The Fist Saintess's Demonstration
At Ellie's refusal, everyone's gazes turned toward her. She hugged me tightly, as if to say absolutely not. I was inwardly worried I'd suffocate to death like this when Lize asked in a puzzled voice. Her mere appearance made even a simple question carry an immense sense of intimidation.
"Persuade him after getting close? What do you mean by that?"
"Just what I said. You heard it from the president too, right? Sivar doesn't know much about the world yet. What if we drag him off recklessly and he gets a bad impression?"
"Hmm."
Lize crossed her arms at the reasonable explanation. I definitely couldn't be compared to an ordinary person. A normal person would have firmly refused her invitation or eventually given in after some deliberation. But the current situation was a bit different. This wasn't just anyone—it was someone who had lived in the wild and crossed into civilization. Unless it was the wild, their own judgment would naturally be a bit lacking.
Lize probably thought the same, and sure enough, she nodded with a tone of conviction.
"That could be true. What's the student's name?"
"Ellie."
"A fine name. The student's words are quite persuasive. I could take him by force, but that would only breed resentment."
Lize nodded with her arms still crossed. Glancing over, her thick forearms stood out prominently.
"But we can't just leave him be like this. Ellie, you know how strong Sivar is, don't you?"
"Yes. I don't know the details, but I know he's incredibly strong."
She must have only heard about it since she wasn't there at the time. How Hector had attacked first without warning and been utterly defeated. How he'd pushed back until Berserk activated, but after that, Hector was powerless.
Ellie was far removed from combat, but she already knew my strength well. I'd casually blocked that massive Monkey's hand and even killed it—anyone who didn't know would be the weird one.
"As long as Sivar can't control his instincts, that strength could turn on you too, Ellie. I can help with that."
"How exactly do you plan to help? Does it involve violence?"
"I can't say it doesn't."
Lize answered refreshingly, as if to say what kind of question is that? She was openly admitting she'd resort to violence if needed. Ellie hugged me even tighter in response. I could barely breathe by turning my head before, but now even that was impossible.
Tap—tap—
Right before I suffocated, I urgently tapped Ellie's shoulder. Fortunately, she got the hint and loosened her grip slightly.
I finally understood why people suffocate in pillows. And this was softer than any pillow.
"Pha!"
"...Did you just fall in water or something?"
Kara snickered at my ragged breathing. Ignoring her, I leaned back into Ellie's chest. Normally I'd mind the onlookers, but that concern had vanished. Right now, Ellie was the only one I could trust. She was the one who'd boldly refused Lize's invitation and defended me.
......Screw it all; her chest was just too comfortable to resist leaning into. How was I supposed to hold back?
"I've learned one thing from decades of pilgrimage: As long as life exists— not just humans—violence is inevitable."
"...That doesn't sound like something a saintess should say."
"I know that well. Violence is unequivocally evil. But if that evil is indispensable, I'll gladly wield it to eliminate the root of harm."
That was why Lize stood apart from typical saintess characters. Ordinary saintesses were paragons of absolute good, but Lize was pure chaos. She had a fundamentally kind heart and acted on it with unwavering goodness. Yet she was pragmatic, with no qualms about violence. A creed perfectly suited to Chaos. Add her stunning looks and straightforward personality, and it was no wonder she was so popular.
"Oh, and to clarify: I'm not talking about just beating Sivar or anything like that. It's preparation for any potential Berserk state. Lord told me it's nearly impossible to stop him once he's in it, short of knocking him out."
"......"
With my cheek pressed against Ellie's chest, I eyed Lize. One hit from those pot-lid-sized fists would knock me out cold. Even a proper grapple would be game over. Her physical abilities outclassed mine entirely. She was an all-around superior version—body, technique, traits, everything.
Just like with Lord, my Wild Instinct screamed: You'd lose for sure against her.
"......So, have you decided how you'll train him? Just so you know, Sivar's opinion matters most."
Ellie, having heard Lize out, asked cautiously, emphasizing that my say was key. Lize grinned, flashing her pearly whites—a bold, hearty smile that stood out.
"First, to control Berserk freely, he needs to trigger it intentionally. That's step one."
"......Berserk only activates when he senses a near-death crisis. Is that even possible?"
It was Luna's question. As she said, Berserk wasn't something you triggered on purpose. If it were, it'd be a skill, not a trait. It defied common sense.
"By common sense, yes. But declaring it impossible without even trying is nonsense. It hasn't been proven impossible, has it?"
"Still......"
"Chaos's first lesson: There's no such thing as common sense in this world. The very idea of a human having Berserk defies logic. Sivar is far removed from conventional norms, isn't he?"
"......"
She'd dismantled the argument instantly. Best to avoid verbal sparring with Lize. She might look like a simple-minded brute, but she was a sage who'd wandered the pilgrimage roads for decades. She'd encountered every type of person and built an open mindset from vast experience. Plus, as a favored follower of Chaos, she took weird occurrences in stride.
"But in his current state, intentionally triggering Berserk would be tough. He probably hasn't even activated it many times."
That was true too. It had gone off recently against Hector, but it was hard to trigger otherwise. The condition was a "near-death crisis"—could you really summon that on demand? Especially with my resilience? In game terms, it barely popped when HP hit around 5%. Without reaching that, no dice.
But Lize thought differently—or rather, she shattered common sense entirely. With her signature bright smile, she raised her fist and declared:
"That's where I'll help. To familiarize him with the sensation of Berserk activating. Master that sensation to trigger it at will, and eventually control it."
Shit. That was fucking terrifying. Her smiling like that made it even creepier. And her gentle tone only amplified the dissonance.
"......So you're still using violence in the end."
Ellie read my fear and patted my back as she replied. It calmed my nerves.
"It's different. Awakening the sensation versus direct hits—big difference. Ellie, do you know the term placebo effect?"
"Yes. When you take a fake pill thinking it's real, and your condition actually improves. I learned that."
As an herbal medicine student, Ellie would cover basic medicine—more like prescriptions for ailments.
"My method is similar. A kind of hypnosis. It won't actually kill you, but it'll let you feel the sensation of death."
"Is that possible?"
"It is."
Lize declared it confidently. Coming from the revered Fist Saintess, it carried weight. I didn't get the principle, but maybe worth a shot. Still scary as hell, though.
Anyway, with her method revealed, all that was left was permission. Ellie stroked my head and asked my opinion.
"Sivar. What do you think? I'd love to help myself, but I'm clueless about combat."
"......"
"Sorry I can't help. But I'll grant whatever you want later."
Let me grope your chest. That'd absolve everything. The words rose to my throat, but I swallowed them. I was enjoying it plenty already.
Leaning into Ellie's chest, I glanced at Lize. She wasn't pushing anymore, respecting my choice.
For now, I have to refuse. With upcoming events, I couldn't right away. Maybe in about a week. If I could really control Berserk with her help, it'd be a huge boon. The trait already multiplied my strength several times—turning it into a skill would be perfect.
Plus, Lize was stronger than Lord. With both Sword Saint and Fist Saintess around, trouble was unlikely.
"Right now. No."
"What does that mean?"
"He means not right now."
Kara translated. She'd switched to polite speech at some point.
As I said, the next week was tied up with the priestess event. Miss that, and it'd be the next quarter. But time wasn't zero. Weekend was soon; I could squeeze it in then.
And......better to see it with my own eyes first. What method she'd use.
"Method. Experience."
"He wants to experience the method firsthand, at least a demo."
"It's amazing how you two always understand Sivar."
Ellie translated this time. She and Kara could parse my garbled speech perfectly. They probably didn't even realize it. Hell, even I didn't know how.
Anyway, I needed to see the method. Lize's surprise was brief; she opened her mouth to explain.
"Hard to show here. Shall we step out back for a moment?"
What method could it be? As I wondered, Lize asked Lord.
"Is that alright?"
"Sky's fine, not the ground."
"It might rain."
"Do as you like."
Lord seemed to have guessed what she'd show. Was that strong-one talk? We followed Lize to the backyard. The rear was wooded and spacious. Even heading out, Ellie hugged me from behind as I moved cautiously. Lize was too close for comfort.
Ellie found my wariness cute and played with my hand. Interlocking fingers meant she wasn't uncomfortable.
"Sivar. I'm fine with this, but don't do it to other people—especially women. The waist's sensitive."
"Yeah."
She even gave that advice midway. Kara shot a side-eye, but I ignored it.
Soon we reached a vast open space. Waiting to see what Lize would show was all that remained.
"I'll demonstrate the method I'll use on Sivar. Note: no direct hits, and it'll be much weaker in practice."
With that, Lize slowly assumed a stance. She spread her legs slightly, looked up at the sky, bent her knees a bit, and drew her right arm back.
I had a rough idea what that pose was.
"Hup!"
Once set, she unleashed a clean straight punch toward the sky. It looked utterly ordinary.
Crack!
Until cracks spiderwebbed through empty air like shattering glass.
"......"
"......What?"
"A crack......in empty air......"
The light punch had unimaginable repercussions. Everyone except Lord couldn't believe their eyes.
Creeeak!
The airborne fissure deepened. It seemed like it might shatter entirely. Thankfully, it subsided soon after, but the effects of "breaking" space began to show.
"Th-that-......"
"Huh? Why is the...... Whoa?!"
Kara looked up at Luna's urgent words and freaked out too. They rarely startled, so it was baffling.
I slowly raised my head.
"......Huh."
It was around 4 p.m. Summer meant the sun still blazed. But look at the sky now. Parts pitch-black like night, others sunset-hued, some cloudy—weird everywhere. Space wasn't just warped; the sky was broken.
A greater impact than Lord slicing space with his sword. His was precise and concise swordsmanship; Lize's shattered it outright. With a single punch.
Plip—plip—
Raindrops hit my face. As I said, parts of the sky were raining.
"This is the method I'll use on Sivar. Just an example—much milder in reality."
"......"
Lize's voice pierced my ears. I slowly lowered my head and stared at her.
"The placebo effect is hypnosis. And......"
Her bright smile as she spoke was.
"The method I'll use is hypnosis too."
Downright terrifying.
