flipping forward on their own.
Seeing Alice's actions, everyone present halted and turned their attention to her. They had all heard Ais's request.
Everyone understood what Ais was thinking.
So now, they all watched Alice with keen interest. Besides, if Ais's idea proved successful, it could be a very useful thing for all of them.
The grimoire stopped flipping on its own, landing on a page depicting an intricate, mysterious magic circle.
Alice looked at Ais.
"Are you ready?"
Ais nodded.
"I see." Alice took a deep breath and raised her hand.
"Earthly Radiance: Gravity Alter."
As Alice's incantation rang out, a moderately-sized magic circle materialized at Ais's feet. Then, with a sudden thump, Ais was slammed flat against the ground.
The abrupt change in gravity had caught her completely off guard.
And this was without Alice even employing the power of boundaries.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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