Chapter 58: Learning magic through violent means

Lister did not disturb Marcus's selection process. He had thought about introducing some drill exercises for the new recruits, like marching in step and lining up straight. However, with magic and Aura existing, individual strength was magnified to a point where discipline could no longer compensate.

An elite Earth Knight like Marcus could easily defeat a hundred ordinary Squires.

Even a newly minted Earth Knight like Lister could handle two or thirty ordinary Squires, as long as his Aura was sufficient. Ordinary Squires wouldn't be able to get close to him; they would have to exhaust his Aura first.

As an instructor at the Knights Academy, Marcus had his own methods for training rookie knights.

Therefore,

due to the scorching heat, Lister simply stayed within the castle to train Hiddleston.

"Sit down, Hiddleston!"

Hiddleston, already resembling a large wolf dog, immediately sat on the ground upon hearing the command, panting and looking at Lister. Lister casually threw a small piece of jerky and then rubbed Hiddleston's head.

He activated his Magic Eye.

Through it, he could see that Hiddleston's magical power was already abundant.

"Theoretically, Hiddleston possesses a considerable amount of magical power. Having been well-fed and taken care of in the castle, its growth has been rapid, reaching the point where it can now release magic. Unfortunately, without the guidance of an adult Earth Dragon, it likely doesn't know how to control the magic within its body. Should I help guide it?"

With the Magic Eye's observation, he was confident that he could safely guide Hiddleston's release of magic.

However, there was always the risk of accidentally killing Hiddleston in the process, and that was uncertain.

After a moment of hesitation, he quickly made his decision. "I won't guide it. If its magical power accumulates excessively and Hiddleston can't release it, it will still end up dying from the pressure. Rather than that, it's better for it to learn magic sooner. Even if it were to die, it wouldn't be much of a waste of resources... Most importantly, my emotional attachment to it isn't deep."

Before his transmigration, List had raised a dog, and he had been deeply saddened by its death from old age.

Now, he didn't easily form emotional bonds with pets.

Half of human suffering came from emotional investment. As an adult, his soul and mindset understood the importance of cutting losses promptly.

"Come here, Hiddleston."

With a wave of his hand, Hiddleston immediately wagged its tail and approached.

"Woof, woof!"

To be honest, a Bullydog is just a larger version of a regular earth dog, with behavior and temperament akin to canines. Perhaps that's why it's called a Bullydog – a more aggressive variant of an earth dog.

"I'll teach you magic now!" Liszt soothed the Bullydog, calming it down as he employed his Magic Eye to observe the flow of magic within its body.

Magic and Aura were both manifestations of magic power.

The difference lay in the fact that magic was refined from external sources by mages, while Aura was extracted by knights from within themselves. Thus, mages could manipulate spells of various attributes, conjuring fireballs one moment and water arrows the next, whereas knights could only control their own attribute-based Aura.

As for magical creatures' magic power,

half was self-refined, and half absorbed from the environment, allowing them to recover at a much faster rate than human mages or knights.

When it came to casting magic, mages merely needed to guide elemental arrangements in the air to form various spells. Knights, on the other hand, required weapons to channel their Aura onto, preventing it from dissipating into the atmosphere.

"Magical creatures surely can't grasp the intricate casting techniques and profound magical knowledge of mages. Therefore, their use of magic seems more like an instinctive bodily response... If I guide its magic power release, it should naturally cast Rock Spikes... I believe that's how it works."

Similar to how knights released their Aura.

Knights typically used their hands to unleash their Aura. Liszt pondered, "Which part of Hiddleston's body should he use to cast magic? Its claws?"

Its paws might not suffice; it would have to walk on its claws—no knight ever released their Aura with their feet.

Suddenly, he recalled the Windblade Wolves he encountered when patrolling Thorns Ridge when he first arrived at Flower Town. They had released their magic, Wind Blades, from their mouths.

Judging by the anatomy of animals, their mouths seemed to be the most suitable place for magic release.

"So I'll channel Hiddleston's magic into its mouth and break free from the constraints. This shouldn't be too difficult… My predecessor was rather foolish, but he didn't encounter any difficulties when he first released his Aura," he thought as he pressed down on Hiddleston, surging his Aura to guide the puppy's magical energy.

"Whine!"

Hiddleston felt as if it were being burned alive and struggled wildly, but it was only a few months old and couldn't escape the grip of a Earth Knight.

It could only be subjected to Liszt's Aura baptism. The fire-elemental Aura was scorching and explosive, akin to a high-temperature sauna.

The dog's eyes instantly turned red.

Its body temperature rapidly rose, causing steam to rise from its body.

"I seem to have forgotten that my Aura is fire-elemental, which doesn't seem suitable for guiding… But it's already done, and success lies in this one attempt." He exerted force and called out, "Hiddleston, release your magic!"

Crash!

The Magic Eye witnessed the magic power within Hiddleston surge forth, guided and propelled by his battle aura. It converged at the dragon's mouth before bursting with a resounding explosion, akin to pricking a water-filled balloon.

The next moment was a witness to a miracle.

On the nearby lawn, three enormous rock spikes resembling giant bamboo shoots suddenly pierced through the ground. Each was as thick as an adult's thigh, with razor-sharp points and lengths of at least a meter.

"Brilliant!"

Liszt laughed heartily. "Well done, Hiddleston! You've learned magic!" He looked at the rock spikes with immense satisfaction. This magical technique would surely pack a punch for ambushes or sneak attacks. Just imagine shouting, "Hiddleston, release your magic!" and having those spikes pierce someone's posterior in an instant.

What a delightful scene that would be.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of his valet, Thomas, from behind. "My Lord, it seems Hiddleston is injured."

"Hmm?" Liszt noticed that Hiddleston had collapsed on the ground, blood flowing profusely from its mouth—its snout was now a mess, as if it had exploded.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Hiddleston had only been affected by the backlash of the unleashed magic power, sustaining superficial wounds but no injuries to its bones or tendons. Its exhaustion was mainly due to the overexertion of magic power, leaving its body drained.

Understanding the situation, Liston felt reassured.

He said to Thomas, "This is the peril that comes with magic... Why are those enigmatic mages so scarce and unpopular? It's because their magical experiments are always fraught with danger, explosions can occur at any moment. They lack the understanding of scientific principles yet attempt to wield the rules."

These words were more like a monologue to himself.

Thomas didn't understand and asked curiously, "Master, have you ever met a mage?"

"No."

"Then you are truly great. You've taught Hiddleston magic without even having seen a mage. Praise Master!" Thomas sounded like an enthusiast, his tone filled with astonishment.

Liston smiled slightly.

Such a trivial matter was not worth mentioning.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and instructed, "Thomas, take good care of Hiddleston, dress its wounds, and mash its food before feeding it."

"Yes, Master."