27
Chapter 27
There are three people in the quiet classroom.
"First, let's all try summoning our Spirits."
Professor Kim Hye-ra begins the lesson.
"Unnie, it's right here."
Minerva says this as she points to the massive greatsword standing beside her.
"I see it's asleep. Also, call me 'Professor' while you're at the Academy."
"Yes, I'm sorry. It's just a habit."
She gave a slight bow. If I recall, Kim Hye-ra was Minerva's guardian in the original story, right?
"What about you, Seo-ha?"
"Oh, yes."
I closed my eyes and called for Luna.
'Luna, want to come out?'
'Yep!'
Luna answered energetically and manifested herself.
"Ta-da!"
Once manifested, Luna sat on my lap. She then looked around.
"Where are the others?"
Luna asked me, tilting her head.
"We're in class, so you can't meet them right now. Let's go see them after it's over."
Luna nodded at my words.
"A humanoid Spirit, I see."
"Oh my, what a cute Spirit. May I touch her cheek just once?"
Hearing this, Luna shook her head from side to side.
"What a shame."
My Luna really is cute.
"Now, I will explain before we begin. The reason I've separated you from the other students is simple. Most Spirit Users do nothing in the backline and leave all the fighting to their Spirits. We will not do that. A proper Spirit User fights using their own unique combat style."
The interior of the room was suddenly blanketed in black.
"You might feel that seeing other Spirit Users is normal. However, that means they aren't utilizing the strengths of a Spirit User properly."
"Spirits are linked to us. They can grasp your intentions and what you plan to do faster and more accurately than anyone else. Conversely, you can see the battlefield more clearly through your Spirits."
"If I handle the sword while my Spirit handles the magic, it creates a synergy far more powerful than a simple combination of a warrior and a mage."
A simple attack spell manifested in front of her in an instant.
It wasn't that she used chantless magic. Instead, her Spirit performed the chant, formed the magic circle, and injected mana to activate it.
Her numerous Spirits transformed into forms resembling Magic Beasts.
She and a single chosen Spirit blocked a wave of oncoming Magic Beasts. She didn't use any particularly powerful spells or complex swordsmanship. The Spirit supported her movements, and she acted in accordance with the Spirit's support. She ignored attacks swung directly in front of her and blocked those coming from invisible blind spots.
The Spirit blocked the attacks swung right in front, while she blocked the attacks coming from where the Spirit couldn't reach.
Suddenly, she prepares a massive attack. At the same moment, the Spirit instantly binds the enemies.
This cycle repeats without pause. No signal could possibly trigger a faster reaction than this. They share the information they gain—sight, sound, and presence. One fills the gaps where the other is lacking.
The situation was resolved in an instant.
'She's limiting her movements on purpose. She isn't using techniques that would be too difficult for a beginner.'
Luna tells me her analysis.
"A companion capable of this level of cooperation is hard to find unless it is a Spirit."
"It doesn't matter if your role overlaps with your Spirit's."
Before anyone noticed, the Spirits had transformed into giant Magic Beasts.
"Because that would only maximize our strengths."
She begins to cast a spell. One that looks complex and high-level.
However, she doesn't fully cast it. She only deploys the magic circle without chanting.
Yet, the magic still activates.
It's because the Spirit is chanting on her behalf.
Therefore, she can cast spells far beyond her own innate capabilities.
As the chant concludes, a powerful spell pierces through the giant Magic Beast.
"If we focus on close-quarters combat, we can coordinate our attacks."
The Spirits quickly tidy up the chaotic classroom.
"Remember. Your Spirit is your best companion."
With those final words, all the Spirits return to her shadow.
Minerva listened intently and clapped softly once the explanation ended.
Luna watches her with sparkling eyes. She seemed to particularly like that last part.
Laevateinn seemed to wake up from the sound of the final spell.
"God, it's so damn loud. Let me get some sleep."
A cranky voice echoed from Laevateinn. It continued to grumble, clearly dissatisfied with being woken up.
"Laevateinn, stop it. Shh! Shh!"
Minerva spoke urgently to the complaining Laevateinn.
"Tsk, fine."
Laevateinn replied with a click of the tongue.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
"It's quite alright. I don't mind. Let's continue the lesson."
She quickly smoothed over the momentarily disrupted atmosphere.
"Whether you choose to complement each other's weaknesses or maximize your strengths, it doesn't matter. From today, you will master the art of cooperating with your Spirit. You will train for combat alongside a Spirit, not just general fighting. First, let's think about what you can do and what your Spirit can do."
I'm naturally more of an archer, but I took a moment to reflect on my past.
My combat style is definitely closer to an archer's... wait, is it?
Why is it always close-quarters in the critical moments? During the entrance ceremony, I used point-blank shots against a Knight-grade Magic Beast, and with Heusalf, I only fired three arrows before jumping into a brawl.
While I was having a brief identity crisis, Minerva spoke first.
"Laevateinn specializes in swordsmanship and fire magic, but I'm not really sure what I'm good at."
"Finding that is part of your growth. Let's try various things. Since there are only two of you in this class, I can give you more individual attention."
As she said, since the other students were being trained by Spirits, she could provide us with more detailed advice.
"Yes, thank you."
Minerva replied with a bright smile.
"Seo-ha, is something bothering you?"
"I was just contemplating my identity for a moment."
She looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"You have a bow on your back, so I'm not sure what you mean?"
Then, Minerva also tilted her head and asked me.
"I definitely use a bow, so why are all my memorable battles close-quarters?"
Am I really an archer? Why is the engagement distance in every important fight around three meters?
"Hey, at that rate, why don't you just stab people with your arrows instead of being an archer? You're terrible at managing distance."
A mocking laugh echoed from Laevateinn as it spoke.
"Laevateinn!"
She forcibly unsummoned Laevateinn.
"I'm sorry. He has a rather abrasive way of speaking, but I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."
She spoke to me, looking flustered.
"It's fine. He's not exactly wrong."
Hearing Laevateinn's vicious remarks actually made me feel more at ease. If he'd said a few more things, I could have let my own vicious side out.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
It was quite funny to see her get even more flustered by my reaction.
"Perhaps it's because battles where your life is on the line are more memorable. Engaging from a distance can certainly feel less intense."
The Professor spoke after grasping the meaning of my words.
"Is that so? Then I'm an archer for now. I also have an artifact I use."
"Oh, is it the one you used on your friend?"
"Yes, that's the one."
I almost instinctively gave her the middle finger, but I held back and showed it with an open palm.
None of the people here are likely to steal my artifact, and artifacts from the ruins can't be removed unless the wearer wants them to be, so it should be fine to show it.
"Hmm, judging by the mana wavelength, is this an artifact from the ruins? I'm curious about its effect."
The professor asked, having immediately recognized it as a natural artifact.
"I can mainly do things like this."
Light flowed from the ring and gathered in one spot to create a single arrow.
"Wow! This is the first time I've seen an artifact made in the ruins!"
"Pretty, right!"
Luna spoke happily in response to Minerva's reaction.
"It's an artifact with quite a variety of uses. It looks like you acquired it recently."
"Yes, I got lucky."
"For now, it seems student Seo-ha is geared toward long-range attacks."
But I can't exactly put Luna on the front lines. Should I switch to the front line myself? I've practiced occasionally over the last month, but I haven't improved much compared to before.
Maybe just enough to be functional?
"Then, what can your Spirit do?"
What can Luna do?
Before that, what kind of Spirit is Luna?
A thought I hadn't really considered flashed through my mind.
I turned my head to look at Luna.
"Luna, what kind of Spirit are you?"
Luna tilted her head, an imaginary question mark floating above her.
"Luna is Luna!"
"Right, Luna is Luna."
I've now realized Luna's great ambition to escape from here and find the professor's Spirit with the green armband, so let's get out of here.
"You don't know what kind of Spirit she is?"
"No, I didn't exactly contract her for combat. Maybe it would be better to just go where the other students are."
Hearing my words, Minerva and the professor approached Luna.
Then, Laevateinn appeared beside Minerva in human form.
While before it was a nearly five-meter greatsword, now it was an adult woman with red hair just like Minerva's. Should I say she looked like a more mature version of Minerva?
The reason they looked alike was probably because humanization is impossible for a Spirit without a contractor.
Then, for Luna, who was humanized before the contract, was being a cat actually a transformation using her ability?
"Laevateinn, do you know what kind of Spirit she is?"
"Hmm, what's this? There's no distinct characteristic. Her identity hasn't been established. In my day, I've never seen such a half-wit."
"Luna is not a half-wit!"
Luna reacted to Laevateinn's words.
"How old are you to speak so informally? Do you know how many centuries I've been alive?"
"Luna, just bear with it."
"Because Luna is a sensible and reasonable child, not a clueless, tactless old person who's lived for hundreds of years."
"Hey, what did you just..."
Laevateinn's face twisted.
Ah.
This is what I'm talking about.
"Right, you've lived for hundreds of years, so you must have developed some dementia and lost your common sense. Our kind-hearted Luna, please be patient."
"Luna, don't grow up to be a bratty delinquent who throws tantrums in old age. I heard her last contract was decades ago."
I stroked Luna's head.
"Why, you little...!"
As Laevateinn flared up, Luna approached.
"Cheer up."
Luna patted Laevateinn's back.
"Huh?"
"You must have been lonely if it's been decades since your last contract. But if you only get angry, it'll just hurt both of you."
Luna gave Laevateinn a hug.
"Uh, uh..."
Minerva watched them, as if witnessing a strange and wondrous sight.
I understand.
Because I wasn't much different.
I'd put up my thorns first, threatening others to stay away.
All while feeling a piercing loneliness deep inside.
That's why I'm completely lost when someone approaches with pure kindness.
I find people who approach despite the thorns to be unfamiliar.
Laevateinn likely contracted with Minerva because of her kind nature.
"What is this brat talking about? God, I'm sleepy. Minerva, I'm going to get the sleep I missed, so don't call me today."
Once Laevateinn vanished, Minerva said with a smile,
"I think they were just embarrassed. Hehe."
Minerva's body flinched slightly.
Laevateinn probably shouted something upon hearing those words.
Professor Kim Hye-ra had been watching our conversation. More specifically, she was watching Luna.
"I see."
After focusing silently for a moment, she spoke.
"She's an Artificial Spirit. Created by highly skilled Alchemists. It seems she ended up out in the world for some reason. It's fascinating; for an Artificial Spirit to be this indistinguishable from a natural one, the management must have been incredibly thorough."
I saw Luna's expression stiffen for a brief moment.
"Usually, Artificial Spirits are placed in environments to establish an identity tailored for sale, but since hers isn't established yet, it means she can become any kind of Spirit she desires."
Simply put, she was like an Eevee from Pokémon.
"The level of completion is remarkable. It took me quite a while to tell the difference. Even so, Artificial Spirits aren't fundamentally different from existing Spirits."
"Yep! Luna is amazing!"
Luna spoke energetically once more.
"Let's do this. Minerva's Laevateinn can use swordsmanship and high-output fire magic accumulated over hundreds of years. In that case, there's no real need for you to train in swordsmanship. It's not easy to surpass the essence of centuries of skill in just a few years. If the gap in skill is too wide, cooperation can turn into one side simply being dragged along."
"However, Laevateinn cannot use any magic other than fire, and the spells currently used have a shorter effective range than other fire spells. In short, while possessing excellent combat power in close quarters, it's difficult to output proper firepower if the distance isn't closed."
"While my suggestions aren't the absolute answer, a general framework would be to compensate for the weakness in long-range combat through long-range attack and defense means, or to maximize the strong close-quarters combat abilities by gaining high mobility."
"As I mentioned, this isn't the only way. You could instead improve your own close-quarters combat skills to coordinate with Laevateinn on the front line."
She turned her head to look at me.
"That's about it for student Minerva. As for student Lee Seo-ha..."
I wondered if she had anything to advise me on.
"Your expression isn't great, but the situation isn't that bad. Don't worry."
It seemed she had read my thoughts just by looking at my face.
Do I really wear my heart on my sleeve that much?
"In the first place, I sent the other students away to strengthen their basics because they don't have Spirits to cooperate with yet. Compared to them, you're already a step ahead. At least you've already formed a contract."
"Still, I can't really think of a way to cooperate."
"That's fine. If a Spirit's characteristics are established, you can simply insist on the most efficient combat style suited to them. There are few combinations that produce a negative effect. A contract binds the Spirit and the user very tightly. Even with a poor compatibility, half the battle is won if your timing is in sync."
"Negative effects usually happen if the relationship with the Spirit is poor. But student Lee Seo-ha seems to get along well with his Spirit. Until Luna's identity is established, feel free to train however you like. You don't need to obsess over the necessity of being on the front line. There are many ways to fight."
Minerva and I fell into thought as we listened to her advice.
Expert advice really does seem to be a huge help when finding one's path.
"Everyone seems to have a lot on their minds, so let's take a break."