I just remembered something else. I haven't asked any of my magicians if they are able to use their magic for combat as well. I've just assumed they can't. Which is mainly because I haven't been able to put together anything combat-worthy. However, in my first attempt with fire magic, I managed to create a jet of flame. Which almost singed Chloe's hair.

I hadn't found any magicians in the military category either. But that doesn't mean that my magical craftsmen are incapable of using their skills any other way. At least they should have more than two weeks' experience, unlike me.

"I have a completely different question. I know that you are a firesmith. But are you also capable of using your fire magic as a weapon? I must confess, so far, I have been able to create nothing more than an accidental flash of fire. Or what is more useful, to light a campfire with less effort..."

Vanadis is somewhat surprised by my question. Although I'm not sure what part of it.

"Oh, you're a fire magician as well, Your Highness? But your question means you haven't been schooled in it yet. Well, I am quite capable of doing harm with fire. It is the very nature of things.

However, the consumption of mana is much higher than if you just want to control the temperature of your forge fire. After all, you have to make the flame work the way you want it to. Especially if you're going to ignore the natural behaviour of fire completely. I take it you have only recently learned fire magic?"

"That's right. I haven't been able to do anything productive yet. Earth magic has proven to be notably more helpful so far. After all, I have manipulated tons of stone. Even though I'm still on level one here, too."

This time she looks at me very bewildered. Did I say something strange?

"You were trying to learn several elements at once?"

"Uh, yes? Is that bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's bad, Your Highness. But it's definitely not helping. It takes a great deal of practice and control to master an element adequately. While I have not yet learned the earth element, I can tell you one thing with certainty, which is also valid for each of the elements. Quantity alone will not get you anywhere.

In order to increase your level of control, you must try to work in as much detail as possible. Which is why magic often comes in combination with a craft that focuses on the small things. Such as sculptor, or in my case, blacksmith. Because control of temperature is crucial in making quality steel.

"So you're saying that I should first concentrate on the precise control of one element. This sounds so simple and obvious at the same time that I am immediately embarrassed not to have thought of it myself..."

"From what I've seen so far, you must be under a great deal of stress at all times, Your Highness. Not exactly the best environment in which to learn magic. Especially without a mentor to guide you. Or even books that might help you study magic on your own."

Is Vanadis trying to cheer me up right now? I mean, it makes sense what she's saying to me. But I still feel like an idiot all the same. I mean, isn't it evident that you have to learn the basics first? Of course, I've done some more complicated stuff with earth magic, but that still doesn't count as proper training...

"Here, let me show you an example of how you can try to gain better control over fire, Your Highness."

Vanadis takes a small piece of wood from the firewood pile and uses stone and iron to strike sparks. When the first spark appears, she uses her magic to ignite the piece of wood. I can even feel the mana accumulating in the spark and creating the flame during this process.

"I have just used the heat of the spark and enhanced it with my magic. In principle, it is also possible to only use magic to set the wood on fire. However, this costs far too much mana to be really practical. It is much easier to manipulate or amplify something that already exists. Like I just did."

In the next moment, the flame splits into six smaller flames. And then they start to spin in a circle above the palm of her hand. Which reminds me a little bit of a folk or children's dance. After a while, the flames reunite in the middle and get bigger and bigger. Until suddenly, she clenches her hand into a fist, and the fire goes out.

"What looked like a small feat actually required a great deal of control and mana. It is challenging to keep the fire alive without combustible material. Which is reflected in the form of very high consumption of mana. However, it is necessary if you want to use fire magic for fighting. But I am a blacksmith first and foremost, so please understand that my knowledge of combat magic is limited, Your Highness."

"Well, that's a lot more than I expected. Can you also tell me how long you can use magic in combat before you run out of mana?"

"That question is a little difficult to answer because it depends on many factors. If I assume that I have a fire source available, I can throw about ten to twenty fireballs, depending on their size. After that, I would have ultimately used up my mana supply. Whereby the range of it is quite limited and cannot be compared to a bow.

If it is to be something more impressive, like a wall of fire, it depends entirely on the size of it. But in the worst case, I could use up all my mana within seconds. Unless I set fire to something that could significantly reduce the amount of mana I use..."

"I see. Magic can be devastating in combat, but endurance is a problem. After all, a single mage cannot destroy an army single-handedly...

You said that I should focus on one element at the beginning. I suppose that's why you didn't learn earth magic, for example. Even though you can use it to process metal as well?"

"Well, that's one of the reasons, Your Highness. The other is that it's of limited use. Have you ever tried to work iron with it?"

"Only twice so far, and the mana cost was pretty high in each case..."

"Right. But that's not the only drawback of it. It is also not possible to make steel from iron in this way. It can be used to form it, so maybe I'll learn how to do it someday. But temperature control is much more helpful."

Next, Vanadis picks up a bar of iron in her hand and shows it to me.

"This is pig iron. It still contains many impurities, which makes it an inferior material. And it is not possible to remove these impurities with earth magic. Instead, I have to heat it first and then use the blacksmith's hammer to forge out the impurities.

To do this, I must heat the material and then hammer it flat. Afterwards, I have to make a notch in order to fold the material. Then I have to fire weld the two layers together. And I have to repeat this process again and again until I get steel of sufficient quality. In the same way, I can of course also weld several pig iron ingots together."

Yes, I've heard all this before at some point. But would I have been able to do it myself? Probably, at some point. Once I realised I was doing something wrong. But after she explained it to me, I remembered again. There must still be slag residues in the bars, and the carbon content is also clearly too high to be considered steel. Which makes for a very brittle material.

"I see, is there any other element that would be helpful in forging?"

"Air, for example, Your Highness. Which would eliminate the bellows, something I also require to operate the forge. However, here too, one needs a certain amount of control to make it work. You also have to make up your mind, after all, you wouldn't be able to learn earth magic then anymore."

I think I'm a bit baffled right now. I haven't heard anything about that so far.

"What do you mean?"

"Earth magic and air magic are mutually exclusive? Like all other opposing elements. Didn't you know that, Your Highness?"

I'm a little lost now. I had no choice with life, earth and light anyway. But I've learned fire on my own accord. Even though I've always preferred ice magic! If it is also possible to freeze water. But I suppose it is...

"No, I did not know that. Which elements are all there anyway? I know so far fire, water, earth, air, light and life."

Again she looks at me as if I'm asking a strange question. Haven't you gotten used to the fact that I have distinct gaps in my general knowledge of magic?

"In addition to those you've already mentioned, there is darkness and death. The latter of which is not very common. After all, it does forego the possibility of healing. Which has always been a great source of income for many people."