A few days after their diligent training sessions in the forest, the results had begun to show. Noelle no longer let her mana burst out uncontrollably every time she felt anxious. There were still moments when she fumbled, but the progress was undeniable.
Noelle had become capable of controlling her mana when she used it to envelop her body, no longer causing it to spiral catastrophically out of control the way it had on her very first day joining the Black Bulls.
She had managed to get a handle on her mana to a certain degree, all thanks to Brian. Under his patient and practical guidance, she had grasped the concept of "coating" and "guiding."
Building on that foundation, she had also successfully learned and used [Mana Skin], a fundamental technique that most Magic Knights were capable of performing.
Noelle was now able to control her mana considerably better than before. However, one major problem still remained: her mana reserves were too vast and too powerful, which meant that directing it outward in precise, long-range attacks was still fraught with difficulty, or to put it plainly, was still beyond her.
Controlling mana as a coat over one's body was one thing, but directing and guiding mana after launching an offensive spell was an entirely different matter.
The only spell recorded in Noelle's Grimoire was the defensive spell she had learned and used at Sosshi Village, [Sea Dragon's Nest]. Beyond that spell, her Grimoire had not a single other spell written in it, every remaining page still blank and untouched.
Before and after receiving her Grimoire, Noelle had never been given a single opportunity to grow and develop, and so her Grimoire had not been able to record any additional spells until the events at Sosshi Village took place.
Which meant that up to this very moment, Noelle still had no offensive spell to her name.
"This isn't good..."
Brian sat down at a table in the communal dining hall, surrounded by the other members of the Black Bull squad. Naturally, the person sitting beside him was still Noelle.
"If you haven't learned a single offensive spell, you can't become a proper Magic Knight. I'm saying this without factoring in the case where you've decided to become a pure support mage."
Sitting beside Brian, Noelle held her spoon and ate the soup Charmy had prepared for everyone in the squad. She understood what Brian was saying, and she had already made up her mind about which direction she wanted to go.
"I'm not going to become a support mage."
Noelle said it with a slightly strained tone. She suddenly recalled the "that can't be right" look on Brian's face when he had found out her Grimoire had only managed to add a single spell to it. That memory made her face a shade pinker as she sat eating beside him.
"I-I want to learn more offensive spells too, but nothing ever goes the way it should."
Noelle had never once been properly guided by anyone when it came to mana control, so she had never been able to execute a precise magical attack. Because of that, she had still not been able to acquire a proper offensive spell.
"Your mana control has improved, but it still isn't good enough to direct an attack precisely on target. You need to get even better at controlling your mana, and once you do, you'll naturally learn a new spell on your own."
Brian said it considerately as he ate his breakfast, which was steak as always. Even while eating, he didn't stop thinking about ways for Noelle to train and develop further, and he continued:
"You should find some way to learn an offensive spell as soon as possible. Your Grimoire still has far too many blank pages. It's worth spending a few of them on learning basic offensive spells, so don't be reluctant and hold yourself back from picking up the simpler ones."
"I know..."
Noelle nodded at Brian, taking his words to heart. She looked at him, and at the very moment she was about to speak, another voice cut across hers.
"If you're having trouble controlling and directing your magic, why not use a magic tool to give yourself a bit of extra support?"
Vanessa spoke up. She was sitting only one person away from Brian and Noelle, with only Charmy between them, so she had heard the whole conversation between the two of them.
"A magic tool...?"
Hearing Vanessa's words, Noelle's eyes went wide, and the purple of her irises lit up at the same time. It was clear that she was taking the witch's suggestion seriously.
"That's not a bad way to address Noelle's problem either."
Brian nodded in agreement with the idea of having Noelle use one of Vanessa's magic tools. He knew the current level the silver-haired girl was at. She was already far ahead of where she had been in the original story thanks to his guidance, so now was a good time to let her get hold of the magic wand she had in the original story as well.
"If you use something like a magic wand, you'll be able to direct your magic more accurately."
"Is that really alright...?"
Hearing Brian's words, Noelle's spirits lifted, though her voice still carried a hint of hesitation. "Don't you think that if I do that, it would be kind of... taking a shortcut?"
"Not at all."
Brian answered plainly, putting her current concern to rest. "There's nothing wrong with using magic tools. As long as you keep practicing your magic without stopping and don't become completely dependent on them, as long as you don't grow complacent and let your personal development fall by the wayside, there won't be any problem whatsoever."
Hearing that, Noelle stopped worrying entirely. She visibly brightened after receiving advice from both Vanessa and Brian.
"Do you know of anywhere that sells magic tools, Noelle?"
"Ah... No, I don't."
"Then why not let your big sister here take you?"
"Would that be alright?"
"Of course it would."
Vanessa sat up straight. Today was one of the rare occasions when this witch was not even slightly drunk, and so she wanted to spend the day helping a junior member of the squad. (Or perhaps she had simply drunk everything dry and needed to restock.)
"It'll be fun. These past few days I've noticed you've only been going out to practice magic. Training hard is a good thing, but taking a little break every now and then to clear your head isn't a bad idea either. Isn't that right, Brian?"
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."
"See, he agrees too."
Vanessa leaned toward Noelle, and the silver-haired girl's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the witch's voluptuous figure before quickly looking away.
"W-Well, if you want to help me that much, how could I refuse."
"That's the spirit."
Vanessa turned to Brian as well. "What about you? Would you like to come along with us?"
"Ah, no. I've got something else I need to take care of."
Brian declined Vanessa's invitation without making much of it. He could have gone along with the two of them, but giving the two girls some time alone together wasn't a bad idea either.
Vanessa was a full-fledged witch, after all. Who knew, maybe Noelle would come back with some positive changes after a short outing with her.
As far as Brian was concerned, that was a good thing, and he had no reason to stop it or get in the way.
"You two have fun then."
Brian had finished his breakfast. He stood up from the table and left immediately after. From the direction he headed, it looked as though he was making his way to the spot where he and Noelle had been regularly going to practice these past few days.
"Oh, what a shame."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Vanessa's face, but very quickly it was replaced by an unusual enthusiasm. She turned to Noelle, who was quite plainly wearing a disappointed expression at the news that Brian was not coming with her.
A knowing look appeared in Vanessa's eyes, and an amused smile briefly played across her face. She decided she was going to tease Noelle. Brian had already gone, so there would be no issue with that, and there was only Charmy left around the two of them anyway.
"It's just the girls going out together. It'll be so much fun, so wipe that pouty look off your face."
Vanessa leaned close and whispered into Noelle's ear, sending the silver-haired girl into a flustered state and turning her face tomato red. "He'll figure it out if you keep wearing everything so obviously on your sleeve like that."
"I'm... it's not like that at all..."
Noelle's voice had none of its usual strength, completely unlike her ordinary tone. "I... it's not like I'm paying attention to him or anything..."
"You don't sound like someone who isn't paying attention."
Vanessa cheerfully teased Noelle. She found the embarrassed expression on the silver-haired girl's face right now absolutely adorable.
"Alright, alright, big sister understands the feeling."
The witch gave a wink and said, "Let's get going then. There's plenty to do today. I'll help you find a magic wand that suits you. Sound good?"
"Okay..."
Noelle answered Vanessa with a flustered air. It would certainly take some time before the redness in her face could fade after all of the witch's teasing.
Vanessa laughed without saying anything more. A little teasing was fun, but too much was never good, so she stopped well before Noelle started to feel genuinely uncomfortable.
And so, swept along by Vanessa's enthusiasm, Noelle was taken by the witch to Kikka City to buy a magic wand to help her with her spellcasting.
By the end of that day, Noelle and Vanessa returned to the Black Bull base carrying a pile of things they had bought in Kikka City.
Noelle had found a magic wand she was happy with, and the silver-haired girl looked thoroughly delighted holding the wand she had just bought. Vanessa, for her part, had purchased an enormous assortment of different wines, amounting to roughly several crates.
It was hard to say whether Noelle had enjoyed herself during her outing with Vanessa or not, but after coming back she was looking at Brian with eyes that were a little too expressive, and it was likely she thought she was hiding it very well.
When Brian glanced over at Vanessa, the witch simply winked and sent a thumbs-up his way. What she meant by it did not require a genius to understand.
'I did my best for you. Good luck.'
'My sincere thanks.'
A brief exchange of glances between two people who understood exactly what was happening with Noelle. After this, Brian owed Vanessa a heartfelt word of gratitude. He would probably give her something related to her taste for wine as a token of his appreciation.