I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 116: Learning Curve

Maeve looks at Aldriana, nervous.

"Really? Maeve will? Awesome!" Julian’s excited reply comes through clearly.

"Excellent!" Liam adds.

"I’m glad you ladies found a solution, I really do," Arthur says. His voice sounds hopeful, but tight. "But I suggest you do it quickly. There’s nothing I can kill here now. They avoid me like a disease."

"Come on, Art. Don’t pressure her. It can’t be that easy," Julian immediately jumps to her defense.

"Everyone," Liam says calmly, "let’s stop talking and ssh. Let her concentrate."

The comm instantly falls silent.

Aldriana watches Maeve with an amused expression.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this," Maeve mutters, repeating the words like a mantra. Then suddenly she looks at Aldriana, her face crumpling into something scared and pitiful. "I can’t do this. I don’t know how."

Aldriana laughs softly. "Yes, you can. And yes, you do know how." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Maeve looks unconvinced.

"Think about how you’d interrupt a man who talks too much without giving you a chance to speak," Aldriana says.

Maeve blinks.

"Don’t you hate it when that happens?" Aldriana continues, grinning. "He keeps talking, blaming you, even when it isn’t your fault. He doesn’t want to listen. He just... yaps."

Maeve blinks again. "Oh, I know that too well."

"So what do you wish to say to that particular man?"

"Stop!" Maeve answers instantly. "Stop talking and listen to me!"

Aldriana nods. "Good. This is similar, but instead of using your voice, project that intent through your light magic."

She pauses, frowning slightly, searching for the right term.

"Project it toward... what’s the word... the... Julian told me before... ah." She snaps her fingers. "Network."

Maeve listens closely.

"Imagine there’s a single cable coming out of each haelion, all connected to their general, forming a network. You direct your light magic, and that command, straight into that network, those connections."

Maeve swallows. "And if it doesn’t work?"

"Then it doesn’t," Aldriana shrugs. "But you won’t know until you try. Right?"

"Okay. Okay. You’re right. Okay." Maeve steels herself.

Then she closes her eyes.

Aldriana shifts her attention to the war zone, watching closely to see if anything changes.

At first, nothing does.

The haelions continue moving in formations. They refuse to enter the light, their eyes clearly unable to handle it, but they also keep their distance from Arthur and Liam. They move in a wide circular motion, though to what purpose, Aldriana can’t tell.

"Damn it! They’re avoiding my line of sight now!" Julian’s frustrated voice crackles through the comm.

Ah. That circular motion isn’t random. They’re mapping Julian’s firing range.

Good general.

But it’s about to be over.

Then it happens.

Aldriana sees it clearly. And so does Julian, who notices it first thanks to the scope on his weapon.

"Whoa! They’re moving back. I can see them again! Alright!" He immediately opens fire.

Moments later, Liam feels it too. His whip can reach them again.

He doesn’t bother explaining. He just whoops into the comm, "Yee-ha!"

Only Arthur remains still.

He waits.

He knows magic isn’t easy. He knows that better than anyone now. So he waits, patient and controlled.

Then he sees it.

Some of the haelions wobble. They don’t move normally anymore. Their steps are unsteady, awkward, like newborn creatures learning how to walk.

Arthur moves instantly.

"Arthur," Aldriana calls through the comm. "Remember your question to me? This is it. You need to do it now. I don’t think Maeve can sever the connections for more than a few minutes. Get ready."

"Yes, Ma’am!" His excitement is impossible to hide.

How could it not be?

Ever since he saw Aldriana’s blue fire arrows raining through the air, he’s been itching to try it himself. He’d asked her how to do it, and she’d told him.

Now he finally has the chance.

He isn’t going to waste it.

If he fails, Aldriana is still there. She might be strict, but she would never risk their lives.

Arthur stops his steady sword work and draws in his fire.

This is exactly why he’s been conserving his energy.

Magic taxes the body. It drains stamina. He doesn’t intend to burn out before the decisive moment.

He closes his eyes and tries to picture Aldriana’s flying blue fire arrows. He frowns hard, but nothing happens. He can’t feel any mana moving.

Is this too advanced for me?

But Aldriana trusts me. Which means she believes I can do it. Which means... I can.

He takes a few deep breaths and tries again.

"I can’t keep this much longer!" Maeve’s strained voice crackles through the earpiece, almost shattering his concentration.

But Arthur is not Arthur if he can’t pull himself together at the last second.

He inhales slowly. Focuses.

And then he feels it.

He opens his eyes, half expecting to see thousands of blazing fire arrows filling the air.

Instead—

Five.

Only five flying fire arrows hover in front of him. Small. Pathetically small. Each one no bigger than his palm.

Arthur feels his confidence collapse.

Five?!

He tries again. Pushes harder.

Nothing happens.

The arrows don’t multiply. They don’t grow.

Arthur has never felt so embarrassed in his entire life.

The timing sucks.

If this had happened at any other time, Arthur wouldn’t feel so pressured. He could have laughed it off, cursed a little, tried again later. But this isn’t just practice. This is a crucial moment. It’s vital for their survival.

"Arthur? Are you ready?" Aldriana’s voice comes through the earpiece. To him, it feels like she’s taunting him, even though he knows she isn’t.

Arthur can’t respond.

He doesn’t know how to respond. He’s never been this anxious about his own performance before. Business deals, hostile takeovers, impossible negotiations, he’s handled all of that without breaking a sweat. But this... this is different. This is raw. This is exposed.

When Arthur doesn’t answer, Aldriana immediately knows something must have happened.

She leaves a few quiet words of encouragement for Maeve and disappears from her position.

She reappears behind Arthur just as she’s about to call his name.

Then she sees it.

Five small flying fire arrows.

Tiny. Pitiful. Hovering awkwardly in the air.

Understanding dawns instantly.

Aldriana clamps a hand over her mouth, stopping a burst of laughter from escaping. She doesn’t need to see Arthur’s face to know exactly what expression he’s wearing.

She can feel it in the way his shoulders have dropped. In his hunched back. In how both of his arms are hanging uselessly at his sides.

Deflated.

Crushed.

Aldriana takes a few seconds to recompose herself.

She knows it’s not funny.

Although... it kind of is.

And she absolutely cannot laugh.

Not right now.