Chapter 10

"Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance!!!"

While Tina was out in the town doing some shopping, I was alone in the training ground, continuously casting spells. The spell I was practicing was the one Tina had taught me for the first time.

It's tough that I have to chant every single time. Even if I try to cast them in rapid succession, I can only manage about ten times before I need to catch my breath. I also realized that I can't abbreviate it to just "Fire." The spell doesn't form into a proper spear shape, and the range doesn't extend. It seems that the chanting has a real meaning.

Apparently, high-level mages can use a technique called "Chant Cancellation." To achieve this, you need to cast the spell hundreds or thousands of times, imprinting the image and effect of the spell in your mind.

So, I practiced casting spells whenever I could, without Tina knowing.

One day—

"Alright, focus. Visualize it."

I visualized it strongly, very strongly.

I drew the trajectory in my mind multiple times.

I closed my eyes and raised my hand to the sky.

"Here goes."

(Fire Lance!)

I chanted clearly in my head without speaking.

"It, it came out! I did it!!"

It was a weak, thin spell, far from what I had visualized. It didn't have much range and disappeared before it even reached halfway to the target.

But I had definitely succeeded in casting a spell without chanting.

In the manga I read in my previous world, there were scenes where a powerful technique used with Chant Cancellation made the enemy say, "What, is this...?" I really wanted to do that.

Of course, being able to do this in this world would be amazing. Even those who have reached the level of a sage can hardly use complete Chant Cancellation without even saying the spell name.

The reason is clear: complete Chant Cancellation is very inefficient. It has poor mana efficiency and low power. The risk of failure is high, and it takes time to activate.

There are almost no benefits.

That's right, almost.

It's not that there are no benefits at all.

For example, it can be effective if your mouth is bound or if you can't make a sound. Most mages in this world can't use magic without chanting, so they can be easily neutralized by preventing them from making a sound. Tina has taught me various countermeasures, but being able to use magic with complete Chant Cancellation in a pinch might come in handy someday.

In addition to practicing to increase the speed of casting spells, I also strive to be able to use magic with Chant Cancellation—

"Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance, Fire Lance!!"

I continue casting spells today as well.