Strange Training
Ceres let out a long breath. Even though she had turned down the alcohol, she still felt a little tipsy. It was getting late, so she had used the excuse of needing sleep to slip away, but the others didn’t seem inclined to end the feast anytime soon. After fighting a battle and then attending a banquet, she was utterly exhausted. Tonight, she planned to wash her face and fall straight into bed.
“Ah, Ceres.”
“Zarco…”
Zarco must have been planning to rest too; he was holding a cup of water from the inn. Ceres almost blurted something out but held back. She had something to say. How should she even begin? She wanted to express her opinion without hurting Zarco’s feelings.
“U-um, Zarco. Listen.”
“Yeah?”
Her already flushed face grew even redder. Ceres swallowed dryly before continuing.
“About when you… touch me because of that Authority. Could you… just do it normally? Honestly, I hated it.”
“Ah, that.” Zarco’s tone was calm, as if he had expected this. “Earlier too, when you, uh, passed out… ugh.”
Just remembering that moment made her embarrassed. Her face burned all the way to her ears as she tried to steady her breathing. But Zarco answered in the same composed voice.
“I don’t fully understand it, but I could feel that doing it that way restored my strength. Then my body started moving on its own. And it actually worked. You felt it too, right? At that moment, the power of your Authority grew stronger.”
“…That’s… yeah.”
She didn’t even want to think about it, but when Zarco had pressed his mouth to her breast, the sensation had been completely different from divine power or anything like that. A vast, overflowing energy had flowed down her spine. There was no denying that the power bursting from her chest had seeped into him through his lips, strengthening his own energy.
“I was actually going to bring it up myself. Sorry for making you say it first… I didn’t do it because I enjoyed it.”
“R-really? Then from now on, could you just…”
“But listen.” Zarco cut her off. “It’s almost certain now. Besides what Lirias explained, there’s an Authority that strengthens through contact.”
“Mhm.”
“And—this might just be my imagination—but it felt like the more I touched… more sensitive areas, the stronger the power became. Didn’t it?”
Ceres didn’t answer. She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but her experience wouldn’t let her deny it outright.
“That’s why I think we should tell Dain about this power. For this unknown ability we don’t understand, it seems best to get the opinion of Dain, who at least has combat experience.”
“T-that’s—!”
At Ceres’s short cry, Zarco looked slightly startled.
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to get someone else’s input instead of keeping it between just the two of us?”
“…It’s embarrassing! How could I do something like that in front of someone else? I don’t want to!”
“I see.” Zarco stroked his lips, thought for a moment, then nodded silently before lifting his head. “Considering our future journey, I believe we need to understand this ability better. My instincts were right this time and it worked out, but earlier both Dain and the two of us could have died to that demon.”
“…”
She hadn’t underestimated the demon, but its power had clearly been overwhelming. To keep Dain out of danger, they would need prayers with even greater potency.
“I’ll respect your request. For now, we won’t tell Dain. But if we don’t properly verify this ability, we might not be able to complete our journey. So let’s confirm it between the two of us. Understood?”
When Ceres remained silent, Zarco let out a small sigh and added, “We’re the Hero and the Saintess, aren’t we? Right, Ceres?”
“…Just don’t ever tell Dain.”
As Ceres turned and walked back to her room, Zarco stood there motionless.
Sunlight filtering through the window tickled his eyes. When Dain woke up and stretched, his body felt stiff, but the pain had almost completely vanished. He rotated his arm and checked himself over; he was in good enough shape to set out.
“Good.”
When he left his room and went down to the first floor, Ceres and Zarco were already at the table waiting for breakfast.
“Dain! How’s your body?”
“Yeah, a lot better. We can head out today.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
“I’m serious.”
Ceres looked him up and down with a doubtful expression. The sight was so cute that the corners of his mouth lifted on their own. He quickly covered them with his hand.
“Dolan will be here soon. He said he’d give us information on our next destination.”
“Mhm, Zarco.”
Perhaps because he had dealt with a demon once, Zarco seemed strangely proactive.
Soon the inn door opened and Dolan entered, carrying a large map.
“Ah, everyone’s here. Then shall we look at the next destination?”
A large, detailed map of the continent was spread across the table.
“This is Siko Village. Originally, while observing the situation, we were supposed to choose between heading north or southeast. However, we received urgent news last night. Hero, please head to Hargon in the north!”
“Hargon?”
“Yes. A demon has completely taken root in the abandoned cathedral nearby. The demon’s presence has been confirmed, and the nearby Kingdom Army is currently preventing its forces from spreading further.”
Dolan pointed at Hargon on the map with his finger.
“Hargon is a village famous for its blacksmithing. Looking at Dain’s equipment, which was heavily consumed in the underground cemetery, it would be good to obtain high-quality gear there. The route will be a bit of a detour, though.”
Dain checked his equipment. The blade of his sword was completely worn down, and his shield was badly dented. Although he hadn’t been in direct combat often, Zarco’s combat sword was in similar condition due to his lack of skill.
“Sounds good. I was hoping to get new equipment anyway.”
“It’s a small village, so repairs are difficult here. For now, here’s a spare sword and shield for Dain.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then. Will you be departing right away?”
At Dolan’s question, the party turned to look at the innkeeper approaching with her hands full of food.
“After we eat.”
After finishing their preparations, the party was doing one last check at the village entrance. Dain lightly swung the new sword and shield he had received. They were lighter than what he had been using, but since his old equipment was in such terrible shape, he decided to just leave it behind in the village.
“Ah, Hero. Here are the things you requested.”
Dolan approached Zarco and handed him something.
“What is it, Zarco?”
“Training equipment.”
“Training?”
“Yeah. I need to develop my sword qi Authority a bit more.”
He hadn’t seen it directly because he had passed out immediately, but he had heard that Zarco had collapsed after using his sword qi once. It had been powerful enough to take out both that strong skeleton and the demon at the same time, but if it was a weapon he could only use once, its stability was far too low. Dain honestly didn’t want to experience getting beaten like yesterday ever again.
“Hmm.”
Even while thinking they should just build up stamina instead, he tried to think positively.
“Then everyone, I wish you a safe journey to Hargon!”
Dolan and the villagers waved them off. Ceres waved vigorously, then poked the shoulder of the stoic Zarco who was walking without expression. Only then did Zarco reluctantly wave his hand. Dain smiled faintly and took the lead, walking toward the new village.
“Alright, let’s rest here for the night.”
As the sun began to set, Dain found a suitable clearing beside the road. They built a fire in the center, pitched their tents, and grilled the sausages and eggs they had received from Siko Village. Everyone was starting to feel hungry.
“Okay, let’s eat.”
Perhaps because he was still recovering, his body craved food even more intensely. He emptied his portion in an instant and was licking his lips when Zarco approached and placed one of his own sausages on the empty plate.
“Ah, I’m fine! You eat it.”
“Just eat it.”
Zarco immediately turned around and sat back down. Dain watched him for a moment, then picked up the sausage with a grateful heart.
Because he had eaten his fill, his eyes began to grow heavy. He knew he should stand guard, and was wondering if he should at least wash up, when Zarco held out a cup of warm tea.
“What’s this? Tea?”
“I got it from Siko Village. Here.”
When Dain took the cup, a gentle fragrance rose from it.
“They said it’s good for recovery. I’ll take the watch tonight, so drink this and sleep deeply.”
“No, I’ll do it—”
“Just listen. Recover even a little bit and leave the fighting to me tomorrow. Let me handle tonight.”
“Zarco.”
“If anything happens, I’ll wake you. Don’t worry and just sleep.”
“…Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you tonight. Thanks.”
After the battle with the demon, Zarco seemed to have changed a lot. He was still blunt, but the lack of confidence had disappeared. He was even showing consideration for his comrades. Being looked after was unfamiliar, but Dain decided to gladly accept that kindness.
With the tea warming his stomach, sleep gradually overtook him. He crawled into his tent and lay down.
The campfire had burned down to embers. When even the moonlight was swallowed by the clouds, Zarco stared at Dain’s dark tent. He slowly approached, pressed his ear against it, and listened to the steady rhythm of Dain’s breathing. Only then did he move toward Ceres’s tent.
“Ceres.”
Startled by Zarco’s voice, Ceres set down the book she had been reading. For some reason, she checked her own clothing. She had taken off the top of her saintess robes and her boots. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly lifted the tent flap. Zarco was holding a wooden stick with something engraved on it.
“Zarco. What’s that…?”
“It’s a Lumirod. It’s a tool that reacts to mana or divine power and emits light. Apprentice mages usually use them for training.”
“So something like this exists. There weren’t any magic item shops in Hero’s Village.”
As Ceres looked at the Lumirod with curiosity, Zarco held it out to her.
“Here, hold it.”
“O-okay.”
When she grasped the Lumirod, a soft white light began to flicker at the tip of the stick.
“Oh, wow! Look! It’s glowing!”
“Mmm, then…”
While Ceres was focused on the light of the Lumirod, Zarco’s hand naturally took hold of her forearm. Before she could even express her confusion, his hand slowly but without stopping began to slide upward along her arm. The light flickered a little more strongly.
“Z-Zarco, wait a second…”
As if he couldn’t hear her, his hand didn’t stop. It brushed past her elbow and continued rising. When Ceres shrank back slightly, he gently spread her arm and moved toward her armpit.
“Zarco… ngh!”
Just before his long fingers could touch her armpit, Zarco withdrew his hand and took hold of Ceres’s hand instead. Her heart felt like it would burst. Zarco, who had been staring at the noticeably brighter light of the Lumirod, placed his hand over hers.
“Can you feel it? The power has grown immensely.”
The Saintess couldn’t tell whether what she felt from their overlapping hands was the frantic beating of her own heart or the surging of her Authority.