Aozaki Aoko Case File [206]

Lina Inverse, who was meditating with her eyes closed, seemed to perceive the Weave through direct contact with Aoko.

However, Aoko wasn't sure whether Lina had sensed the fragment of the Weave within her, or if she had managed to perceive the essence of the Weave that spanned the celestial realm through that fragment.

To clarify this, Aoko let go of Lina's hand and continued observing her condition.

Contrary to what she expected, even after Aoko released her hand, Lina remained focused, seemingly navigating the Weave. Aoko thought it best not to disturb her at this moment.

About half an hour later, Lina opened her eyes with a shocked expression and looked at Aoko with disbelief. Her mind was brimming with countless questions, but she wasn't sure where to begin.

"How was it?" Aoko asked with a smile. "You felt the Weave, didn't you?"

"Yes, but why...?" Lina nodded before immediately voicing her biggest doubt. "Why have I never felt such a vast, obvious power before? It feels like the Weave is everywhere, surrounding me, in all things…?"

This was not an easy question to answer. Aoko thought to herself, Should I just tell her it's probably because I infected her with it?

Logically, this planet should not be within the crystal sphere of the celestial realm. But according to D&D lore, the Weave is something that could exist across countless crystal spheres in the multiverse. The extent of its coverage and the mechanism of its spread remain uncertain.

However, since there was a fragment of the Weave within Aoko, the Weave might have extended into this world through her. Previously, the Type-Moon Earth hadn't encountered other Weave spellcasters, likely due to the defensive mechanisms of this world and its connection to the Root of All Things.

All of this was speculation. As for Lina's question, Aoko decided to come up with a plausible excuse to deflect for now.

"Sometimes, the things that have always been around you are the hardest to notice," Aoko said with the tone of a life coach. "Spellcasting systems vary widely, and today, with my help, you've discovered a new one. It's not that strange, is it?"

"That makes sense," Lina said thoughtfully. "I suppose it's like the difference between the power sources of elf magic and black magic?"

The topic of why no one had previously noticed the Weave was dropped. Aoko then took out her spellbook and began teaching Lina a few commonly used cantrips. She explained the spell models, the casting gestures, and the critical points of incantations.

Lina listened with rapt attention, as though she were back in her homeland's sorcerer academy, engrossed in her teacher's lessons about the mysteries of magic.

Compared to the magic of this world, the Weave-based arcane arts were more logical and tightly structured. While there were still subjective elements, the theories behind Weave magic could be internally consistent to a significant degree.

On the other hand, the magic theory of Lina's world relied heavily on stream-of-consciousness elements, with many spells containing a large number of subjective components. The incantations were less like programming languages and more akin to prayers.

For example, the fireball spell in elf magic involved a prayer to the elemental spirit of fire. According to Lina, her most powerful spells explicitly invoked the name of a specific, powerful entity that had once existed in her world.

This revelation was fascinating. Aoko began to suspect that, aside from magic powered solely by personal mana, most magic in this world might be more akin to divine miracles—granted by external entities rather than created independently.

The difference was that these entities seemed indifferent to how many people borrowed their power. As long as one knew their name and deeds, and had sufficient control over the chaotic magical energy, they could unleash super-powerful spells far beyond conventional magic.

After learning about this world's casting system, Aoko had initially worried that Lina Inverse might lack the logical thinking needed to learn Weave-based arcane arts. However, it turned out that her concerns were entirely unwarranted.

Aoko demonstrated five cantrips: Ray of Frost, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, and Light.

Lina quickly grasped the concepts and successfully cast each one, forcing Aoko to reevaluate the young woman's innate talent.

"When you connected to the Weave, did you receive any kind of information from it?" Aoko asked cautiously, wanting to confirm whether the ability to extract spells from the Weave was unique to her.

"Huh?" Lina looked confused. "I could only feel the Weave's immense power... When I cast the spells you just taught me, I could sense myself drawing on a small portion of that power."

"I see. Don't worry about it," Aoko said with a smile. "This is my first time teaching someone magic, so if I wasn't clear in any part, please bear with me."

"Oh, no, not at all! You explained everything well—better than my old magic teacher, honestly!" Lina replied hurriedly. Her words were genuine; her previous teachers had never broken down concepts so systematically. Most of her lessons had been rushed and required her to figure things out on her own.

"In terms of Weave-based arcane arts, you're still just an apprentice," Aoko said, raising a finger seriously. "Before you can start learning first-level spells, we'll need to visit a town to gather materials. I'll help you create a proper spellbook."

In addition to a spellbook, many Weave-based spells also required material components. Aoko had a stash of these components in her bag, but she wasn't sure if local materials could serve as substitutes. If not, her supply would eventually run out.

In exchange, Lina also taught Aoko some of her magic, including her world's versions of Light, Fire Arrow, Fireball, and Cure.

Lina was a diligent teacher, using simple and clear explanations to convey the key points of these spells. She even shared insights from her own learning experiences.

Aoko absorbed the knowledge quickly. After a couple of attempts, she successfully cast these spells. However, she noticed something peculiar: when she used spells like Fireball or Fire Arrow—which relied on elf magic—she didn't seem to be borrowing much power from the fire spirit. Instead, she appeared to derive the spell's structure (or model) from the elemental forces and powered it with the magical energy generated by her magic circuits.

The fact that Type-Moon mana could be used in this world, and with properties so similar to the local magic, left Aoko deep in thought.