Strongest Noble's Daughter Uses Water Magic

The Sleepster

So about waiting for Dylan to finish taking his nap... How I heavily underestimated his need for sleep. The reason I say that? The sun had set, and the guy was still in the shadow sphere, completely sleeping the day away. As slightly annoyed as I was that I was waiting this long for the guy to wake, I also found it amazing how he was able to keep his magic active this long, especially in his sleep.

As I waited for Dylan to finish his nap, if he ever finishes, I was doing some training with my magic. Rather, I was practicing using some of my stronger spells in a normal environment. I was okay with the smaller and weaker spells, and I may be able to use the strong spells in certain environmental conditions, but I want to be able to use them at any given moment. In a calm environment such as this one, what if there was a strong enemy hidden somewhere? I can’t just wait for adrenaline to rise in me, and I also can’t keep relying on Mindy to set up the field, especially at times when we are not together, such as now.

And so, I sat on the ground, meditating. Not only did meditating help me get a good sense of my magic, it also helped me in slowly get my mana flowing through me, and gradually ease my fear of drowning. The last one is a slow process, but still effective, especially since I did become able to use some of my simpler spells without my phobia acting up.

Time had passed since I began meditating and got a bit of my mana flowing through me. The amount, in comparison to all the mana I had in me… So to say, it was tiny. Like if you have a large mug of beer, the amount of beer or whatever other liquid content within is just enough to cover the bottom.

Not really something to be proud of, but it was still good progress for me, especially given how easily my phobia acts up whenever I use strong spells. The sensation in getting my mana flowing was so much like getting myself dipped into a body of water. And each time I got more mana flowing in me, I sink deeper into the water, and thus made me think back to how I died in my previous life. Ridiculous as it may be, that’s phobia for you. Especially when the root of that very phobia actually killed me.

Feeling quite satisfied with the amount of mana going through me, I had decided to pour in just a bit more. In doing so, like the previous times, I instinctively flinched from the added sensation, not that it could be helped. Adding more mana felt like sinking deeper in water, after all. And like the previous times I added in a bit of my mana, I adjusted to the amount, constantly telling myself that I was fine, and I was not drowning in water.

At least… That was how it should’ve gone. Instead, I felt something else. Something grasping my body. I assumed it was because I added in a little too much mana and quickly stopped the flow, only for the feeling to remain. More than that, I felt something similar to mana get poured into me, and in turn made me feel like I was sinking in water.

My eyes snapped open in fear, and I found parts of my body wrapped up by some black shadow, the source of the grasped sensation. I let out a light scream and hastily summoned a magic circle on my hand.

“Water Whip!” At my chant, a thin stream of water was released from the circle, and I swung my arm at the shadows. As stated in its name, the stream struck the shadows with a c***k, and forced them to release me.

“Ouch! That hurts,” came a voice. I turned and saw a boy my age with raven hair and a sleepy expression on his face nearby, rubbing his arm. “Then again, I guess I deserved that…”

I raised a brow at this guy in wonder, and eventually asked, “Um… Who are you?”

“Well, that’s kind of rude. I thought those who were awake are more attentive than the ones sleeping,” he said. “Then again, I guess I only know you because of your reputation, for a commoner.”

His statement, combined with the active shadows earlier, as well as the absent shadow sphere I had just noticed, were more than enough for me to realize who he was. “O-Oh! I guess you’re Dylan, then?”

“So you do know me. That kind of makes me feel a little bit better,” he said. "Dylan Johanns, at your service. Now, what does Miss Fifth Rank want with me? As glad as I am you did not interrupt my nap, to what do I owe the pleasure of having the special commoner meet me? Well... Not sure if I should even call you a commoner."

That last one made me raise a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I used my Shadow Bond on you just a little earlier, a spell that enables me to use my shadow to merge with my target's shadow, or their body, depending on if the target is going to cast a spell. Once merged, even for a brief moment, I can get a sense as to how much mana my target has. From what I sensed from our little bonding earlier, you have way too much mana for a mere commoner. If anything, it's on the level of a high-class noble."

I widened my eyes in surprise at his remarks. He got all that from his spell? But... It was not like he knew everything about me from that, right? Just that I have just as much mana as any high-ranking noble.

"Not only that, but going by the amount I sensed, even for a user of such a weak form of magic, you don't just have the same amount as any high-class noble. I have sensed the magic of plenty of people with this spell, and from what I can tell, the amount you have may as well be on the same level as that of a duke's family." That further observation made me press my lips together in discomfort. "So tell me. What's your story? Were you born a noble and became abandoned, or are you a half-blood?"

When I heard the second option, I felt a light sigh of relief escape my lips. Of course there was that option, if anyone finds out I was not just any normal commoner.

"Well, I actually don't know my parents all that well," I lied. "My mother died when I was young, and my father was never around, as far as I knew."

Dylan only stared at me with narrowed eyes when I said that. I could only stare back, holding my breath and hoping he buys that lie.

"... I see. Guess that makes sense. After all, there is no such thing as a full-blooded noble who uses Water Magic," he said, much to my ease. "So back to my previous question. What'd you come looking for me for?"

At that question, I was reminded as to why I was waiting so long for him to finish his nap and answered, "I want to ask you to join the rest of our class in our training."

"No thanks." I was taken aback by the quick response. 

"'No thanks'? Why?"

"Just the thought of training sounds tiresome. I much rather spend my day sleeping, especially given my magic." I tilted my head in confusion at his reason. "Shadow Magic is a type of magic relating to Dark Affinity. As you may know, shadows can only be casted by light. The stronger the light, the stronger the shadow, especially with more obstacles around to cast some shade and help expand the shadow. However, in exchange, I get more tired the more I use the magic. In using my Shadow Magic, it's like casting darkness over my eyes, and forcing some drowsiness onto me. Because of that, I often spend my time sleeping over anything else."

I did not know what to say to that explanation, but it sounded quite similar to when I tried casting my Water Magic, and thus gave me an idea. "Well... What if I told you I can help you with that drowsiness?" I asked.

"You help me with my magic's side effect? How?" he asked.

"There is a method that helps one control their magic better, in which I was doing until you used your spell on me. You could say I have a bit of trouble with my magic, too, and the method I was using helps me with the aftereffect. It could help you control that drowsiness effect."

Dylan only stared at me with a blank expression, making it hard to tell what he was thinking. "... You were using your magic when you were sleeping earlier. Or at least, I thought you were sleeping," he then said, causing me to hold back a light wince, for I was reminded that meditating was not really much of a thing here in this world. "Well, if it can do something about my drowsiness, I guess I can try it out. Besides, it's not like we will actually be having class the next few days. Might as well spend them doing something other than sleep."

A smile formed on my face when I heard those words. "That's great to hear!" I exclaimed. "It's getting late now, but we can start tomorrow. Our class's training ground is at the commoner's dorm. Just find Lilith, Ethan, Felix, Kyle, or Dora, and they can lead you to the dorm."

Dylan widened his eyes slightly with a raised brow when I said that. "... You actually got all the nobles to join?" he questioned. "Well, then again, considering their reputation, I guess it's not that much of a surprise."

I held back a light nervous chuckle when he pointed that out to himself. "Well, we better head back to our dorm. See you tomorrow." With that, I took my leave.

I did not notice, however, as I left, Dylan placed a hand on his chin and stared at my leaving figure in thought. "Just a half-blood with an unknown story, huh..."