Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Wind and Sand #1
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Elga and I went about our daily routine as usual.
Rising at dawn to jog around the Arc grounds and do some light stretching had become our standard practice.
Thanks to Elga's guidance over the past few days, my stamina had noticeably improved, to the point where we even had plenty of time left after circling the grounds.
"You're doing well now. See? Told you you could do it."
Elga praised me for the first time in a while. Praise is something that makes people happy. So even her casually tossed-out words lifted my spirits immensely.
As I wiped the sweat from my face and neck with a towel, Elga placed her palm on top of my head.
"Why do that?"
"Not sure, might be my imagination. But haven't you grown a bit taller?"
"Taller?"
Grown taller now, of all times?
I doubted it, but Elga assessed that I'd grown about 1-2 cm recently. Given her sharp eyes, it was probably true.
My body was still in its growth phase, apparently. That was entirely possible. At this point, I was confident I wouldn't be surprised by any changes this amazing half-fairy body threw at me.
"And how about you, Lady Elga? Feeling alright?"
"Yeah, same as always."
In fact, Elga looked exactly the same as usual.
Thinking about how our child was growing in that lower abdomen beneath the thin cotton tee under her training clothes made an impulse surge up to suddenly pull her waist into a tight embrace.
━Waaah, baby come out, gimme milk.
━This guy's totally nuts!
But if I acted on it impulsively, Elga would freak out and get mad. So I decided to let the urge just be an urge.
"......"
"......"
Elga and I stretched in silence, loosening up our bodies. Since the medical checkup, these moments of conversational silence had become common between us.
But they weren't uncomfortable—instead, it felt like a serene quietude, as if we were sharing the same ship even without words.
At least, that's how I saw it.
It might sound childish, like kids picking teams, but a thought had taken root in my mind: 'Elga's on my side now.'
It felt like we'd truly become family.
"Well, I've got a lot to do today, so I'm off. See you later."
She waved at me.
Elga ran off into the distance. I watched her back until it disappeared around the corner.
Her 'see you later' had sounded surprisingly warm.
* * *
Just as Elga said, I'd grown exactly 2 cm taller—no more, no less.
The last time I'd measured was at the start of term at Arc, so this was considerable growth in a short time.
"It's the mystery of fairies."
When I told Aira about my growth spurt, she stroked my head and said as much.
"I've heard tales of nymphs who suddenly shoot up huge. Even nymphs who look like kids can one day wake up fully grown like adults."
"Is that for real?"
"Yeah, I read it in this book."
Aira pointed to the novel she was reading, *Isekai Illegal Stay Scammer*. Apparently, fully grown adult nymphs showed up often in it.
"But isn't that just fiction? Nymphs growing up like adults... hard to believe."
"Hmm, maybe."
She slipped a feather bookmark into the novel and closed it with a snap.
After yawning and stretching, Aira glanced at the calendar on the wall.
"The duel trial's just days away now. Should be an entertaining match. So, how's the search for my champion going?"
"Well—"
Truth was, our plans were up in the air. Stella had been practically kidnapped by the Belhock family and whisked away somewhere.
And with Elga pregnant, any dangerous tasks would only make me more anxious. The Mirna and Narmi sisters had been tied up debating new rules and regulations lately.
Actually, the Draco sisters had zero chance of becoming the Tarentera Queen's champion anyway—their relationship was too rocky.
So who else, then? Plenty of faces came to mind. Word must've spread that the Queen needed a champion, because heroes eager for honor and wealth kept sending in applications.
But none quite fit the bill, making it hard to choose. As I pondered, Aira offered a solution.
"If picking one's too tough, Theo, you could fight for me."
"Me?"
Ridiculous. I wanted to dismiss it outright, but denying Aira's suggestion wasn't that simple. She seemed subtly keen on having me enter the duel trial.
"Theo, you'd definitely put on a fun show."
"Well..."
Watching me fight would be prime entertainment for her, no doubt. A major tragedy for me, though.
Still, thinking it over, it wasn't an entirely impossible matchup.
My growth had slowed lately, but I was a 4.5th Circle mage. That's top-tier—fewer than ten mages stronger than me in the world.
Including reclusive hermits, maybe twenty total. Twenty might sound like a lot, but worldwide? That's elite.
Upper 1% of mages, basically.
That should be enough to at least trade blows with a hunter, making for a proper contest.
Just then, Aira rested her chin on the desk and looked at me.
"Theo, your growth hasn't stalled lately, has it?"
"Didn't I just say I grew 2 cm?"
"No, not height. Your mana growth. You're stuck, not reaching 5th Circle. You're in a slump for sure."
"A slump?"
"Yeah. You train with Elga now, right? She ups the weights or shortens rest times to push your records and stamina, doesn't she?"
"Sure does."
To build my strength and agility, Elga kept ramping up the intensity.
The body adapts to resistance and load—if you settle for it, growth plateaus fast.
"The path of mana is the same. You need ever-stronger stimuli. Circling local dungeons no longer cuts it for you."
Aira nailed it. As a 7th Circle archmage herself, she could pinpoint exactly where my progress had stagnated.
And I wasn't fool enough to miss her point. I summed it up.
"So you're saying this duel could be my breakthrough?"
"Exactly. Clashes of mana on the razor's edge of life and death—that's the path to growth. It's all in this novel here."
Oh, so she was basing it on the book.
Her nymph growth story earlier, and now this—Aira was so immersed in her reading lately that fiction and reality were blurring for her.
So I offered her some gentle advice.
"Lady Aira, stories in novels are just made-up. You don't actually believe all that stuff is real, do you?"
"Made-up stories. Sure, some are. But not all lies. If you believe it's real... it can become real. The world helps those who desperately wish for it."
The world helps the desperate wisher? Straight out of a novel line. But thinking about it, maybe it rang true.
Hadn't I, after all, entered the world of the last novel I'd read? Stories could turn real.
"Theo, it's not total fiction, either. Archmage Solomon honed his skills through days of duels, they say."
"Archmage Solomon—you mean the Angmar Demon King?"
A demon king mention from Aira? Surprised and intrigued, I watched as she raised one finger in the air.
"Archmage Solomon and the Demon King are the same... yet different. Best to distinguish them."
"I see."
Pre- and post-corruption as separate people. Makes sense.
And this Solomon raising his magic through duels sounded impressive. Made me think maybe I should duel too.
Professor Valan, a demon king's confidant, had said something similar—duels and life-or-death brushes stimulate mana growth plates.
Curiosity struck.
"So, did you reach your level through duels too, Lady Aira?"
"No need for me."
"Impressive as expected. Does that make Queen Aira stronger than Solomon?"
"Who knows. But wiser, yes. I don't chase impossibilities like reviving the dead."
"You're talking about Solomon's nymph."
"Yes. Solomon delved into every forbidden art to resurrect his dead nymph, only to be consumed by the madness itself. Remember this, Theo: magic is just a tool."
"I'll keep it in mind. But... does Queen Aira believe revival magic is truly impossible?"
A brief silence fell. The mood chilled suddenly. But Aira soon chuckled.
"Yes. That's why I'm wiser than Solomon."
Her answer was firm. A wise queen indeed.
"Oh, and things might get noisy soon. Got this letter today."
She slid a letter from the desk.
It was luxurious paper with gold leaf wrapping and a gleaming gold seal. Actual gold? What a waste.
Then I spotted the crest and understood.
The seal bore a tiger. And only one house used that fierce tiger as their emblem.
"The Tanak house—Prince Kasim sent it."
"No, Kasim Prince now. The old king died, successor took the throne. He's visiting Monarch City post-coronation for a church pact."
Kasim, now a prince—brother to the new king. I'd expected our meeting.
He was interested in Aira, after all.
Thought it'd happen naturally here in Arc, but it was delayed. Coronation in his homeland Turki, apparently.
Turki shared a border with Angmar—a small nation.
But a small nation bordering Angmar meant it had enough hidden strength to avoid absorption.
Like a tiny scorpion or hornet that stings hard.
They'd repelled Demon King Solomon's invasions multiple times, in fact.
That bred near-arrogant national pride, and Prince Kasim took it further by courting Angmar's Queen Aira.
Aira despised it, naturally.
"Kasim, that creep—what'd he write? Read it for me. I don't even want to see his handwriting."
"Got it."
I broke the seal and read the ornate letter aloud. It gushed about wanting to meet Aira, full of florid praise.
"He wants to meet you, Queen Aira."
"Hmph."
Aira scowled fiercely. Then a spark hit my mind.
Kasim was a 5th Circle mage—not far above me. Sparring him first might boost my magic.
So I asked Aira in a subtle tone.
"Could you... arrange this meeting?"