Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Spirit Swordsmanship
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning.
As planned, I had to go see the elf girl.
I wasn’t expecting much, but there would surely be at least one thing to learn.
My little cutie.
Be a good girl and watch the house while I’m gone.
“No. I want to come with you.”
“...”
Ilensia’s natural enemy was Aruru.
She might not have a fit, but she would be incredibly uncomfortable.
“That’s why I want to go with you.”
“Hm?”
“It’s secretly fun to see her reactions while she watches me!”
The elf’s misfortune was her happiness, apparently.
It was clearly a wicked hobby, yet even that little devilish side of hers was nothing but cute.
Anyway, I’d have to think about it a bit.
If I spoil her too much, she might develop bad habits...
“What if you can’t?”
“...”
“—!!”
Ah, that’s cheating, isn’t it?
The girl’s eyes silently welled up with tears.
Her pitiable state was beyond description.
As if to ask if I had already grown tired of her.
She stared at me with the most sorrowful gaze.
If she had gotten angry instead, I might have handled it, but there was no way to endure that silence.
“Actually, I was just saying.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“...”
As if she’d never been on the verge of tears, she grinned.
Well, I expected as much. We already saw right through each other.
A master and their companion are of one heart and one body.
I couldn’t help it, even if the elf girl disliked it.
Eventually, they would have to join forces anyway.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I’d try to act as a bridge between them so they could get along.
“You want me to become friends with Ilensia?”
“I’m not forcing you.”
“Mmm, I’ll try.”
The Hero candidates were all strong individualists.
Originally, the story would have unfolded with them gathering around the protagonist one by one.
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed I would have to take on that role.
I’d try to raise my favorability with the female students appropriately.
As for the male students, I’d just have to crush them with force later on.
First, I’ll work on Ilensia, then Luciel, then Skadi...
Aruru tilted her head.
Her ears twitched as if to ask why she was left out.
My little cutie...
She was a fox already in the bag, so there was nothing to worry about.
I silently stroked the girl’s head.
“Hey, Jace, what do you think of Ilensia?”
“Let’s see...”
She was an ambiguous choice for a companion.
But she wasn’t someone I could just leave alone, either.
She was just so-so for now, but if raised well, she would pull her own weight.
“That’s not what I mean. What do you think from a man’s perspective?”
“—??”
“Objectively speaking, elves are beautiful. Don’t human men fall for that sort of thing?”
Hmm, what kind of answer was she looking for?
Don’t tell me Ceria gave you a secret mission?
“It’s just personal curiosity. Watching you is a bit strange. You were so indifferent when dealing with Luciel, too. Even to me, a beastkin, her figure is amazing, you know? Curvy in all the right places, especially...”
H-Hold on!
It’ll be trouble if you mention it so specifically! You’re making me self-conscious, you know?
I forced myself to remain calm and displayed the utmost resolve.
“The only one for me is Ceria. I love only her.”
“So your fiancée is the best? How romantic.”
“And though the meaning is a bit different, I don’t want to lose you either.”
“—!!”
In that moment, as if struck by lightning.
My little cutie’s body trembled.
Then, as if unable to contain her excitement, her tail began to wag furiously.
“Ah, your confession is too passionate...”
Though shy, she pressed closer.
The girl’s eyes as she looked up at me were filled with pure affection.
“I’ll trust you. Take responsibility for my entire life!”
That’s right, just trust your big brother.
Aruru deserved nothing but the best treatment.
Grooming, snacks, walks, and so on.
I would grant her whatever she wanted.
I could even find her a marriage partner.
Well, she felt like a daughter to me, so I’d be very picky about her partner.
“Mmm, that’s okay. I’m not lonely now that I have you.”
The fox beastkin’s comprehensive charm offensive, using her whole body.
After experiencing that peak of healing, I went to find the elf girl.
“Hello? Good morning!”
“—!!”
Just as I expected.
She was startled by Aruru’s appearance.
She grew so flustered she couldn’t even meet my gaze properly.
“Why did you bring Aruru?”
“Hm? Do you dislike me that much?”
“That’s not it, but...”
“Aha, you wanted to be alone with Jace?”
“Wha-wha-what are you talking about!”
A strong denial is an affirmation, as they say.
Ilensia’s words and actions were exactly that.
“I have no intention of interrupting. I’ll be quiet. Is that okay?”
“...”
Only then did she avert her eyes from Aruru and look at me.
The way she suppressed her disappointment was strangely pathetic.
“I worked up a lot of courage, but you...”
She bit her lip as if in resentment.
Why? Don’t tell me you were planning to do something?
“Haa, I guess it can’t be helped. Please, take this seriously. I’m showing you my trump card, after all.”
Spirit Swordsmanship was the exclusive domain of the elves.
It seemed she had agonized over it quite a bit.
Hmm, should I be grateful for this?
I don’t remember pestering her to teach me. It was the other way around.
Still, it seemed I should treat her as a teacher out of courtesy.
“I’ll focus as much as I can.”
“Of course you should.”
“...”
“The essence of Spirit Swordsmanship is simple. It’s about maximizing the efficiency of spirits... Well, it’s better to show you than to explain it a hundred times.”
She took a relatively light-looking longsword in her hand.
The sight made me want to say something. It would be nice if she used a bow like a proper elf.
Though she seemed unassuming, she was a Hero candidate.
She possessed a high level of swordsmanship, but it felt somewhat lacking.
The overlapping position was also a problem.
The princess and I were enough swordsmen.
Besides, Ilensia had the trait Archery (S).
It was a waste to let that trait go unused.
To make good use of the legendary bow that would appear later, it was right for her to start heading in that direction now.
*A bow suits you more than a sword.*
The words swirled in my mouth, but I couldn’t just blurt them out, so I held them back.
Soon, Ilensia demonstrated her swordsmanship.
The form of the swordsmanship wasn’t very important.
I carefully observed the state of fusion between the sword and the spirits.
It was only for an instant, but with just intermediate spirits, she unleashed power comparable to that of high-level spirits.
Indeed, it was certainly different.
I realized that the way I had been using them until now was pathetic.
“Do you get it now?”
No, not at all.
It’s a problem if you think I’m a genius like Jace...
“Even if you can’t put it into words, you must have gotten a feel for it. You’re that kind of man.”
“...”
*You’re the only human I acknowledge.*
*If I teach you one thing, you’ll surely understand ten.*
The elf girl looked at me with that kind of burdensome expectation.
“I still don’t know much about spirits. I need an explanation.”
“That makes sense, since you acquired them so suddenly. Alright. I’ll show you again.”
Spirits of fire and wind seeped into her sword.
With each technique she used, a change occurred.
“See, like this, with the feeling of making the spirits explode...”
“Explode?”
“It’s just a feeling.”
Is this really right?
Doesn’t it seem like she’s treating the spirits too harshly?
I glanced at Aruru.
I needed to ask the expert in this field for her opinion.
“The method is a bit rough, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“...”
Well, if my little cutie said it was fine, then it must be fine.
I decided to think of the spirits as slaves or consumables.
I tried swinging the sword like Ilensia, but I felt stuck from the very beginning.
“Stay calm and keep trying. Even for you, it should take about a week of practice.”
*It’s harder than you thought, right?*
*This isn’t a technique to be taken lightly.*
She revealed her sense of superiority with that kind of expression.
Hm? An elf is provoking me? I can’t let this slide.
Sword-Mind Unity, on. I focused with all my might.
Failure, failure, failure... and success.
Though the power was somewhat weaker, it was nearly perfect.
“It worked right away.”
“—??”
Her pupils quaked.
She staggered as if she had received a great shock.
As always, her reactions were so clear that she was fun to watch.
“No way! That’s impossible by any common sense...”
“Still don’t get it? Common sense doesn’t apply to Jace!”
“—!!”
My little cutie stepped forward as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Her influence threw the elf girl into even greater confusion.
Hmm, common sense doesn’t apply...
The phrasing was a bit strange, but I decided to just let it go.
“Surely this isn’t all there is to it?”
“O-Of course not!”
When I prodded her slightly, she got worked up and started teaching me various things.
I like how simple she is! I had figured out how to handle her.
After a considerable amount of time had passed.
Ilensia finally lost her mind.
“My trump card... you’ve already taken it all...”
Hey now, who took anything?
I just did as I was taught.
Not all of it, but I had grasped most of the core of Spirit Swordsmanship.
I couldn’t make it my main skill.
But there were many ways to apply it, so it was pretty good.
“Your affinity with spirits must be quite high...”
I quietly shrugged.
It seemed Aruru’s trait, Blessing of the Spirits, had helped.
It wasn’t in the description, but it seemed to have the side effect of increasing affinity.
The elf girl looked dejected for a long while.
Then, with a deep sigh, she spoke as she usually did.
“Well, I have no regrets. Since it was you, and not someone else.”
[Favorability +1]
[Favorability +1]
My favorability with her suddenly went up.
I guess I had to admit what was true.
*This man’s potential is truly endless.*
I could feel her looking up to me with that kind of sentiment.
This is why the female students are easy.
It would have been completely different with the male students.
*Huh? That damn prodigy got stronger again!*
*I will definitely defeat you. Let’s see who wins!*
They would have probably burned with useless fighting spirit like that.
“Hm? What’s this?”
“—!!”
“Ah, it’s a lesson plan you made to teach Jace Spirit Swordsmanship, isn’t it? The duration is a whole month?”
Aruru waved the lesson plan for all to see.
Wait, you were trying to hold onto me for that long?
No wonder she was dejected, since I finished a month’s worth of lessons right away.
“Ugh, you said you’d be quiet!”
“It’s all over now, isn’t it?”
“You really can’t let anything go, can you? I’m going to settle this once and for all!”
The elf girl, who had turned her embarrassment into anger, and my little cutie began their top-tier battle.
When will these two ever get along?
To stop the commotion, I brought up a matter I had been putting off.
“That’s enough. Check the status of my spirits. I think they’re about to advance to the intermediate level...”
The fox ears and the elf’s long ears perked up at the same time.
As if they had never been fighting, they gathered by my side.
After examining the weasel and the baby phoenix, they nodded.
“That’s right. They’ve earned the right to become intermediate spirits.”
“Amazing. To think you have a talent for being a spirit contractor as well...”
Ilensia went on about talent.
But the reality was nothing more than a ridiculous misunderstanding.
They were Aruru’s spirits in the first place.
And since they were already almost at max level, this result was expected.
“Mmm, even so, the new master’s influence must have been significant.”
My little cutie gave me a thumbs-up.
True, my own specs weren’t half bad.
This body’s mana was quite pure, so my conditions were better than most spirit contractors.
“How about taking this opportunity to contract spirits of other elements?”
She scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.
It went without saying, but the more spirits, the better.
Of course, my main focus was swordsmanship, so there was no need to form a legion like Aruru.
Still, I should have at least one of each element.
The utility of spirits was endless, enough to replace magic.
“That sounds like a good idea. I can guide you to the Spirit Forest.”
“I’m here, so you don’t need to come along— Mmph!”
“Please just stay still!”
Ilensia glanced at me as she quickly covered Aruru’s mouth.
I was planning to go with her anyway.
I couldn’t just leave her out, could I? I had something to say to her, too.
After a hearty meal, we headed for the Spirit Forest.