Chapter 221: Rest (4)
Chapter 221: Rest (4)
A training room reserved for high-ranking Holy Knights, borrowed through Helena.
For some reason, the room was completely empty, leaving it all to ourselves…
This was the main headquarters, after all. It wasn't as if there were only one or two high-ranking Holy Knights, and it was unlikely they were all slackers who would skip training. Something must have been going on.
Perhaps they were in a meeting with Helena?
High-ranking Holy Knights weren't just powerful individuals; they were also commanders who led other knights in times of crisis.
Recalling dispatched knights and battle priests, or conducting drills to turn the headquarters into a fortress for a siege—there was plenty to do. They were likely busy from the planning stages.
Well, regardless, it was fine by me. I could use the training room to my heart's content without worrying about anyone else.
It was during a practical Blood Force lesson with Iona.
K-BOOOOOM!!!
Startled by the explosive sound from behind, I whipped around.
"What happened?!"
The ground was gouged and scorched black, as if a giant serpent of fire had slithered across it.
Elisha stood before it, dazed, while Iris was clapping her hands with a look of pure bliss.
"…Seriously, what's going on?"
"Hmm, hmm. Student Yandel. Let's pause the sparring for a moment and go see Elisha."
"Oh, right."
Iona seemed to have realized something, but instead of telling me, she just gave me a mischievous smile and a nudge.
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like anything bad. Tilting my head in confusion, I walked over to Elisha.
Up close, it was even more impressive.
The crater was deep enough to reach my waist. The air shimmered with residual heat, and the traces of mana were suffocating.
"Elisha? Did you do this? It doesn't look like… an accident."
"Yan… Yandel…"
Elisha turned her head with stiff, mechanical movements. Her eyes, blue as a clear sky, were trembling violently.
Looking visibly shaken, Elisha stammered out her next words.
"I… I think I've become an Intermediate Magician."
"Huh?"
*
Elisha had reached the level of an Intermediate Magician.
…It was sudden, but honestly, it wasn't that surprising.
Elisha was born with the talent to become an Archmage if nurtured correctly, and she had grown rapidly through dungeon dives ever since becoming my slave.
She had been standing at the very edge of being a Lower Magician, so she could have crossed that wall at any moment given the right catalyst.
I just didn't expect her to suddenly—poof!—cast Intermediate Magic without any warning.
"Congratulations, Elisha!"
"Thank you, Yandel. With this, I can finally…"
As Elisha offered a faint smile, I asked the question I was most curious about.
"By the way, what about the life-threatening danger? The intense emotions? The mana rampage? How did you awaken in such a peaceful atmosphere?"
"…Eh?"
Elisha tilted her head as if she couldn't understand. I tilted mine the other way.
After we spent a good while tilting our heads at each other, Elisha's jaw dropped as if she'd realized something.
"You… don't tell me…"
"Hmm? What? Did I say something wrong?"
Looking around, it wasn't just Elisha; everyone seemed to have caught on to something.
Why am I the only one out of the loop again…?
As I stood there tilting my head alone, Carla spoke up in an extremely cautious tone.
"U-um… Master?"
"Yeah."
"Normally, people cross the wall through steady training, not 'awakening.'"
"…What?"
My brain stalled for a second.
You don't need a quest for the second job advancement? I mean, I know this world isn't literally a game, but at least in H&A…
"Wait."
Now that I thought about it, even in H&A, awakening quests were events reserved for becoming an Archmage or a Sword Master.
Reaching the level of an Intermediate or High Magician was something you achieved by steadily increasing the number of spells you could use and raising your Trait ranks.
There was the issue of the experience required for the next level being incomparably higher than before, but no special event was strictly necessary.
It often looked like people crossed the wall during battle because they grew rapidly after clearing a dungeon or subjugating cultists…
But strictly speaking, they were stepping into the next realm using the rewards granted by the System after the battle was over.
It wasn't like me, where I awakened in the middle of combat and then received the rewards separately.
Iris stood on her tiptoes and gently patted my head as I stood there like a statue.
"Do not be too shocked, Master. Whether it is a realm forced open by unstable enlightenment found at the crossroads of life and death, or a personal answer built up steadily from the basics, the destination is the same, is it not?"
"…Iris, you little!"
Feeling a surge of annoyance, I grabbed Iris's chubby cheeks and pulled.
Stretch, stretch.
"Where do you get off insulting me while pretending to comfort me! You're the worst!"
"Hyaaa! Master, did you not do the same often, comparing my chest to Lady Yarnshard's! Do you know how long I have waited for this day—"
"Take this."
"Ow-w-w! That hurts! That actually hurts! I have had my turn, so I am satisfied and will not do it again! So stop pulling my ears instead of my cheeks!"
Even though I had only grabbed them and hadn't even pulled yet, Iris made a huge fuss. Her ears must be sensitive.
Even after letting go, Iris hung limp like a kitten caught by the scruff of its neck by its mother. I grabbed her wrists from behind.
Then, swinging her arms around like I was controlling a puppet, I continued.
"Well… it's a good thing you crossed the wall without any danger."
Come to think of it, Elisha had been studying magic consistently her entire life, since she was a child.
As Iris said, the training she had accumulated until now had simply borne fruit.
Anyway, from Intermediate Magic onwards, the caster's individuality and the characteristics of their Core become distinct. I wondered what Elisha's would be like.
For starters, Carla and I were focused on pure firepower. We had the Resonance trait of the Lintblum Core, and our goals overlapped.
I wanted a powerful single strike to overcome any crisis, and Carla had been raised as a turret-style traditional magician since she was young.
I had seen Elisha's grown-up version in H&A, so I knew she specialized in rapid-fire, but I'd never experienced it firsthand, so I was curious.
"Hey, Elisha. If you're okay with it, could you show me your Intermediate Magic?"
"Oh? I don't see why not. However, there is one thing I'd like to correct."
Elisha lifted her wand with a giggle, but a hint of bitterness flickered across her face.
"I wasn't quite as desperate as you, Yandel, but I was feeling cornered in my own way."
Elisha drew up her mana while looking toward the spot where the heat was just beginning to fade. In response, the Shadow of Elements manifested above her head.
The shadow, which originally only had the forms of wind and water, now had a flame pattern added to it.
"Why can't I reach Carla's level? Why do I keep falling behind even you, Yandel? Why did Master do something so reckless for someone like me? Am I destined to be… nothing but a burden?"
"Elisha…"
That was heavier than I expected.
Elisha was a genius brimming with pride. But the events of the past six months must have dealt a massive blow to her self-esteem.
Things had worked out somehow, but the result wasn't what mattered. The problem was that Elisha hadn't been able to do anything during the process.
As it always is, and for everyone, the gap between reality and one's ideals is a cruel thing.
As I watched Elisha with a worried heart, Iris, who had regained her composure, rubbed the back of her head against my chest and chuckled.
"Do not worry. Elisha is not such a weak child. Master, you need only keep your eyes wide open and watch."
"…Yeah."
Mana seethed. The Shadow of Elements wavered as if alive, radiating its presence.
It was a shadow born from the light of mana reflecting an image carved into the mind. A pattern that was merely an illusion created by the Elementus Core.
Yet, at this moment, it felt undeniably real.
"Yandel. My Yandel. Amidst the endless cycle of my agony, you told me. That I could surely do it. That my path was not wrong."
Right. I had said something like that in the carriage on the way here.
She glanced over at me, then nodded with a refreshing smile.
"I think so, too."
The mana blooming around Elisha began to converge at the tip of her wand in an instant.
"I shall show you here and now that your faith was not in vain. So, as Master said, watch closely. This is my magic. …Fire Tornado!"
Fwaaaa!
The mana that had been condensed into a single point suddenly expanded, giving birth to a roaring blaze.
The flames swirled close to the ground, taking a shape like a serpent slithering forward.
She had laid a Fire Tornado on its side. It was clean and fast. Above all, Elisha had completely omitted the chant just now.
To manifest magic with only a trigger word when she had just reached the level of an Intermediate Magician…
Just as I displayed power beyond ordinary Intermediate Magic, Elisha was able to reduce chanting time and cast much faster.
That was the path she pursued, and the way to maximize the traits of the Elementus Core.
As I watched in admiration, the storm of fire soon subsided, as expected of a discharge-type spell.
Just as I was about to raise my hands to clap, feeling half-regretful and half-impressed…
"Sharpness Hurricane!"
"Huh?"
Elisha's second spell followed immediately.
A storm of pure wind flew out, tracing the exact same trajectory as before. Having traded heat for sharpness, the magic shredded everything in front of it.
This alone was surprising, but Elisha wasn't finished.
"Tidal… Wave…!"
A thick stream of water shot out with fierce momentum, carving further into the already gouged crater.
At the same time, I rushed forward to catch Elisha as she began to collapse.
"Oof!"
Iris got squashed between Elisha and me, but that wasn't important right now.
It took a bit of time at first, and she collapsed from exhaustion at the end, but she had used Intermediate Magic three times in a row.
Of course, the power of each individual spell was much weaker than mine or Carla's. But when used in succession, it was a different story.
Though still unrefined, she had instantly closed the gap toward the "walking natural disaster" I remembered.
Elisha, who always pursued the best and was obsessed with being the best. Even if she lost her rival, lost her master, and was looked down upon by her own kin.
Even so, she was a woman who always looked forward, toward higher ground, moving one step at a time with a loud laugh.
I realized once again that the woman in my arms was indeed that Elisha.
Elisha, now completely drained of strength, giggled at my dumbfounded expression.
"How was it? Pretty good, right?"
"It wasn't just 'pretty good.' It was the best."
Now, Elisha had Carla and Iris by her side. She might still be looked down upon by her kin, but instead, she had me to affirm her.
I wondered how strong Elisha would become. How fast she would soar.
"I'm looking forward to it."
The words slipped out as I grinned foolishly. But for some reason, Elisha only let out a sigh with a disgruntled look.
"When you make that face with your current appearance, it keeps sounding like you mean something weird."
"…Go complain to Fay about that!"
Tomorrow is your turn.