The Passing Time - Valuable Lessons!

Sigurd and Eva didn't feel like fighting when they woke up.

So he prepared a simple breakfast and helped soothe her wounded arm. The pair remained in camp because Sigurd asked Eva for something.

"Could you please teach me more about the world of witches, Eva?"

"Hmmm?" Her sapphire eyes watched him with delight as she sat with crossed legs across from him, her black silk underwear on display. "Hehe, what would you like to know, Sigurd?"

'I wonder why she became so flirtatious since the other night...' Sigurd thought, trying to avoid the peaking blue forest that sometimes flashed as the soft silk shifted itself with a view of eden.

"It was mainly about Mana and Aura. I was a mere slave back in the church, but after this mission, they would have unlocked my aura, and I wondered if the two powers were similar and if you knew how to measure them both."

"Oh? If I'm honest, I would have thought you knew about Aura more after so long as a knight."

Sigurd agreed, but his case seemed to be special.

Because of his brother's and father's words, the church became more strict upon him and his squad. He believed it to be a test to make sure he could overcome the so-called 'devil's blood' his mother gave him.

"It's probably because of me being the prince and dubbed someone with devil's blood."

He watched Eva's eyes glowing with magic as she nodded; it seemed she understood from his basic explanation before she turned around and crawled into the tent... once again allowing her soft, faintly tanned buttocks to flash him, with her silk garments barely a string covering nothing.

'This girl needs to be taught modesty!' 

The beliefs he held in the church were still strong in his heart. The thought of such a careless woman allowing her innocence to be put at risk made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Found it!" Eva said with delight before twisting back and placing two strange tools on the board. One was jet black with elvish symbols and runes, and the other was white with the church's divine language.

'Hmmm?'

"See? This is the church's tool. Mother once got one from a travelling trader, and they work for elves, too. So, the half-elves can learn their objecting power compared to the human warriors and holy knights. So whenever they were available, we traded for them."

"Oh, that's handy..." Sigurd nodded, his hand touching the white device. He wondered how Aura worked in this world. 

'I probably lack talent, or it would have awakened earlier...' 

"Do you know the difference between Mana and Aura Sigurd?" 

"Uhm... one is born from the body, from every movement, growing with training, exercise and battle no matter what the enemy?"

"Good, you're right. While we create mana in the witch's core, we collect magic from the world to do this. Various elements linger like specks of magical dust, and our bodies slowly absorb and filter them to transform into our magic." Eva seemed to enjoy speaking about these things, and her eyes glowed bright blue.

"Then Divine force is something I only know a little about. It's created when people worship; the more faith one has in that divine, the more it collects and grows. Mother confirmed that it doesn't matter which divine as long as you are faithful to them." Eva continued.

'I see... although I knew about divine force, they said it only worked if you worshipped the correct god. It seems there is more than one god...'

Sigurd closed his eyes while listening. He could feel if enemies approached using the sonar now etched into his flesh. So, he focused on listening and understanding what Eva spoke about in a relaxed manner.

"Although we can measure all with the same tools, the numbers and growth depend on lifestyle. Mother said that Aura needed to be awakened, like when you perform the awakening ritual to become a witch. Thankfully, performing the Half-Elf body tempering method is used to awaken aura and temper the body."

"Shall we check our current progress?" Sigurd asked, opening one eye halfway, winking at Eva.

"Of course~." Eva nodded with a sweet smile.

It was the first time in his life that he had seen an aura measurement device, so they agreed Eva should go first.

After completing the reading, the two were stunned by the numbers on both devices. In a few days, defeating the lesser Agmar orcs and devoured their leader's meat.

Eva's current scores were phenomenal. Her Aura was halfway to the Acolyte grade, and her Mana grew faster than that of a pure Elven genius witch.

Mana: 38

Aura: 52

Sigurd only awakened his aura on the day he left for this quest, so he thought it would be extremely low. His results were even more jaw-dropping...

Mana: 51

Aura: 25

Although Eva's scores were far above, he discovered that his mana and aura doubled when he activated his devil form!

"I guess... I'm not talented," Eva muttered with a sad smile.

"What are you talking about? You're amazing, and I will take you with me. There's no getting off this mount now, Eva." Sigurd teased, causing her to blush.

"W-w-what... hmmm, we need to focus on the other pieces of meat so that our growth can increase more." Eva blushed while turning away.

'Well... she will become a genuine witch faster than we thought. I never imagined my aura would increase. Is it a result of my hard work or just luck?' 

Sigurd felt happy that Eva would gain half of his benefit when he entered his demon form, meaning her abilities would increase by 50%.

Because Eva injured herself, the pair spent the next three days recovering and enjoying the orc barbecue while their attributes increased a little, as Sigurd thought it might be because their magic far surpassed the orcs and wolves now, so the gains were minimal. 

However, a gain of 1 or 2 points was still a gain!

****

"So, what do you want to do? We have around a week before Medea comes to collect us," Sigurd asked, his eyes looking at the fully healed wound, the broken bone fixed in a few days thanks to the wonders of magic and Agmar meat.

"Hmmm? Well... I don't get to leave the village often, isn't this our best bet to grow fast... I heard to the north is an Agmar cave. It might be dangerous as there are warnings in the village that only Acolytes should hunt there." Eva suggested with a tilt, causing her blue locks to shuffle slightly.

'I should probably save my devil form for emergencies and train myself as much as possible against these, Agmar. Knowing my limits without relying too much on either type of power is important.'

Sigurd nodded in agreement, and the two started packing to explore the surrounding areas and head towards the cave in the northern regions.

"Hey Sigurd, let's make a bet if you kill five Agmar near the cave. I'll do anything you want." 

"If you kill three alone, I'll do anything for you, too." He replied with a smirk, causing her to pout before smiling as she watched Sigurd move ahead, the black tattoo on his left hand glowing with magic as she blushed and seemed excited.

The pair journeyed together, spending a day on foot. They had already reached the northern forest, where the black trees and rotting flora began changing into vibrant colours and life.

"Yay~, I have to collect the essences of these flowers for Mother. We can make these into healing potions!" Eva shouted, her face full of excitement.

'So she came here not just to see the sights but also to collect these materials for potions.'

Sigurd watched as Eva collected nearly fifty plants while saving more than half of the field, claiming that making sure there was enough for others and the forest to keep growing was the Elven way.

As they walked, Sigurd thought, 'How do normal witches improve anyway... Should I ask Eva when I get the chance?'