I paused for a moment to consider this issue. There was the possibility of revealing the fact that I was not from around here, but considering their impression of me being some wizard from an unknown school of magic, this might be a good time to reinforce on that.
Should not be too hard, since I did learn magic differently from the rest back home. Just got to be careful how to phrase.
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"Sure, but keep the questions to a minimum and preferably after I helped Ise out with his dilemma." After they nodded and took their seats, I turned back to Ise with a straight face. Time for Magecraft 101, the 'dumbed-down' version.
"Firstly, Prana is what you guys would refer to as magical energy, basically the gasoline to powering your attacks if you would. It is called many names, but for our lesson, I will tell you the two most common ones: 'Mana' being the life-force of the world, and 'Od' being the internal energy present in our living creatures." I paused as I looked at the blank faces on some of the audience. Okay, need a different approach of 'dumbing down'.
"Erm, okay you do know of the term 'Senjutsu' right? Natural Energy?" I provided different terms as a reference, and was greeted with brightened expressions of understanding and nodding. "Well, that will be referring to the 'Mana', and the 'Od' will be like 'Chi', the energy inside a person. With me so far?"
Ise nodded as he looked at me seriously. At least he was interested in my explanation, likely due to the possible stakes at hand.
"Next is the manner in which the 'Od' is being circulated in your body via the Magic Circuits. Think along the lines of blood vessels, only these transfer Prana. These circuits are important in many things, like the proper functioning of your body or physical performance, and then we have the usage for magical attacks or magical enhancement of your body."
"Interesting." Sona replied as she started taking notes using a notebook that I had no idea where she kept it. Rias and Akeno were listening with narrowed eyes, no doubt trying to relate to their field of magic to get a better grasp of my style. The others were politely staying quiet, but their expressions spoke of their interest in the magic works.
"Okay that much I understand." Ise frowned as he looked at me. "Wait, you said my condition was similar to yours. In what way?"
"Well, the short version of it is, your circuits are somewhat stunted." I gave it a bit more thought before clarifying the explanation. "The condition you are having is similar to one I used to have, but there are still some differences in terms of our origins."
"Such as?"
"My issue came about from my lack of using my natural circuits in the beginning, thus resulting in a patched job of Prana Circuits. From what I have seen inside you, your body is trying to develop the circuits after your reincarnation as a Devil, but for some reason, the development is particularly slow, so I would say something is interfering with it."
"So what would it be?" Rias pursed her lips as she considered the information, no doubt trying to rethink her plans for this Rating game.
"Well there are several reasons, but for this situation we would go for the more obvious ones." I replied as I considered how best to explain. "The first reason would have to be his body is simply too weak to have circuits. And by that I mean he is seriously the weakest one of the lot" At that remark, I was treated to another sight of Ise slumping on the table and started crying like a baby. Sona's group were shocked at the sudden development while his teammates looked unsurprised at him. Guess he got that remark a few times now.
"Right, moving on to the second reason. This might be a little sensitive for you but" I paused wondering if I should be saying this so soon, but decided that practicality trumps personal misgivings. "There is a certain element inside you that is hindering the development up till now."
"A certain element?" Rias asked in a tentative tone, as if guessing what I had in mind.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but something can interfere with the whole devil transformation process if a foreign element was already inside to begin with?" At her hesitant nod, I laid out my words as plain as possible. "Okay, as far as I know, your biology is not too different from a human's, so if something that was already present in the person's body was potent enough to hinder the development, it would be possible to do so especially if it is the type that would be deadly to devils."
"Wait you mean…" Kiba perked up his ears with a frown on his face, guessing my thoughts.
"I don't mean to drag up bad memories, but I think the reason for your poor development is partially due to Raynare's attack on you. There are still faint traces of her light element that are flowing in your system." I watched Ise's expressions as I explained, knowing what was to come. Sure enough, his facial expressions switched to a blank state, his eyes widening slightly and his skin going pale at the memories of being attacked by Raynare.
"So it is from her spear that he got the issues from?" Rias muttered lightly as Asia started to lightly pat Ise's hand to console him. He was able to let out a small smile as he lightly grasped her hand back.
"So how is it related to your old condition?" Sona asked while she continued writing on her notepad. Her tone suggested she wanted to change the mood that descended on the discussion, and I was thankful for the change.
"My old condition was partially due to my incomplete training last time. I was not given proper instructions on how to utilize my circuits well enough, so much of it was touch and go. The end result was me barely able to use even five percent of my abilities." I replied as I thought back to the time of the Holy Grail War. "It was during one of my first fights that my old partner realized that my circuits were poorly developed and underused, so she helped me through some of her own methods."
"I'm guessing those methods are the ones you will try to help Ise-kun with?" Akeno asked for a confirmation.
"Generally speaking, there are many methods, but for his case there are only two methods, both of which applied to me." I raised my hand to list out the points. "The first method is one you are already implementing for him, the 'slow and steady' route through enhanced physical training. This would definitely yield more favorable results and a lot safer for him, as it would allow his body to adapt to the power of that Longinus he has."
"But considering your tight schedule, you are hoping for a faster solution."
"That would be very helpful indeed, Emiya-kun." Rias bowed her head deeply. I could only sigh inwardly at this scene. The few times I have seen her, she was someone who had a lot of pride in her and her group, and as far as I could tell, she would not defer to anyone so easily. She must really hate that Raiser fellow a lot.
Now I knew how Rin feels at times.
"The second method I am about to propose is pretty risky considering his body, but if it works it could potentially bring about a major boost in his powers. Roughly double if not triple his current level" I waited for any objections before continuing. "In the simplest of terms, it is like kick-starting an engine. Applying an external stimulant to his circuits should awaken it enough to push past his obstruction and opened up all the channels."
"Is it effective?" Sona's enquiry sounded a little doubtful, and I don't blame her for that.
"The success rate is low to begin with, and even if it succeeds the rest depends on the individual himself." I paused to take a sip of water. "For my case, I used both methods to get myself to this stage. I started out with the first method, then got introduced to the second during my first real fight, afterwards I continued with the first option to stabilize the Prana flow inside my body. Even now, I'm still considered a third-rate mage, and some of the others who went through the method have mixed results. Some who were very successful mages ended up crippling themselves severely."
Don't I know it? There were other methods similar to Rin's Jewel that I swallowed to help jump start the circuits, but those were more drastic than mine, not to mention the effects differed greatly. A magus with forty good quality circuits could end up the worst as compared to someone with twenty poor quality circuits. Based on Rin's explanation, it largely depended on the individual's mentality and will to push through the odds.
Guess that made me the lucky one.
"Now that you heard it, you have a choice. Do you wish for Ise to get stronger the slow and safe route, or take the more risky option in time for the match?" I laid out the options and waited for her reply. Rias was most certainly torn in her decisions between trying to increase her Pawn's strength through the quickest way possible and the prospect of crippling her member if the procedures failed.
But it seemed Ise made that decision for himself long before her.
"Give me the second method." I turned to find Ise with a determined look. "If this is the fastest way to get stronger before the match, then do it. I need these circuits to be opened."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" I gave him a warning as I frowned. "The possibility of you getting crippled is extremely high, and even if you can handle the shock, you might not get that much of a boost."
"Please, do it!" Ise actually got up from the chair, came to my side, and bloody got on his knees to beg. "I need to beat that Yakitori Bastard at the Rating Game!"
"Did he call Raiser ~?"
"Yakitori Bastard?"
Tsubasa and Momo clamped their mouths with their hands and tried to no avail to stifle the laughter coming out of their mouths while Tsubaki was looking to the side trying not to smile at that title. I on the other hand was looking very grim as I watched him prone on the ground. Honestly, I was not even sure why I agreed to helping them out despite my own curiosity of their culture or the fact they were creatures that could easily hurt people. So why?
"You are very different from the others. You don't go around asking for a reward or bragging of your accomplishments. You kept helping those less fortunate even when there is no real need to do so, and you keep worrying about your opponents."
The voice of an old friend and enemy echoed some familiar words in my mind, and for a moment I felt myself back on the rock talking to that person once again, wondering how we got to that stage before arriving in this world. Hah~ I felt so old.
Well, since he was this determined, I might as well do the deed then.
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Hey guys I really need you to throw some power Stones ;)
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