Festival (8)
“Anyway... even if we sit here thinking about it, we’re not going to get an answer. Why don’t we just try practicing?”
“...W-would that be okay?”
“Yes. I’ve checked, and it doesn’t feel particularly dangerous.”
“Mmm, that’s true, but...”
She was right—it really didn’t feel dangerous.
Even when I focused as hard as I could, I could only barely sense it, all curled up deep inside me.
More than dangerous, it felt... kind of like a total dorky loser.
Alright. Let’s do this.
“O-okay. I’ll try practicing.”
“Then lie down. Lie down and try stimulating your mana with the feeling of stretching out—nice and long.”
“Stretching...?”
“Yes. You can actually do it, or just get the feeling right. Either works.”
“I-I’ll try.”
Careful not to let the greatsword tear the sheets, I shifted and lay down.
At the same time, Rubia flopped down right beside me.
“R-Rubia, why are you lying down...?”
“Just because. Come on, hurry up. Stretch.”
“Ah... okay.”
I gave a small nod, then stretched my arms and legs out long—up and down.
“Hnnngh—!”
“Stimulate the mana inside your body too!”
“Hiii—!”
Whether the energy inside me was responding to what I was doing or not, it gave a little twitch and trembled.
“Hwa, oh...! I-it just moved!”
“Hehehe... Yes, good job. Now try it again. Come on... streeetch—!”
“Hiiikyaaah...!”
Bigger this time.
I stretched my body as if I meant to tear my limbs off, stimulating the energy.
What had only been twitching and trembling before now began to wriggle and stir, rising through me.
“O-ohhh...!”
At this rate, I think I could try circulating it right now?
“Rubia...! Now! Riiight nooow...!!”
“You can already feel it? Then shall we try gathering it where I point with my finger?”
“Yeees. Hurry, hurr— hnnngh...! W-what are you doing...!”
“No time to quibble about that. Hurry up!”
“Ugh... Rubia, you pervert! Rubia’s so naughty!”
I had plenty more to say, but the sensation was already starting to fade, so I had no choice but to follow Rubia’s instructions.
I seized the loose ends of the divine power that had been quietly spread throughout my body.
And just like that, I dragged it all together to my navel, where Rubia’s finger was.
A tingling sensation swept through me as it began gathering at my belly button.
“I-I did it...”
“Now... let’s move it over here.”
“My palm...”
I gripped the energy even tighter as it tried to slip free of my control, and moved it.
The resistance was rough, but in the end it couldn’t win against its master and gradually grew docile.
You little dork.
If you’d just listened from the start, how nice would that have been.
“Done...!”
“This time, let’s try drawing it out.”
“Eh...?”
“The feeling of releasing the gathered mana outside your body.”
“Releasing...?”
“Yes. If I had to put it into words... it’s like sneezing.”
Something about that explanation feels awfully vague...
Well, first...
“Then... c-could you tickle my nose a little?”
“Pfft... I didn’t mean you should actually sneeze.”
Is she... laughing at me? Is she laughing at me?!
“Nooo...! I-I just don’t know how, so...”
“Alright. I’ll try... hehehe...”
Rubia’s hair, carrying a soft, pleasant scent, began tickling the inside of my nose.
“U-uuuh... uhhnn... uhaah...”
The relentless tickling finally got the better of me.
“Haa-choo! Haa-choo! Hhaa-choo!”
I sneezed three times, nice and clear.
And then—
“Oh... oh! Noah! You did it! It came out!”
“Huh... r-really? Where... I don’t see anything...?”
While I tilted my head, Rubia’s hand brushed lightly across my philtrum.
And then... she beamed at me with the brightest smile.
“Snot!”
“Ah.”
“Waaah... Noah, you’re getting really good at this now?”
“Don’t talk to me...”
She’s insane.
Fine, so I dripped a little. That’s whatever.
But... but why wipe it with your hand?!
That filthy stuff!!
I’m seriously pissed.
“It was... it was just a joke...”
“Forget it. I hate you, Rubia. Go away.”
I shoved away Rubia as she crept closer and focused solely on the movement of the mana.
It was similar to the demonic energy magic beasts used.
Similar to the divine power Rubia used.
Similar to the mana ordinary people used, too—but different.
Still... if I had to pick, it was a little closer to mana, so I decided to call it mana.
“Mmm...”
From my pinky to my middle finger.
From middle finger to arm, arm to shoulder, shoulder back to arm.
My control over the mana had clearly improved.
No—it had become perfect.
Yeah. Ever since I’d disgracefully blown snot everywhere.
“Hmph.”
According to Rubia, the color of my mana was a dark crimson.
She said it was pretty because it was similar to the color of my eyes.
Well, as long as it doesn’t start any weird rumors, I guess... what’s with that ominous dark crimson, though.
It would’ve been better if it were pure red or pure black...
“Now... I’m going to tell you something really amazing... are you not going to listen?”
“...N-no. I hate you.”
I whipped my head away.
That aside.
The day has finally come when mana forms even in my body...
I’m a little... a little more than a little moved.
Now, how am I supposed to use this...
For one thing, it doesn’t seem like I can fire mana out like Rubia does.
Firing it aside, I can’t even give it a proper shape.
“Mmm...”
“You don’t know how to use it, do you?”
Rubia, who had stubbornly glued herself to my side, linked her arm through mine.
“I’ll teach you.”
“No thanks... p-please don’t talk to a snot-nosed kid like me.”
“Pffft... A-ah, no... hey, no. Noah’s cute even when she has a runny nose.”
“N-no I’m not. It’s dirty...”
“Not at all. I like even that side of you.”
“Ueeek...”
In the end she unlinked her arm and pulled me into a tight hug.
I was really mad just now, you know.
All irritated, and then mad again because getting mad over this felt petty...
Huh? I was all tangled up in irritation and anger, but...
Once I’m held and I smell Rubia, it just... melts away a little.
That’s why... that’s why I didn’t want her near me.
“I-I’ll let it slide just this once...”
“Hehehe... Okay.”
“I mean it... really.”
“Mm, I know. Thank you.”
I scattered the mana I’d been moving around and rested my head against Rubia’s body.
Soft.
“S-so... how am I supposed to use this?”
“First of all, you can’t shape it like I can, right?”
“Yeees...”
“Then you can use it to strengthen your body.”
Body strengthening?
“I can’t do body strengthening myself... but, mm, I’ll just try to give you the feeling.”
I nodded and lifted myself off her.
“I’ll start.”
I focused my Qi Sensing as hard as I could and painted Rubia’s divine power in my mind.
The divine power that had been slowly blooming along the surface suddenly sank deep into her skin—shloop.
“Like this... do you get the feeling?”
“J-just a second...”
The divine power that had gone inside was soaking into her muscles and blood vessels.
An incredibly thin, wide coating.
And yet it kept circulating, never breaking, constantly maintained.
“Mmm... I think I get the principle...”
Before I could forget what I’d just seen, I tried it right away.
Just like Rubia had shown me... drawing the mana up from my whole body...
“It probably won’t go well at first.”
But would coating the surface like that even strengthen anything?
“I hear it usually takes ordinary people six months to a year just to reach this stage.”
Wouldn’t it be better to soak it deeper and strengthen every single muscle fiber?
Why don’t they do it that way?
Mmm... maybe because control is hard.
“So, Noah, don’t rush it—take it slow.”
Ah... is it because Qi Sensing paints it out for me that I can do this...?
Even if I can’t feel it by sense alone, Qi Sensing draws every detail.
I just went with it and let the mana I’d drawn up soak into every part of my muscles.
Not in clumps—into every single muscle fiber.
“You’re already strong, so there’s no need to hur— eh...? W-what...?”
Just like that, I poured mana through my entire body—into every muscle fiber, into every single drop of blood flowing through my vessels.
The blood that had been flowing gently through my veins sped up.
I felt elasticity in my muscles, and the force of their contraction grew stronger.
My body felt light.
“Noah... did you... succeed just now?”
“Yeees...? I-I guess so?”
“How...?”
If she asks how, what am I supposed to say...?
“Well...?”
“No, that’s not something you can just ‘do well’ at, is it...?”
“I-I mean... I just did it and it worked?”
Hearing that, Rubia made an utterly dumbfounded face and pinched my cheek.
“If you say that kind of thing outside, you’ll get a knuckle sandwich.”
“Uweh... thad hurds...”
“Haa... Fine. So, do you feel any different?”
“Mmm...”
Besides my body feeling light and refreshed...
“I-I think I’ll only know once I move around...”
“Then want to try swinging your greatsword?”
“Without going outside, r-right here...?”
“Yes. We can just clear the clutter out of the way. Like last time.”
I hesitated.
True... if we went outside I’d have to dress properly, put on a robe, and walk around...
“Uuum... w-what if the furniture gets wrecked...”
“We can just pay Charlotte for the repairs. Charlotte won’t get that mad about it.”
“Th-then... I’ll try it here.”
“Hehehe... Good idea.”
Rubia immediately stood and started clearing the table and chairs out of the way.
Before long there was more than enough space to swing a greatsword.
“Is this enough?”
“Yeees. Plenty.”
Enough space to swing, take a step, and swing again.
With this much room, if the furniture still gets wrecked, I’ll really...
Call Rubia “big sister.”
And if I don’t?
No more jelly. For real. I swear on everything.
“Th-then I’ll try...”
Once I confirmed Rubia had stepped back, I gripped the greatsword tight.
The Carpeng leather wrapped around the hilt twisted with a creak.
“Huu...”
I slowly steadied my breathing.
Stepped forward with my left foot.
Creak—
And swung the greatsword I’d been holding over my shoulder.
Crack—
I swung.
KRAAAASH—!
“Uh... Noah...?”
Left wall, right wall, front wall.
Three walls in total had collapsed.
The furniture that had been in front of me was, of course, completely smashed.
All that remained were the bed and the sofa...
Creak— Bang—!
“What the hell. Is it a raid?!”
Charlotte burst in.
Crrrack—
“Lady Rubia! Lady Noah! Are you unharmed?!”
Yuria climbed up on tree roots.
Creak— Rumble—
And then the ceiling caved in.
“Rubia... big... sister.”
In the end, I kept my jelly.
And Rubia—
“Haa... Noah was the one who tempted me first. I... I didn’t do anything wrong.”
—clicked her tongue.