CHAPTER 153: CYNTHIA’S POSES

Caius had no real idea how much time had passed.

He could feel Cynthia walking around him slowly, analyzing his form from all angles, trying to ascertain that he was doing as she had instructed, which was to kneel and remain still.

And then she stopped moving and stood before him for a full minute before opening her mouth to say.

"Disappointed?"

Caius opened his eyes slowly and looked up at her to see that she was smiling lightly.

"What?" He asked.

"I asked if you were disappointed," Cynthia said still with that smile,

"You don’t have to answer. I can tell by your countenance that it’s taking all you have to stay and remain still.

Disappointment that we’re not doing more active things, permeates your entire form."

"I—" Caius started to say in what was going to be an attempt at denial but then he just smiled and let out a sigh.

"Turns out I’m more Mage-Knight than I realize," he said shaking his head.

"Why? Because you can’t stay still? That doesn’t identify you as a Mage-Knight.

It identifies you as someone lacking in patience. Lacking in focus. Or someone who strives for excitement in all they do. None of that is exclusive to Mage-Knights.

What? Do you think the path of a Traditional Mage is boring?

Is that what your father touts in your ears when he forces you to work out useless muscles?"

Caius smiled.

"We actually don’t talk about Traditional Mages all that often," he said.

Cynthia scoffed.

"In any case, it’s all propaganda. Even Mages struggle with focus and keeping still. Fortunately, while keeping still is the most well-known way to gain focus, it’s not the only way."

She stretched her hand down toward Caius. He took it and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet.

"Thank you," he said.

Cynthia smiled and then her brows furrowed as she spoke seriously.

"There is so much involved in being a Combat Mage. So much more than I can realistically teach in the classroom. Because some of them involve basics that vary from family to family. Think of it like the spells I informed you all during our first class that I’d not be teaching you;

Those are the knowledge you are meant to work on by yourselves during classes such as ’Study of the Arcane Codex’, as well as whatever else you likely have been taught—whether you understand them or not—by your families before getting shipped off to Lochxen.

My job, is to help you students put all that knowledge to proper combative use.

But we’re not here for that."

As she said that last sentence, Cynthia Kragsten gestured at the Hall she and Caius were in and something about the way she sounded seemed to confirm a guess Caius already had but had not actually asked to hear confirmed;

They were currently in her Private Residence.

When Caius arrived at Lochxen for the lesson earlier today, he naturally headed to her office first of all, and once inside, Cynthia opened a Portal Gate through which they arrived at this hall directly.

It was empty besides a few training dummies that were thrust unceremoniously aside to allow for a wide space clearly meant for combat practice. The walls and the ground were made of reinforced materials that, if Caius paid enough attention to, he’d feel Magical energy coursing through them to indicate the presence of enchantments to perfect an already sturdy build.

The walls had target designs all over them and, when they first arrived, Caius had begun to crack his fingers to start flinging spells at them when Cynthia instructed that he get down on his knees and meditate.

Anyway, there was just something about how casually Cynthia dressed to receive Caius and bring him here that had made him guess this was a part of her home. Likely commissioned to be reinforced since a Combat Magic Professor should have somewhere to practice techniques they’d teach their class.

Hell, Caius was sure that Arlette had a refining room somewhere in her house where she performed Alchemy. He just hadn’t explored enough to go there.

But we digress.

Cynthia continued.

"You and I are here because I see a talent within you and I’d like to bring it to fruition. That means going above and beyond in teaching you the Basics that I can so clearly see you’re lacking."

"Thank you," Caius said.

Cynthia just smiled.

"Being capable of standing still is not required of a Mage. It’s encouraged but not required.

There are other ways to become focused.

Now, do as I do..."

With that, Cynthia raised her hands and clapped them above her head.

Caius’s eyes ran down the Professor’s delicate hands to her smooth arms and finally to the pits before he then raised his arms and followed her lead to do as she had done.

Next, Cynthia raised a leg in such a smooth and graceful pose before slowly placing it down on the ground and leaning her upper body toward that leg in a way that thrust her backside out in such a very... eye-catching way.

’No way in hell I get that right,’ Caius thought.

He didn’t say it out loud and tried to follow her lead. Sure enough, his body was too stiff for that level of graceful movement and provocative hip thrust.

Cynthia nodded like she couldn’t see his awkwardness.

"Good," she said and she sounded like she really meant it as she went on to perform many other poses.

Soon, she wasn’t just showing Caius poses to perform, she was also directing him on how to perform those poses.

"Sway your hips..."

"No, not like that..."

"Do it like this..."

"Put more of an arch into it..."

At some point, Caius could no longer remain mute.

"Professor, is there a purpose to this?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Cynthia let out looking surprised by the question and then she chuckled,

"Of course, there’s a purpose.

’Focus’ is the purpose. What makes for a subpar Mage in combat is a lack of focus.

I have found that getting truly engrossed in activities such as this; activities that force every part of your body into a move and leave room for nearly nothing else in your head helps keep focus.

Plus, the poses are meant to accentuate several Mana points in your body. Mana points are locations where Mana is especially produced within you before being passed along for circulation through your system. Not many know of them or know that you can condition your body to produce mana more efficiently through practices such as this."

Caius knew of Mana points. He also knew he didn’t have them. He lost them from the moment he was turned. His Magic was in his blood now and circulated very regularly and efficiently through his veins.

She was right about accentuating the Mana points though. At least for a non-vampire. It was a considerably important thing for Aurelius to get good at in [To Kill A Demon Lord...] but was unneeded for a Vampire.

It was another one of the advantages Vampires had in exchange for their humanity; Things such as ’efficient Mana circulation’ were built in naturally within them just like them being naturally at the very peak of physical Prowess within any Magic Circle they advanced into.

Still, Caius couldn’t just say he didn’t need it. Not when he saw an opportunity with this.

"Professor," he started, "Don’t you think these poses are... well, feminine?"

He was saying this while his body was in a very suggestive arch that he was just too embarrassed to even let his brain truly comprehend.

"Hmm?" Cynthia said offhandedly as she eyed the position Caius was in. It looked very good. Very... alluring. And then she snapped and seemed to have only now heard his question.

"Feminine?" She said and allowed herself to look at him in that position again, her tongue trailing across her lower lip before she shook her head slowly and shrugged,

"I don’t see how that’s an issue." She said.

"You came up with this for yourself, didn’t you?" Caius asked.

He didn’t remember anywhere that these poses had been mentioned in [To Kill A Demon Lord...].

"I did," Cynthia admitted, and knowing what Caius was getting at, she continued in a tone of reassurance,

"Male or female, we all have the same Mana points in our bodies. These poses will accentuate those points regardless of gender. Give it a chance and you’ll lose yourself in it and be able to achieve proper Focus.

Repeat the Poses from the first in the order I showed you."