Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Inner Giga-Alvis
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A few days had passed since Ravi and Elfin had briefly returned home.
From the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she collapsed into bed at night, Lenis practiced basic spells relentlessly, pushing herself to the brink.
"Haaak... Haaak... Uweeeck!"
Late into the night, in an empty field where no one was around, Lenis had drained every last drop of her mana practicing magic. Completely exhausted, she began vomiting.
These weren't the grand, flashy spells she usually favored. They were the true fundamentals of a mage.
In the past, she wouldn't have given these unremarkable basics a second thought, brushing them off carelessly in favor of powerful spells that drew crowds and turned heads. But the Lenis of today was different.
She recalled the events from a few days earlier, when Alvis had returned to the village's mercenary lounge, dragging the corpse of the escaped test subject he'd slain.
"Hey, the request's done. This must be the escaped test subject you were talking about, right?"
Alvis dropped the fusion beast's corpse onto the street outside the lounge and called out loudly to the mercenaries inside.
The townsfolk gasped in horror at the massive monstrosity dumped in the road but couldn't tear their eyes away. The mercenaries poured out of the lounge, their breaths catching in their throats.
"Gah! W-what the hell is that!?"
"T-the escaped test subject...? The mage tower's request said there were three of them..."
"Looks like they fused together. That's how I found it—already like this. Three heads, so it lines up, but the situation's a bit different from the request. Call a mage tower staffer to appraise it."
The mercenaries contacted the mage tower immediately, and moments later, a few mages teleported in upon hearing the news.
Inspecting the body meticulously with their appraisal tools and lenses, the mages' jaws dropped.
"Unbelievable... It's definitely them. The specimens that escaped our tower. We never imagined they'd fused into this tangled mess... That's why the requests kept failing. And this chimera fusion's corpse is in remarkably pristine condition. Did that young mercenary over there take it down?"
"Not a mercenary, just a wanderer. Yeah, I got it."
"Incredible. With the body this intact, we can even study the fusion now. Heh heh heh... Never thought an opportunity like this would come..."
"You'd better manage your test subjects better next time."
"Of course! We'll take this incident as a lesson and bind them even more securely... Ah, look at me rambling. Right, the reward. Here's the promised 5,000 gold. Whew, we thought we'd never recover this. Thanks to the Iron Wolf Mercenaries, it's sorted. Truly grateful!"
The mages handed Alvis a pouch of gold, then vanished via teleportation with the fusion beast's body.
Alvis showed the pouch to the mercenaries and spoke to the man who'd been wiping glasses when he accepted the request.
"You said if I came back alive, the split's 10:0, right?"
The mercenaries just stared at him silently.
Worried they might suddenly attack for the gold, Lenis quietly prepared for combat...
"Wooooaaahhh!!!"
"This guy's the one who cleared that request after seven failures!"
"Looks like a damn parasite worm, but he's got skills!"
"Must be pretty damn strong, huh?!"
"We've got a ton of stale requests piling up! Interested in any? Oh, you can keep the full reward! If you help, our rep skyrockets! Need a spot? We'll make one right now!"
"Quit standing in the street—come in for a drink! Let's talk requests over food and booze. Bound to be something you like!"
The mercenaries cheered for Alvis, throwing arms around him and Lenis, ushering them into the lounge with lavish hospitality.
A few hot-blooded ones demanded a spar, but Alvis brushed them off, only skimming the request board.
"Hey, join our mercenary group? You cleared that nightmare request—no one's objecting now."
"Appreciate it, but no. I'm a wanderer with stuff to do. Can't settle down anywhere."
"Tch, what a shame. Wanted to see your skills up close. Fine, how about honorary member? What's your name?"
"Alvis. Do whatever with the honorary thing."
"Hahaha! Alright, Alvis! Staying two weeks, right? Tons of high-paying gigs here—pick ours over anywhere else!"
The mercenaries praised Alvis, begging him to take their requests.
Watching it all, Lenis felt envy, jealousy, and resentment crash over her at once.
Achievements earned purely on skill, with no background or connections. Pure, genuine recognition from others.
These were the very things Lenis craved most, and Alvis—whom she'd dismissed as worthless—had achieved them in hours, earning fawning treatment from total strangers.
Even she, introduced as his body servant, received the mercenaries' goodwill and delicious food and drink. But Lenis had no appetite.
A twisting, gut-wrenching jealousy.
Seeing Alvis attain what she lacked most—what she'd desperately wanted—while she, who'd been utterly useless against the fusion beast, filled her with endless self-loathing.
Her face burned red with shame, her body trembling.
From that day on, Lenis wrung every ounce of mana from her body, practicing nonstop until she collapsed from exhaustion.
"Huff... Huff... Urk...! So... tired... Can't... anymore..."
Leaning against a tree after vomiting, Lenis considered calling it a night—the pain was too much.
Then Alvis's voice echoed in her mind like a hallucination.
Hey, Lenis! Giving up already? Even I, the academy loser you mocked, pulled this off. Is that all you've got? Come on! You can do more! Get up and pull yourself together!
Lenis, you idiot! Sprawling out like that—what're you gonna do? Sink below even that academy trash me!?
The world won't wait for you! Want recognition? Quit bawling like a pussy—stand up and overcome it! If you want respect, put in the work! Don't think people won't see through your flashy, empty show spells!
Her limbs shaking, Lenis pushed away from the tree and staggered back into the field.
Even with her stamina gone and vision blurring, Alvis's hallucinated voice spurred her on. She forced her body to move.
"Screw... that... Who said... I'd just sit here..."
Buoyed by encouragement from her inner Giga-Alvis, Lenis gritted her teeth, squeezed her mana to its limit, and resumed training.
Alvis had never said anything like that—not once. But in Lenis's heart, her inner Giga-Alvis was firmly entrenched.
Back in the Carrot Duchy, Ravi rested in cozy quarters, ate better food than usual, and recovered her strength.
When she recounted her travels to her father, Duke Liebv, he clutched his head.
"Ugh... This is blowing up bigger than I thought. I heard just recently that the Vector Baron's lands in Pratea Kingdom vanished overnight without a trace. I thought it was some ghostly nonsense, but..."
"Dad, don't tell a soul. Bad feeling about this. No idea who's behind it, and if word gets out we know, they might come for us."
"Right. Won't even tell your mother—I'll keep it to myself. But Ravi, with dangers like that out there, tell that Alvis fellow and bow out of the investigation team—"
"No!"
Ravi shouted before she could stop herself, then clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.
"I-I mean, there are three others besides me. If I bail saying it's too risky, what'll they think of me... of the Bunny Clan and Carrot Duchy? Besides, Alvis is leading the team better than expected. It'll be fine. I'll keep traveling. Hiding here won't stop them—if anything, better to hunt them down first, right?"
"That's how you see it? If you're sure, I won't stop you... but Ravi, always be careful. Got it?"
"...Yeah!"
Just then, a retainer called from outside.
"Your Grace, the guests you were expecting have reached the castle gates."
"Oh, time already? Got it. On my way."
"Guests? Who's coming today?"
Duke Liebv nodded at Ravi's question.
"Yes. The Holy Warrior's visiting our kingdom today. Perfect timing—let's go greet him together."