The Moonlight Swordsman

"Now I don't have the beast fairy like the last time I told you, but I know someone who can help you with that," Zareena said.

A tiny red crystal ball materialized from Zareena's ring. As they waited for her to speak, Aizel and Vespara fixed their eyes on it.

"I saved someone a long time ago, and she owes me a debt for it. You have to visit the dragon region in the Beast Kingdom.

"From there, you can contact her through this crystal," Zareena said.

"You can't contact her from here?" Aizel asked.

"No, this crystal will work only in that region."

"So how will she recognize me? She doesn't even know me. Why would she believe me?" Aizel further asked

"This crystal is like an emergency contact. If you contact her through this, she will know that it is me. Even if she asks, you can let me talk with her, and I will convince her.

"You will visit her as my personal royal mage working under me."

Aizel raised his brows for a few seconds, trying to digest every piece of information.

"So, I have to inform her that I came to catch the beast fairy for you?" He asked.

"Correct, and she will help you," Zareena replied.

"So... what's the catch... I mean, the danger?" Aizel asked.

"Danger... hehe, if you get caught, you will die or even get tortured to death," Zareena replied with a devilish smile.

Aizel snorted.

"Now I will take my leave. It depends on you now, if you want to go or not."

Having said that, Zareena placed the red crystal ball on the table and departed from the mansion with Seraphine.

"So what are you going to do now, pretty boy?" Vespara ask.

"Umm... I will definitely go, but not for now. I have to learn at least something about the arcane magic circuit system and have to train my Grade III core as well." 

Vespara smiled and nodded.

As the night unfolded, Vespara immersed herself in the pages of her books, absorbing the tales within. 

Shelly and Daisy were there to accompany Aizel as he enjoyed the children's company. Infusing the air with warmth, laughter resounded as Aizel enthusiastically delivered enthralling tales. 

Aizel ended up in Vespara's potion shop the day after that. The magic institutes were taking a short vacation from their regular schedules as a result of the kingdom's victory in the tournament till the grand celebration.

He was excited to start his educational adventure and was ready to dive headfirst into the complexities of the arcane magic circuit system.

"By the way Vespara, who was the one who invented this system?" He asked.

"That's still a kind of mystery. No one really knows who was the first one to use or the one who invented that." She replied.

Interesting," Aizel thought.

"So where to start?"

"First, you need to learn how to create a magic circle through mana," Vesparaa said.

"For that, you must be efficient in mana flow, how to control it and manipulate it. And you are already perfect in it, so you clear this step.

"Next, here take this chalk..." She handed a small white chalk to Aizel.

"Now start drawing normal magic circles with some patterns; let me show you."

Using chalk, Vespara drew basic magic circles on the floor while kneeling down. Aizel watched her carefully and then tried to draw a circle like hers.

He devoted much time to drawing elaborate magic circles on the floor using chalk. 

Without voicing any protest, he continued with the same repetitious activity for two days in a row. Realizing how important it was to become proficient with the circles, he realized that moving on to the next level would be possible after he did so.

On the third day, Vespara brought his practice to a halt.

"I think that's enough; now comes the first hardest part."

Aizel gulped after hearing that.

"Concentrate the mana from your surroundings and imagine them to create a line. Then draw the magic circle with it like this...

Her right palm waved over the ground, and suddenly, white lines appeared, quickly drawing a magic circle that mirrored the one they had been practicing with the chalk.

"Also remember, don't let it break or you have to start it again, now give it a try,"

Aizel nodded. 

He shut his eyes, delving into a mental visualization of the lines using the power of mana. Swiftly, the lines began to materialize as he endeavored to form the magic circle.

But it broke into complicated patterns with every try, forcing him to start over.

He had to focus on both the mana summoning and the shaping of the lines into coherent magic circles at the same time.

Damn it, this looks easy but this is so hard. How the hell was that guy creating the magic circles one after the another, and that too while fighting both me and that idiot,"

[Master, you should use your imagination power]

I am trying, but it is still hard to maintain the mana control,"

Aizel dedicated endless hours to making the magic circle. Not a single magic circle appeared after an entire day of trying.

The myriad circles, each with its distinct pattern, proved challenging to create using this method.

He finally understood that Vespara was right when she said the arcane magic circuit system would be difficult.

Vespara left him to hone his skills in solitude. 

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Aizel immersed himself in the meticulous craft of drawing magic circles.

His stays in the mansion were short, consisting mostly of meals and the odd chat with the kids.

Every day, he worked tirelessly to become an expert at magic circles. He even ignored Alora's invitation, determined to return only when he had mastered the creation of these magical patterns.

Meanwhile, enthusiasm flourished across the Felgura Kingdom as people eagerly anticipated the forthcoming grand celebration.

The people of Felgura City were getting ready for the happy occasion that was about to take place.

All sorts of exciting things were happening within the fortifications of Felgura Castle. The nobles were deeply engrossed in the delicate waltz of negotiations, intent on finalizing the land agreement with the Theodora Kingdom.

They were unanimous in their decision to hand over the southern corner of the Theodora Kingdom, which was conveniently closer to Felgura, after much discussion.

Looking ahead to the next stage of development, the King of Felgura focused his concentration. There were preparations for moving and building in the newly obtained southern region after the celebration. 

The proposed teleportation magic circle was a critical link between the Kingdoms.

Building the teleportation magic circle was an effort to make travel between Felgura and the southernmost tip of the Theodora Kingdom more efficient.

As the weeks rolled by, the highly anticipated grand celebration drew near. 

Elegantly, invitations, meant only for distinguished guests and nobles, made it into the possession of those who mattered.

Among the recipients were Daisy and Shelly, who also received the invitations. 

In the meantime, Aizel continued his relentless practice of becoming an expert in the arcane magic circles, unfazed by the impending celebrations.

"So what about him? Is he going to join us or not?" Shelly asked. 

She, Daisy, and Vespara were having some tea along with some snacks in the garden. While the kids were playing with Fenrir,

"He hasn't said anything about it. But it seems he is getting better every day while drawing the magic circles," Vespara replied, sipping her tea.

"So that's it?"

"Nope, that's only the plain magic circles. Next, he has to learn how to mix the properties of power with them. That is the most difficult thing." Vespara replied.

"Umm.. it might take a few years, right?" Shelly asked.

"I have seen many mages spend 50 years and still can't learn it," Vespara replied.

"What about you, Daisy? Are you going to continue your training and grow your magic core?" Shelly asked, looking towards her.

"I... I don't know. I trained hard because I was selected for the tournament and wanted to take care of kids if an emergency arrived.

"I think I am going to spend some time with kids for now. I will think about it later," Daisy replied.

Abruptly, Aizel made his entrance. 

Little Fenrir's tail wagged enthusiastically as the kids hurried over to see him, their excitement palpable.

After he had spoken to the kids, he went up to Vespara, Daisy, and Shelly. As he took a seat next to them, he let out a sigh of relief. Fenrir perched on top of him.

"So how's your practice going one?" Vespara asked.

"I can feel it, I am close. Now I can almost make it till the end without breaking my focus," Aizel replied.

"Very good. Don't worry about it pretty boy, you will get there. You are already learning at an unbelievable pace." Vespara replied.

"Yes, that's why I thought, I needed a little break for myself. It might be a good thing to do for now."