Chapter 124: Special Training 14
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Special Training 14
Thud.
After returning home from the hellish "pattern training" Loki had devised, Sepia collapsed onto her bed, feeling as though she were sinking straight through the mattress.
I can't move a muscle.
Though Sepia possessed far more physical stamina than the average spiritist, hours of relentless training had left both her body and mind in tatters.
"Ughhhhh!"
Recalling the ordeal she had just endured, Sepia shuddered right there on the bed. Just thinking about those grotesque skeletons rushing her while making that distinct clack, clack sound made her skin crawl.
Avoiding the attacks of an ordinary skeleton should have been easy. Sepia had faced her fair share of knights before, and compared to them, a skeleton’s movements were primitive. And yet, she had been struck by those basic skeletons multiple times.
It wasn't because she had let her guard down, nor was it because her stamina had failed her. The reason she had been hit by attacks she should have easily dodged was simple...
There were just so damn many of them!
The sheer number of skeletons was absurd. There was a limit to what "a lot" should mean. Even if she dodged one attack with room to spare, another skeleton would strike immediately. And even if she dodged that one... another would be right behind it! What the hell was she supposed to do?!
Sepia’s jaw was too heavy to move from exhaustion, but she wailed inwardly.
Sigh... fine, I'll let that slide.
After hours of getting pummeled by those ordinary skeletons, she had eventually grown accustomed to the rhythm. By the end, she could practically dodge their attacks with her eyes closed, no matter how many swarmed her.
But did dodging the fodder mean she could finally catch that Pushover?
"Haa... absolutely... no... way."
Sepia forced her barely functioning lips to move, whispering the words into her pillow.
While most of the skeletons the Pushover created were ordinary, many of them didn't even maintain a human shape. The reason she had shuddered earlier was because of those abominations. There was a long-armed skeleton whose limbs stretched more than twice their length during an attack. There was another that fired its own ribs like arrows.
Even when she tried to use the Wind Spirit to take to the skies, some skeleton’s tongue would lash out to strike her mid-flight.
Why! On earth! Does a skeleton have a tongue?!
Once, she had used Spirit Arts to sweep away the entire horde at once and charge the Pushover. Of course, since they were illusions created by him, they all vanished instantly. But the moment the skeletons disappeared and she reached out to grab him...
The skeletons she had just destroyed reappeared instantly.
"Wait! That’s cheating!"
"What do you mean? Anyone would think you've just witnessed an impossible resurrection."
"If that’s not resurrection, what is it?!"
"Your opponent is a necromancer. As long as there is sufficient mana and corpses, I can summon them as much as I want."
In the end, she couldn't win the argument, and the training continued. Since it was a constant repetition of the same grueling cycle, it felt less like training and more like backbreaking manual labor.
Dodge the skeletons, run out of stamina, rest for a bit, try again, get crushed, run out of stamina, rest, get crushed... and then get a massage in the middle of it all...
"The massage..."
Sepia’s face flushed a deep crimson at the memory.
When she had been slumped on the dirt ground, completely drained of energy, Loki had approached her and started kneading her shoulders. When he suddenly began the massage, Sepia had demanded to know what the hell he was doing.
Loki had replied with total, deadpan confidence.
"Huh? What am I doing? As you can see, I'm obviously giving you a massage."
The massage had been undeniably effective; her shoulders and legs felt much lighter afterward, but...
Am I the weird one for thinking this is strange?
No, there was no way. The Pushover, who touched her legs and shoulders so naturally, was definitely the weird one. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have any impure intentions. His hands on her shoulders never strayed toward her chest, and his hands on her legs never moved toward her inner thighs.
If he had tried to sneak a touch, she might have even pretended not to notice...
"Aaaagh! What am I thinking?!"
Her face turned so red she looked like she was suffering from a high fever. Sepia began to kick her blankets frantically.
"This is all that Pushover's fault!"
Of course, Sepia was already exhausted, so her tantrum didn't last long.
I feel so gross.
She had sweated so much that her clothes were sticking to her skin. The urge to strip and wash up immediately filled her mind, but laziness quickly won out.
"But I'm too tired..."
Her mother had taught her to always wash up after coming home, but she didn't have the strength left to even walk to the bathroom.
I have to take off my makeup, too...
Since it wasn't ordinary makeup, it hadn't run despite the sweat, but it was better to wash it off before sleeping. She had to wash, remove her makeup, and change her clothes—but she couldn't move a single finger.
However, Sepia had one trump card left.
"Help me."
She called out to the spirits who were playing among themselves nearby.
The spirits brought over the makeup removal tools and began to carefully wipe her face. While the spirits didn't have the talent to apply makeup, they could at least remove it. If other spiritists saw this, they would probably faint from shock.
Normally, the relationship between a spiritist and a spirit was a strict contract. Usually, the spirit held the upper hand, and the user was the subordinate. It was unheard of for a spiritist to ask a spirit to perform such menial chores. But the bond between Sepia and her spirits was more like a friendship than a contract.
The Water Spirit enveloped Sepia. The bed didn't get wet at all; the spirit only drew the sweat and grime from her body.
"Thanks."
After drying her hair with the Wind Spirit, Sepia thanked them and looked at the white mask resting in her hand.
The mask the Pushover always wears.
Sepia stared intently at the interior that touched his face, but of course, that didn't reveal Loki's identity.
"I bet he has a goofy, grinning face under there."
As she imagined Loki's face, Sepia’s eyes drifted toward her desk, which was cluttered with cosmetics.
"You think so too, don't you?"
There, standing out amidst the makeup, was a yellow egg covered in strange patterns.
The day before the mission at Baron Ashro's estate, Professor Elicia had told the students to rest. Sepia had intended to relax, but her spirits told her they felt something strange nearby. Following their guidance, she had found this egg. She had kept it for now, but the egg only moved very occasionally and very slightly.
Deciding to think about the egg later, Sepia put on the mask she was holding. Before they parted earlier, the Pushover had emphasized that she must wear this mask while practicing her Spirit Arts.
"I don't know why he made such a request, but I guess I should do it."
Though she grumbled, Sepia began her Spirit Arts training.
* * *
About thirty minutes into her training.
".........?"
Sepia felt a jarring sense of incongruity. Because she practiced Spirit Arts every day, she was more sensitive to changes than anyone. At first, she wasn't sure. But as time passed, she became certain.
It's faster. Much faster.
In the past, everyone who had briefly taught her Spirit Arts said she grew stronger at an incredible pace. Sepia had always just brushed it off. To her, every day felt the same.
But now, even Sepia could say for sure. This was undeniably fast. It was as if she were under the illusion that time was flowing faster for her alone.
Various scenes flashed through Sepia’s mind. And in every scene, one person appeared.
Loki, who grew stronger so quickly it made her wonder if he had been hiding his true skills all along. Loki, who claimed his talent was far inferior to the other students in the Special Class. And finally, Loki, who told her to train while wearing this mask.
"...No way, it can't be."
Even though she was experiencing it firsthand, Sepia thought, No, surely it's just a coincidence, and took off the mask to continue her training.
Thirty minutes later, Sepia put the mask back on and resumed.
This time, two hours passed before Sepia finally took the mask off. She thought about what would happen if the ability of this mask became known. One thing was certain: nothing good would happen to the Pushover.
In a short amount of time, Sepia arrived at the same conclusion Loki had.
An elixir that never disappears and has no side effects no matter how much you use it—the Empire itself would likely try to seize this mask. And Sepia also realized a problem that Loki hadn't considered.
Could someone who has experienced this ever give it up?
If someone who had trained even once with this mask tried to train without it, they would feel as if they were shackled. It would feel like their talent had been cut in half. The sense of exhilaration would vanish, leaving only lethargy behind. Sepia, having just experienced it, could guarantee that.
"Ugh! He should have told me beforehand! How am I supposed to store this?!"
Sepia got goosebumps thinking about how she had carried it back here carelessly in one hand.
"What if a dragon suddenly appears and steals it while I'm going to return it tomorrow? Or what if a sudden typhoon blows it away? Or what if a bolt of lightning suddenly falls from the sky and hits this mask..."
Imagining the most extreme scenarios, Sepia forced her exhausted body up and reached under her bed. She pulled out a safe made of solid mithril.
Inside this safe was the overflowing allowance her father gave her every day and the jewels her mother had given her for emergencies. The allowance provided by Marquis Rivayden, the wealthiest man in the Empire, was beyond imagination. Yet, without hesitation, Sepia grabbed handfuls of money—enough to easily buy several mansions—and tossed them onto the bed to make room.
Resisting the urge to put it on one more time, Sepia carefully held the mask with both hands and was placing it inside the safe when...
Cr-ack.
The egg on the desk split open.