"You are working very hard, do you need some tea with honey so your voice doesn't get worn out?" This was the second time that Su had stopped with worry. She and Alice were training in the mansion's training ground because they couldn't focus where they had gone.

Alice had been bombarded at the cathedral. She could be there and try to train but she would constantly be halted by those in need of help from her or those who wished to hear about her trip. Realistically, they didn't need her to heal, but others would always wish for her help over another because Alice had always been there to help whenever asked. It was a hard situation.

Su on the other hand, had attempted to train in her usual spot near the adventurer's guild and where the guards trained. The issue with that was a crowd of guards had been drawn and a crowd of adventurers had also joined watching her. That would have been fine if she hadn't also been held up from using her more violent skills.

Su could train her defensive skills easily because many people had come around, however, her offensive skills were not easily resisted by everyone making her sit in an awkward position. She could work on her defenses all the time. What she needed was a place to train her ability to breathe out dragon breath and alter a small area temporarily while fighting. That was a key skill that she believed a draconic guardian should be able to utilize, she just had to train her resistance and offensive skills while in those conditions.

Therefore, both Su and Alice were here at the mansion training ground where their week could be more private and safer for those around.

In terms of her skills that might spread out manas, Alice was not at risk from Su. This was something that showed due to the fact that they had all been within the elemental apnea together. Their natural resistance to the elemental manas had skyrocketed due to the encounter with life mana after they had been within each elemental plane.

This meant that they would more easily be able to travel in mana dense areas for quite a long time while they were also more available for whatever happened within such areas. There was also the fact that if they trained against one another, the entire party was more resistant to one another's attacks keeping them safer in a training oriented position.

It was why Alice was having no issue sending spikes and crudely sung to life monster forms at Su. She was trying to make a monster seem as if it was a solid being of light. The idea was not hard to comprehend since Alice had done similar things while she sang of fields and birds, but it was making an entire monster out of solid light and being able to copy the ferocity.

In terms of trying to make a sword or shield, that was simple. A simple shape that had the goal of attacking or defending. The intent behind it was clear and less complicated. However, adding illusory effects to the light mana and the intent to make an entire monster moving in more complicated patterns while singing to control the light was proving to be a significantly higher draw on Alice's mana.

Her songs drained mana while using them constantly, but this song she was singing trying to make a tyrant brown bear out of light was seemingly impossible. The stress on her was also growing the longer she attempted to sing it since she was putting her emotions and desires in to the song as a whole. This was like wearing on mental and mana strengths leaving her just worn out and somewhat at a loss.

For Su, she had been resisting the attacks and finding that the simple movements were allowing her to utilize her deflecting skills while enhancing her body and surroundings using some fire mana breathing and shielding. It had been valuable to her in shattering the monster shapes sent here. However, Su had been challenged when Alice had taken to the shape of a tyrant brown bear since it was larger and certainly used more dense light mana to form.

"Alice, you need to let yourself be more like a beast. I know that sounds weird, but I think your fault in this song is not knowing what it is like to release hold on your instincts. It might go against your desire and your title due to protecting and healing at all times, but even those who heal must rise to defend at times. Whether that means acting as a beast or not, it should be your innate desire to protect."

Su knew exactly how to spur Alice in to a different attempt. The method that Alice was using where she had to bring intent in to the form of a bear monster might be too separated. But maybe copying another monster could help. "Why not a living armor, it would be like the light warriors and paladins. They are able to heal and defend while attacking too. It fits what you have seen your whole life too."

The familiar idea for Su and Alice to train in this way seemed to make Alice spark to life a little more. Her light mana began to gather a little more densely as the humming she came up with changed in to a more royal tone. One that held the majesty she felt all those who worked within the cathedral possessed.

"I need to embody peace and healing. That is what I give. If I give violence…" Alice realized that she was talking as if she was giving violence to enemies and to those around her if she were to focus her entire song in to creating armored light figures. Yet, she also knew that she would be giving security and safety. That should be a blessing. If she was able to do that, then why not provide healing at the same time?

The song she began to hum changed pitch. Su even felt that the light mana around her became serious. Not dangerous, but intimidating enough that she would not choose to go against it if there was a greater amount of solid light mana around.

For a moment, the light mana seemed to dissipate as Alice changed tone and cadences yet again. However, as she began yet again, Su watched a single figure began to form out of light. It seemed more like a decorative set of armor, its small movements jerky and broken. Yet, there was a sharpness to the sword and a denseness to the shield.

Realizing what Alice was doing, Su began to smile widely. Since the intent to defend and protect was within the song of swords and the song of shields, Alice began to mix the songs. She was also utilizing the song she used to wreath the cathedral in healing light to help others. Adding in characteristics which came from the movements of small animals in a field, the song felt like a defensive march. A victorious sonata that explained how an entire army took to the walls to both defend and heal its people in a time of need.

As Su's heart welled with joy hearing the song become more fluid, she didn't allow for Alice to easily create her light knight using the song. Instead, she charged forward using the flames she had breathed around her to coat her body and armor. The shield slam dissipated the light knight in one hit, but Alice was not so weak that breaking on would be the end.

The song was progressing and offering Su a chance to disrupt it utilizing skills in to her already defined offensive shield technique. Now the pair could break apart one another's new forms of fighting and skills while putting pressure to grow those styles of battle even better than before. They were like blades refining one another with each strike between them.

The hours of this passed until Midnight had returned with Onyx later to find the two asleep leaning back to abc in the middle of what looked like a warzone. Their training area had been burned, frozen, and seemingly cracked apart by earth. Midnight and Onyx even saw remnants that Su had wreathed a shield in dark mana to decay anything that struck it. Both Alice and Su's skills were developing much faster than what anyone would have expected. Even Walker would have been shocked if he had seen it.

That didn't mean that Onyx and Midnight had been sitting around all day since they returned. They had worked together as well to advance. Although their advancements were a little less easily spotted.

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