Volume 16 Chapter 15: Emotions and Ideals

Training between Alastair and Scarlet continued: day by day, the sounds of explosions erupted in the barracks. In the beginning, the knights and trainees shivered at the destructive sounds coming from the side; as it continued, they slowly got used to it. They would pause their practice to glance at them; every day was the same: Scarlet would be pummeled by a mound of fireballs.

The result was the same: Scarlet would faint from the constant barrage. When she was unconscious, Selk would lean down and splash water on her face to wake her. Scarlet would wake up in a matter of moments before facing Alastair again. The knights and trainees gasped: what a vicious cycle!

“The king is so ruthless.” Alastair did not let up on his attacks; the fireballs rained down everywhere Scarlet tried to run. It was no use; wherever she ran, a fireball was there to intercept her.

“Only the princess is capable of withstanding all the damage.”

“What perseverance!” Besides the brutal attacks, Scarlet refused to go down as she continued to get back up. It was inspiring yet scary at the same time. She looked like a zombie.

“We will take a break now.” Alastair grabbed a drink from a maid and took a seat on the side.

“…” Her breathing was ragged as Scarlet sank to the ground, exhausted and gasping. Staring at the sky, she closed her eyes. How am I supposed to improve? Throughout their training, she thought about how to overcome Alastair’s abilities. However, each time she came up with a plan, it was blown apart because of Alastair’s sheer strength.

There was a plus to their training: her endurance had increased significantly from a few days before. But the magical ability she wanted to increase was stagnant.

“Have you recovered?” Alastair stepped forward.

“Mmhmm.”

“Then let’s resume training.”

Later in the day, Selk placed heat packs on Scarlet’s back.

“Ow! Selk, can’t you do it more gently?” Scarlet turned around; tears welled up in her eyes.

“I believe my methods are perfect.” Selk continued to put the pads on her back, “You should not have pushed yourself this far.”

“…I want to keep going.” Scarlet’s eyes narrowed, “But there’s such an enormous gap between us.” She thought Alastair and Scarlet would be close in strength, but these days, she realized they were far apart; their strength and skills were too different.

“Scarlet, are you alright?” Elyndra entered her bedroom.

“I am—Ow!” Scarlet cried as Selk slapped a pack on her waist.

Are you really alright? Elyndra blinked: the princess was covered in bandages head to toe. She rubbed her forehead, “I had told Alastair to be more mindful of your training, but he still has not learned how to hold back his strength.”

“Huh?” You did?

“Look at this.” Elyndra raised a book. Scarlet opened it; what she saw made her freeze.

“He thought long and hard about your training regimen after the first day.” After the two went to bed, Elyndra noticed Alastair would secretly get out of bed. One day, she grew curious and followed him to the office. The whole time, he was writing a training regimen, trying to adjust to Scarlet’s stamina and abilities. He was awkward, but he was trying his best.

He was thinking this much about my use of magic. Her hands clutched the book tightly.  

Elyndra didn’t say more than that she took the book away; what she wanted happened.

The next day, training resumed, and the outcome was like all the other days. But this day, Scarlet raised a question: “Why is it that your flames are more intense than mine?” This had been on her mind for some time: unlike her flames, Alastair’s were a deeper and more vibrant red than hers. The firepower was even more ferocious.

“Emotions.”

“Hmm?”

“On rare occasions, there will be variations in people’s magic. I think you have seen this phenomenon before, have you not?”

“Ahh.” One came to Scarlet’s mind, “Keith’s lightning.” Unlike the regular yellowish lightning everyone had, his was blue and purple. Everyone asked about it before, but the person himself didn’t understand why it changed. With this change, Keith’s lightning was sharper.

“Indeed,” Alastair nodded, “There are various reasons for these changes; the reason mine changed was due to emotions.”

“Your emotions cause your flame to become this much stronger?” That was something she didn’t expect. The man who embodied coldness had feelings?

Alastair was silent for a moment, “Let’s begin again.”

“Understood.” Scarlet faced him once more. And the outcome had become even more apparent to all of them. And that was when she looked up at the sky.

Emotions. It was the reason he could become this strong. Another thought came to mind: was it sadness? Scarlet had never once seen Alastair with emotion. The only one she could think of was…

Was it that time?

That thought occurred to her when Alastair quickly changed the topic.

It made sense. His wife had died; who wouldn’t be in agony? But the thought alone wasn’t enough to register in Scarlet’s mind. Now that she understood how he became this strong, it was a predicament. Can I do the same? Strong emotions create strength. Scarlet didn’t know if she could produce the same emotions as him. It was impossible to replicate Alastair’s flames.

His flames were more of vengeance. She stared at her hand. What do I fight for?

Scarlet and Alastair stood before one another once more. The two continued to use their flames against one another; it was a fierce battle as both released the same attack. Using the same attack only showed the disparity they had with one another, as Scarlet’s attacks were blotted out. How can I create my flames? She realized yesterday that she didn’t need to become like Alastair, creating flames of vengeance. She needed to make her own.

Alastair understood the thoughts going through her mind as he spoke, “What fuels you? What fuels you to keep going?” As he spoke these words, Alastair launched another ferocious attack, larger than anything he had previously used before!

What fuels me? Of course I know that! Scarlet raised her hand as she created a flame shield once more. As the two spells clashed with one another, no one expected what happened next. Alastair’s flames were engulfed as Scarlet’s flame shield triumphed over it.

Orange?

If Alastair’s flames were like those of a blood-red rose, then Scarlet’s flames were those of a beautiful sunflower.

“Good job.” Alastair praised; she had created her own type of flames.

“What did you think about?”

“Protect.”

“Hmm?”

“I will protect the things I cherish! I refuse to let them be destroyed!” Scarlet declared with a smile on her face. But with that smile on her face, she fainted. The last ounce of power she had in her body was used forcefully leaving her empty. Before Scarlet could fall to the ground, Alastair caught her.

“Flames to protect?” A smile appeared as he stroked her head, “Just like Fioreal.”