An outcast dropout, surviving on the frontier and rising to become an S-ranked counter-magician.

Huh ... huh ...

This is it?　I'd like to see you stick around a little longer.

'Huh ... hah ... still ... still good ...'

Yeah. Then try harder.

Yes!

The seventh ward city, a training ground. There were two girls there. One was Sophia and the other was Eira. Sophia had been taught many things about magic by Eira for a long time now, but lately, she was getting especially strict with her. Isn't that too much for the people around her to see?　I was so worried about it. But it's something Sophia wants to do. For that reason, Eira had no hesitation in the harshness of the training either.

Sophia had always thought. She thought that she was being left behind........ She had a definite sense of frustration. Until now, she had been in the position of an honor student who could do well in the academy without graduation. She had also been good at it, and tolerated it.

Sophia knew that she was the daughter of a special class anti-magician, and she knew she was talented. But even though she had talent, she had neglected this thing called hard work. She didn't have the guts to die for it like Shelly did.

In addition, Sophia had lost her brother and harbored a fierce hatred for this world and yet she couldn't take it seriously. Even if she got serious, could she still resist this world?　Can you do something about it?　Even his brother, who was far superior to himself, could not resist the twilight. Then what could she do?

That thought had been holding her back until now.

'Sophia, you're talented. I can feel it, after all, when I'm facing you like this. I especially like the fire attribute among the four major attributes.''

'Huh ... huh ... is that so?'

Do you understand the characteristics of each of these attributes?

'Huh ... well ... just in case ...'

Water, ice, fire, and lightning, but water and ice are matter, and fire and lightning ... or strictly speaking, electricity. These are phenomena. Are you sure about that part?

...I'm sorry, I wasn't really aware of it.

''Well even in the academy, I'm not too picky. There are geniuses among the special class anti-magicians who are sensoryists, but I am a theorist by heart. Eve, who is ranked 11th on the list, is a genius of the sensory school. And you, Sophia, you're not a sensoryist like me. So understand. What theories are at work to create magic.

Yes!

Water and ice, for starters. These two are substances. Matter can be divided into four main components: liquid, solid, gas and plasma. Liquid, solid, gas and plasma. Plasma is ionized gas, but that's okay for now. In other words, water is liquid and ice is solid. It doesn't take much effort to magically create matter. It's just a matter of fixing an image into this world through magic. The problem is fire and electricity. Do you understand what those two are?

There's a phenomenon, isn't there?

Yeah. Fire and electricity aren't matter, they're phenomena. Fire Strictly speaking, it's combustion. There are two conditions for combustion. Oxygen and fuel. Oxygen adds to what's already there and increases the amount of magic by converting it into oxygen. In addition, an oxidation reaction occurs to produce light and heat, which are the conditions for combustion. We do this process unconsciously, but have we ever been firmly aware of it?

No I'm sorry I was just kind of doing it.

'Then fix it. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with doing things by feel, but it's important to understand the process. In the meantime, develop the fire attribute.

I understand.

It's not that the stories that Eira said are not learned at the academy. And it doesn't mean that they are neglected. But if you ask whether understanding the theory will improve your magic, that can only be said to depend on the person. Still, Eira tells Sophia to avoid doing things by feel. It comes from her experience. Eira has not always been gifted, either. She is roughly not as talented as other special-grade anti-magicians. Nor did she have an unusual magical aptitude compared to other female Special Class Counter-Magicians.

So how did Eira reach the status of being described as an 'Ice Witch'? That's exactly what it meant to pursue theory and logic. She decided to visualize all the magical processes that she was doing unconsciously through theory. Why is this matter created, why does this phenomenon occur?　She spent an enormous amount of effort until she was able to get to the bottom of it and reduce the entire process to unconsciousness, and she had achieved the status of a special grade anti-magician. It wasn't that she wasn't talented by any means, but she was also a genius at hard work.

''Eira-senpai can use the Wide Area Interference System 《Sphere》, right?

Well, that's two names for it.

Can I see it?

Yeah it's a pain in the ass...

Please!　Senior!

'Well that's okay. Then get behind me, it's not safe for you to come behind me.

I understand!

You're looking really good.

Eira meditates and thrusts her hands crossed in front of her. And then a few dozen seconds later. A huge magic circle appeared in the center of the training ground, and suddenly it seemed to shine.........and then an icy world spread out.

''Amazing........this is.......''

The Frostsphere. Well, it's going to take a while.

Eira said and cleaved her right hand. Then the ice that had existed returned to the particles at once. Glittering, it was a fantastic sight, too.

''So this is the pinnacle of magic, isn't it?''

I'm not sure if it's practical but if you can activate it, it's useful in its own way.

There is a type of magic called the "Sphere", which is a wide area interference system. This is a magic with an interference range of 30 meters or more in radius. Eira possesses the Frost Sphere, a frozen area that specializes in ice. She can also manipulate the ice at will within this icy world. It takes some time to activate it, but if you can activate it, it is quite powerful. This is called the pinnacle of magic, the wide area interference system 《Sphere》. There are some special class anti-magicians who can use it, but Eira's has a great deal of skill among them. This is the part that can be called her talent.

''Huh.......That's amazing~. Will I be able to go this far too?

It depends on how hard you work. It takes talent, but I think Sophia has a certain amount of talent. Now it's just a matter of how much effort you can put in without being corrupted.

Did senior Eira make an effort, too?

''I'm not a genius in the true sense of the word. Only a few of the special class anti-magicians are true geniuses. I can still rise to the top. I've proven that to myself. So hang in there. Unless you don't want to be left behind by those two.

Haha.....do you understand...

Sophia scratches her head and smiles affectionately. Yes, how did she get serious now? It's partly because of that attack, but most of all it's because of the influence of Yulia and Shelly. Humans are creatures that are unknowingly influenced by others. It's the same for the people we associate with. They say that like begets like, and that's a truth of sorts.

In order for a person to develop his or her abilities to the fullest, talent alone is not enough. It takes more than just effort. Talent, effort, and environment are necessary. When these three elements are properly combined, a person can develop his or her abilities to the fullest. Sofia is at a critical point in her life where they all overlap. Although he himself is not aware of it.

''To be clear, Julia and Sherry are true geniuses. Unlike us, those two are mainly involved in melee combat.............but in the case of those two, it's beyond the scope of what can be explained by theory and logic. Julia saw it with her own eyes and Shelly said that that Belle was a genius. Still, do you want to stand by those two?　This is going to be hard for you. If you don't want to let your talents destroy you both, you have the option to give up. I've seen plenty of them. A counter-magician who was crushed when he saw his limitations.

''I know. I know that those two are the real geniuses and I'm a bit of an ordinary person with talent. But still, that's not an excuse. I'll try to push myself to the limit, and if that doesn't work, I'll give up.

It's cold out there, isn't it?

Well, gut feelings alone won't help. Still, no one knows what the future holds. That's no matter who you are. So I'm going to make this effort. Just now, Yulia and Shelly aren't around either.

You're a big shot, honey.

Nishishi. That's the only thing I'm good at!

It wasn't long before Sophia's efforts would blossom.