Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Three Weeks of Vacation-5
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I couldn't utter a single word.
It was utter nonsense that would make anyone's blood boil just hearing it.
A blatant lie that could induce hyperventilation amid derisive laughter.
Yet before that brazen force, I couldn't even raise my voice.
"Marriage...? Are you... serious?"
Even Village Chief Anus hadn't expected such a response and faltered for a moment.
"...Th-that..."
The chief wasn't the only one stumbling over words. Aria, who had spoken so boldly, felt her face burning red-hot like heated tin as she faltered too.
"...No point asking more. I've seen plenty of big-talkers like you last a lifetime."
Anus straightened her hunched back and rose from her seat. Though she leaned on her staff for support, that resolute stance was intimidating enough.
"Follow me. Proper 'conversation' doesn't happen in a place like this."
As Anus led the way, Aria unwittingly followed her outside. Leo, utterly dumbfounded, trailed after them on instinct.
The destination was the heart of a dense forest thick with green foliage. Once away from the village, no trace of human-made structures could be seen anywhere.
Standing in a clearing within that forest, Anus turned to Aria and her group.
"This spot will do."
"...What do you plan to do?"
Leo, standing beside the summoned Aria, was the more alert one. Stroking his bracelet, it hinted at the sharpness of his rising tension.
"This is women's talk. Stay out of it, boy."
Snapping thus, Anus raised her staff perpendicularly, pointing it at Aria.
"You, come stand here."
"...Pardon?"
"Young one's ears deaf already? Must an old crone repeat herself twice to satisfy you?"
At the blunt rebuke, Aria unwittingly stood before Anus. With Aria in place, Anus stamped her staff on the ground.
"As you see, I hate prattling on with words the most."
It was a statement that naturally drew nods and tilts of the head.
'Someone who hates 'words' insisting on 'conversation'—it's a glaring contradiction.
"So I enjoy 'conversation' through the most direct means."
At that instant, rocks rose circularly from the ground around the tip of Anus's staff. In a flash, a circular magic formation was complete.
"Magic...?!"
Seeing magic similar in form to Leonardo's, Aria immediately drew her sword.
"Old hag! What the hell are you doing!?"
Leo drew his sword as well. In a voice far more agitated than usual, he aimed it at her.
"Told the man to stay out."
This time, lightning crashed down. An electric barrier prevented Leonardo from approaching. Whether it had soundproofing too, Leo's shouts from beyond the lightning barely carried through.
"...More magic...!"
Aria's surprise wasn't just from the magic use. It felt somehow different from Leo's despite similar effects, heightening her wariness.
"Now we can have proper 'conversation'."
"...Is this conversation?"
A circle of rocks and a wall of lightning—this eccentricity couldn't be excused as desiring quiet talk.
"If you draw a blade on me, it wouldn't be conversation. Quite sharp against an old woman, aren't you?"
"...You used magic."
Anus let out a mocking chuckle, as if Aria's retort was adorably naive.
"True, that's a fair point."
Softening her tone, Anus picked up another wooden stick and tossed it to Aria. She caught it one-handed while gripping her sword.
"...Why this...?"
"Fight with that stick instead of your sword. Land even one hit, and I'll take back my words and apologize. Marry, have kids—for all I care."
Aria's face ripened like autumn fruit. It made her revisit the implications of her own words in shame.
"But if you can't land a single blow until that fool Leo breaks in, drop the lover nonsense. No hope anyway."
With that, Anus channeled mana through her staff. Aria, flushing, tossed her sword aside and gripped the wooden stick two-handed in response.
'I know how to counter magic thanks to Leo. But...'
Anus's magic differed in texture from Leo's. Not just power or speed.
'...Water magic?!'
The core essence was decisively different. Blades of moisture flying without a magic circle proved it.
No mere stick could counter that. Aria rolled left and right, dodging the liquid slashes.
"Good at tumbling, eh?"
No time to mind the taunt now. She focused power in her dantian, activating her internal Mana Core.
"Ho, 'genius' isn't hype. Three stars at your age."
Three stars glowed rapidly, circulating mana through her body. Through two years of effort, Aria had raised her core to three stars.
"But lacking polish for your talent."
This time, lightning raged. Electric flashes poured down on Aria like a shower.
'...Definitely different from Leo's.'
Now she understood properly. The incongruity in the magic used relentlessly.
"How... without a magic circle...!"
Anus had cast magic continuously without chants, seals, or even circles.
"Those pretty eyes aren't just decoration. But no duty to explain."
Kwarung!!
With an explosion, cracks spiderwebbed the lightning barrier.
"No time for answers anyway."
Successive blasts echoed. The barrier's fissures widened. Amid them, Anus unleashed a barrage of spells.
'...Must think calmly.'
In that chaotic battlefield, Aria evaded coolly while pondering.
Leo always formed magic circles to cast. Same for her brother Rios—so most magic required them.
Auxiliaries like chants or seals could be skipped, but the framework—magic circles—couldn't.
Thus,
'Only one thing to consider now.'
Ariasfil concentrated her Mana Core's power in her eyes. Sudden vision enhancement fatigued her sight, but it didn't matter.
No strategy of maxing Aura on a mere stick for attack was viable anyway.
She focused on scouting and exploiting weaknesses over countering.
Two figures invisible to mana-enhanced normal sight now appeared.
Shapes and positions too bizarre for humans, yet too mystically poised for ghosts or evil spirits.
"Pipe down a bit."
Even at Anus's words, the mana sprites giggled nonstop, staring at Aria.
"...Those are..."
"No helping it if you've seen them."
Anus fully deployed her mana, materializing the spirits around her. Not just the two beside her—all minor spirits nearby entered view.
"...This is..."
"Spirits, to be precise, ones settled in Doron."
Spirits—even Aria, no mage, had heard of them.
Lives born of mana, sentient beings existing wherever mana flowed, fairies that could appear anytime.
"My talent as a mage was lacking. In raw mana, I'm worse than you—or that kid breaking the barrier."
Reflecting, Anus's emanating mana wasn't abundant. Meager compared to her spells' power.
"But borrowing spirits' power, handling a bratty miss is easy. Especially in my home forest."
Everything fit. No magic circles, relentless powerful spells—all explained.
'That's why she chose the forest...'
Anus ranked mid-tier as a spirit conjurer, not peak or elite.
But fighting where she'd lived her whole life?
The local spirits, bound by deep familiarity and affection, would aid her fully.
Spirits were such beings, after all.
"Listening to my explanation so intently—you must really want to give up."
Kwaaaaang!
Fierce destruction roared; the lightning shield shattered completely.
"Lady Aria!!"
"Better than flailing—let your beloved protect you, since you like him so."
At the continued provocation, Aria unexpectedly felt no rage.
She'd just prove it wrong in this fight.
"Innis, Nimbus—end it."
The two humanoid spirits snickered.
"No useless chatter..."
Anus couldn't finish. An elder's instincts excelled at detecting crisis or fear.
The old woman's experience screamed it.
"...Nimbus... Innis..."
That girl was more dangerous than anything right now.
Those two spirits—the ones Leonardo had dared call 'pretty'.
Lucky enough to meet Leo first, before her.
Arrogant things that surely heard such praise first.
Just seeing their loathsome faces heated her head, strength flooding her weapon hand.
Crack.
Aria snapped the stick with one hand's grip. And simultaneously,
Swaeok!
She hurled half at Anus.
"...!"
Too late to react—it was about to smash her face. She barely defended, but coldly furious Aria brooked no such leeway.
Arrow-like whistles followed continuously.
Sliced and snapped branches poured like a downpour instead of arrows.
"Barrier!!"
"Damn...!"
Those attacks wouldn't kill. At worst, painful.
The problem was...
'One of those has the remaining stick mixed in...!'
Winning meant landing the stick. If even a graze from it amid the branch shower...
"...Leo's taught you dirty tricks. But...!"
Mobilize all spirits for omnidirectional defense, and blocking the hidden stick was possible.
Rocks, wind pressure, lightning, water sprays rose around, deflecting the stick. Weaker than the barrier, but enough for branches.
Too focused on projectiles to track Aria's position. Other spirits couldn't either amid defense.
[Where...?]
Then all looked skyward.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
Aria leaped into the air, charging at Anus.
Hasty defense was futile.
This strike dwarfed petty probing throws.
Defenses pierced, the reversing spear crossed the battlefield and struck.
The attack had already landed.
Her loyal knight witnessed that splendid sight only at the finale.