Cold air spread out around them as crystal-clear ice roses blossomed out of thin air. With shocking speed, they pierced through the small ice tiger Lyon had just created, instantly "disemboweling" it.
Seeing her daughter's outstanding performance, Ur joyfully pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss filled with motherly love on her cheek.
"As expected of my daughter, learning it after seeing it just once."
Witnessing the intimate interaction between mother and daughter, a wave of bitterness rose in Lyon's heart, and his fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.
(The same modeling as Master... they really are true mother and daughter.)
Lyon took a deep breath, forcing himself to regulate his emotions. He threw himself even more intently into his magic practice, as if trying to dispel the loneliness in his heart through sheer effort.
Perhaps sensing Lyon's subtle emotional shift, a smug smile appeared on Ultear's face. But soon, she turned her concerned gaze to Tike, who was silently watching everything from the side.
Ur turned as well, her gentle gaze landing on Tike. "Want to give it a try?" she asked softly.
"Oh!"
Tike responded excitedly. Just like Ultear had done, he clenched his right hand into a fist and placed it gently on his open left palm.
(What should I imagine? Right, let's go with that!)
As Tike focused his thoughts, a water-blue magic circle emitting a soft glow slowly unfolded before him.
However, surprisingly, what surged from the magic circle wasn't a crystalline ice flower like Ultear's, but a stream of clear water.
The spurting water was like a silver ribbon, shooting straight toward the tree stump Gray had chopped down, quietly pouring into the gaps Gray had created.
And then... there seemed to be no "and then." The stump stood there quietly, showing no obvious changes.
Gray and Lyon were both drawn to this strange scene. They turned to look at each other simultaneously, the same confusion evident in their eyes.
Aren't we training in Ice-Make Magic? Why did someone just cast water magic?
Ur also looked surprised. She had anticipated that Tike might fail on his first attempt at magic, but she hadn't expected him to produce water-attribute magic directly.
However, as an experienced wizard, Ur quickly accepted this unexpected result. She looked at the bewildered Tike and voiced her guess, "It seems you are more suited for water magic than ice magic."
"Eh... does that mean I can't learn Ice-Make Magic?" Tike hung his small head, his voice tinged with disappointment.
"Since you're better suited for water magic, there's indeed no need to force yourself to use ice magic," Ur encouraged him. "But Maker Magic isn't tied to an element. You can still learn it."
"But I failed the modeling part too. Can I really learn Water-Make like this?" Tike muttered softly, his eyes full of doubt about his own abilities.
"It's your first time. Failure is normal," Ur comforted him.
Ultear also leaned close to Tike, her clear eyes full of encouragement. "Go for it! You can definitely do it."
With their encouragement, Tike gradually regained his confidence.
At this point, Ur turned to ask Tike what he had imagined when using magic just now, hoping to help him practice better from that angle.
"Roast chicken."
This unexpected answer made Ur chuckle, and Lyon laughed so hard he bent over backwards.
"Hahaha! Why are you always thinking about eating!"
Ultear covered her mouth and giggled lightly. "You can't eat magic, you know."
"Looking at it is good enough," Tike said, swallowing his saliva as his small hand unconsciously touched his stomach.
Seeing Tike's cute demeanor, Ur finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It's almost noon. Just hold on a little longer."
Tike nodded expectantly. Just as he was about to continue pondering magic, he suddenly heard Lyon shouting in panic, "The tree... the tree!"
"What about the tree?"
Tike looked up in confusion, only to witness a miraculous sight—the tree stump that had just taken his attack was growing wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a towering tree.
Against the backdrop of pure white snow, the lush green canopy looked exceptionally vibrant.
Ur was stunned at first, but quickly realized the likely cause of this anomaly.
(Is this the effect of Tike's magic?)
But what happened next was even more unexpected for Ur.
Tike's little nose twitched slightly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered treasure. He charged straight for the giant tree, nimbly climbed up, and hugged a fruit that looked like a coconut from among the branches. He raised his small hand and smashed it open with force!
Instantly, a tantalizing aroma wafted out.
Inside the fruit, there was miraculously a whole, golden-crisp roast chicken!
"It smells so good!"
Tike's eyes shone. He couldn't wait and began feasting right there on the spot, completely immersed in the satisfaction brought by the delicious food.
Everyone else fell silent in unison, their expressions complicated as they pondered the same question.
(What kind of Maker Magic is this, exactly?)
In the short time they were lost in thought, Tike had already demolished most of the golden roast chicken. He wiped his greasy mouth, hopped over to Ultear, and generously offered her the last remaining drumstick.
"Big Sis, for you!"
Ultear snapped out of her daze. Looking at Tike's greasy but exceptionally cute little face, she couldn't help but reveal a doting smile.
"I'm not hungry. You eat it."
"Try it! Back in that place, you always gave your chicken leg to me. This time, I want you to have something good to eat too."
Faced with Tike's persistence, Ultear couldn't refuse any longer. She took the golden drumstick emitting that tempting aroma and took a gentle bite.
Instantly, the crispy skin and juicy meat exploded in her mouth, delivering wave after wave of delicious impact.
"It's... it's delicious!" Ultear's eyes lit up instantly, and she couldn't help but exclaim in genuine admiration.
After that, she could no longer resist the temptation. She quickly gnawed the entire drumstick clean, even licking the residual grease from her fingertips, afraid to waste even a bit of the flavor.
It wasn't just enjoyment for her taste buds; as the chicken entered her stomach, a warm feeling gradually spread from her belly, even dispelling the shadows and pain left in her heart by the experiments.
Seeing Ultear so satisfied, Tike smiled until his eyes curved into crescents, revealing a row of neat, small white teeth.
"Big Sis, want more?"
This time, Ultear nodded without hesitation.
"Mm-hmm!"