152. The Siblings' Dream
152. The Siblings' Dream
In my fight against Samaella, I was forced to confront my shortcomings.
My body is soft and flexible, but it lacks strength and firmness. Naturally, that makes it hard to land effective blows on opponents with tough bodies.
That doesn't mean it's impossible. As I did with Samaella, I just have to keep hammering the same spot.
But that approach is meaningless.
I won partly because, among Wizards on the level of 8th Circle or Tier 7, she happened to be a good match for me, and partly because her Intent had physical substance.
If she had been a different type of Black Wizard, I wouldn't have won so easily.
I might even have been crushed.
In any case, I agonized over how to compensate for this weakness of mine.
Change this soft, squishy body?
That was impossible for now.
If I reached Tier 7 and underwent Body Reformation, I'd be different from how I am now, but until then, I have no choice but to stay soft and squishy.
So I decided to set aside the fighting style I'd stubbornly clung to and create something new.
If striking the outside is pointless against an opponent, then I'll wreck the inside. That's when I thought of the Internal Heavy-Hand Method.
How should the Internal Heavy-Hand Method work? I just need to pour my Mana into the opponent's body and tear their insides apart.
It's not impossible, but it's not easy either.
I need to find a "path" to send Mana into their body, and I need to block the "escape route" so my Mana doesn't leak out once it's inside them.
Finding the path naturally drags out the fight, and blocking the escape route restricts my movements.
A drawn-out fight would be too much for my feeble stamina, and restricted movement would likely be more than this soft, squishy body can handle.
It wouldn't matter if I only needed to wreck an opponent's insides once, but the bastards I'll be facing from now on are the kind who might not even flinch after having their insides wrecked hundreds of times.
To wreck bastards like that, I need a single strike and instant effect.
It has to be simple and fast.
And the hint, strangely enough.
Was in a book left behind by Arisa.
Incredibly simple, fast... and also.
A method perfectly suited to my taste.
It was strange. But I couldn't afford to get sentimental.
I built a foundation from it, and on top of that, I completed a technique of my own.
That is Falling Blossom (落花).
The name... I really like it.
Honestly, I think even Luna would nod at this one.
No, she might throw a fit.
Luna used to nitpick most of the names I came up with, after all.
Would she throw a fit, or would she approve?
She'd probably throw a fit.
Yeah. I just hope she throws a fit like she always did.
With a bitter smile, I grabbed hold of Ashtar's body.
I'd said I wouldn't catch her even if she fell on her ass, but that doesn't mean I can just dump the Grand Duke's daughter on the floor.
Ashtar lay unconscious in my arms.
Fortunately, she hadn't thrown up. She also hadn't... wet herself by accident.
Thank goodness. Stella had wet herself after taking a single hit from Falling Blossom.
I already knew Stella was a bedwetter, so I didn't bother comforting her, but Ashtar is different.
Watching someone you're not even close to piss themselves... wouldn't exactly be a pleasant experience.
"Ah, my lady."
Eurasia approached cautiously and took the unconscious Ashtar from me.
"Did you get a good look? You mostly use a spear, senior, but there was a sword involved too, right?"
"I... did get a look. No, actually, I couldn't see it properly. It was too... fast."
Eurasia's lips drooped weakly.
"How far did you see?"
"Um... I definitely thought you got hit by the hammer, my lady, but you didn't, and then, like, you moved all fluttery like flower petals, and that's where I lost track."
Supporting Ashtar with both hands, Eurasia swayed her body this way and that, imitating me.
It looked so pathetic that I laughed.
"I moved that sloppily?"
"Slo... it wasn't sloppy! It's just... uh, I can't move properly right now."
Eurasia pouted and glared at me.
"And there's that thing you like to use, my lady. The flashy one."
"Deceptive Body."
"...Yes. Deceptive Body. I still couldn't see that one."
Hmm... I'd slowed down as much as I could to show Eurasia, but I guess it was still too fast.
"You'll be able to see it soon enough. By then, you'll be able to copy it to some extent too."
"Umm... I don't think I can copy it. That thing is too scary."
Eurasia, who had tried learning Deceptive Body from me, had already broken her arms and legs dozens of times.
In fact, the last time, she nearly broke her spine. After that, she waved the white flag and said she was too scared to continue.
"But... Ashtar senior is okay, right?"
"I didn't use Aura."
"Uh... th-that's a relief, then?"
"Yeah. I didn't hit her that hard either. I think she just couldn't handle the pain because it was her first time feeling something like that."
"Well... that technique of yours, my lady..."
"Falling Blossom."
"...Huh?"
"The technique's name is Falling Blossom."
"Uh..."
Eurasia smiled awkwardly.
"...Yes. Right. That, Falling Blossom... that was truly the worst pain I've ever felt in my life."
"That's only natural. Still, you should get used to it. Having your insides wrecked can build up your toughness to some degree."
"...Ugh."
Eurasia shuddered, as if remembering the pain of being hit by Falling Blossom before.
"But... when will she wake up?"
"She's already awake."
"Hweh?"
Eurasia tilted her head and looked down at Ashtar, whom she was holding in my place.
Then she tilted her head again.
"She doesn't seem to have woken up yet?"
"She might be embarrassed to wake up after getting knocked out in one hit. If we just set her down here and leave, she'll get up on her own."
"Uh... my lady. No matter how... unconscious she is, isn't it a bit inappropriate to say that...? I mean... she is the Grand Duke's daughter... and... if she opens her eyes and there's no one around, that would be pretty lonely too... so how about we stay just a little longer?"
Eurasia showed off her very kind heart.
And perhaps unable to resist that innocence, Ashtar opened her mouth.
"...Yeah. If I'd opened my eyes and been alone, I think I would've been really lonely."
"Hah...!"
Startled, Eurasia flung Ashtar's body away. Ashtar nearly crashed to the ground, but after staggering for a moment, she quickly regained her balance and stood up straight.
"Huk... I-I'm so sorry...!"
"Mm. It's fine. You were trying to look after me to the end, junior Eurasia. This much is nothing."
Ashtar giggled, dusted herself off, and turned her head.
Her red eyes looked at me.
"I really didn't expect it to end in one blow."
"No matter what I say here, it'll only end up scratching at you, senior, so I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Now that you've said that, I can't let it show even if I am scratched, can I?"
"Unlike a mere freshman like me, you're as magnanimous as befits a senior."
I smiled back at Ashtar.
Ashtar, who had been quietly watching me, wore a somewhat complicated expression.
"Junior."
"Yes."
"That technique that kicked away my Intent earlier. What... exactly was that?"
"Roundhouse Kick?"
"Roundhouse Kick...? No, that sounds like the name of a spinning kick. Not that. The spinning kick..."
"Roundhouse Kick."
Ashtar's expression grew a little more complicated.
"...You really care a lot about technique names, don't you. Fine, Roundhouse Kick. The process of setting it up... I suppose? I definitely should have been able to bind your ankle, but you'd somehow already dodged it... that technique. Is that... Deceptive Body?"
Since she knew the name Deceptive Body, she must have overheard my conversation with Eurasia.
But why does she have that look on her face?
"That's right. Deceptive Body."
"Is that... something you created and use yourself, junior?"
I stared at Ashtar in silence.
It was a question with an unreadable intent.
It wasn't Roundhouse Kick she was asking about, but Deceptive Body specifically. That was odd.
At any other time, I would have answered without a second thought, but Ashtar is the Grand Duke's daughter.
A descendant of House van Chaser, which is said to have passed down stories of Ronan from generation to generation.
I had a feeling that if I answered wrong here, things would get a little—no, maybe extremely—annoying.
"I don't know what you're trying to ask."
"Ah... that's... hmm..."
Ashtar fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, then opened her mouth with a deep sigh.
"I'm not sure if I should say this to someone I just met today... but still, junior, before you're my junior, you're Lady Eliarnes Eustetia, so I think it's all right to tell you."
"Are you speaking from your position as Lady Ashtar van Chaser, the Grand Duke's daughter?"
"I don't want to add the weight of my family name to this, but... yeah. It's a somewhat important matter."
"Then I will listen as a daughter of House Eustetia as well."
"Thank you."
Ashtar smiled with satisfaction.
"In exchange, if it's a question I cannot answer, I will remain silent."
"In that case, does it have something to do with Vice Dean Leona Megenberta?"
"It might, or it might not."
"Right. You said you'd remain silent. That's enough."
Ashtar, who had been stroking the ring on her right index finger, opened her mouth in a heavier voice than before.
"The technique you used a little while ago, junior... Lady Eustetia. The technique called Deceptive Body... is a technique that only the master of the North can learn."
The master of the North.
She meant the head of House van Chaser.
At those words, Eurasia's mouth fell open.
My mouth fell open too.
"...Deceptive Body?"
"The name passed down in my family isn't Deceptive Body... but regardless, that movement and the flow of Mana were similar to our family's, even if not exactly the same."
What kind of bullshit is this?
I don't understand.
Something that only I used, something that only I could use—how did it become House van Chaser's?
"The Deceptive Body that Lady Eustetia uses is a technique that, according to family tradition, our ancestor received from Hero Ronan."
"What."
I never did any such thing.