Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Companionship
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◆
Vespa Luciana returned to her lodging and blankly stared up at the ceiling.
Lately, she had been incredibly busy.
She attended to Lady Gray as usual, reviewed her magic lessons that she had been diligently attending, studied for the regular evaluations...
“...”
And even amid that packed schedule, the first thing that came to mind was, inevitably, what had happened last.
The study group with Lady Gray and Carlyle.
In her head, she replayed the scene from earlier.
Gray dragging Carlyle around to do this and that.
To be precise, it was more like she was keeping him glued to her side, as if she couldn’t stand seeing him near anyone else.
She had served Lady Gray for quite a while, but she had never seen her so obsessed with something.
And.
Seeing that, Vespa somehow felt...
“...”
How should she put it.
Uncomfortable.
She couldn’t tell if it was toward Lady Gray or Carlyle that she felt this way.
What was certain was that watching it hadn’t left her in a good mood.
“...Ugh.”
She let out a deflated sigh and slammed her head into the pillow with all her might.
Whether it was Lady Gray or Carlyle, both were precious people to her.
Lady Gray went without saying—she was the one Vespa had served the longest—and Carlyle was the first person she had ever met whom she could truly rely on.
In fact, it was a bit strange when she thought about it.
She hadn’t known Carlyle for that long, yet at some point, he had become precious to her.
‘He’s a mysterious person.’
Being near him put her at ease.
Unlike her, who frantically handled whatever was right in front of her, he always planned everything out meticulously from one to ten, leaving no gaps.
She had received his help many times when dealing with Gray’s outrageous requests, and the more time they spent together, the more her trust in him grew.
And above all...
“...”
A blue mist gathered before Vespa.
He was the one who had convinced her—a mere maid no one paid attention to—that she had such talent and helped her develop it.
Thanks to him, her relationship with Lady Gray had improved dramatically.
So, he was a good person. A precious person.
Lady Gray was the same to her.
But.
Why.
Why did her chest feel so tight watching these two precious people together?
“...”
...What was this?
She had no idea.
She really didn’t understand anything.
Why she was feeling this emotion.
Vespa groaned into her pillow, wrestling with her thoughts.
After agonizing over it for a while, she reached a clear conclusion.
‘...I should just sleep!’
With that thought, Vespa pulled the covers over herself.
Yes. Pondering this kind of worry would only torment her more.
‘With Mr. Carlyle—’
...For the time being, she needed to be careful around him to avoid these thoughts.
She felt bad for Mr. Carlyle, but maybe she should keep a little distance.
◆
Previously, Dean Shea Whiteburn had suggested she learn how to wield the Holy Sword.
Though she had accepted gladly, Carlyle sometimes regretted that decision.
“-!”
Especially at times like this.
When the mana circulating inside him heated his entire body to a boil.
“Dear me, you’re all steamed up.”
“...”
Seeing steam rising from Carlyle’s whole body, the dean chuckled and emptied his cup.
Then, he picked up the water pitcher beside the cup and poured it straight onto Carlyle’s head.
It might look insulting, but to Carlyle, it was actually a relief.
His body felt like it was melting from the heat, and this made him feel much better.
“You sure hold out well. Feels like a bomb going off inside, doesn’t it?”
“I’ve trained in mana circuit construction before.”
“Not this brutally, I bet.”
True enough.
Taking in the Hero’s mana produced by the Holy Sword was something no ordinary body could endure.
In that sense, overloading the body with mana until the circuits burned out and steam rose was far from a normal method.
If the dean hadn’t been constantly watching and making fine adjustments, disaster would have struck long ago.
‘...But if I get through this.’
Mana circuit construction was the most basic training for imperial knights learning body reinforcement techniques.
It built the foundation to store a steady amount of mana in the body at all times.
It also directly affected the body, dramatically influencing one’s ‘constitution,’ or so he’d heard.
Most knight aspirants, especially those from prestigious families, started this process young if they had the means, using rare elixirs and secret techniques with utmost care.
In that regard, Carlyle was incredibly fortunate.
Under the guidance of the former Hero—the dean—he could embed mana with high affinity to all types into his body.
[Your potential is definitely high.]
Even the Holy Sword chimed in.
[Not as good as me, the original owner... but you should be able to mimic it pretty well.]
Transferring the Hero’s mana through the Holy Sword was far more inefficient than it seemed, with massive leakage.
He’d heard most of the Hero’s abilities were blocked due to that inefficiency.
Thus, this training went beyond just making Carlyle stronger—it dramatically expanded the range of abilities he could access.
“I didn’t think you’d actually follow through. Who’d do this insane stuff as instructed?”
“...”
“There are probably places that use this as torture. Not that I should say that as the one ordering it, but you’re no saint either.”
...This old man.
Carlyle glared at the dean, who spoke with admiring exasperation.
“Well, that should do it.”
“Yes?”
Ignoring Carlyle’s question, the dean placed a hand on his shoulder as he knelt gripping the Holy Sword.
He felt the dean’s mana infiltrating the circuits he had barely managed to form amid the burning pain.
And the next moment.
“...Oh.”
Carlyle let out an involuntary exclamation.
The Holy Sword, which always took the form of a plain longsword, had transformed into a shield he could hold in one hand.
“Remember that sensation. That’s how you’ll use it.”
“How did you do that?”
“Bael steel resonates most complexly with mana. With high enough synchronization, you can shape it freely with mana.”
With those words, the Holy Sword’s form kept changing.
From shield to dagger, then to twin blades.
“With just this, no one will suspect it’s the Holy Sword. People think longsword first.”
It’s a technique I developed.
Carlyle nodded as the dean shrugged.
“How far can you change the form?”
“Who knows... Depends on your mana control. You need a clear image first. Why not flex that imagination?”
Imagination.
Imagination, huh.
He already had something specific in mind for that, so he didn’t need suggestions.
“Dean.”
“Hm?”
“Can you make the Holy Sword into something like a ‘human body’?”
“...”
The dean stared at Carlyle in shock.
“...What for? Got some weird fetish?”
“.........No.”
“Young blood’s great, huh? So full of vigor—”
“I said no.”
...It took quite a while to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Well, possible maybe. But not easy. Feels like creating a living being with mana. Even I couldn’t.”
“...Hm.”
I see.
Making a new body for the Hero clearly wasn’t a short-term task.
If even this dean said he couldn’t, it might be impossible.
But.
‘I have to make it happen somehow.’
[...Is it worth that fire? Even the dean says it’s tough.]
‘I want to do this for the Hero.’
[......You idiot.]
‘It’ll make things easier for me too.’
[...]
‘Please save the world with a body, Hero.’
[Shut your trap.]
The Holy Sword grew violent.
Carlyle chuckled and stood.
Anyway, he now knew his goal with this ability.
And the purpose of his mana training.
Mulling that over, the dean shrugged and asked,
“By the way, how’d the written exam go?”
“Yeah, somehow.”
He’d barely avoided failing.
After days of cramming until his body gave out.
“Good. Practical’s tougher than written.”
“...Yes?”
“You and your friends are in a special format. Hope it’s fun.”
“...”
Why?
“Be grateful we’re overlooking your absences. By the rules, expulsion.”
“...Thank you.”
“And you lot seem suited for combat-focused training.”
“Yes?”
“You’re always at the storm’s eye, Carlyle Bellfast.”
“...”
“Dragging incidents everywhere.”
“Cut the unlucky talk.”
◆
A day later.
Carlyle found himself renewing his respect for the dean.
Ah, former Heroes don’t earn that title lightly.
From the perspective of someone who attracted trouble, the dean’s insight was spot on.
Just look at Carlyle’s situation shortly after the exam began.
Deep in a dark forest—clearly dangerous—with only Vespa and Carlyle there.
“...Ehehe.”
Vespa gave an awkward laugh, scratching her cheek in front of Carlyle.
She didn’t seem used to this either.
“Um, probably—”
Vespa glanced around and said,
“—we’ll have to stick together for about a night.”
“...”
“...Might even sleep together, yeah...”
“...”
“I-Is that... okay?”
Well, sure.
Vespa wasn’t weird. Sticking together wasn’t hard.
Just don’t cross the line.
However.
-System Message
▶ An event related to the target ‘Vespa Luciana’ is in progress.
▶ Depending on the outcome, the trait ‘Archmage’s First Love’ will change!
“...”
Carlyle clamped his mouth shut at the ominous window.
◆
