Vol 2 Chapter 63: Ritual
"Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that."
Veronica lifted her hand off the cup and rested it casually to the side, her gaze following the motion. "That statent was a bit too vague."
The words ca out, but they didn’t seem to reach Xia Liang. She just kept staring at Veronica, not offering any explanation for what she had said earlier.
The silence didn’t last long, but to Veronica, it felt like an eternity—every blink dragging on endlessly.
Then, with a soft “pfft,” Xia Liang suddenly laughed, covering her mouth.
"Why so tense? The vibe got weird real quick."
She chuckled for a bit before sitting up straight and waving her hand. "No hidden aning or anything. I’ve just been thinking a bit—about getting stronger."
"You know, I recently advanced to Leaf-tier, right? You already gave a quick rundown of the basics before. I figured now’s probably a good ti, so…"
"You want to officially start learning rituals?"
Veronica blinked, finally catching on. "So that’s why you ca to find at this hour?"
"…Pretty much."
Xia Liang’s smile faded slightly, but she still nodded. "After all, my magic growth isn’t fast enough for to hit Flower-tier anyti soon. If I want to boost my combat ability, rituals are my best bet."
"Boosting combat ability, huh?"
Veronica echoed her words and thought for a mont. "Back when you advanced, I think I ntioned that if you want to progress quickly, it’s better to only dabble in rituals—just pick up a few practical ones. Otherwise, in-depth study will eat up a lot of your training ti and slow down your advancent."
"Yeah, I rember." Xia Liang replied softly.
"So, when you say you want to learn rituals, how far are we talking?"
Veronica looked up. "Are we talking ‘learn a few simple techniques’ to expand your in-battle options? Or ‘make rituals your main focus’ and turn them into your core combat thod?"
"For now… probably the first one?"
Xia Liang tapped her chin. "Though I’m not totally sure. I don’t really know how talented I am in rituals. If it turns out I’m good at it, then going deeper might not be a bad idea, right?"
"A very level-headed decision."
Veronica nodded. "A lot of Magical Girls think of rituals like fairy-tale magic. They assu once they beco Magical Girls, mastering tons of flashy spells is the right path. But what they don’t realize is that this actually strays from the essence of a Magical Girl’s power."
"No matter what, the most important thing for a Magical Girl is her True Form—her magic. Rituals are just tools, just weapons. Think of them like martial arts in hand-to-hand combat. No matter how skilled you are, if you’re up against soone way bigger, it’s still like a bug ramming a tree—not exactly ga-changing."
She continued, "That’s exactly why I never went too deep into ritual studies. You can think of my take as an outsider’s opinion—uninford, and that’s perfectly fine."
"So, you don’t really recomnd diving into rituals either?" Xia Liang asked.
"As you said yourself, it depends on your talent. If you’re particularly gifted with rituals—if you get way better results than with magic training—then yeah, go for it."
Veronica paused briefly, then added, "Or, if you simply enjoy ritual studies, I won’t stop you either…"
"Nope, no special interest. At least not right now."
Xia Liang waved her hand again. "Basically, I get what you’re saying. You’re trying to remind not to neglect my magic training, right? Don’t worry—I won’t."
Veronica didn’t mind her intentions being seen through. She simply leaned back in her chair, as if deep in thought.
After a brief silence, she spoke again, as if reaching a decision. "In that case, let ask you this—if I said I’ll teach you a ritual right now, would you want to learn?"
Technically, Xia Liang was the one who ca to her, but it was already quite late. It’d be eleven o'clock soon. If they started now, they’d probably end up pulling a late-nighter just to get through the basics.
Not that Veronica cared—her paperwork was more or less done, and staying up late was her norm. But Xia Liang was still a kid. Staying up too late wasn’t good for her health or her studies.
"Sure."
But Xia Liang didn’t even hesitate. She nodded calmly. "After all, there’s not much ti left before the sparring with the Bo’an City girls, right?"
"…Sorry for assigning you all that without asking."
"It’s fine. You and Miss Asou must have your reasons. I knew that from the start."
Xia Liang smiled. "Actually, it’s because I’m motivated. Whether it’s the sparring match or the upcoming test, I want to win. That’s why I ca to you."
"The upcoming test…"
Veronica raised a brow. "Can I take that as a ‘yes, I’ve decided to take part in the assessnt’?"
She hadn’t expected Xia Liang to be the first one to bring it up.
After all, both Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan were more outspoken. Whether they wanted to join or not, one of them should’ve been first to say sothing.
But Xia Liang was always more thoughtful, and her magic training had been smooth sailing. From her current progress, there wasn’t much need for her to rush into getting a small Certification Badge.
"Of course. Getting that badge is the first step to being able to stand on your own, right?"
Xia Liang tilted her head. "I’m already a Magical Girl, so of course I want to keep improving. Why stop here?"
"But the test next year is going to be more dangerous than usual…" Veronica tapped her fingers on the table out of habit.
"Even so, it’s still held under the supervision of the Magic Kingdom and with plenty of examiners on hand, right?" Xia Liang countered. "Which ans no matter how dangerous it gets, soone’s always there to catch us if we fall, isn’t that right?"
"In theory, yes—but there could still be accidents."
"Accidents are just that—accidents. It’s still way safer than a real crisis."
Xia Liang responded seriously. "Maybe you think I’m being naïve, but if we don’t even dare to face a ‘Simulated Great Beast Disaster’ under heavy protection, how will we handle the real thing?"
"You probably don’t understand what a Great Beast Disaster really is." Veronica frowned, tapping the table again. "Even a simulation isn’t sothing to take lightly."
"But it’s still just a simulation, right?"
Xia Liang’s lips curled slightly. "If we ever face the real thing, who do you think would be more prepared? The Magical Girls who’ve been through the simulation—or the ones who haven’t?"
It was almost sophistry—throwing yourself into a fake crisis just to prepare for a real one that may never happen. It sounded absurd.
Veronica wanted to argue, but couldn’t. Deep down, she had the sa thought.
When she first learned about the exam content, she was mostly opposed to it. But after a few days, her view had shifted. She understood the logic.
No matter how much she worried about their safety, her rational side agreed with Xia Liang. If she really didn’t want them going, she could’ve just banned them outright—no excuse needed. But she didn’t. She clung to vague ideas like "respecting their choice."
It wasn’t logical. Not even to herself. Her own decisions were a ss of contradictions.
"And besides, you’re going too, right?"
As if reading her mind, Xia Liang leaned in a little, sothing unreadable glimring in her eyes. "If even you’re going, how could I not? I believe in you, from the bottom of my heart."
Veronica averted her eyes again, unable to respond to the weight of that feeling.
Maybe playing dumb was the best she could do.
"…Well, since you’ve made up your mind, it’s getting late. Let’s get into the rituals."
Forcing the conversation onto a new track, Veronica’s voice turned a bit hoarse. "I don’t know that many rituals myself, so I’ll just start with the most basic and practical one."
"You’re so sneaky, Little Senior." Xia Liang squinted playfully.
"The first ritual—you’ve probably seen it plenty of tis before. It’s also the most fundantal and gives the biggest boost to a Magical Girl’s combat ability: the Magical Barrier."
Veronica ignored Xia Liang’s little jab and continued, voice calm and focused. "With a Magical Barrier, you can block incoming magic attacks and buy yourself ti to reposition. There are many advanced forms and variants of this ritual. Once you master it, it can help defend against magical equipnt, ritual spells, even Ravager Nests to so extent."
"For many Magical Girls, rituals help fill in the gaps in their skill set. Not all Magical Armor gives a full range of abilities. So girls lack offense, others defense. A Magical Barrier is critical for those whose gear doesn’t provide protection."
She raised her hand and spread her palm toward Xia Liang. From her sleeve, wisps of magic began to swirl out, forming small rune-like shapes that floated into her hand and aligned themselves before bursting into light.
At that mont, a curved, invisible shield appeared around her, neatly separating her from Xia Liang.
"This is how a Magical Barrier is ford. You’ve probably seen it before. In real combat, it forms much faster than what I just showed."
Keeping the barrier active, Veronica asked calmly, "I slowed it down just now—can you tell what the key part was?"
"The key part…"
Xia Liang blinked. "Those weird-looking magic flows?"
"Weird-looking magic flows?"
Veronica twitched at the phrasing, then quickly composed herself. "Not entirely wrong. But I think I ntioned before—they have a proper na. We call them Runes. Specifically, the ones used by Magical Girls in rituals are called Favored Runes."
"Favored Runes are the basic units of a ritual. We etch our magic into rune shapes, arrange them in sequence, and they guide the flow of magic to form the ritual."
"In other words, Favored Runes are like the language of rituals. By stringing them together into a structure that represents a specific ritual, any magic you pour in afterward will be channeled into that spell—until you either activate it, or disperse it."
"I’m kinda lost." Xia Liang said bluntly.
"No worries—just think of Favored Runes as a foreign language."
Veronica didn’t seem surprised. "Like how you first learn letters, then words, then how to make sentences. Favored Runes work the sa way. The runes are your alphabet, you learn to form words, and the high-level rituals are like sentences—long combinations of those words."
As she spoke, Veronica dispersed the barrier and once again summoned the runes in her hand, aligning them neatly. "Like this—this structure of runes ans ‘barrier’."
"Whoa…" Xia Liang murmured, staring at the glowing sequence.
"But just arranging the runes isn’t enough. That only gets you halfway."
Veronica suddenly added, "Without the next step, runes are just pretty shapes. They don’t do anything."
"That’s because Favored Runes aren’t the ritual itself. They’re just the command, the key. Until you complete the sequence, none of the magic is actually used."
"And to turn that key, to bring the command to life, all you need is one last step."
As she spoke, the runes in her palm began to glow.
"Inject magic—and bring the runes to life."
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