Mana Control

As they moved on to the girls' match, the stage got a lot smaller. This time it was not a match between physical skills nor abilities, but mana control. One of the most important aspect of using magic is the delicate and precise calculations to cast a spell.

Taking out a some peculiar metal orbs, Aerin laid them out onto the table in front of them. The orbs seemed to be made of metal, but there was a glossy matte on the surface.

"What are those?" Anastasia asked, looking at the dark grey orbs.

"Mana orbs, they are what we use in our kingdom to train beginner mages, but these are specially made for me. One of these usually weigh 5kg, but mine is 20 kg."

Infusing mana into the orb, she effortlessly lifted it with a mana string to keep it floating in the air.

"This is my challenge to you, whoever that can keep the most balls afloat in the end is the winner. You are allowed to use your own orb to attack the opponent and their orbs," she said, twirling the orb around her hand.

As she released the orb, it landed with a loud thud. Anastasia looked at the orb and gulped down dry saliva. From her concurrent casting training, she was somewhat confident of her mana control, but looking at how heavy the orbs were, her confidence went down a little.

"Match starts now, the time limit of 10 minutes."

Aerin then sat down in a lotus position and held out her hands. Anastasia followed suit and sat in a similar position.

Slowly, the mana orbs around them started floating. Aerin lifted 2 orbs at once while Anastasia only raised one. Being inexperienced as she was, she had to calculate just the right amount of mana to input into each orb.

Unlike the previous match, the pub was now in a hushed silence. They were afraid that if they made too much noise, the concentration of the two girls would be shattered.

After 5 minutes, Aerin had controlled 7 orbs with only a bead of sweat rolling down her face, while Anastasia was struggling a little with 5. She furrowed her brows and her face was scrunched in concentration. Lifting 100kg with pure mana was no easy feat, much less keeping them afloat and steady.

Off at the side, Eric and Nivelet went to the bartender to order some beverage.

"I'll have one pint of your strongest beer please." Eric requested.

"Count me in." Nivelet immediately added from the side.

"That isn't very elf-like of you." Eric said with a snort.

"Hey quit judging me, I don't get to drink much back at the kingdom. Mother is really strict and this is the only place not under her watchful gaze, I think...." Even then, he was still looking around warily.

After downing a pint of beer, Nivelet asked, "if you were to take a guess, between me and my sister who do you think is the more powerful one?"

"You seem like the stronger one, but in terms of magical skills, from what I've seen, I'll have to say it's her. That superb mana control is astonishing at her age."

"That's a good analysis, but sadly you are wrong. If she ever gets into a serious fight with me, I won't even hold a candle to her. She is simply a monster. A very scary monster at that." He shivered, as if recollecting past memories.

"Just how much of a difference can there be between you two?" Eric questioned.

"She was placed 2nd in last years tournament."

This immediately shut Eric up and he looked at her with renewed light.

It seems that sooner or later, Eric was bound to fight her in the tournament. As he watched her, 3 more orbs rose up beside her. This time, she was shaking from the effort.

Seeing that Aerin was shaking a little, Anastasia took this opportunity to send 3 orbs flying into Aerin. Forcing to give up one orb for better control, Aerin rearranged her orbs and managed to deflect the incoming projectiles just in time.

Seeing that her opponent was on the offensive, she too made an attack of her own. With a three orb advantage over Anastasia, she quickly gained the upperhand. Anastasia was now expanding all her mana to move her orbs in high speeds as a defensive shield.

From a spectators point of view, the orbs of both parties were zooming around in a blur. Only the occasional flashes of sparks could be seen as they made contact and collided with each other.

A distinct 'Tit Tat Tat' sound echoed around the room as the audience held their breaths, spellbound by the show.

Suddenly, Anastasia felt a tugging sensation on one of the balls she was controlling and was shocked. Turning her head towards Aerin, she saw a smirk on her face. Not a moment later, the ball was yanked out of her control.

Shocked by the sudden development, the rest of Anastasia's mana orbs momentarily slowed down. With a weakened defense, Aerin instantly dominated her and won the match.

Even when the match had ended, Anastasia was still stunned and stared into empty space. Going over to her, Eric patted her head and explained.

"Losing focusing during a match is extremely dangerous, even if you come across an unexpected situation, you must always keep a focused mind. In a real battle, this would mean life and death. The reason why she was able to take control over your orb was because she had superior mana control compared to you. Looks like you still have a long way to go."

Anastasia vigorously nodded her head.

Returning the mana balls back to Aerin, she congratulated her.

"No, you are amazing too! I've been honing my mana control all my life and for you to be able to wield that many mana orbs is impressive, as expected of the Princess of Erewhon!" Aerin expressed her thoughts.

BAAAAANG!

The doors of the pub slammed wide open, and in came a vampire. The mood in the room immediately dropped to rock-bottom. The vampire strode in like he did not have a care in the world. His dark aura filled the room and instantly damped the once festive atmosphere.

"NO VAMPIRES ALLO-" The bar owner shouted then immediately clamped his mouth shut.

When everyone turned their attention to the newcomer and they instantly felt chills running down their spine. Eric was the only one unaffected by the aura, so he was slightly confused by the situation.

"Nivelet! It hurts me that you didn't send an invitation, my heart breaks into a thousand pieces," the vampire clutched his heart as if hurt.

Even though he made an exaggerated sad face, no one missed the predatory gaze underneath.

"Who's that? Why's everyone frightened?" Eric asked Nivelet, even Anastasia had a look of fear on her face.

"D-did I mention that Aerin was placed second in the tournament? T-this guy was the o-one that defeated her."