《Hard Work Will Never Betray Me (WN)》 CH ss - 1 Iris Pov "Well, then, you better go out there and work hard." "Take care of yourself. You can always come back if it becomes too much for you" "Yeah, I know. I know, but this is my decision." My parents saw me off in front of the house, carrying a package that was a little too big for a twelve year old girl to carry. ''You''ve grown into a fine woman, Iris ......." "I have nothing more to say to you now that our daughter has become such a fine woman." My parents expressed their deep emotion in a manner that could be described as a bit dramatic. The father is usually a strict man, but at this moment he is a worried father. "I''m going to join the Special Division and restore the Steinfeldt family, I promise you." "Iris, you can do it. o it. After all, you are our pride and joy!" , yeah!"¡¡Iris. You can do it!¡¡You''ll make it!" I''ll do my best."'' The Special Division is an extremely unusual division. The first thing is needed is to get a recommendation from a person related to the Division. But fortunately, I was able to receive a recommendation. It seems that an old acquaintance of my father''s used to be a member of the Division. According to him, he was "at the very end of the line," but even so, he must have been an elite person who could join the Division. I received a recommendation from him, and at any rate, I was able to qualify for the entrance examination. In addition, I was able to use magic a little differently from others. I was not particularly smart, nor did I have a great amount of magical power, so this was my only hope for salvation of our family. My family is a low-ranked samurai family. We are between being commoners and nobles. Father is mediocre, for better or worse, and has served for many years as a small unit commander in the Calvin garrison of the Imperial Guard Knights. He is treated better than the average because of his knightly rank, but he is by no means an elite person. Mother is good at housework, but not gifted as a samurai. Although my parents had nothing to write about, they respected their ancestors and were determined to live honorably. I respected them. Even if their capabilities were not so great, they lived each day honorably so that they would not be embarrassed to be members of the samurai family. I wanted to be that kind of person, and for my parents'' sake, I wanted to join the Special Division and restore my family as a noble family of samurai. My parents are seeing me off with tears in their eyes, but to be honest, I am standing here now with the resolve not to return until I pass the exam. I did not know when I would see them again. Perhaps I would be in danger during my trip, or I might not be able to meet them again because I had not passed the exam. Even so, I still had to go to the capital and pass the exam to become a member of the special division. In order to restore my family''s fortunes and to make my parents smile. Calvin is a town with a population of less than 50,000. It is not a city, but it is not a rural town either. I, the only daughter of such an average family, flew out of the nest to become somebody. ?? While riding in a horse-drawn carriage, I train to control my magic. I was born with more magic power than normal people, but it''s nothing to be proud of by the standards of the special division I''m about to take the exam for. So, I need to be able to save magic power efficiently by cutting down the loss when using magic as much as possible. As I was meditating with my eyes closed, an old man sitting across from me approached me. "Young lady, you''re training in magic. You''re very energetic, aren''t you?" "Yes, I do. You''ve got it all figured out, haven''t you?" All people living in this world have equal magical power, but even so, most of them are at their best using everyday magic. That is why there are very few people who practice controlling magic power through meditation training like this. This old man was able to recognize this at a glance. It is not an easy thing to do. Maybe he used to be a mage in the past? "I''m sure you''re wondering why I''m talking to you that . I used to be a mage in the service." "I see." There has been peaceful recently, but I hear that there used to be more wars in the past. "When I was young, I was involved in several conflicts," the old man said. He looks happy, though. "It was tough, wasn''t it?" "Well, my time in the military was tough. Looking back, I was blessed with good friends, and it wasn''t so bad." The wars naturally resulted in some deaths, but the old man didn''t look sad. "I was appointed as a platoon commander because I was a valuable mage, I used to use my magic to knock out enemy troops, confuse them, and then use the opportunity to turn their men against each other and inflict heavy blows. Now it''s just a story from the past." "Grandpa, you must have been a great man." "You are stronger and better with magic than the me . You will succeed." Thank you. What an excellent start. ?? After arriving at the imperial capital and parting with the old man, I immediately went to a estate agency. The reason for this is that I am going to take the exam for the special division , but there is no guarantee that I will pass the exam. In fact, it is far more likely that I will fail. If I failed, I would have to prepare for the next chance, so it was imperative that I get a house rental. "I''m looking for the cheapest room in the Imperial Capital." The estate agent, who was reading a newspaper while puffing on a cigarette at the counter inside the store, glanced at me and replied, "The cheapest room in the capital?¡¡If it''s a cursed house inhabited by a grudge, I can transfer ownership for a single silver coin, but what do you think?" I think people call that good luck. It seems that this estate agent is the one who has a grudge against me, taking one silver coin and forcing people to incur debts that will continue to generate losses just by holding on to them. "I''m leaving." "I''m just kidding!¡¡Don''t take it too seriously. I wouldn''t do such a thing!" It seemed he was joking. I turned back on my heel and turned to the estate agent. "Oh, ............, that''s the cheapest room you could find, ?" "Yes." "There are some dormitories where men with no fixed occupation live together, but ......" ''I don''t like that. ......" I know, right? The most inexpensive ones that girls of your age can live alone without any problems. ...... Let''s see, you can rent a 2.5 square meter room with no bath and shared kitchen and toilet for 40,000 per a month. That''s expensive. In Calvin, town, you can rent a room with bath, toilet, and kitchen for the same price, plus a room of 4 tsubo (8.5 square meters). This is the capital for you . "What do you think?¡¡If it is cheaper than this, it will probably be like a "defective property or a stable." "Hmm, I''ll go with that." "Well, I''ve been in this business for a long time, so I know how you feel. Prices in the imperial capital are high." The real agent nodded his head as if as to say, "I understand. And so I decided on my new house. CH ss - 2 Iris Pov "I failed ........................" Naturally, I failed the examination for the Special Division. In the first place, I could not pass the written test. Well, it is a matter of course. I heard that the written exam for the Special Division is as difficult as the entrance exam for the Imperial Four Graduate Academies . The reason for this is because it also serves as an examination for the Imperial Army cadres, so it was obvious that it was going to be difficult. :I guess I''ll be a wastrel starting tomorrow. ......:: Every three months, the Special Division conducts an exam to see who can join the division. This time, eight people took the test and none of them passed. I didn''t take the practical test because I didn''t pass the written test. I have confidence in this spells that is unique , so if I can pass the written test, I might be able to join the special division. "I will study hard for the exam." Fortunately, I was offered a job at a nearby bakery. I could make a living with that. I would have to study hard and cut down on the time I spent resting and relaxing. I will definitely pass the test and show them that Iris Steinfeldt is a real warrior. And then I will proudly tell my ancestors and parents that I have passed the exam to join the Special Division. ?? One year has passed since I came to the imperial capital. I have taken two more exams since then and failed both times. Today is my fourth exam. It''s time to show the results of the past year''s hard work. I studied hard for a year and managed to improve my academic skills in the written test to the point where I was able to pass the test. I was surprised to learn that the daughter of the bakery where I work is a genius, and she went on to the Imperial Academy of Literature and Science. I was able to get a promise from her that she would teach me how to study in exchange for working more hours , She was very smart and had a good teaching style. Thanks to her, my academic skills improved. I thought to myself, "This might work." I went to the exam with unprecedented confidence. ??? There was someone else in the room at the place where the exam was to be held. He was a boy about the same age as me, or maybe a little younger. The atmosphere he carried was different from that of a normal human being. The people who had taken the test to join the division up to this point all looked like ordinary people, and they had all been rejected, but he was different. I was thinking that this is what they call " difference in status " (......), and he bows to me. I thought he wouldn''t even look at me, but it seems he''s more polite than I thought. I was a bit surprised, but he is a human being, just like me. There was no reason that he could do it and I couldn''t. I said to myself, "Don''t let him beat me"! I said to myself again, I was very sleepy because I had been studying until late last night. There is still a little time left before the test, so I''ll try to get some sleep to keep my brain in good working condition. ...... I plopped down on the desk in the exam room. ?? The exam is over. Hopelessness. Nothing but despair. Why am I so stupid? What in the world was all that hard work I put in over the past year? As I was regretting my life so far, the boy who was taking the test in the same room came up to me and talked to me. "How did you do on the test ?: "it was terrible." When I answered honestly, the boy''s expression became indescribably subtle and he said, "Well, what percent did you get?" About thirty ? I thought I could get 40% in the last minute rush, but the reality was harsh. When I answered with a great deal of wishful thinking, the boy''s face turned bitter. "You'' re in big trouble!" I couldn''t say anything back to him. The only thing is, I have a practical skill. If I can get over 30% of the bare minimum , I feel like I can do something ............. "I''ll cover it with practical skills. I''ve abandoned the written exam." "also it''s have an interview, part too . ......" "I''m throwing away the interview, too." "Hey." Come to think of it, there was such a thing as an interview. ...... I remembered the interview after all this time. What should I do? I''m not good at communication . ...... I was thinking about that as my stomach started to hurt. I need to go to the restroom. ...... ''Where are we going?¡¡It''s almost time " "Toilet." I need to hurry back. I don''t want to miss the practical test. "Oh, excuse me." I was not able to hear what the boy was saying, but my stomach was at its limit. ??? ''Okay, you''re right on time. Then let''s head for the training ground." A boy asked him , "What are you going to do? If I had failed, I would have had to leave without taking the practical test." I have been nervous at this moment every time, as I have been the same three times before. "What were the results of the written test ?" a boy asked . If I had failed the written exam, I would have to leave without taking the practical exam. I had been nervous at this moment every time, as I had been the same three times before. "Well, at least you both passed the bare standard score." "Yes!" I exclaimed unintentionally, and I hummed with the boy. We looked at each other and laughed a little. "But as for the Steinfeld , she got just the minimum score. You''re going to have to make up for it in other areas to get in." Muh." But it was still just barely enough, apparently. I get some harsh words from thim . Still, a pass is a pass. As I was getting excited about making up for it in the practical test, I saw a boy looking at me. I remembered that I hadn''t introduced myself yet. "Iris." "?" I am Iris Steinfeldt. Nice to meet you." "Oh, I''m Eberhald. You can call me Hal." "I prefer Halt" ". You can call me whatever you want. ......" Halis a little hard to call him . I''ve decided to call him Halt Now, Eberhard and Steinfeld, which way will you choose for the practical test? The examiner asked us which wat we would choose. "I think I''ll choose combat." It seems that Halt will choose combat. It is true that he looks strong from the aura he caries , so it makes sense. "I''m going to choose demonstrate." "Oh, a demonstration?" I explained the reason to Halt . "I have confidence in my spells , but I have never experienced a real battle." ''I see." Well, here we are at the at training ground. The Training ground was a rather large and magnificent place . "As you can see, the floor is made of soil, so even if it is destroyed by a spell, it can be repaired with earth magic. In other words, as long as you don''t destroy the whole building, you can use magic to your heart''s content!" I believe that my spells is effective only when I am fighting against people,......, so the destructive power itself is not that great. ''''Mm, it seems that other examiners have arrived.'''' I looked toward the entrance in response to his words and saw several examiners entering the training area. They all look strong. The special division . I admire them. Now that I have come this far, I will definitely pass and become one of them. Then let''s start with Iris Steinfeldt, who is taking demonstration way of test . "Yes, ". The examiner, called me to the front. "Then you will wait in the center of the training area. On my signal, we will begin." "I understand." I had been training for this since I was a child. I was just on the bare ,inimum in the written test , but I was confident in my magic demonstration . Now it was time to turn that confidence into reality. Halt and the examiners get back to the wall of the room. The examiners were scattered around me, so I knew I was being watched from all directions. I was very nervous. ...... I took a deep breath to calm my mind and circulate the magic in my body. Don''t worry, I can do it. "Begin!" The examiners gives the signal in a loud, clear voice. At the same time as he called out, I activated my spell . A complicated circle unfolded around me. Then, rising my right hand forward, I released the spell . ----push...... The right hand emitted a violent light and the target doll turned black and flew away. ......Yes, it was a success. "What was that?" The examiners are looking at me with wide eyes. Then I heard Halt''s voice whispering, "A laser beam?" "Hohoho, an offensive type spell is quite unusual!" Halt and the examiners had discovered the true nature of my magic at the first sight. Light magic. That is my specialty. Light magic is usually used as support magic. So I thought it was quite rare to use light magic for attacks like I do, but they noticed it in an instant. They are a group of special division , after all. The level is very high. The first time I saw the "Halt", my eyes met with his. I can make it ----. My magic can be used in this special division''s As my confidence deepens, my mind becomes even calmer. The next spell is easy one . I will make sure it succeeds. CH ss - 3 Iris pov "Now the second spell." The examiner gave the signal, and I cast the second spell. This time, I deployed a magic circle around my feet. The slowly spinning magic circle gradually rises from my ankle to my head, turning my lower body invisible. It is a light-attribute supplementary spell, "optical camouflage stealth." "Ah, her legs are disappearing. ......!" The atmosphere in the room turns somewhat noisy. After all, my magic seems to be something rare even in the eyes of the special division . "The whole body disappeared." Within twenty seconds or so, I had completely disappeared. Everyone seemed to know I was here, but they didn''t seem to see me. Then, after exactly one minute, I lifted the spell. Then one of the examiners asked me a question. Steinfeldt," How long can you keep your current spell?" "I can keep it up for about 10 more minutes." This magic requires concentration but does not require much magic power. If i had enough magic power i will be able to keep it for longer time I''m sure I can keep it up for a good amount of time. I understand. The examiner, perhaps satisfied with those words, withdrew from the questioning, and the leader of the group opened his mouth. ''Now for the final spell , are you ready? ''Yes.: "Then, let''s begin." At the same time as the signal, the third spell was cast. This time, two magic circles were deployed, one at my feet and the other on the ground in front of me. The magic circle floats from my feet to my head as if tracing me. Then another magic circle shines, and a phantom of the exact same appearance as me is created. It was a "phantom." ......" The examiners were scoring. The three magic spells I showed them this time, "heat flux laser beam," "optical camouflage stealth," and "illusion," must be combined to get the true value of the three magic spells. I am sure that the examiners of the Special Division will realize their usefulness. The first time I saw the "optical camouflage stealth", I was surprised to find that it was so easy to use. I turned to the group examiners and they said , "......Good, now please step back. I''ll let you know the results of the test as soon as it''s ready . Next is the Eberhardt . I was so excited. Halt came toward and switched places with me. "Good luck." "I''m not going to lose " ''Yes." I gave it my all. I hope Halt can give it his all too. It would be best if we could both pass. "I''m going to give it my all." "No, wait, Eberhardt, you''re taking the test. Don''t destroy the training ground." "What, I''m not that trustworthy?" No, in your case, it''s a battle. You''re dealing with the other person". "What, the jet''s not the opponent?" A recommender can''t grade his own candidates." Heh." As Halt was getting motivated, the examinator waited for him. Halt, you can destroy this training ground ....... And he is the one who recommended him . I knew he was of a different level. "Siegfried! "Fass!" One of the examiners called y replied and came up to the another person . He is a young and stern man. But he looks very strong. "You''re my opponent in a death duel?" Captain Siegfried is threatening him in some way. He is not a good-looking man. I''m not going to kill you. I''ll just broke few bones ." "broke few bones ......, hmm?¡¡What?" Halt is having trouble dealing with this. I had an image that he could handle anything without a struggle, but in fact, maybe he is not that handy. Thinking that, I suddenly felt a sense of closeness with him. "Captain Siegfried." "yup." "You must be ready to kill him. Otherwise, you''re in danger. "............ Us." Examinator is advising hom to do so. ............ I have a feeling this is going to be a rough fight . . Captain Siegfried is an Imperial Knight who has been knighted. His nickname is Thunderbolt." "......" Really? And apparently the examinator is also an Imperial Knight. "Then, both of you, take your positions and ...... begin!" Halt''s test began. ?? Amazing. Just simply amazing. I can only give my impression in a generic way, but there are people in this world who are this amazing. The Captain is attacking Halt at such a high speed that I can''t see him, and Halt is preventing him from doing so by covering himself with magic power of an unbelievable level of density. I wonder how much magic power he has to use in such a way. His amount of magic power must be way higher than my own. The battle seemed to be approaching its climax as I watched the superhuman exchange of words for a while. Halt and the captain didn''t seem to have much time to waste on each other. "I apologize in advance, ...... Jet. I''m sorry!¡¡But I don''t want to lose!¡¡I''ll keep the damage to a minimum, but if it breaks, I''m sorry " Huh?¡¡Well, wait!¡¡Eberhard, what are you going to do?" When he told her so one-sidedly, Halt spread some kind of wings from his back and floated up to the ceiling of the training ground. ............ and flew away! An angel ......?" "This is ...... the first time I''ve seen one of these ...... too." The examiner, an old man who was grading nearby, was smiling with his eyes wide open. He seemed somehow very kind and didn''t look much like a military man. ''I''ve been with the Special Division for a long time, but he''s the first person I''ve seen floating in the air . Well, it''s quite an unusual thing to see." He looked at Hurt with interest. No, I wonder who really Hult is. He''s going toe-to-toe with the captain who is the Imperial Knights, and he''s flying ....... As I was thinking this, the silvery-white magic layer that Halt was clad in began to converge in his right hand. The condensed magic power emits a dazzling light, and in addition, the air begins to shake and tremble with vibrational waves. ''...... Ugh. I can''t keep my eyes open. ...... Halt swung his fist, and then his arm out toward the ground! ---- "Gale"£¡£¡£¡£¡ A tremendous storm blew so hard that I couldn''t keep my eyes open, and I was almost blown off my feet. Whoa!" Oops, are you okay?" Thanks to the examiner''s support, I managed to avoid being blown away, but I could not believe what I saw. Eventually the smoke cleared and I saw a large hole in the ground of the training ground, Halt who had landed beside the large hole, and the captain who had fainted at the edge of the hole. ??. The practical test was over, the inte rview was over, and I was resting in the courtyard of the garrison because I had some free time until the announcement of my acceptance. "Ah." "Hey, ." Halt also looks refreshed, as if the interview is over, and he comes out to the courtyard. " How was the interview?: :I don''t know.: ow. But if you have such great spells, you won''t be rejected unless you have some personality or ideological problems. He praised me for my skills. "Your skills were great, too." "Thank you." "It was exciting." "Yes, it was." He can do such amazing magic. He''s going to be a big shot in the future. t. I''m sure he''ll get in. He''s the one the examinator recommended. "Well, I don''t think I''''m going to fail.'' I don''t think it''s a surprise, but he seems to have confidence in himself. I''m not so sure. ''The written test 30% is bare minimum . ......'' The only thing I''m counting on is the practical test, but even that is hazy after seeing Halt''s. "I''m not sure why Iris decided to join the Special Division." ."..... because my family is a low-ranked samurai family." I explained to him why I had taken the exam. ''But if you'' re a samurai, you need to rise in the ranks." "So you are saying that respecting honor is no different from being a nobleman?" "Yes. I have both red blood and blue blood." I"f you want to get a promotion, you could marry a rich boy. ......" "I''m definitely not interested in a political marriage." "I see ." There are so many people who don''t understand the spirit of noblesse oblige even though they are nobles. I would rather revive my house by myself than marry into someone like that. Besides, I can''t face my ancestors if I don''t work hard by myself. "Maybe a ...... strange thing for me to say, but I hope you get accepted." "Yes." Halt understood my situation. I think he is a good guy after all. I hope I''m accepted too. Then we could work together. ??? "I''m going to announce the results now. Are you ready?" "Yes." "Yes.'' At the right time, we had returned to the room where we had taken the written test . The head of exam was standing in front of us, holding the documents in his arm.s ''Now let''s start with the Eberhardt . ............ written test 85 points, practical test 1 00 points, interview 82 points. With a total of 267 points, He passed without question." Yay!" As a matter of course, Halt had passed. Congratulations. "Next is Steinfeldt, who took the test . Are you ready?" I''m fine. I was so nervous that I couldn''t stand up straight. I take a few deep breaths and finally calm down. "Then ............ written test ............ 30 points, practical test 95 points, interview 55 points. That''s a total of 180 points, just enough to pass. Congratulations." At first I didn''t understand what he said. After a few seconds, I finally understood that I had passed. A hot feeling welled up from deep within my chest. My body trembled in a different way than before. "Iris, you did it!" ""!" I couldn''t help but jump up and down with joy. I''m a cool girl, that''s my motto. ''That was close. One more point lower and you would have fallen". "Hey, Jet!¡¡She passed anyway, so what does it matter!¡¡Don''t you dare interrupt her !" "No, well, that''s just how much we expect Steinfeld''s to do with their light magic. You should be proud of that". "......, Iris." "The light magic is the magic that I am best at. I can beat anyone with light magic." ,"that''s the spirit. If you belong to the special division , you must have at least one thing you can''t lose to anyone else!" The Commander is grinning with a big smile on his face . ''''In Jet''s case, is it muscle? ''''Mm?¡¡My muscles are the best in the world.'' ''Hmm, hmmm... ......'' Iris? I was so nervous, but Halt was making funny jokes and such. But thanks to him, I was able to relax and I can honestly say that I am happy with the result of the exam. Thanks to his presence, I was able to keep my motivation under control during the exam. "Halt , you''re funny." I wanted to express my gratitude, but I was too shy to do so with words. so I said something like that. ?? ''If you want, let''s drop by somewhere." Hmm?" When I was returning home with Halt with a feeling of accomplishment after passing the exam successfully. He said that to me. " We''re the only two i whos is passed so let''s get along." I was so happy to hear that. I''ll be alone when I go home anyway. I don''t have much money stored up, but now that I''ve been offered a job at a special division that offers unbelievably high pay, I have no problem using up all my money. If that is the case, it is human nature to want to spread your wings and celebrate in a big way. That restaurant has a nice atmosphere. "It''s nice." The restaurant, located a few minutes'' walk from the garrison, had a stylish atmosphere, as if it were a place for rich people to go. "Smells good." r ....... Okay, let''s go here." When I opened the door, the waitress was walking around the restaurant looking busy. Welcome!¡¡Just 2 people? "Yes. ". Please take a seat ! We were lad to a table in the back of the restaurant. After a short wait, the waitress asked us what we wanted to order, and we both decided to order the same Lumia beef steak. A few minutes later, a very delicious looking steak, bread, and fruit water were served . The meat was cooking on a stone plate, smoking, and the juices were about to overflow. "Then, cheers ...... for our success!" "Cheers!" The steak was seasoned with only salt, pepper, and herbs. Still, it was very tasty and made me happy. While eating the steak, I decided to write a letter to my parents as soon as I returned to my cheap apartment. The content of the letter would be very simple: "I have been accepted into the Special division . I really wanted to tell them right away, and I would have liked to meet them and tell them in person if I could, but I didn''t have the money to send a carrier pigeon, and it would take several days to go see them by carriage. Since We had a mission starting tomorrow, I could only tell him by letter. But letters take time. If I wanted to get a reply, it would take even longer. The daughter of the bakery who helped me to study had also gone to study at an academy in the capital, so there would be no one to congratulate me on my success right away. The only person who celebrated with me was my Halt , who was celebrating success with me. It was a strange feeling. It''s only our first day since we met , but we are already such good friends. His presence is growing in my heart. .".... Iris?" Hurt, who noticed that I was staring at him, looked up and asked me. "I''m fine,. This steak is delicious." "It''s kind of warm." Warm, huh? Well, I think "warm" is the best way to describe this feeling. I think I may have just received the best gift for passing the exam. T/n From the next chapter we will be back to main plot ! CH ss - 4 This happened a few years or so ago now. I believe it was when I was just barely in the two digits age. It had been about three years since the battle with Felix "Wind Slayer," and I had been practicing every day and had become quite skilled . ?? That day, I was on a trip alone, which was unusual for me. Usually, Mei would accompany me, but this time she wanted to experiment with something. It was an experimental test to verify the properties of orichalcone. I don''t know the details of what she is doing, but since she is Mei, I am sure she will make another great discovery that makes no sense. I was in deep awe of her tireless inquisitiveness and talent, and I was comfortably going on a solitary excursion. My destination this time was the Great Mountains. My father had told me that I could move freely within the Farenheit Frontier Territory, but as far as I was concerned, I had never had a chance to go far away from home before, so I took the opportunity to pack my luggage into my bag and left my house. I brought food, a water bottle, a recovery potion, a map, wallet, a key tag with my family crest on it in case of emergency, and last but not least, a short sword made by Mei. My knife had been broken in the battle with Felix, so I had a new sword made. It is a very sturdy sword made of a metal called "magic steel" that contains a few percent of mithril, and although the shape is that of a Western straight sword, it is a very good sword that will not break or bend and cuts well. The more magic power that flows through it, the sturdier it becomes and the better it cuts (although there is a limit), so I was enjoying its performance to the fullest, which is hard to achieve with commercially available swords. I was traveling without a change of clothes. The great mountain range I was aiming for this time was one of the three most challenging places in the empire, located to the north of Heidburg. However, I am not going there to climb a mountain. It is suicide to wear such light clothes to traverse a mountain range. Even mountains are dangerous, and in addition, there are monsters, so it is necessary to go fully equipped. Even so, there is no guarantee that one will return home alive, which should give an idea of how dangerous the Great Mountains can be. So what was the point of going all the way up to the mountains? Cain, the northernmost town in the Farenheit Frontier Territory, is located at the foot of the Great Mountains and has a hot spring resort. The natural hot springs that spring from beneath the mountain range are said to contain an abundance of magical powers and minerals, and are extremely good for one''s health. As a former Japanese, I decided that I had no other choice but to go there. The town of Cain is very far away. It must be 500 kilometers from Heidburg. It is not an easy trip on foot. For a short distance and a short time, there is a way to move fast by giving off shock waves from my legs, but that is like running all the time, so the distance is limited to a few dozen kilometers. It is not like running a full length marathon. I gave up the idea of traveling on foot. That''s where the magical two-wheeler developed by May comes in. I am not sure how it works, but it is a primitive two-wheeled vehicle equipped with an engine similar to the one I saw on Earth. The maximum speed is only about 70 kilometers per hour (still quite impressive by the standards of this world), but since it is powered by magical energy, it can keep going as long as my physical strength does not run out. If I keep running all day long from sun up to sun down, I can probably get there in a day or two. ?? In the morning of the second day after my departure, I arrived safely at the town of Cain. On the way, I did not see any suspicious bandits or monsters, but no one was able to keep up with my 70 km/h magical two-wheeled vehicle. Heh, I see steam everywhere." Cain was a small town. The population was probably not that big, maybe two or three thousand. Many of the people on the street were dressed in traveling clothes, and there did not seem to be many local residents. "Welcome to Cain''s specialty, hot spring steamed bread!¡¡The cream inside is delicious!" The old man was steaming something like a box of hot spring steamed buns, "Please give me two, old man." The reason I didn''t have one was because I thought it was too small and n place for it . I was tired from the long trip and wanted to take some sugar. "Please" I paid for the bun, received it from the old man, and took a bite. "It''s so sticky and delicious," The texture was completely like steamed bread. Inside the steamed bun was a custard cream-like filling, making it a "Western-style manjuu". It was quite delicious, and I had no complaints. "Old man , give me three more, please." "That''s very generous of you!¡¡I''ll give you one free!" "Thank you." After having obtained my breakfast, I decided to look for a place to stay for a rest. I found a place to stay in a matter of seconds, probably due to the nature of this hot spring resort town. The "Snow Spirit Pavilion," huh? That''s pretty stylish. Among the numerous inns, I found one that was not too expensive, yet not too inexpensive, and entered it. "I''m a nobleman, so there''s no problem with a high-class inn, but since I''m visiting on the side, I didn''t want to make a big deal out of it, so I decided to go with a middle-class inn. "Welcome, and thank you for choosing our inn, Yukino Seireitei." "A rather young female landlady welcomes me." "It''s quite early, but are you taking a rest now?" "Yes, I would like to take a rest and then go to the hot spring. Can I go in now?'' "Yes, you can enjoy the hot spring during the day, but not during lunch time." Yes, you can enjoy the hot spring during lunch time. " Can I stay for five days?" " Thank you very much." After checking in and putting my bags in my room, I put on a yukata (kind of like a Japanese bathrobe, but thinner) and went to the large bath. I was the only one in the changing room, and I had the place to myself. "Oh, nice." As is standard in other worlds, there were two types of hot springs, one inside the bathroom and one outside. I washed my body in the bathroom and went out to the open-air bath. "Mmmm, the view is great!"" The temperature in early spring was quite chilly for my nude and wet body. The snow-capped peaks of the mountain range, still white with snow, presented a magnificent sight to the base of the town. "I would love to climb there someday." The picture still doesn''t come to mind right now. If I am attacked by a pack of high-ranked monsters, I will probably not be able to survive, and if I am facing S-ranked monsters, I have a 50% chance of survival, even if I am facing only one of them. Someday, I would like to become strong enough to deal with any kind of monster and make it to the top of that mountain. "Ah, dragons." Near the top of a large mountain range. I saw a dragon flying in the distance. It was not a low-class dragon like a wyvern, but a real high-class dragon. I was told that it would be quite lucky to see one, as there are so few of them in the area. "I wonder if I could see a dragon more closely if I came to the Great Mountains." Dragons in the Great Mountains. monsters in the Demon Forest. Cerberus in the Great Labyrinth. Someday, I would like to encounter one of them. I would like to fight them. Or subdue them. Or, tame them them, I would try . I continued to enjoy the view of the great mountain range while soaking in the hot water, dreaming that one day I would become a great adventurer who would travel the world. CH 1 "Second place again. ......" I muttered to myself as I looked at the ranking on the report card that had been returned to me. Second place in modern literature, third place in classics literature , fourth place in English, eighth place in mathematics, sixth place in chemistry, third place in Japanese history, and first place in political science and economics out of 312 students in the third grade. I thought I had done my best, but once again, I was unable to take the top spot. I sighed and looked at the few students gathered in the front right corner of the classroom. "Yikes!¡¡Kazuki, you''re number one again!¡¡That''s great!" "And you''re in first place!¡¡Can you teach me how to study?" "I don''t know. How about next Sunday?" "Thanks, Kazuki!" I hear an commotion. of group of people The person at the center of the commotion is Kazuki Sugawara, the genius among geniuses who has held the top spot in his grade for over a year now. He and I don''t have much in common, but I consider him as rival. Ever since I entered this high school, I''ve never beaten him on exams. I don''t join any clubs, I refuse to hang out with my classmates, and except for meals, baths, and my self-imposed reading quota, I''ve been studying relentlessly, and I still can''t beat him. There are geniuses in every world, and Sugawara is the exact opposite of me. He is the ace of the basketball team, the student council president, and a honor student. He was a winner of sorts with his good looks and popularity. This world is so unreasonable. No matter how much effort you put in, you can never compete with the wall of natural talent. I''ve been ridiculed as a garrigan, called a bean sprout, and still, no matter how hard I try, I can''t beat the genius. Even though the school is one of the most advanced schools in the prefecture, only one or two students are accepted to Tokyo University every year. I have no doubt that Kazuki Sugawara will be accepted. But for me, who is on the verge of becoming the runner-up in my grade (and has lost it several times), I honestly don''t have the confidence to get in. There are many things that I can''t achieve even though I''ve been living such a painstaking life. The genius, Kazuki Sugawara, has everything going for him, and even his girlfriend is constantly changing his mind. I was so frustrated that I couldn''t stand it. I don''t want to be defeated, so I''m half-heartedly working hard. I wanted to prove that the efforts of a mediocre genius can beat a genius, so I was reading my vocabulary book even on my way to and from school. ---- "Watch out!" I didn''t know what had happened. But when I came to my senses, the world was spinning around me, and then a loud noise, a bright light, and a strong shock hit me, and I knew that I had been hit by a car. "Ughhhh ......!" when I heard a strange voice coming out of my mouth as I was slammed into the ground. I could feel my whole body, which must have been hit hard by the car , slowly getting hot. There was a lot of commotion in the area, and I could see that the students from the same high school who were leaving school were paying attention to me. ""Are you okay, ......? I heard such a voice from afar, but I couldn''t make any reply. My whole body was hot, but for some reason I was getting cold. The chills were accompanied by an intense drowsiness, and I let go of my consciousness without being able to resist. The ambulance stopped. . I couldn''t hear the sirens. The red lights were glowing and spinning. There were several police cars stopped, and the police were calling out to the many onlookers. Yellow tape was stretched, and inside the tape, there was a section covered with a blue sheet. For some reason, I was watching this scene from above. I was about 10 meters up. After watching the scene in a daze for a few dozen seconds, I finally realized that I had died in an accident. This is what they call astral projection. It was quite an intense experience. It''s not something you can experience very often. As I was doing this, I noticed that I was gradually ascending into the sky. I was already 30 meters up in the sky. It was ascension. It was getting harder and harder to see the commotion below me. One hundred meters above the ground. This is what it feels like to look down on a city when you climb a mountain with a castle or something. I couldn''t see much of what was going on below. One thousand meters above the ground. This is what it feels like to look down from a mountain as high as Mount Fuji. You can see the whole city where I live. Well, I don''t have any beloved childhood friends or special friends, so I don''t have much attachment to it. My family didn''t seem to expect much from me, and my life was boring. Ten thousand meters above the ground. In short, 10 kilometers. I had finally surpassed Mount Everest. The edge of the earth looks round. I can no longer distinguish the world below except for a city or a forest. The speed of our ascent increases dramatically. now i am 100 kilometers up in the sky. From here, I am already out of the atmosphere. Farewell Earth, hope we meet again. Even if I say ......, we may never meet again. i don''t even know if reincarnation really exists, and there is no guarantee that i will ever be able to live as intelligent life on earth again. At least if i are in a state right after i die, though, since i was discovered to be conscious in this way, maybe there is reincarnation. The sky above ......, or rather, outer space. The distance from the earth is about 10,000 kilometers. I can already see the outline of the earth clearly. It''s a perfect circle. The earth was blue. When I look at the earth like this, I feel a little sad. I wonder where I''m going after this. There was no one who looked like God, and there was no heaven above the clouds, but I was up there, so I must not be going to hell. My life has been nothing good, but i I would like to go back to earth again. If it was possible, I''d like to live a life where my efforts are rewarded. Well, looking back on my life so far, I don''t think such a dream is possible. In the first place, the earth is getting farther and farther away. i am passed the moon. i am already close to Mars. I may be the first person in the history of mankind to see the surface of Mars in detail with the naked eye. Maybe that''s the case with all dead people, but I can''t see any other ghosts, even though there are probably many other dead people besides me. In other words, not everyone who dies will be able to see Mars up close. The people who go to hell will see the continental plates and mantle. So I''m a lucky guy. Well, since I died in a car accident. I could see Jupiter. It was very far away, but I could tell that it was huge. Everyday I''m able to see something like that . No, I''m ascending to heaven all by myself. I mean, where is "heaven"? Isn''t it the direction of the sun? ...... Is that Pluton ? The sun looks much smaller now. I''m starting to get lonely. I don''t know how long I''m going to keep moving. I want to go home. I don''t know where I''m going to go, though. I''m tired of ................... This is the Milky Way Galaxy where I was born (bar). .............................. ............ local galaxy group?¡¡I don''t know.¡¡I don''t know anymore. I''m not sure how many hours, days, or even years I''ve been doing this. I don''t know how long it''s been since my internal clock (body, no less!) For a while, I was in a daze, feeling the mystery of the universe that I couldn''t describe, and then my consciousness started to fade. My vision became blurry, I felt dizzy and warm, and then my consciousness was completely cut off this time. CH 2 I take a big breath in, searching for air. "Ogaa...... ogaaah! (crying ) I finally coming to sence It seems that I have been reborn. Two years have passed since I was reborn. After that, as soon as I realized that I had been reborn, I rapidly fell asleep and lost consciousness. I remember hearing some kind of human voice in my ear, which I couldn''t quite hear yet, and I remember being washed with warm water, so it seemed that my birth had was successful For a while after that, my lfe was typical for baby : eat, ploop , sleep Even though I remembered my previous life clearly, I couldn''t bear that urge. Even though she had the memory, it was a part of me that i couldn''t help because i was a baby. i was a zero-year-old child with a strong mental age. In the meantime, two years have passed somehow. In the beginning, it was really hard for me to control my urges. In the beginning, it was really hard for me to control my urges, because I got hungry easily, pooped , and got sleepy every five minutes. The only emotions I had were pleasure and discomfort, so all I could do was cry or sleep. Recently, my mind has finally calmed down and I am able to control my emotions to a certain extent, but it was really hard until I got used to it. I felt sorry for my mother and father, who would wake me up in the middle of the night, and I would pooped as hard as I could and bite my mother nipples with my gums that hadn''t grown yet. Thanks to this, my mother''s pink nipples, which were young and pretty, became a little dull. Now, I''m two years old. I was now two years old, and I had reached a certain level of maturity, and although my speech was still a bit sluggish, I was able to carry out simple daily conversations without difficulty. " Mom i wan ttaebyu one " "Oh, Hal. Do you want to eat some Rango nuts? "Rango-taebyu. Rango fruit is a fruit that looks like an apple on Earth. It tastes and feels exactly like an apple, but for some reason, its color is a poisonous bright blue (it can''t be helped that it''s a toddler with a slurred tongue. Don''t miss it! ). MY teeth are all grown in, so I can eat even hard foods like Rango. I lovedRango fruit because it was one of the few natural sweet foods in this world where sweetness is rare. Now, my mother called me "Hal-kun" earlier, but that''s not my real name. my full name is "Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit", which is a long fucking name. As you can imagine from the inclusion of the word "von," I''ve succeeded in being reborn into a noble family. From the very beginning, I was suddenly on the winning side of life. Perhaps the deeds of my previous life had been recognized by the gods, but I was far away from the strict family rules and family riots peculiar to noble families, and I had succeeded in leading a very comfortable life as an infant. My father was still very young at 25, but he was already acting as the head of the Farenheit frontier family, which was a little strange for me since I didn''t have a father I could respect in my previous life. My mother is 22 years old, three years younger than my father, and I have an older sister, so she had her baby at 18. This would be quite unusual compare to modern Japan. She looks like a Scandinavian beauty with her white skin and blond hair, and looking at her four-year-old brother (who is almost twenty, but very cute), I think I must be a very handsome boy. But to think that I was sucking on the nipples of a woman whose mental age is almost the same as mine, the sense of immorality is pretty bad. ...... I don''t get sexually aroused at all because I''m a baby. I was able to grow up to the age where I could walk on my own, but I didn''t spend the last two years eating and sleeping all the time. Most of the time, of course, that''s true, but I also did a lot of research to see if I was in the right world. The best example of this is the status screen. However, it seems that this is not something that others can see. If I had some kind of appraisal ability that often appears in fantasy novels, I might be able to look into other people''s status screens, but at least I and my family don''t seem to have that kind of special ability. My sister begged my mother to show me my status, so I''m sure of it. This is my status. ----------------------- Eberhard Karlheinz Von Flensburg Fahrenheit Gender : Male Age : 2 years old Life Force : 12/12 Magic power : 6354/6354 Physical ability £º3 Intelligence £º120 Magic Attribute : - Specific Magic : [Shock) Specific Skill : Continuity is Powe CH 3 Age: 2 years old Life force : 12/12 Magic power : 6354/6354 Physical ability £º3 Intelligence £º120 Magic Attribute : - Specific Magic : [Shock Specific Skill : Continuity is Power ----------------------- This is my current status. First of all, my name is fucking long. Compared to the three kanji characters I had when I was in Japan, it''s more than ten times longer. I''ll skip the gender and age, since they''re obvious. In short, it''s HP, or physical strength. About a year ago, I almost died of a cold (I was in a great hurry...). In this world, medical technology is not as advanced as in modern Japan, so the infant mortality rate is very high), my HP was down to 1, so I guess I die when my HP reaches 0. Thank God my mom is a healer magician. ...... Next magic power. Yes, this is the main reason why ] i know this world is not Earth. Also, the status screen. This world, it seems, has magic. It''s hard to explain, because I didn''t feel it on Earth. It''s like chi in a fighting manga. I''ve been aware of the existence of magic since I was born, and I''ve spent a lot of time manipulating it, except for when I pooping and go to bed. I started by sensing the magic power inside and outside of me, and as I moved it around inside my body, changing its shape, stretching it, compressing it, etc., I learned how to handle it, and as I repeated the process of circulating it inside my body and compressing it, I noticed that my magic power gradually increased, over the next year and a half For the next year and a half, I worked hard to strengthen my magic power, and before I knew it, I had reached this terrible numbers . By the way, when you master the ability to sense magic power, you will also be able to sense the magic power that fills the bodies of others. As a result, I found out that my dad is around 4,000, my mom is 3,500, my sister is 100, and my maid is 85. My father never misses a day of training and repeatedly engages in mock battles with whom seems to be his subordinates, and judging from the fact that our family seems to be a martial arts family, I''d say that the maid''s 85 is the average amount of magical power. It would be unbearable if my number was so monstrous that I was disowned for it. So the other day, I even developed a technique to hide the amount of magic power on the surface by compressing and sealing it deep inside my body. It''s a skill that will come in handy in the future, so I''m glad I learned it while I still baby . Next, physical ability. 3 is a fair number for a 2-year-old. I can stand, walk, and sometimes run and make a mockery of myself, and even my four-year-old sister can easily carry me. By the way, my father was more monstrous than me, and although I don''t know the exact number because I can''t use appraisal, he dragged a huge boar that looked like it weighed two tons lightly (I feel another world in this part of the world) back to our yard. If I''m the son of that father, I''m sure I''m going to be as muscular as he is. ...... When I think about it, the fact that my previous life was so short makes me feel all the more excited. I''m not sure what to say. I''m thinking that it probably means IQ. There is probably no such thing as an intelligence quotient test in this world, but perhaps this status screen was not created by mankind. If it is being displayed by some kind of existence or phenomenon beyond human knowledge, it would not be surprising if an IQ index from the earth is being used. By the way, 120 was my IQ when I was measured a few years ago. It''s not a high IQ by any means, but I was ranked second in my grade at a preparatory school, so I can achieve a certain level of results if I work hard. I''m only two years old, so I''m sure I can improve my IQ even more with more effort. Aim for genius!¡¡IQ 200! The next magical attribute. I''m not quite sure about this one. I think it''s something like the basic four or five attributes that you see in fantasy manga. No matter how much you think about it, it''s just a guess, so read a book or ask someone to find out the details. Next, there is inherent magic. I''m not sure about this either. It''s probably a magic that only I can use, and it''s unique to me. But I don''t know how to use it. I tried shouting "(shock!)" in my brain. In my brain, I tried shouting "(shock!)", but when I actually shouted "shock!" nothing happens. I was shocked, though, when I thought there was no one there, and when I shouted, there was a maid sister behind me, cleaning up. I was a little embarrassed by her smile as if she was looking at something cute. Finally, there is the unique skill of ¡¾Continuation is Power¡¿. I believe this is the only and strongest cheat. This is because when you tap on the "Continuity is Power" part, a description appears as if it were a link. ----------------------- Unique skill: [Continuity is power If the dust piles up, it will become a mountain, and thousands of thousands of raindrops will pierce even the rocks. Hard work always pays off, and as long as you continue to work hard, your abilities will continue to grow as well. Growth Limit: None ----------------------- The existence of this unique skill explains why my magic power is so abnormal. It seems that there is no lie in the explanation that the harder you work, the more you grow. Cheats are always a part of reincarnation in another world story . You could say that it''s a template. There are some hard mode players like no cheat and peasant starters, but as I was already in hard mode in my previous life, I want to have fun and be a cheerleader in this life. At the very least, I want the world to be a place where I am rewarded for my efforts. After my accidental death, as I ascended to the heavens (or rather, the universe), I wished that I could live a life where my efforts would be rewarded properly this time. I don''t know if there really is a God, but if there is, I would like to give him or her my deepest gratitude. This is how I feel after being reincarnated in another world. This time, I want to be rewarded. I want to work hard, make an effort, be rewarded, and live happily. I''m only two years old. If the lifespan of people in this world is the same as that of people on Earth, I have 80 years and a bit left. I''m going to live a satisfying life. I''m going to make a life that I''m happy with, and I''m going to look back at those people who are just living their lives without even trying. That would be the least I could do for the people who died without reward. Hard work will never betr me again Now i , know my status. Well, that''s about all I know about my status. If possible, I''d like to read a book soon to learn more about magic. I''m a nobleman, and a relatively high-ranking count of the frontier, so I''m sure they have books on magic. I heard that my mother is also a magician. Once that was decided, I set out to read the book. I waddled out of my room (I''m only two years old and I''ve already been given my own room). I waddled out of my room and started exploring, aiming for a study I hadn''t seen yet. There''s a saying, "You know your way around someone else''s house," but I''ve never even been to my own house, where there''s a dining room and a salon (a kind of aristocratic version of a living room. ), and bathroom. I was not allowed to leave my room unless accompanied by a guardian, because the stairs and other places were dangerous. Even outside of the house, we have a garden (which is also very big, like an English garden plus a French garden). I don''t get a chance to go out except when I take a walk with my mom in the garden I can''t wait to grow up and have more freedom of action. In childhood, if there is nothing to do, i will be bored to death. CH 4 My head is not very tall yet, so I explore the house, while being be careful not to fall down. The corridors seem to be made of marble, but it''s not cold because of the expensive red carpet. I''m also thankful that the season is spring. Even though it was a nobleman''s mansion, the it would probably be cold in winter. Unlike Japanese houses, aristocratic mansions have similar scenery that goes on and on, even though it is inside the house. There are ten or twenty doors of the same shape and color lined up in a row, and I''m sure I''ll get lost in my own house soon. My room is on the first floor, with the morning sun shining in, on the far left when viewed from the north. From here, there are about a dozen rooms to the right, and then you come to a lobby-like area. At the top of the lobby, there is a magnificent staircase that you often see in Western movies, leading up to the second floor, with a large door in between, and on the other side is a dining room and hall where small parties can be held. The stairs are still dangerous, so i can''t go upstairs. So i continued search on the first floor. After passing through the lobby, = i came to a row of rooms on the right side of the building, each the size of an elementary school classroom. At the very front is the small dining room, where our family usually eats meals. This room is only used by our family, and the servants use the servants'' dining room in the servants'' hall. It seems that the welfare of our family is perfect. Next to the dining room was the parlor. I don''t usually have access to this room. I heard that my father often used this room to talk with envoys from the imperial capital, merchants, and nobles from other domains, but I''m not ready yet. After all, I was only two years old. Next to the parlor is the guest room. It seems that the guests stay in the room here. I''ve never been in this room either. Next was the bathroom. woa hot spring in this house! Well, when I say "hot spring," it''s not a natural hot spring, but just water boiled with magic tools. However, I like it very much because it has the atmosphere of a stylish public bath from my previous life. Since I''m still a child, I often take a bath with my family, and I''ve already learned the joy of soaking in hot water like an old man from Edo. Seeing my sister splashing me with hot water, my father said, "Eberhard looks strangely old," and I was a little nervous that my reincarnation would be discovered. That aside, it was time for the next room. From here on, i entering a zone i don''t know yet. Because all the rooms necessary for daily life are located in this area, i don''t have many opportunities to enter beyond this point. It would be nice if there was a hidden room that led to the basement, like in nobleman''s mansion. ...... I paced down the dimly lit corridor, thinking about it. "Master Hal?'' Aahhhh! A shiver went down my spine. Even though it was my own house, I didn''t know it all that well yet, and it was dimly lit. It was a dimly lit place, and I was feeling a bit creepy when this sudden call came. He was only two years old and was about to die of a heart attack. "What''s wrong?" "What''s ......, is that you? Don''t scare me. ......" That''s the second time I''ve said that, but don''t let the slowness fool you. I''m only two years old. "I''m sorry, too. I didn''t mean to scare you." "Oh, well, that''s all right." This servant ......, or maid, is called Alisa. When I shouted "shock !" in my room to test the effect of the [Shock], she who was actually secretly cleaning the room i There are many servants in this mansion. They are divided into various parts of this vast mansion and grounds. Among them, Alisa belongs to the butler and maidservant duty . In short, she is the caretaker of our family. And Alisa is my personal maid, the one who takes care of me and the rest of the family. What are you doing here, master Hal?" "I want to read a book. "There a study , it''s on the second floor." "Really? Every step of the stairs is too big for a two-year-old." You mustn''t go upstairs by yourself because it''s dangerous. I''ll make a special effort to take you upstairs this time." "Thank you." No, its fine " Alisa picks me up and carries me in her arms. I felt happy as I was hugged by her ample chest. This is the privilege of being a child. Geehee. We climbed up the stairs and after going through about three rooms, I found a rather spacious and splendid room. . "This is the study, and there are materials that have been passed down from generation to generation in the Fahrenheit family, so it''s already like small museum." ''Wow." Indeed, the study was quite large for a such kind of room . The library was as large as an elementary school library. As Arisa held me in her arms, I gazed at the pile of books, which seemed to number in the tens of thousands, and asked her; "Do we have any books on magic? "On magic?¡¡Yes, wr have them . I see. In this world, magic is called witchcraft. Even in fantasy manga, whether it''s magic or sorcery depends on the world you''re reincarnated in. You can''t tell which is more mainstream until you''ve been reincarnated. With me in her arms, Arisa walked over to the shelf that located opposite the window. She showed me a bookshelf with several books as thick as a dictionary. This whole shelf is dedicated to magic. Which book would you like to read first? " the first one " Then let''s start with the basics. ALisa then picked up a book called "The Complete Book of Magic, for beginners Edition". The book was bound in a fine leather binding, giving it a sense of dignity. She set me down on the desk and chair provided in the study, I took the book from her, and opened it . The next moment, I was shocked and froze. "I can''t read ........................." That''s right. After all, I''m a two-year-old. Of course, my parents and tutor hadn''t taught me to read. It''s normal to learn such things when you''re a little older. "Alisa, please read" ALisa sits down on the seat next to me, peers over the side and starts reading aloud. "If you''ll excuse me." ---- "There are five miracles that the great God has given us. The first is reason. The second is words. The third is a dexterous hand. The fourth is fire. And the fifth is magic. To learn and practice magic is to thank and honor the gods. Suddenly, I Heard an amazing sentence. It''s very much like a Western medieval religion. "After the great God created the world, he sent his own son down to earth and entrusted him with the rule of the world. That child is the first Emperor of the Empire. All those who are learning magic from now on should bear in mind that it is in accordance with the will of God that we learn magic and serve the Emperor. ---- This is the first thing you learn in any school, book, or institute when learning magic. Magic is a great power, and it would be a serious matter if it were to be used against the nation based on a wrong idea. It is said that the purpose of this lesson is to teach that with power comes responsibility, as well as loyalty to the empire. ...... But is it still a little difficult for master Hal to understand? No, I kind of get it. What? Perhaps this is similar to the close relationship that or religion and moral education that was on Earth. In fact, it may be exactly the same. Churches and temples provide moral education to the people in the form of the teachings of God and Buddha. The powers that be protect the churches in order to protect the teachings that are convenient for the state. In this way, the sacred and the secular have maintained a balance in a relationship of holding and holding. It will be no different in this world. In fact, religious education is probably more important in this world than on Earth because of the existence of the more mysterious power of magic. ""Do you understand what I just explained?" "Well, yes , read on. "Yes .... Then I will continue." In addition to non-attribute magic that does not involve attribute changes in magic, there are four attributes called the basic four attributes of fire, water, wind, and earth that require attribute changes. All people have one of these four attributes, although there are differences in their strength. The four attributes are assessed at the time of the seven-crown ceremony at the shrine. It is common to find out, but it is not always the case for those who can check the status on their own, ¨D¨D¨D¨D Well, for ordinary people, the seven-crown ceremony¡­ ¡­ Ah, the seven-crown ceremony is a ceremony to celebrate the successful growth on the seventh birthday. Then, at the earliest, it seems that a priest is called to the house and appraised at the age of four or five. By the way, I have a fire attribute. I can use magic, but ... What? master Hal-? What happened? " It''s a lie ......, isn''t it ....... I was shocked again and froze. "All people, with varying degrees of strength, possess one of these four attributes?" The magic attribute that shown in my status is " non-attribute: -". ............! t/n yup i started mtling one more series ! ope you will enjoy that one as well . CH 5 non attribute: - That''s what show my status. In short, I have absolutely no aptitude for attribute magic. The only possibilities left for me to use non-attribute magic and the unique magic of [shock]. All people have certain attributes that they are suited for, so why i have nothing ? The clue to the answer is the difference between me and the rest in this world. I have memories of a previous life that are different from this world. Perhaps that has something to do with it. There must be a certain amount of information that can be stored in the soul, and in my case, because of the memories of my previous life, the memory that would normally be used to store information about magical attributes is being destroyed. If that''s the case, there''s no point in worrying about it. So let''s put that aside for the moment and think about the magic I can use. I''m sure i can use [Shock]. If i can''t use it in the first place, it won''t show up in my status. The fact that it is displayed means that it is paradoxically usable. I''m sure i can use non-attribute magic as well. This is because there is a precedent that I have already been training in magic manipulation for a year and a half. If i am not suited to magic manipulation at all, or if i don''t have any magic power to begin with, then i may indeed not be able to use magic. But i can manipulate magic with such precision, and my magic power is 1.5 times that of my father. It would be strange if he couldn''t use magic. That''s why I decided to train non-attribute magic and unique magic. I don''t know how to use magic or how to use [shock], but I guess I''ll have to control the magic power somehow. My parents probably won''t teach me magic yet, and I''m sure Alisa, who works for them, won''t either. So there was only one thing for me to do. First, I have to learn how to write, then I have to work on "The Complete Book of Magic, Basic Edition" and study magic on my own! "Aisa." What is it?'' "Teach me " "You want to learn how to write already?" Yes. "Hmm, yes. I''m sure I can teach you the letters, even if it''s something technical. ...... Yes, I understand. Then I''ll teach you!" "Thank you!" From that day on, I began to study with Alisa for about an hour every day at lunchtime. We started with the basic alphabet (or something like that), followed by more complicated characters (probably kanji in Japan), symbols, and then more complicated characters of a completely different system. "Aisa, what''s this complicated thing?" . A few days after I started studying, I asked Alisa. I had no idea what this completely different system of letters was. It was like studying English and suddenly Sanskrit came out of nowhere. "This is called runes, and it''s necessary for magic. Tc, but they are the most rudimentary characters that we use in our daily lives.'' "Wow" "It''s said to be a powerful script that was used during the time of ancient magical civilizations.'' Wow. We had runes on Earth, too. It seems to be an ancient Germanic script, and was used in Northern Europe until relatively recently, or something. Of course, the runes of this world are completely different from those of Earth. But the fact that they were used in ancient times is very interesting and similar. "I don''t know much about it either. There are several ways to use magic. There''s the way of manipulating magic power, the way of using magic circles, and the way of using these runes. I''ve heard that casting spells is also a derivative of these runes. Well, I''m an amateur magician, so I only know general knowledge. I think it would be better to ask the head of the family or his wife for a detailed explanation." "Yes, I''ll ask them next time." "Well, let''s continue." With my questions cleared up, I started studying again, feeling refreshed. I''ve already learned most of the simple alphabet, so I''ve been reading books for children. I''m going to learn the details of grammar and phrases from reading books like this. It''s not that difficult since I already have the basic grammar in my head from daily conversation. Learning a language is all about accumulating every day. ?? Four years have passed since then. I''m six years old now, and my language skills are flawless. My speech has improved to some extent, and I can speak clearly, and my writing is perfect. My magic has also grown a lot. In addition to my daily training in manipulating magic power, i have also mastered the theory and usage of magic. In "The Complete Book of Magic," "Basic edition ," "Standard" and "Applied" sections, and i hav already reached the "Applied" section. Also, it was still difficult to learn on my own. Alisa was unreliable when it came to magic, so I tried to learn on my own at first, but it was difficult to convert magic power into magic. So i asked my mother for help, and she was surprised to find that i was already interested in magic. She was even more surprised when I tried to write letters. a private tutor was hired because of this, but as expected, he was hired by a prestigious nobleman, and unlike some maids, they were all very good at teaching. The maid, Alisa, was praised by my parents for discovering my talent. Thanks to her, Alisa was officially assigned as my personal maid, and since I didn''t have to move around anymore, I was lucky to have someone who was used to being around me. Well, I''ve grown a lot in the past four years. Here''s the status. ----------------------- Eberhard Karlheinz Von Flensburg Fahrenheit Life force: 126/126 Magic power: 23298/23298 Physical ability: 42 Intelligence : 131 Resistance: 96 Magic Attribute : - Specific Magic : [Shock Specific Skill : Continuity is Power ----------------------- Overall, my status has increased a lot. From a two year old to a six year old. The progress from infant to toddler is huge. At the very least, my resistance to colds and injuries has definitely improved. It looks like i won''t have to worry about the high infant mortality rate, which is a major factor in lowering the average age in the Middle Ages. My family is a noble family, so I have a big advantage over the peasants in terms of hygiene. My magic power has also grown considerably. I''ve been practicing every day for four years, so it would be strange if I didn''t grow. The amount of magic power is already almost six times that of my father. . I''m sure my parents know about it. It''s not just that they have great magic power. I''m not just a great magician (that''s what they call wizards in this world. He seems to be a great mage and i seems to be able to detect my hidden talent. That''s not the only thing that has changed in the past four years. I had a younger brother and sister! My father and mother are young, and I thought they must be having a lot of them e but sure enough, they were born. My brother was born when I was three, and my sister when I was five. My brother was three years old and my sister was one year old. My sister is two years older than me, so I now have four siblings. This may not seem like a lot for this time period, but I think it would not be surprising if two or three more were born. Or rather, they will be born. Why go to the trouble of giving a child a single room, while the parents have a separate bedroom? It goes without saying! Just as I was thinking about my bright family plan, there was a knock on the door of my room. I was currently in between self-study and thinking. I wonder if my tutor has arrived.¡¡I didn''t have any plans for today. " master Hal-, are you here?" it was Alisa''s voice "Yes, I''m here. Come in." Excuse me. The door opened with a bang, and Alisa walked in. Four years have passed since then. At the time, Alisa was still a little young, but now she''s a grown woman. She''s probably about 20 years old. I don''t know her exact age because I tried to ask her about her age before, but she gave me the slip. " your father and mother are here to see you. I think they would like to talk to you after lunch." "A talk?¡¡What is it? Did they find out about the prank in the backyard?" No, they didn''t seem angry, so I don''t think they going to scold me. ...... I mean, what is a backyard prank? they are the servants who clean up after them! "It''s not really a prank, but it''s not vicious. it''s just a little magic practice that made a big hole.'' "That''s enough trouble!¡¡It''s dangerous, so please don''t be too reckless." "Hmm, I''ll do my best " I see no sign of remorse. ...... "Come on, let''s eat. I''m starving." Yes, let''s go. The standard of the food is very high, and even I, who know about modern Japanese food, am satisfied with the quality. Thanks to this, I look forward to my meals every day and praise the cook every time I finish eating. I walked down the stairs and down the corridor (the location of my room has changed over the past four years, and now my room is on the second floor) to the cafeteria. My parents, older sister, younger brother and younger sister were all in the dining room, except for me, and I seemed to be the last one there. "Sorry to keep you waiting." No, it''s okay. Karlheinz Klaus von Fahrenheit, the head of the Fahrenheit frontier family, told me so. It certainly doesn''t seem like a stuffy place. He''s just his usual dignified, yet somewhat gentle self." ""Then, thank nature." "''Give thanks to nature. This is like "Itadakimasu" in Japan. , or "Amen" in the West. Today''s lunch consisted of stewed wild fowl caught in our territory and fluffy bread baked with high quality wheat harvested in our territory. On the side menu was a salad that looked like something you''d find at a fancy restaurant, and something that looked like roast beef (not strictly beef, because it wasn''t). (But it was a cow-like creature. Even if it has iron horns! ). A few slices of roast beef (even if it has iron horns!). CH 6 After a very tasty lunch and a cup of tea, father opened his mouth. "Eberhard." "What is it?" Even though he didn''t seem to be angry, I felt a little nervous when he called out to me in such a formal manner. "There''s someone I want you to meet." "Someone you want me to meet?" "Yeah. I want you to meet ......, or rather, I want you to be her friend. "Her friend, ......?" In my previous life, I didn''t have anyone that close to me, so the word "friend" has a certain amount of longing in it. It''s not that I don''t want to have friends. It''s not that , it''s just that I didn''t have the time to make them in my previous life. "As you know, the Farenheit Frontier Count family is a prestigious noble family that is responsible for the protection of the northern part of the empire." "Yes, i know it."" In addition to the five usual titles of baron, viscount, count, marquis, and duke, there is another a title frontier count in the empire (strictly speaking, there are two more titles, knight and quarter-baron, but these have a slightly different character from the usual nobility, so I will skip them for now). The Count of the Frontier is treated as the same rank as the Marquis, but as the name suggests, our role is somewhat different from other nobles. The territory of the frontier count family is literally on the frontier of the empire. we are prestigious military noble family that is trusted by the emperor, who has entrusted us with the defense of the empire on the front lines against threats from all directions, east, west, north, south, and south. That is the origin of the title of Count of the Frontier. The Farrenheide Frontier Counts are responsible for the defense of the northern part of the country, and we hold the position of "Northern General," the strongest of the four Frontier Counts. From the northwest to the north, there is a large mountain range, from the foot of the northern mountain range to the northeast, there is a dangerous area called the Demon Forest, and to the east, there is the border line with the Principality Federation. As such, our frontier count family is in the upper echelon of the imperial aristocracy. So we have many relationships and business dealings with them. In addition to being a military officer, we also have to act as a civil servant. In that sense, the nobility is also quite a challenge. "You seem to have some idea of what I''m talking about, but let me tell you something. The person you''re going to meet this time is the person who may become your future wife ." "My future wife? I hadn''t expected that. I had thought that it would be a hostage situation like the relationship between Nobunaga and Ieyasu, but it seems that this is not the case. In fact, if you think about it calmly, the political situation in the Imperial Kingdom is quite stable, so there is no reason for hostage negotiations to occur frequently. The situation is completely different from that of Japan during the Warring States Period. "The other party was a duke. Although they don''t have the right to inherit the throne, they are part of the royal family. The eldest daughter of the family is the same age as you. I''m happy to announce that we are negotiating for your marriage." The scale is huge. In Japan, it''s like being told that you will become a relative of the royal family. "Well, don''t worry. His Excellency the Duke is a mild-mannered man. I heard that the girl you are going to marry is a good girl and pretty, though she is a bit of a tomboy. I''m sure you''ll like her." "Ha, ha." What, are you nervous?" I am!¡¡After all, I''ve never had a girlfriend in my life, including my previous life. I''. The fact that I have memories of my previous life makes me feel sad and painful. You can''t expect a virgin to have communication skills, can you? "Even if i am rude to a girl and she doesn''t like me , please don''t disown me." "That''s unusual. I''m surprised you''re so reticent." Hal, you''ll be fine. you are very handsome, just like your father." "Mom: ......" This lovey-dovey couple doesn''t care if they''re in front of the kids or not, they just want to make out with each other. It''s not good for their emotional education!¡¡It''s not that there are not aspects of ...... that can help build a rich personality by maintaining good marital relations and showing an example of honest expression of love and affection,......, but it''s not something that can be denied in general. . It''s just that it''s a little too sweet for my mentally young sisters and brothers and sisters, but for me, who is almost an adult, it gives me heartburn. It''s not bad. But in moderation! "When is the girl coming?`" "Tomorrow." "That''s too sudden. ......" No, the schedule itself was decided a long time ago, but it''s not finalized yet, so it''s not clear when it will happen. I can''t let you get your hopes up in such a situation. I" appreciate your concern, but I needed a little more time to prepare my mind." I''ve prepared a dress that will suit you, master Hal- so we can try it on afterwards. Just in time, Alisa, who was standing behind me, intervened. I''m not going to let you get away with it, no matter what. ""Mm, come to the salon when you''re dressed. Show them off to your sisters and brothers." "I''m looking forward to it too!" As usual, my mother was very caring about her children, and I was taken to the salon by Alisa to change my clothes. By the way, the clothes that Alisa and other servants had bought were in excellent taste, and I liked them very much. This is certainly a handsome boy. It was inevitable that he would be popular. It was very well received by my sisters and brothers. ?? The next day. After eating breakfast and getting ready with Alisa''s help, I was waiting at the front door. It was about 10 a.m. If I had left the neighboring inn town early in the morning, I should have arrived at the castle town by now. "Well, it looks like they here. Father standing next to me muttered. I could see an elegant carriage pulled by a fine horse slowly approaching from the gate in front of the vast garden. "It was a duke, albeit a friendly one. Be sure not to be rude to him. I''m sure you''ll be fine, though.'' "I''ll be careful. I''ve already mastered detailed etiquette as part of my education in the noble family, and my mental age is mature enough to handle attentiveness without any problems. It''s difficult for ME to handle the divine like a professional customer service person, but I can handle the ritualistic interpersonal skills. The carriage came to a stop in front of us. THEY got off first and opened the carriage door. First, a gentleman in his late thirties got out of the carriage, and then a girl about my age (actually, she seemed to be the same age as me) got out. I was shocked. What can I say, I get shocked often, but I don''t think I''ve had this many shocks in my life. An elegantly designed dress with white ruffles. Light brown leather shoes. Her skin was white and porcelain like a bisque doll. Her blonde hair was gently curved and shone golden in the sunlight. Eyes like glass beads, clear and blue. I stood there like an idiot, vaguely thinking that this was probably what a fateful encounter would be like, but the greeting I had prepared had completely blown my mind. "Hello. Good day to you.'' You''re like a real princess, ....... I was thinking about that in my foggy head. CH 7 "Good day, to you ." I witness a real princess and become completely rigid. In this life, I''m a real nobleman, but inside I''m a young virgin from the common folk. The greeting that I had prepared was blown out of my mind, and I was showing a face that was unreadable to nobleman. "Welcome, Your Excellency. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you, so it''s a great honor to see you here." "I''m glad to see you are in such good health, North General. It is because of outstanding people like you that we can sleep with our pillows high." "What are you saying? My work is only possible because of the Duke''s strong support. " Haha, you are too modest, Lord Farenheit. and this you''re the legitimate son, Eberhard, aren''t he ?" Just as I thought the old men were exchanging greetings with their aristocratic talk (they seemed to get along with each other well enough to call it social etiquette, so they probably meant it), the contradiction came to me. Yes, this is my eldest son, Eberhard. , Eberhard, and I am very glad that you care for him, even though he is not a perfect ". "I''ve heard that he is quite brilliant at such a young age. Whenever I hear gossip about him through social gatherings, I am always impressed by the fact that he is the son of Lord Farenheit." "T"hat''s too kind of you to say." "It would be better to say hello to her . I''m sure you''ll understand. You can''t stay in a daze forever." "The first time we met i am , Karlheinz Klaus von Fahrenheit son, Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit. I A, is still in my infancy, but I look forward to working with you." "Well, I am Lagarde von Bernstein, the head of the Duke of Bernstein, which is located next to your father''s frontier county. I am delighted to have made the acquaintance of a young man with such a promising future as yours." ""That''s very kind of you to say." I''m sure the language is fine now!¡¡I don''t know how great a duke is, but his aura is clearly different!¡¡I feel that my father is great as general, but the Duke is even greater. Well, he looks about ten years older than my father, so I guess the difference is due to his age. Then the duke called his daughter who was waiting behind him. "Lily, come here." "Yes, father." The girl called Lily walked up in front of us, bowed gracefully and said in a beautiful voice like a bell rolling. "I''m Henriette Lily von Bernstein. I the eldest daughter of the Dukes of Bernstein. Please make my acquaintance." "Thank you for your kindness. I look forward to working with yon." "Nice to meet you." I don''t know what to say in this situation. What should I say to the Duke? But she was a six-year-old girl, the same age as me. It would not shorten the distance between us even if I returned the greeting in a strange and elaborate manner. And moreover, she might be my bride-to-be. I thought it would make a better impression if I was friendly. That''s why I dared to reply softly. ...... "Hmmm..." What came back was an indescribable laugh. I don''t know if I succeeded or failed. Seeing us like that, His Excellency the Duke opened his mouth. N"ow, we have something important to discuss. t, and you two should go and have some fun together." I was suddenly confronted with a hard problem. Do you want me to be alone with a girl? "Is it okay if I don''t have an escort?" Nice assist, old man. I''m not sure I can hold a conversation without at least mixing in Arisa or one of servants. "This is your house, isn''t it?¡¡Then there is no danger. Or do you feel uneasy about being alone with me?" "No way. ...... You two are going to have to get along." "Uh-huh". "I know, Uncle." Let''s go, then. "Yes, let''s. ...... It seems that it is the dukes who are thinking more positively about this engagement . ?? "So, let''s go, shall we?" "Where are we going? " I turned to Lily with a cold sweat on my back, shoving myself as hard as I could inside. This is the first time I''ve seen her up close and personal, and she''s so pretty and beautiful that I can''t believe she''s from this world. ." The garden we saw on the way here was so beautiful, I want to look around some more." What?¡¡The beautiful voice that sounds like a rolling bell is still there, but the tone of voice has changed. "Hmmm, that was just my way of talking to people. My father gave me a lot of cajoling to learn it better. "I guess we''re all the same when it comes to learning manners." I was surprised because I thought the Count would be more powerful and scary, but you are such a cute boy. " cute?" Can I call you Eberhard?" Hal is fine. Can i call you Lily? Yeah, sure. Hal''s kind of cute. Don''t say cute to a guy. ...... It''s not so bad when it''s said by a relative''s aunt, but when it''s said by a girl of the same age (six years old!) If it''s said by an aunt, it''s a little depressing. I''d rather have a girl say, "You''re so cool! ! It seems that my baby face like my mother''s had an unwanted effect on me here. Anyway, I was glad that she was more frank than I expected. I would have been in trouble if she had continued in her distant mode. Well, there''s a lot more to show in the garden. I''ve done some work on it myself. I''ve been walking around the garden a lot since I was a baby with my mom. and since I''ve been able to do things on my own, I''ve built a lot of secret bases in the backyard! No matter how old a man gets, he always loves secret bases and things like that. It''s great that I''m a kid now, so I can play like that without hesitation. I would love to show Lily the beauty of my secret base.and maybe we can build our own base together! "Shall we go ?" I couldn''t help but hold out my hand, as I do when I walk with my sister and brother (my sister is still a baby and can''t walk). It''s like a date, isn''t it? I was so nervous, but I couldn''t pull it back now that I had offered my hand, so I made a delicate face and started to stiffen up again with my hand halfway out, a situation I didn''t understand. "Let''s go! Fortunately, for me Lily, who was still a child, holding hands with a man did not seem to be a particularly serious event. She grasped my hand back in a normal way and wrapped her soft hand around mine with the high body temperature characteristic of a child. She''s cute. I was a little nervous, even though I was over 20 years old inside. Do I smell like a criminal?¡¡It''s okay, I''m the same age as you! CH 8 "Wow!" Lily''s eyes sparkled as she ran around the flower garden. Although her tongue was lisping in some places, she was able to greet us with a firmness that was frightening for a six year old, but it seems that there are parts of her that are appropriate for her age. She looked just like a six-year-old girl as she happily played with nature in a garden full of colorful flowers. She was so cute that I would love to take pictures of her if I had a camera. (I''m not a pedophile!) But unfortunately, there were no cameras in this era. There is apparently a magic tool called a telephoto camera, which has a camera-like function using magic, but it seems to be terribly expensive., to the extent that even the legitimate son of a great nobleman cannot easily obtain one. They are using to record the historical buildings of the empire, or when important meetings and ceremonies are held, they are taken by photographers who report directly to the imperial family. The few photographs that were taken can only be accessed by going to a reference library like the Imperial Library. It is said that they have letterpress printing technology, but they don''t have the technology to do fine and advanced printing like photography, so I guess that''s to be expected. Well, what can I do if I don''t have a camera? I''ll just have to capture it in my mind''. If things go on like this, she probably become my wife in the future. It''s nice, isn''t it? I feel like we''re childhood friends. We''ll play a lot, and grow up together, happy, worried, sad, and laughing. It''s a feeling I couldn''t experience in my previous life, and it makes me feel very warm inside. "Hey, isn''t there anywhere else good to go?" Lily, who had been repeatedly rolling around on the lawn beside the flower garden in a manner unbecoming of a duchess, asked me if I had anything more interesting to do, as if she had grown tired of that game. Her expensive white dress is covered in grass and I can''t even look at it. She''s cute, but she''s still a kid. "All right, let''s go to my secret base." "Secret base? "It''s a secret from adults, j it''s will be our secret place ." "What?¡¡I don''t know what is it , but it sounds fun!" Lily came running up to me with the grass stuck in her hair. I shook her hand and walked to the backyard. It''s time for me to show my manly wiles. "Wow, this is amazing!¡¡Did you make this, Hal?" "Yes, I did. Isn''t it amazing?" Lily was surprised to see the secret base I had built. In front of me stood a pit dwelling that looked like something out of a history textbook. I worked hard on it FOR about year , and I''m proud of it. A pit dwelling. It may not be as stylish as a log cabin or a tree house. But in terms of convenience and practicality, it''s a wonderful place that can''t be compared to other! First, convenience. With a tree house, you don''t have to go up and down the trees. Besides, considering that I''m still a kid, I''d probably reject a treehouse because of the danger of falling. Next, practicality. Treehouses and log cabins are very difficult to build. In fact, they didn''t appear until much later in human history. On the other hand, the pit dwelling appeared in ancient Japan very early on. And until the Heian period (794-1185), they were functioning properly as dwellings for farmers. The ease of construction and practicality of the pit dwelling is proven by the history of ancient Japan. And last but not least, let''s not forget the romance. This is the most important thing. Log houses are certainly good. If a log house suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest, you could have a fantasy that a witch living in seclusion might be living there. A tree house would also be uplifting, like an athletic activity in a forest park. But that''s not good enough!¡¡Log houses and tree houses are both "houses"!¡¡They are not "secret bases."¡¡On the other hand, a pit house doesn''t feel like a house at all, but it ca be to withstand practical use. While it was a secret base, considering its livability, practicality, and most importantly, romance, it was an inevitable choice to become a pit house. "Why don''t you come inside?" "Yes." I went into the secret base first, and then invited Lily in. Lily looked excited as she walked into the base. "It''s huge." "Right?" The pit dwelling I built was a relatively large one, about five meters wide and four meters high. , about the size of a one-room apartment with a high ceiling. It is impervious to rain and wind, so it is quite habitable. In addition, on the bare dirt floor, I laid out a kind of tatami mat made of igusa-like grass. In addition to the fact that I am an ex-Japanese, this is also because this world is not a dirt-foot culture. I don''t know much about how the lower classes live, but at least the aristocracy doesn''t seem to live with shoes on their feet. I think it''s very hygienic. "It''s so fluffy!" Lily said happily as she jumped into the futon made of woven straw. When I first met her, I had an image of her as a young lady, somewhat divine, but now I see that she is indeed a tomboy. But Lily is cute that way . "Let''s have a snack." "Snack?" "Yes, come on." Then I took out two lango nuts from a jar on the wall. I picked them from the orchard at the edge of the backyard. They are grown by a servant as a hobby, and as long as I pick them every once in a while like this, I am thanked rather than criticized for eating them. Well, I don''t think there are many servants who can be angry with the head of the family''s heir in the first place. ...... Aside from that, I loved the Rango berries, having eaten them since I was a baby. The servants work hard to grow them and they taste so sweet, juicy and delicious. They would often serve me lango pie made from them as a snack. "Rango nuts?" Yes, they are. Yes, from the orchard." "Don''t you cut them?" Lily asked with a curious look. Of course you don''t. Normally, a noblewoman would not bite into a whole Rango. It''s bad manners. But right now, I''m the only one who is looking at her . "It''s okay, just take a bite!" I said, and took a big bite of Rango as if I was showing her an example. "Wow, big mouth." "Munch, munch, munch, , munch." "Uh-huh. Aah!¡¡Bop! Lily bites into Rango with a mischievous look on her face, like she''s never eaten such thing before in her life. There was a lot of Rango juice on her cheeks, so I took out my handkerchief and wiped it off. As we ate the Rango together, I somehow felt like Lily and I were truly getting along. CH 9 i made friends with Lily, i was screamed at by Alisa and the duke''s servants when they saw her slightly dirty dress, and i was laughed at by the father and the duke after the meeting, and was told by Lily, "Bye"! The Duke and the others left after saying a farewell that was far from the ladylike greeting they had given me at first. I went back to the mansion and went to the salon as my father told me to, where he sipped his tea and told me with a relieved expression on his face, "The engagement is done. "The engagement is now official. Lily is officially your bride from now on ". "I''m glad. ......" I patted his chest as he said it with a satisfied look on his face. "What, you already fell for her ?" "I''m not going to fall in love with her out of the blue, though she i scute. It''s just that she is the daughter of the Duke. It''s good that i gotten to know her, but if the engagement goes through, it''ll be like it''s my fault." What, you''re just a kid, why do you care about that? "I can''t help it, I''m curious." By the way, in the monologue, I use "I", but in front of my family, I call myself "I". There is such a thing as changing your first name depending on the person you''re talking to, isn''t there? "Anyway, you''re going to get married. You''re lucky you don''t have to worry about your future wife." That''s right. I''d be proud to have such cute bride. "You should be grateful to me for finding you such a lovely bride." he said jokingly, and I laughed and thanked him. I laughed and thanked him. Well, it was my power that won the girl''s heart. "That''s my boy. you are realy charmer. "You''re praising me too much ". "Ha-ha-ha." I knew that father , who joked around so much, was actually a great men . I asked Alisa and the other servants, my mother, and sometimes him , and I also went through the books in his study to find out more. According to him, he is the strongest of the four generals, also he is a hero who defeated a demon when he was young. He was the commander of the Kingsguard Knights, one of the three most powerful divisions in the empire. and , he is one of only eight S-ranked warriors in the empire . There is no shortage of anecdotes, but they all seem to be true. He sounds like a hero from a story, but it''s strange that this men my own father. I don''t feel that way at all. Well, I guess that''s why the highest-ranking nobleman like the Duke of Bernstein would willingly ask for an engagement. The people around me, including the big aristocrats, have decided that it would be beneficial for them to have a relationship with a man named Karlheinz and the Farenheit frontier count family. I''m going to inherit such a frontier family in the future. I need to be strong so that I won''t be laughed at for being my parents'' seventh son, and so that I can protect a lovely fianc¨¦e like Lily with my own strength. "I''m going to train." Now?¡¡It''s getting dark." "Don''t worry. I''ll be back before dinner." "As the eldest son of a frontier family, it''s all very well for you to work hard to improve yourself , but don''t get too carried away and destroy the garden. It''s a big place, but it''s still ancestral land." "''Hmm, well, I''ll be careful." "What''s with the fluffy answer ......? Well, good luck with that. One of these days I''m going to give you a lesson." "Really?¡¡I''ll look forward to it." After saying that, I headed for the backyard. The backyard of my house is huge. From the woods where my secret base is located, to the small orchard of Oka, to the densely forested mountains, all of it is within the grounds of the Farenheit frontier family. The one I''m going to now is one of the mountains I often go to when I''m doing my training. It''s the mountain behind the house where Alisa told me not to make a hole in the garden. It''s my own training ground where I''ve been training for the past few years. ?? It''s a small mountain about 100 meters above sea level, about a kilometer from the Fahrenheit residence in the direction of the backyard. It''s a small mountain, about 100 meters high, and it''s as unique as you''ll find in the mountains of rural Japan, but it''s a mountain that I''m more attached to than any other. There is a beast path that leads from the sparsely wooded area at the foot of the mountain to the mountainside. Although I call it a beast, the person who created this path is none other than myself. I followed the beast path until I came to a point slightly above the mountainside. There, I found an open space about the size of an elementary school gym. What was unique about it was that there were countless holes in the ground, trees, cliffs, rocks, and everywhere .Some of the holes are tens of centimeters in diameter, while others are several meters in length. These holes were the product of my four years of training, and they were proof of my strength. ...... Let''s do one more set today. . I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. The next moment, I jumped. With a thud, the ground I was standing on gouged out. I jumped several meters at once, and instead of dropping my feet to the ground, I stepped on a tree branch along the way and jumped again. I jumped through the trees, gouged the ground, ran up the cliff, jumped over the big rocks, and climbed up the mountain. In less than a few seconds, I was running like a ninja up a steep slope that was clearly not suitable for climbing. --That''s it! A few minutes later, I''m back at the starting point. My sweat is just a little blotchy, and my breathing is undisturbed. . I''ve been doing this for a while now. I started this training at the beginning of the year before last, when I was allowed to go out freely. At that time, it took me a whole day to go around the mountain until nightfall, so I''ve grown up quite a bit. By the way, at the age of six, my physical ability is 42. Compared to my magic power of 23298, which is a ridiculous number, it''s a very ordinary and insignificant number. It''s probably not that different from other six-year-olds. So why was I able to perform such a superhuman movement? It''s not that the six-year-olds of this world are superhuman or anything. This is one of the results of my four years of training. "......! I''ll be back. I shake my fist. More than ten meters away from the cliff, a number of holes, ranging from several tens of centimeters to a meter in size, appeared. "...... Okay, it''s becoming less difficult to fire a series of [shocks]. The accuracy of the hits is perfect." Yes, the magic that allowed me to accelerate explosively, jump and bounce, and punch holes in remote places is my unique skill , Shock. I''ve been learning the tricks of the trade from my mom, and I''ve come to be able to use this particular magic, Shock, in addition to the regular non-attribute magic from the "Magical Compendium". The effect of "shock" is quite simple. it generates a physical or magical shock from my body at a desired strength and timing. It does not require a magic circle, runes, or chanting like other magic to activate. All i need to do is just think of it as i would move my arms or legs. Now, I can handle [shock] as naturally as I can move my arms and legs, but when I first started using magic, it was hard. It''s like driving a bicycle with the left and right handlebars reversed. If I was not careful, my power would explode and I would get injured. Since I was still small, my mother was very worried about me, and she would get angry with me many times. In the end, no matter how many times I told her, she wouldn''t stop practicing, so she started to watch me all the time. Thanks to her, it took me a little over two years to finally master the basics of magic . Since then, I''ve been coming to this backwoods mountain to practice increasing the accuracy and power of my magic. I have so much magic power that I can''t use it all, so when I don''t have anything to do, I practice all the time. Unlike when I was living on Earth, I can feel that the more effort I put into it, the more it becomes my ability, and I am really enjoying my daily training. However, I''m starting to get a little bored with the monotony of everyday life. It''s time for a change. I''ve never been allowed to leave the grounds of my house, but now that I''m six years old, I''m going to ask my dad if I can go outside of the grounds. I want to expand my world. CH 10 One afternoon, a long, quiet breeze was blowing. I was wi my father in the training area of our house. "I have a vague idea of what kind of training you do in the mountains behind our house, and I know that you''re unusually strong for a six-year-old. But I''m not gonna lose . Come at me with all you got " You''re not getting any younger, so don''t get hurt. You''re right. I''m 29. I''m only six. Ha-ha-ha. So much for laughter. The next moment, a tense air ...... flowed around us. What we were doing now was martial arts training as part of my noble education. The Farrenheit family is a military aristocracy family that is responsible for the defense of the northern part of the empire as a northern general. As the future head of the family, I also need to be skilled in martial arts. That''s why I''m training. "Come." My father urges me. I''ll borrow from his technology , not as his son, but as his only disciple. "Ha! I generate a [shock] in the sole of my foot and approach my father with explosive acceleration. However, he also dodges with his superhuman physical ability and throws a counter attack with his wooden sword that held in both hands . In order to dodge it, I release a shockwave from my left palm, forcibly change my stance, and then turn around and swing the wooden sword in my right hand as if I were reaping off his feet. "not bad" Seeing this, the father shouted in admiration, but by stepping on my wooden sword with his right foot, he was able to catch the attack without difficulty and swung the wooden sword down in one stroke from the upper stance. "Ah!" I immediately let go of the wooden sword I was holding and used the recoil of the shockwave from my left hand and both feet to distance myself from my father''s attack. "...... Hmm!" He calmly readjusts his wooden sword and cuts off all the impact bullets that hit him. "Oh my god, ......" No matter how strong he was, i didn''t think that he would be able to slice through the impact bullet with a wooden sword. iaimed at the gap after the attack and fired at the fastest speed i could. As long as this didn''t work, i probably wouldn''t be able to defeat him with the shock bombs no matter how many time ishot. "Nice move." He said, but he was not happy at all. I couldn''t get him even a scratch. This was no good at all. Losing my wooden sword, I thought about what I could do with my bare hands. Impact bullets are no good. If i really try to shoot them, i will end up getting cut. Close combat is no good either. The non-attribute magic I use, "Body Strengthening," is no match for my father''s extraordinary physical abilities. In the first place, my non-attribute magic is not enough to damage him. After all, the only way to deal an effective blow is with my own magic [Shock]. ...What should i do? How to use [shock]? The point is that i can''t be cut, you i can''t be avoided, and i can only be [shock] from a short distance. Then how about this? After finishing my strategy, I faced father who was waiting for me in a disciplined manner and put my hand on the ground. The plan was to shake the ground. Good idea!¡¡But it won''t matter if he will move faster than that! If the ground is going to be shaken, then let''s attack it before it shakes. It''s a brainy idea, but just thinking about the over specified physical ability to carry it out is terrifying. But this time, that brainpower was to my detriment. I am a child in appearance, but an adult in brain. i wll be a great soldier, Eberhard. Father is rushing at me at a speed that I can''t even see. Of course, I can''t avoid him. But as I watch him, I smile at him. The next moment, he seemed to notice something. A look of impatience crosses his face. But it''s too late. he can''t stop at that speed. I let go of my hand that was on the ground and set it in front of me. And then I converted the magic that I had developed beforehand into a unique magic and shot it out with all my might. ooooooooo£¡£¡£¡£¡ "Geez" I could hear my father''s muffled voice. But the voice was soon blown away into the distance. There was a great cloud of dust. I released a weak shockwave to dispel the dust cloud, leaving a ten-meter-long scar in front of me that looked like the ground had been gouged out. I''ve won! I declare victory. . "Looks like i won ......." But as soon as the smoke cleared, I saw a completely unharmed father emerge from dozens of meters away, and I felt like crap. I thought to myself, "Well, that''s a good idea. i were bluffing when i tried to shake the ground. "You''re unharmed!" "Well, I can''t lose to my son yet. , but I''m going to let you win. In fact, if it hadn''t been for me, you would have been mortally wounded." "Hmm, I don''t think I won at all. ......" "No, I''m rather amazed that you fought this long without using any body-enhancing magic. Are you really six years old?¡¡You''re getting stronger." Before I knew it, he was right in front of me, patting my head. I''m not sure if I''m happy, frustrated, or embarrassed, but I can''t help but make an impatient face. "Maybe we don''t have to worry about you anymore." "......?¡¡What do you mean?" Father smiled and said. "You''ve been saying you want to get outside the property, haven''t you?" "Did you mean that?" Yes. If you are this strong, there is no need to worry. You will be allowed to go out freely only within the territory of the county of Farenheit. Yay! But don''t go to other territories by mistake. I don''t care if you''re an noble person, if the heir to a noble family enters another territory without permission, it could cause trouble between the families. "I understand. I know that. Besides, our territory is huge, so i don''t have to go that far to enjoy it." "You don''t have to go that far. Just let me know in advance if you''ll be late." "Yes, I know. " The conversation ended there, and the old man looked around the training area. "But, well, here a lot of destruction." "Yeah, well, ......." It''s not a garden, it''s a training ground, and I wasn''t told not to destroy it, so I did it to my heart''s content and this is what I ended up with. The old man put his hands on the ground and chanted a spell. The ground of the training ground, which had been battered with holes until a few moments ago, quickly returned to its original clean state. Training ground, which had just been battered by holes, quickly returned to its original state. This is the first time I''ve seen my dad use attribute magic. My mother is usually in charge of magic, so I assumed that my father was a brainy soldier who only fought with bullets. "Well, even with earth magic, Theresa uses it better than me." Mother magic is amazing. A fresh green saint who supports a fearless northern general. My mother, Theresia Sally von Flensburg Fahrenheit, is a well-known A + -ranked magician in the empire. Although she is not S rank because it is not very suitable for battle, the rumors of a saint who manipulates the two attributes of earth and water, and even the life magic derived from earth and water as a unique magic, are set with the heroic story of the northern general. It was famous among the people of the empire. It is a rare attribute that only those with an aptitude for the two attributes of water and earth can manifest as a unique magic. It can not only heal the injured and sick, but also heal the tired, strengthen the healthy, and even give power to plants and animals. My mother, Theresa, was known as the "Saint of Fresh Green" because she assisted her allies in battle by encouraging the growth of plants, making restorative medicines, and playing with the enemy. Incidentally, mufather''s nickname was "War Demon. His father''s nickname was "War Demon," which sounds awfully cool, but I guess you could say that his father had no equal in close combat. When he was young, he was famous throughout the imperial army as a party of two, the "war demon" and the "new green saint". In this mock battle, I strongly realized that I was not ready yet. Even though I''m superior in terms of magic power, I''m no match for them in actual combat. I want to surpass them someday, and become someone worthy of the name "Northern General", someone who can protect my family, including Lily. Now that I''ve gotten permission to go outside the grounds, I''m going to head out to the castle town tomorrow. I want to see the big world, learn more about it, and become stronger. CH 11 It was the next day when my father gave me permission to go out. I was standing at the front door, dressed in a common clothes made of hemp., I was stranded at the door. "Did you forget anything?¡¡Do you have your wallet?¡¡Do you have enough magic power?'''' "It''s just a short walk to the city, so if I forget anything, I''ll come back for it. If I forget your wallet, I''ll come back for it. It''s not like I will fighting in the city, so you don''t need to worry about my magic." "I know you''re strong, Hal. But I''m worried about you. Should I come along with you?" It has already been about thirty minutes since I stood in the doorway." I''m glad you''re worried about me, but I would lie to go alone " " Don''t worry, Theresa, Hal''s a lot more grown up than we thought. And if he will get into some trouble, it''s just another experience of failure that he needs to grow up. As long as we don''t have to worry about him getting hurt or kidnapped, we should just smile and send him on his way. Nice Dad. Keep up the good work and give me some cover fire. Is that so?¡¡I''m kind of sad that you''re going away from me. "You''re overreacting. i just going to the castle town. ......'' Hal, this is the first time you''ve seen the outside world, , t and unknown people that you''ve never met before. Seeing the people of the city differently than the nobles and merchants is a way to learn for your future. Now is my chance. . "I''m off." "Yeah, go ahead." "Oh, wait!¡¡Hal, be careful!"" "Yes!" I reply as I run towards the gate. The only time I''ve been out of this gate was about half a year ago, when my father took me to the shrine to say hello. Aside from that, I''ve never left the grounds of the castle of the Fahrenheit family, so today is the first day I''m taking my first steps into the world. It''s like a second birthday for me. "Oh, my dear boy. How unusual. Are you going out, ? As I walked up to the gate, the gatekeeper, who was also a servant in our house, spoke to me. He doesn''t usually talk to me, so it''s refreshing. "Yes. My father has finally given me permission to go out. I''ll try to be home by dinner." "I see. There are patrolmen patrolling the streets, so I''m sure the streets of Heitburg are quite safe, but please be careful." "Thank you." I thanked the gatekeeper and stepped out of the gate. I remembered the excitement I had felt as a child when I was still in Japan. I felt this way then, as well . The sky was blue and the sun was bright, just like now. Even though i had left the gate, the castle town did not immediately spread out. The Fahrenheit family''s mansion is not a mountain castle, but it is not a mansion in the middle of a city. Think of Heian-kyo. The city is spread out in a grid pattern, and the inner palace, where the emperor resides, is located on the northernmost side. Heidburg, the capital of the Farenheit Frontier Counties, also had a similar structure, although it was not a strictly grid-like city. That''s why i had to walk for a while after leaving the mansion to reach the city. Or, to put it another way, if i could reach the lord''s mansion right from the city, it would be a very bad situation in terms of security. The security system of our house is twofold: the inner gate and the outer gate. I strolled along the path leading from the inner gate to the outer gate. There is no one around me. I arrive at the outer gate. I go to the door by the gate and open it from the inside. "Young master?" The gatekeeper calls out to me again. This time there were two of them. i''ve been given permission to go out. I''ll be back in the evening." "Oh, I see. Take care." "Take care." The gatekeepers saw me off and I stepped into the city. In front of me was a beautiful city that looked like middle modern Europe. "Ohhhh ......! Beautiful five-story stone buildings lined up in a straight line as if they were in an orderly fashion. The road was wide, like the main road in a modern Japanese city center. Horse-drawn carriages and people were moving left and right along the road, going in any direction they wanted. It was another world. It was an impressive sight. Some of the carriages were pulled by huge lizard-like dragons (?). I wonder if they call it a dragon carriage. It''s awesome! Most of the people walking around seemed to be normal people, but every once in a while I would see people wearing beast ears that were clearly not cosplay. Apparently there are beastmens in this world!¡¡I was shocked to learn this for the first time at the age of six. At this rate, there might be elves and dwarves, too. I left the Fahrenheit family area and headed straight along the main road, which was as thick as Suzaku Boulevard in Heian-kyo or the Champs-¨¦lys¨¦es in Paris. Apparently, there are many public buildings in this area, such as government offices and libraries, probably because of the proximity of the lord''s mansion. Many of the buildings we saw were very stylish and seemed to be of a high social class. I guess I don''t have to worry about the safety of this area. After a while, the streets gradually become more crowded and lively. If the area i was in before was like Ginza or Marunouchi, this area is more like Shinjuku or Shibuya. The buildings are still tall, but they look more like high-rise apartments than office buildings. The first floor of each building is occupied by stores, and you can see many people coming and going. Welcome!¡¡We''ve got fresh meat from today! Freshly baked bread! "How about some exotic spices?" "Exotic spices!¡¡Buy it and you wont regret" I turned a corner and came to a narrow alleyway. The alleyway was lined with stalls and looked like a marketplace. The density of the population jumped, and I walked down the street, careful not to bump into any passersby. It reminded me of Ameyoko in my previous life , where a huge number of people were walking in the narrow streets, and the old men were shouting and advertising their products. The world may be different, but there are still similar scenes. "Hey, kid!¡¡Would you like some skewers?" "What?" As I was walking, I was talked to by an old man who was cooking some kind of meat skewers. It was cooking nicely and smelled very delicious. "How much?" "One hundred and fifty ells a stick." "Can I have two?'' Three hundred ells, please. I take out three 100-EL coppers from my pocket "Thank you!" I walked down the market street, munching on the skewered meat I had received. The meat was crispy on the surface and well-done in the middle, but still juicy and, to put it mildly, excellent. The sauce was not soy-sauce based, but it had an addictive flavor like exotic spices, and as someone who usually eats good food, I had no complaints about its quality. A six-year-old''s stomach would be full in no time after eating two skewers of grilled meat. As i strolled along the street, going this way and that way to rest our stomach after the meal, i came to a noisy section of the street, even though there were few people walking around. There were only a few people walking on the street, but there was a lot of shouting and metal clanging. The noise was coming from the houses that lined both sides of the street. It seemed that this was the area where the forgers lived. I was curious, so I peeked in through the open door and saw a group of muscular men, sweat pouring down like a waterfall, swinging hammers at the glowing red iron. ...... is so cool. As I was admiring the craftsmanship, I was tapped on the shoulder from behind with a thump. "Oh, I''m sorry. Did I interrupt you?" I turned around apologizing and saw a girl about my age standing there. She was about my age, with red hair and skin that was probably dulled by soot. "Do you have any interest in blacksmith ?" "in blacksmith ?¡¡Yes, well, not that I was , but I would like to see more of it." The girl smiled and grabbed my hand. "Then come this way!" "wait , what?" I was suddenly taken away. Well, it doesn''t look like a kidnapping, and this girl seems to be related to a forging shop. If they want to show me where she work, I''m fine with it It seems that my wish to expand world is already coming true on the first day. CH 12 "Excuse me for disturbing you. " The girl took me to a place that had a distinct presence in the workshop. There were several smiths inside, all wielding their hammers with great power. The girl spoke to one of them, who seemed to be the master. "Mister!¡¡Can I watch how do your work with him?" "What, a friend?¡¡Yes!¡¡But be careful and watch from a distance!" "Thank you.''" The master, the girl''s father, was a very stocky man. He had muscles, a bushy beard, and above all, he was quite short for an adult male. The master seemed to be a dwarf. Does that mean this child is also a dwarf? It''s hard to tell the difference when you''re a child, let alone an adult. Also, if you look closely, you can see that more than half of the forgers working there are Dwarves. It seems to be the workshop of the dwarves. I wonder if the human smiths are their apprentices. Gun gun gun!¡¡While making a high-pitched sound, the smiths repeatedly raised their hammers and struck them, and then raised them and struck them again. Each time they hit, the shape of the bright red iron changed little by little. "It''s beautiful, isn''t it?" "Huh?" The girl spoke to me as she watched the forging. "I want to be able to forge like that in the future." "I''m sure you will be able do it ". It is not unfounded. "I will ? " Yes, you will. You''ve always wanted to do it, right?¡¡Then why shouldn''t you try ? Continuity is power. Even if you don''t have any specific skills, it won''t change that. Of course, there are individual differences in how well you can do it. "I''m looking forward to ....... I''d like to try it myself soon." She was happy to be told that s he could do it, but she was a little worried. I''m sure it''s because she never actually been allowed to forge anything yet. If that''s the case, why don''t you actually try it? If it''s dangerous, just watch him carefully. "If it''s too dangerous for you to do it alone, you can ask your father to watch you. "Well, won''t he be mad ?" I" don''t care if he gets mad. You want to do it, right?" "That''s true!¡¡Let''s give it a try " As soon as she said that, the girl walked up to her father. "I told you to stay away from me ." Dad, I want to do it too."` "What?¡¡I don''t think you''re ready for this. .." "I want to try it, too. Please teach me." ............ The father was silent for a while as the girl looked serious. A tense air flows between the two. ---- And after a few tens of seconds, it was the father who lost his patience first. You can''t blame him. Well, it was the same with me. ....... I was yelling at my dad every time he went to work, and he was yelling at me every time. ...... Okay, I''ll see you when this is over. So for now, take a step back and take a good look at my work. "......!¡¡Thank you!" Apparently, I got permission to try my hand at forging without incident. ?? "No, that''s not it!¡¡You have to hit with more force!¡¡Faster. That''ll cool down the iron!" "Yes, master " "Do it again!¡¡You see, forging is a battle of time and energy. You said you wanted to do it, so don''t be discouraged!" After that, the sword that the master was working on was finished, and the master was now teaching the girl how to forge. I''m watching from the side, . He seems to be leaving the work to the other craftsmen. I wonder if that will keep the workshop running. ...... The girl is drenched in sweat, desperately wielding a mallet under the spartan guidance of her master. she still very young, and even though the Dwarves have an aptitude for forging, it seems very difficult for her to suddenly hammer iron. Still, her expression was very lively, unlike when I was watching him from the side. Great, a young man with a dream! After hours of heating the iron and beating it,t , it was finally time to soak the iron in water as instructed by the master. I finally grabbed the beaten lump of iron with my scissors and dipped it into the cold water. With a sizzling sound, the iron was cooled down at once. After repeating the process several times, the girl held the iron, which was finally at a temperature that she could grasp with her hands, and fell in love with it for a while. It was the first time she had forged something by herself. She must have been very impressed. "Oh, don''t dawdle. The next step is to file it. If you don''t polish it, it won''t become a blade." "......, yes!" The girl replied hurriedly and ran to the place where the grinding stone was kept. Then the master taught her how to file, mixed with reprimands, and after hours of work, when the sun was about to set, her voice finally rose. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, the she aid, "It''s done ! CH 13 ""It''s done !" Apparently, it was finished. For the first time in her life, a girl has forged her own blade!" "Congratulations!" "Well, that''s pretty good for a first time. You''ll be making the same thing every day from now on , so you''d better remember how it feels. "Yes!" It was already dimly lit. There was almost no daylight in the workshop, so the fire of the furnace was vaguely visible in the darkness. In the midst of all this, the finished product in the girl''s hand - a knife with a blade about 20 centimeters long - reflected the slight sunlight and shone silver. ............" is beautiful." The girl muttered. I felt exactly the same way. "Oh, . I''m sorry I made you spend the whole day with me after all. I''m sorry for my daughter''s sake. The master approached and spoke to me. He seems to be more friendly than I expected. No, it''s nothing. I''m the one who insisted on seeing it. I''m sorry to bother you so suddenly. "Don''t worry about it. You gave my daughter a push. You''re welcome to join us, but we can''t ignore you. That''s right, .as a thanks , you can pick any weapon you want and bring it with you ." "Oh, you don''t mind?¡¡" It''s for sale." "The ones we have here are not that expensive. The expensive ones are basically custom-made. If it''s ready-made, it won''t cost you much. Don''t hesitate to take it." "Well, I''ll take your word for it. ......" I pointed to a throwing knife with a blade of about five centimeters that was displayed on a shelf by the wall. "Can I have some of these?" "Are you sure that''s enough?¡¡There are more magnificent swords and such.'' The master asked me with a look as if he thought a boy would choose something like that. It''s not that I don''t want a sword or something, but with my current muscle strength, I just can''t hold it. "No, I like this one. It seems to work pretty well." "I see. I''ve got a lot in stock in the back, so I''ll give you about 20 of them for now." "Oh, you''ll give me that many?" What, you don''t want it?" "No, thank you very much!" "Thank you, I''ll use them to practice my magic. I''ve just recently come up with a new way to apply magic, although it''s still in the conceptual stage." While the master and I were making such a deal, I must have come to my senses. A girl walks up to me. She was very dirty with soot and sweat, but her face was radiant and beautiful. "Thank you for today," she said. "Thanks to you, I was able to take a step forward." "I didn''t do anything. . You did it on your own " No, I still want to do it. The girl then holds out the knife in her hand to me. "You did a beautiful job.'' "I want you to take this." "You want me to take this?¡¡Are you sure?¡¡It''s the first thing you ever made." "Without you, this knife would never have come into this world. That''s why I want you to have this knife." The girl who told me this seemed to be very nervous. I think she is thinking that I might not accept it. ...... ''If that''s the case, I''ll take it gratefully." "Thank you very much!" As soon as I said I would take it, the girl''s face broke into a very happy smile. I''m going to take good care of this knife. And speaking of which. "What''s your name? ¡¡My name is Eberhard." Remembering that I hadn''t heard the girl''s name yet, I introduced myself. The girl seemed to have forgotten her name as well, and introduced herself in a panic. ", I''m Meir , Meir Arendahl. "So you''re Meir. Can I call you Mei?" When I asked her, she turned red and started to get flustered. (...... is a nickname, I''ve been given a nickname!) Her panic is amazing. This girl may have never had a friend before, just like me. "Mei?" "It''s fine if you call me Mei. I''m ......, too." "You can call me Hal." "Okay, then. Hal, ......." It was the first time for her to call her friends by their nicknames, and her first reaction was adorable. . Even though their first impressions are opposite, their actual personalities are like this. "Oh, will you come again tomorrow?" "Of course. I''ll be here tomorrow and the day after. . We have a big yard so you can run around all you want. "You have a garden?¡¡You''re rich, aren''t you?" "Do you think so?¡¡Maybe so, hahaha!" , watch out. I was about to be exposed as a sneak peek. I think that once i invite her , on my own, but if they find out my identity before i invite her , she might not come to my house. Iwant to be as sure as possible that I ''ve got a friend who''s important to me. Lily lives in the dukedom, and it''s hard to lose a friend in the dukedom that i can hang out with frequently. The master gave me a lot of throwing knives, and together with Mei ''s work, I had to take a lot of metal home with me. Mei and the master saw me off, and I walked home through the city after , shuffling my clothes and bag. When I returned home, my mother asked me where I got the large number of knives, and when I told her that I had befriended the daughter of a forger, i replied. "I told her that I had made friends with the daughter of a forger." I thought there was something a little off about that. CH 14 I''m going to go out into the city as soon as possible today. I have an appointment with Mei, and more importantly, I don''t know anything about the city yet. Here''s my plan for today. First, I''m going to train at home in the morning. I need to train with my father, and study with my tutor to become more educated. In the afternoon, I went to the castle town. Just as I receive my education as a nobleman in the morning, Mei also trains as a forger in the morning. Neither of us can spend the whole day playing. Today, I''m thinking of having Mei show me around the city in various ways. I''ve never been out of the house until yesterday, and I figured Mei would know more about the city than I do. Well, it''s only a guide for a six-year-old, so it''s going to be more like a first time excursion. ...... Anyway, I''m busy in the morning anyway, so I''d like to finish my training quickly and enjoy my plans in the afternoon. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" "Whoa, you''re motivated. You want to show off for the girls?" "There are no girls here!" No matter how many times I hit him, he would either duck or pass me off, or he would catch me and not move an inch. I can''t seem to get the image of defeating my father. What''s going on here? Is he really human? What I''m doing right now is practicing swordsmanship with my dad. It''s not like the mock battle we had a few days ago, where anything goes, but we''re training in the Hokusho Bushin-ryu, a martial art passed down from generation to generation in the Farenheit family. There are two types of Hokusho Bushin-ryu: Omote and Ura. For now, the main focus is on basic auxiliary magic such as kata, body movements, and body strengthening. There is no documentation on the "back" side, and my father won''t tell me about it. I guess I''m not ready for that yet. I secretly believe that the secret of my father''s extraordinary strength lies in the "back". Aside from that, the training of the North Shogun Bushin-ryu is extremely harsh, even on the "front". I have to be able to see through the movements of my father, who attacks me without pausing for breath, and somehow counterattack, while imitating his movements. The training in my family is in the form of actual combat. He don''t teach you the kata movements in detail. The basic policy is to let the body learn them in battle. Of course, he can give me advice during the fight, though. "Don''t waste your breath. It drains your strength. While easily fending off a series of thrusts from me, father twists my wooden sword in a mysterious motion that makes it jiggle. I''m not sure how you did that! Damn it! My wooden sword was entangled, so I was left with my bare hands. However, Hokusho Bushin-ryu is a comprehensive martial art with many variations. In addition to swordsmanship and magic sword techniques, it also supports archery and karate. "Shh! This is a Bujin-ryu technique in which the user applies a non-attribute magic "Body Strengthening" to himself, accelerates his arm with another non-attribute magic "Telekinetic Force", and strikes his fist with no motion. This is the technique that I''m best at among the Bujin-ryu attack techniques. It''s not that difficult as long as you have good control over your magic, and for me it''s been pretty easy since I was born and have spent all my time controlling my magic. In other words, if you don''t have control over your magic, it''s very difficult to learn. So, although there are similar techniques in the general public, the popularity of these techniques is not that high. In other tournaments, it is feared that it is difficult to kill someone at first sight. However, this is only the case in other tournaments. It''s a different story if you''re going against a master or a disciple. It''s a technique that can catch you off guard or be used in conjunction with a feint. If you use it too often, you will be countered. The master of the game, my father, who I''m proud to say has a high level of skill, easily accepted my Shun Matataki, and then returned it with another Shun Matataki. In addition, as if to punish me for losing my stance due to the return of the "moment", he uses a derivative of the non-attribute magic "telekinesis", "fixation", to immobilize the opponent in the air, and then strikes the opponent with the technique "crucifixion", which strikes the opponent with all the energy of the blow. There is no mercy. "Barrier"! There is no such technique as a "barrier. It''s a non-attribute magic with a difficulty level of C that creates a magical barrier to protect you from enemy attacks. That''s just what I call it. It''s funny because the whole "barrier" thing sounds like something out of elementary school. It''s even more fun because i can actually put up a barrier. Doggone it!¡¡a sound that shouldn''t come from a six-year-old, and I''m blown away. No matter how much I put up the barier and strengthen my body, I''m still in danger. There is only one rule for this training. The only rule for this training is: "Use only the techniques of the Northern Shogun Bushinryu. If you use techniques other than those of the Bushinryu, you may be able to train in combat, but you will not be able to train in the Bushinryu. I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to do that. I think it will be a better if [Shock] can be used, but I understand the importance of the Takeshin style, so I won''t whine. In fact, the father who has mastered the Takeshin style is stronger than the [shock]. "Ouch. ...... "Hmm, I attacked it with some seriousness, but you only grazed it. Nice work.: In the event that you have any kind of questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the web site. It''s a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web. However, I''m confident that I''m getting stronger little by little every day, so I won''t lose my motivation. It''s a far cry from my previous life, when no matter how hard I tried, I was rarely rewarded. It''s almost lunchtime. Let''s head out. "The battle was over", so the father said and relaxed his stance. At the same time, the tense air relaxed, and I fell to the ground with a thud. I fell to the ground with a thud. "Don''t whine. And even though there''s a big difference now, you''re definitely stronger than I was when I was in your age. Eberhard, you''re going to be much better than me." "Well, I don''t know." I''m your father, so I''m sure of it. You''re a genius at hard work. You are a genius in hard work. I have never heard such a happy word. I can feel that what was not rewarded in my previous life is being rewarded in this life. I''m not sure I''m ready for this. It''s not just the first time you see it and countered. "Gosh, ......, don''t expect that much from a six-year-old." "You''re saying that because you''re too strong to be considered a six year old." The old man said that, but his expression was quite cheerful. He must be happy that his son is so promising. In his previous life, he had never been expected by his parents, so he felt a little embarrassed. Now that I''m home and sweating it out in the bath, I''m going to have lunch. You going out this afternoon, aren''t you? Let''s get going." "Yeah. Taking a bath with my father was also quite fun. Men need to get to know each other naked, don''t they? ?? After taking a bath and finishing lunch, I finished getting ready and left the house. My wallet, bag, fountain pen, paper, the knife Me gave me, and a throwing knife for emergencies. Of course, I didn''t forget my old cotton clothes to disguise myself as a commoner. Today, Mei and I are going to take a walk around the city. For a child of this age, every day is an adventure. CH 15 i left the house as i did yesterday, walked through the central district with its many public facilities, and then through the commercial district toward Kajiya-cho. I don''t forget to buy some spicy grilled meat skewers on the way. What was different from yesterday was that I bought one more skewer as a souvenir for Mei. The owner remembered that I had come here two days in a row and added a little more meat. As i approached the area of craftsmans , the crowd had settled down to a certain extent, and there were more workshops, weapon stores, and armor shops. The percentage of merchants and ordinary people walking around was decreasing, and the number of adventurers, soldiers, and other combatants was increasing. On the other hand, the atmosphere is not unsafe. This is probably due to the fact that there are many demons in the remote areas. First of all, in a remote area, weapons with halfway decent performance cannot compete with dangerous demons, so the standard of weapons required will increase. As a result, the quality of the smiths will also increase. This inevitably leads to higher prices for weapons, which makes it harder for hoodlums who want to worsen public safety to get their hands on them. A rogue cannot be an adventurer. All the adventurers in this town are professional adventurers who take pride in their job . As I walked along, I saw a building with a sign that said "Arendal Workshop. From the outside, I could see that most of the buildings in this area had workshops and houses attached to each other. Mei''s house was also a two-story building, with the workshop on the first floor and the living space on the second floor. "Mei?¡¡I''ve come to visit." When I arrived in front of the workshop, I called out through the open door into the house. It was a little late, but it was lunchtime, and there was none of the noise characteristic of a forge. It''s a very quiet time of the day for a area like that , which is usually very noisy with metal sounds. "Oh, Hal!" "Mei, hi." I heard a voice from above and looked up to see Mei peeking out of the second floor window. The second floor seemed to be a living space after all. "I''m coming!" As soon as she said that, Mei immediately retreated into the window and came down to the first floor with a clattering sound. As I waited for about ten seconds, Mei came from the back of the room and poked her head out of the doorway. Hello, Hal. ''Hello. Have you eaten lunch yet?'' ''I just had some!'' ''I bought these skewers because they were delicious.'' "Is this ...... Rumia beef from Rumia? "Rumia beef? I know about Rumia beef. I''m sure you''ll be able to understand why. The reason why I use the word "cow-like" is because technically it is not a cow. If it had iron horns on its head, it wouldn''t be called a cow. Above all, Lumia cows are oviparous. It looks like a mammal and it produces milk, but I don''t get it. It''s like a platypus. ''Aside from that, they are not as violent as demons, and in some places they are even bred. The quality of the milk and meat is very high, and it can be obtained inexpensively, so Rumia beef is one of the specialties of our frontier territory, widely eaten by nobles and commoners alike. "Oh, so this meat is Rumia beef?''" "Rumia beef goes well with everything. This spice is also sold in the market!'' "Yes, that''s right. I like Rumia beef too.'' Even though it''s obviously not biologically a cow, it tastes just like a cow, and it''s a popular meat . ...... Sometimes I don''t understand the food culture of this world, but as long as it tastes good, it''s enough . That''s what I''ve been trying to tell myself lately., otherwise I won''t be able to live in this world where demons roam. I''ll have another skewer, too. I decide to take out another skewer and eat it with her. After enjoying the meal at the materials yard in front of the workshop, we decided to start our activities. "Well.... Today I''d like to have Me show me around the city." "What ?¡¡Hal you dont live ine city ?." It was a perfectly legitimate question. However, since I can''t reveal my identity, I have to cheat as long as I''m not lying. No, actually, I can''t go out very often due to family business . The other day I finally got permission to go out freely, so I''m out playing like this. What a strange family you live in! "Yes, " Hmmm, even though I don''t mean to offend her , I don''t feel comfortable cheating her too much. "So, I don''t know anything about this town yet. Do you have any recommended spots?'''' "Well, I guess so. Well, let''s go to the Central Square!" ''Central Square?'' "There are trees there." "Trees?" I have a lot of trees growing on my property. But I''ll have to go there to find out what this town square is like. There might be a fun event or something. ?? So this is the central square. It''s quite beautiful. "Hmmm... Mei looked at me with a smug expression on her face. I can''t help but understand her feelings. It was the central square of the city, and it had an atmosphere that lived up to its name. First of all, there was a fountain in the center of the square, with benches surrounding the fountain. The benches were not large, but there were trees growing between them. The benches were occupied by a variety of people, from couples to families, middle-aged merchants and adventurers. Within a few dozen meters of the benches, brick tiles were laid in concentric circles, and the perimeter of the circle was lined with stores selling food and daily necessities. From the central plaza, roads radiate out in various directions, leading to apartment buildings and stores. The outer perimeter of the central square seemed to function like a traffic circle, with horse-drawn carriages and shoppers constantly walking by. "Ah, I see. The Arc de Triomphe." The image was similar to the Arc de Triomphe de l''Etoile in Paris. with a fountain in place of the Arc de Triomphe. However, it''s not that magnificent. The scale is much smaller than the Arc de Triomphe, and the population of this city is probably not as large as Paris. The at most around 100,000, and it seems to be a provincial city. "What is it?" A''No, it''s nothing. I''m just talking to myself. Let''s go into that store. I''m just curious." There was no way I could get through to her about my past life. I changed the subject and turned my attention to the general store in front of me. From the outside, it looks like an antique store, and it looks like a very fun place. "It looks like an antique shop from the outside. It''s so cute." "Right?" Even though she is aiming to become a forger, Mei is still a girl. She seems to have an eye for cute things. We went into the store, which had few customers at lunchtime, and decided to look around. The store was not that big, at best it was the size of a used bookstore in the local shopping district. It was much smaller than a convenience store. "Welcome." There was only one clerk, a young lady. I thought the store was too small to have many products, but it seemed to have a lot of products. It''s not like the pressurized display of a supermarket, but I was a little worried that I might break something by bumping into the crammed products. "These are cute, aren''t they?" "Which one?'' Mei showed me a hair ornament in the shape of a snowflake. The price was about one thousand ells. The price was about one thousand ells, which was a bit steep for a six-year-old. "Well, I''ll be patient.'' May looked a little sad as she put the hair ornament back on the shelf. While Mei was looking at other items, I secretly picked up the hair ornament. "Excuse me, can I have this?" I hid it behind the items I wanted and finished the bill without Mei knowing. "The total will be 2,500 ells." "Yes." As I put the items in the bag and picked them up, the saleswoman spoke to me quietly. "A gift for her? That''s great!" "Hahaha." I was a little embarrassed, so I smiled to cover it up and left the store with Mei. We sat down side by side on the bench in front of the fountain where we had been until a while ago. "What did you buy?" "This. What I took out of the bag was a pouch that could be worn around the waist. It was just the right size to hold a throwing knife or a notepad. The design wasn''t bad either. "Oh!¡¡It''s really cool!¡¡It''s a good fit for you " Mei praised me when she saw me with the pouch wrapped around my waist. T"hank you. I got a good one. I''ll give this to Mei." "What?" I took out another small bag from my shopping bag and handed it to May. It''s a great way to make sure you''re getting the most out of your money. "This is ...... from before . ......" "You said it was cute." "Are you sure you want to do this?" "It''s my way of thanking you for showing me around town." I can say that it''s a nobleman''s indulgence that i didn''t earn myself , that i just bought it with my allowance. But if she happy with the gift, it''s not a waste of money I''m sure you''ll be happy to hear that. "Oh, no, wait, in the city! She was so overcome with emotion that Mei just hugged me. The people around us were looking at us with a bit of pain. The lady who worked at the store earlier was also looking at us from inside the store with a smirk on her face. Damn it, don''t look at me! In the end, Mei didn''t leave me until the end, so I walked hand in hand with her throughout the rest of the city tour. I don''t know whether to be happy about the greatest popularity in my life or to resent it because it was embarrassing. Well, she looked happy, so I was happy too . CH 16 It was the day of my first day of work. After finishing breakfast and the assignment my tutor had given me, I was packing my throwing knives and recovery potions into the pouch I bought yesterday. Today, I''m planning to head to the Camras Plains, which stretches around the center of the Farenheit Frontier Counties. I''m making preparations for that. The Camras Plains. It is a large plain that stretches from the foothills of the great northern mountain range, including the city of Heitburg, to the neighboring territory of the Duke of Bernstein. There are a few mountains and small hills that can be seen, but basically it is one of the most important breadbasket areas in the empire, with endless grasslands and wheat fields. In addition to wheat fields, various vegetable fields and cattle breeding also thrive in the area, making it an important land that supports the food situation of the empire. I guess it''s like Hokkaido in Japan. Hearing this much, one would tend to think that the Kamras Plains is a very safe place, but in reality is quite the opposite. The Camras Plains is one of the most dangerous areas in the Imperial Kingdom, aside from the three most difficult areas, the Demon Forest, the Great Mountains, and the Great Labyrinth. The first thing to say about the danger is that it is cold. Of course it is. Even in the vast Imperial Kingdom, the winters in the Farenheit Frontier Counties, located in the north and inland, are cold anyway. The summers are cool and easy to live in, but the winters are hell unless you wear heavy clothes. And there are many demons. There are several reasons for this, but the first one is that the land is rich. If the land is rich, there will naturally be plenty of crops to harvest. And it is not only humans who eat the crops. Wild beasts and demons also come to the villages in search of the abundant crops. The next reason for the large number of demons is the location. There is a large mountain range to the north and a demon forest to the northwest. The powerful demons that live there sometimes come to the Kamras Plains in search of prey. There are many animals and demons who getting food on in the Kamras Plains. The Kamras Plains are a rich land for high-ranked demons that normally live in the Great Mountains or the Demon Forest. There are many other theories, such as the concentration of magic power, or the fact that there are so many humans that people and nature are not in harmony, but these are the two most popular theories. As much as it brings blessings, it also brings dangers. The people who live in the Camras Plains naturally grow up to be strong and sturdy, with a sense of gratitude. My family, the Fahrenheit family, is no exception to this. Together with our people, we give thanks to nature, while resolutely dealing with demons that threaten us and protecting our people and land. Such a way of life is required of us, the frontier count family. That''s why, as the next head of the family, I need to know more about demons. If I can''t make a decision when the time comes, I''m not qualified to be the leader. Well, I''ve put a lot of things in order, but the bottom line is that I''m going on a voluntary training mission to defeat demons. This is the first time I''ve ever risked my life in a battle, let alone going against demons. The mock battles I usually have with my father are mock battles, not fights for my life. Of course, I would get injured, but never so recklessly that I would be left with after-effects. What I need is the ability to resist the pressure that comes with fighting for my life, and the ability to apply myself flexibly in times of danger . Just because I''m only six years old doesn''t mean I can''t be flexible. You never know when a threat will come. "Okay, I am ready. A water bottle, snacks, salt, a fountain pen, Mei ''s knife, a leather bag, and a throwing knife with a trick. "Let''s go." I''m not practicing with my father today. I don''t have any plans to play with Mei. The time was around nine in the morning. I wanted to be home by nightfall. I left the house and walked around to the backyard. Once I pass the mountain behind the house and go over the wall, I am no longer on the grounds. However, this entire vast land, including the Great Mountains and the Camras Plains, is the domain of my frontier family. ...... ?? With my skill [Shock], I runs through the Kamras plains at a speed that is impossible for an ordinary human being. The scenery flowed by at a speed similar to that of a car driving down a main road. At times like this, I''m glad I have a lot of magic power. In order to achieve such a high speed, I was using [Shock] with [Body Strengthening] applied, so the amount of magic power consumed was unbelievable. However, that doesn''t mean I don''t have the option of not using "body enhancement". If I try to go as fast as a car in a raw state, MY body will not be able to withstand the impact from the ground ...... Anyway, I have achieved super-high-speed endurance running by pushing the violent magical power that ordinary people have long ago run out of magical power. "Whoa, is that a demon? About ten kilometers FROM north of the territorial capital of Heidburg, I spot a shadow It''s still more than a kilometer away, but it doesn''t seem to be human. The silhouette is too big for a human. More importantly, it looks like it''s quadrupedal. As far as I know, normal humans are bipedal. I continued to run without slowing down, and when the distance between me and my opponent was only about 200 meters, I finally found out who it was. "That''s a ...... green bore!¡¡" Green Boa. As the name suggests, it is a deep green boar-shaped demon. I''m not an adventurer, but if I were, I''d rank it as a D-rank adventurer. It is a mysterious creature that is extremely ferocious despite its herbivorous nature, and for some reason it prefers to act alone. However, because it''s a herbivore, it doesn''t have that much muscle power, and it''s not that difficult to deal with as long as you''re careful not to rush it. It is said to be quite dangerous if it mimics the scenery of a forest because of its dark green color, but there is no problem at all because there are only a few forests around here. The dark green suddenly appears in the middle of the light green grass, making it stand out. "I''ll take care of it " I took out a few knives from the leather pouch around my waist. The distance is only 50 meters. I''ll take the first shot. I''ll take the first strike. While throwing hard with my "body strengthened" state, I generate a small [impact] on the handles of the throwing knives and use it as a driving force. The throwing knife that flew through the sky at the speed of arrow pierced the body of the sullen green bore that finally noticed my existence. "Boaaaaaaaah! "Boo-hoo!¡¡Really?" Who would have thought that the Green Boa''s cry would be "Boaaaaaaaah"? Thanks to this, I laughed out loud even though I was in the middle of a battle. Give me back my tension. "Yeah, ''Shackle Rope''! I activate the magic on my throwing knife to regain my tension. The next moment, a kind of magic wire extends from the throwing knife stuck in the green boa, wrapping the green boa around and restraining it. "Boaaaaaah. ...... Good. It seems I have succeeded. I was not sure if I could use it in a real battle, but it seems to work fine. The Green Boa, whose neck has been slashed open, convulses as if bouncing for a moment, but eventually loses its strength and stops moving. I stabbed it again with my "magic sword" to test it, but it didn''t respond. It seems to be dead. "Boaaaah!¡¡Aaaa......aa............ Phew, ....... The first battle is over. It was surprisingly easy. I chose this as my opponent because I thought it would be no problem even with my current abilities, but since it was my first time, I was expecting to struggle a bit more. In fact, my magic worked so well that I won so easily that it was a bit of a letdown. It was worth the effort to try out a new way of using magic. This time, I used the method of imparting magic to an object. It''s an advanced technique that you won''t find in the "Magic Compendium" until it''s applied. difficulty level is probably B-rank. It''s not extremely strong, but it''s a good magic that can be used in a certain way. Although the binding power is strong, it can only be used if it touches the enemy. I''m not going to forget to develop my shock, but I''m also going to work on other areas so that I don''t become solely focused on shock. It looks like I''m growing right on target. CH 17 Now I''m puzzled . How should I bring this green bore home? From the looks of it, it must weigh at least 300 kilos. Even if I were to "strengthen" my body, I would never be able to carry it to home. I''m so tired of ....... I guess I should have brought a cart. However, there was nothing I could do about the things I didn''t bring. I''ll just dismantle it and throw away the worthless parts like the organs and legs. I had a leather bag, so I would only bring back the bare minimum of materials. I took out a leather bag and a knife made by Mei from my pouch, and began to dismantle the green bore while keeping an eye on my surroundings. I can directly feel the blade slicing through the skin of the demon. This is the first time I''ve ever dismembered an animal, including in my previous life. I have some knowledge about it. You can find books on how to dismantle demons in the study of the frontier count''s house. But it seems that knowing how to do it and actually doing it are two different things. I couldn''t cut the meat and skin as I had expected, which was quite annoying. It''s amazing how skilled hunters and adventurers can dismantle this in an instant. The same goes for butchers, fishmongers, and chefs. are the same way. Professional knives and dismantling scenes are so vivid that I never get tired of watching them. In contrast, this is my first time dismantling a piece of meat from ....... Oh, ....... The murder scene was splendidly horrific. No, it wasn''t murder because it was a boar that was dismembered, but in any case, it wasn''t a scene that a six year old should be exposed to. Guts were strewn about, a red pool was spreading, and the smell of iron filled the air. , and there seems to be an aura of horror in the air. Let''s go home as soon as possible. It might even attract other demons to the area. The smell of dead demons can be a bait to attract other demons looking for meat. There is no other choice but to get OUT of this place as quickly as possible. I hurriedly stuffed the green boar''s fangs, fur, fillets, loin and other valuable parts into my leather bag. I had to be very selective since I couldn''t bring back the entire 300-plus kilogram behemoth, but thanks to my efforts, I was able to bring back only the most delicious parts of the meat, so the taste was quite promising. As for the fur and tusks, since it was the first demon I had ever hunted, I would give them for craftsmans and keep that as a souvenir. Even though I carefully put value part in the leather bag, it still weighed about 40 kilos, so I used "body strengthening" before carrying it on my back. But still, heavy things are heavy. No matter how much I had strengthened my body with magic, 40 kilograms was still too heavy for a six-year-old kid . I made a firm decision that next time I would get a cart or something before I came. ?? "Where , did you catch this, Hal? "Eberhard, are you serious? "Oh, boy, ...... ''Hal''...........'' "Hal, wow!'' That was amazing. When I got home and took the meat to the kitchen, Mom, Dad, the chef, Alisa, my sister and brother were all surprised. After all, it was weigted 40 kilograms. With the tusks and fur, the meat was actually about 30 kilos, but it was still a lot. A family of six would never be able to eat it all. Even if we provided enough food for all the servants of the Fahrenheit family "Chef, I want you to serve this to the servants as well." "You don''t mind?¡¡Such a fine piece of meat is something we rarely get to eat." "Well, I suppose it''s a perk." "If you say so, we will be very grateful. will prepare the best peony meat dish." "The day after tomorrow?¡¡Not today?" "Yes. For example, fish tastes better when eaten on the same day, but meat has a deeper flavor when it is stayed for some time " "Oh, I see." Green Boars are in season right now, so the aging time is relatively short. The fat has been removed over the winter, and the meat is now gradually gaining fat from the blessings of spring. The meat is tight and has a marbling of melted fat that complements it, making it the most delicious. "Oh, ......" All the family members who heard the chef''s explanation let out a squeal of admiration, their eyes shining with anticipation. But that''s for the night after tomorrow. Today we''ll have saut¨¦ed Sius fish with salt. "Sius fish. I like that fish, it''s delicious." Sausage fish is a large freshwater fish, about a meter long, that lives in the rivers and lakes that flow through Farenheit. family grounds As a river fish, it has a rather bland taste, but it is very tasty when grilled with a sprinkle of salt. "I will begin the aging process immediately. Excuse me." With that, the chef took out a knife and began to carefully cut out the meat that I had roughly processed. In front of the meat in its best condition, the chef seemed to be so focused that he couldn''t notice his surroundings. "Well, let''s get back to it." At my father''s signal, we left the kitchen. We couldn''t stand in the way of the chef. Then I remembered something and called out to my father. "Hey, Dad. I wonder if there''s a cart somewhere. Or even a horse-drawn cart?" A cart. I''m sorry, I don''t know where that is. s, but I''m sure the trustees do. You''ve got my permission, so do what you want. All right. Thanks. The property manager is in the servants'' hall''s property department. I''m sure i can borrow it from them if i ask them. The green boa I brought back today weighed 40 kilos, but I had already thrown away about 260 kilos. An 85% loss is a lot. So, if possible, I would like to bring back the whole animal. I don''t want to dismantle them on site because it''s too dangerous and more importantly, too much trouble. This is where a cart comes in handy. With a cart, I can bring back the whole thing, and if we take it directly to the adventurer''s guild, they will take it back even if it is not dismantled. There will be some dismantling fees deducted, but even so, the income is sure to increase compared to bringing back only 40 kilos. In fact, since dismantling outside the city is dangerous, many adventurers bring back the entire material in a cart and dismantle it in the city. The coming and going of materials, adventurers, and dismantling contractors to the dismantling hut on the outskirts of town is secretly a famous feature of the city of Heidburg. "Alisa, let''s go see the trustee." "Yes, Master Hal." I took Alisa with me to the servants'' quarters. The servants'' quarters is a bit far from the main building where our family lives, so it''s a bit far to walk. "Isn''t it?¡¡I think it''s nice and grand. That''s what all have-nots say. What''s that? Who are you imitating?" "That''s my line!" "Master Hal: ...... It didn''t take long for us to be walking along, talking about trivial things. It''s too far for me to walk alone, but it doesn''t bother me too much when we''re talking like this. It''s such a subtle distance. The servants have their work cut out for them. "Well, the administration section is at ......." "Right this way." "You''re a real professional, aren''t you?" Well, I''m a servant after all , you know. Alisa led me to the door of the Administration Office. "Yes, it''s open." "Excuse me." Then I opened the door of the administration office. "Hello, sir Eberhard. What can I do for you?" A middle-aged man sitting at the far end of the desk stood up and asked me, "I''m looking for a cart. preferably a big one. I''m looking for a cart, preferably a big one. that can be pulled by one adult. "A cart? If it''s big enough for one adult to pull, it can be found at ....... Oh, I think it''s in 2nd Warehouse . Hey, Anthony. lead them to 2nd Warehouse 2 Yes, Chief. ......, ssir Eberhard. I''ll show you the way, ." "Alisa, come with US." The young servant called Anthony said so and agreed to show US around. "I''m sorry for barging in out of the blue." ?? "I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that the cart is the one we have here." ""Oh, this is nice. It looks pretty big" "Well, if you don''t mind me saying, it seems quite large for you , sir .Eberhard, but are you sure?" Anthony asks with concern. I" can use ''body enhancement''." "I''m also going to modify the cart, but I''m not going to tell you that because it''s still in the planning stages." I" see, it is the blood of the Farenheit family, isn''t it? At your age, you''ve already mastered magic." You''ll only get paid for your praise. "If I could have that much salary, there is nothing else I would want. I''m honored to serve you in this way." It seems that my family is a white company after all. I''m sure it''s one of the most popular places to get a job in the Farenheit frontier county. After that, I thanked Anthony and left him, and I headed back to the main building with Alisa, pulling a cart. On the way, I asked Alisa about it . "Do you get a lot of money too?" This is not harassment,? I realized after I said it. Well, it''s Arisa, so I guess it''s okay. "Well, I''m master Hal''s personal maid, after all. I''m still a high-class person in the world. "Huh. Well, I guess I''ll have to work you harder!" "No, not enough. For the time being, you''ll have to ride in this cart. "I''m embarrassed. You''ll give away my weight!" Well, I''m about twice as heavy as you. There''s no point in comparing a 20 year old woman with a 6 year old boy. CH 18 The next afternoon. I had gotten a cart and had come to Mei''s house empty-handed. "Mei, are you there?; I hadn''t promised to play with her, but if she not, there I could just go home and do something else, so I called out to her without much hope. As I waited for a while, I heard a thud down the stairs, and Mei came running out of the workshop. "Hello, Hal!¡¡It''s been a long time!'' It''s been a while, but it''s just been one day. It''s been a long time since I''ve had any friends besides you, Hal! For a moment, I thought it was the same with me, but then I remembered that I had Lily. It''s not that I''m unsympathetic to the fact that I''ve forgotten about her, because I think she''s more of a fiancee or girlfriend than a friend. It''s not that I''m heartless I''m sorry about that , but I can''t come here every day either. "Wouldn''t it be better if I came to you? "¡¡It''s not that kind of problem, but for now, I have an errand to run, and I need to tell you about it first." "You see . Mei, why don''t you come to my house? "came to the Hal''s house?" "Yes. I haven''t invited you yet, and I also need your help with something." She smiled. "i will came !¡¡Please wait a moment." As soon as I said this, Mei retreated into the house. As I waited for a few tens of seconds, Mei came back with a paper bag. "What''s that?" It''s a snack. I''m sorry to bother you. "Is it okay?¡¡Sweets are expensive because they are sweet." Sugar is a luxury item in this world. In the Farenheit territory, plants like sugar beet are cultivated, so it is probably a little cheaper than in other territories, but even so, it is mostly used to add a little flavor to everyday dishes. Sweets that use a lot of sugar are a luxury item, and the commoners don''t have many opportunities to eat them. "No, it''s not a sweet snack." "Not sweet?" "It''s more like rice crackers. " I didn''t know such an oriental snack existed", but it is a snack eaten in the land of the dwarves. You don''t see many of them around here." "I see. That''s exciting. I''ll take it." I was convinced, so Mei and I walked toward my parents'' house (the lord''s mansion!). At first, Mei seemed to be enjoying herself, but as the buildings around us became more and more for high society, she began to talk less and less. "Well, are we there yet?" "Hmm, not yet." "It''s a very nice town. ......" "Yes, it is. I''d like to live on the top floor of one of these buildings." The buildings around here are as high as two floors at the lowest and five or six floors at the highest. Naturally, because of the vertical height, the area per floor can be reasonably large. You could probably live in a room that is about the size of a two-bedroom apartment in Japan. And the rent would probably be 300,000 or 400,000 yen per month. ...... The unit of currency in this country is the el, and one el is worth about one yen. From what I read in the books in my study, the average income of the common people in Heidburg is about 150,000 ells per month. The peasants living in the suburbs earn slightly less than that., but that doesn''t seem to be a problem since they are mostly self-sufficient when it comes to food. Even at 150,000 eles a month, the low cost of living makes it worth about 200,000 yen, but in any case, it would be difficult for the average person to live in this apartment. Even if a couple works together, they will starve to death if they can only afford the rent. Well, in short, there are a lot of very rich people around here. Forgers are craftsmen who require specialized skills, so I guess they earn a certain amount of money among the common people, but I doubt they will ever reach the upper class. It was not unreasonable for Mei to feel a little uncomfortable in the high society of the city. But you know what, Mei? You''re going to a much worse place now, ....... I was thinking about this, feeling a bit sorry and mean inside, when Mei looked back at me, as if she had sensed something disturbing. "What?" I smiled at her and tried to cover it up. At the same time, I held her hand to prevent her from running away. It''s a great way to make sure you''re getting the most out of your time with us. It''s cute ....... Feeling a different kind of excitement than I did with Lily, I gripped Mei ''s hand tightly and kept walking, never letting her go. We walked for about ten minutes. After passing through the upstream district and the public district, we finally arrived at the main gate of the lord''s mansion. "Huh?¡¡Where is your home?" Mei looked around and tilted her head, as if she was wondering why there were no more houses around. I pointed to the main gate and said to her, "Welcome to my home." Welcome to my home. "Huh?" I greeted the gatekeeper and asked him to open the gate , which slowly opened with a squeaky ...... sound. It was the first time in my life, including my previous life, that I had invited a friend to my house, and although it was half-heartedly, it seemed to have been a success. ?? "''It''s a big castle!" Mei is excited to see my parents'' house, which is more like a mansion than a castle. My family''s house in Farenheit is not a high-rise castle like Cinderella Castle or Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, as you might imagine when you hear the word "castle". It is more like a wide castle like the Chambord or Villandry castles in France. A palace might be closer to the image. When I was still living in Japan, I was interested in castles both in the East and the West, and I did some research on castles in various countries. My current house looks just like the castle I thought was beautiful at that time, so as a person who lives here, I am very excited every day. However, perhaps because I''m a Japanese who lives in a rabbit hutch, I don''t really like the idea of having too much space. It would be a pain just to go to the next building, and if it rained, it would be worse. I wish the buildings were at least closer together. "Ha, ha, ha, Hal, you''re lie the prince !" "It''s not the prince. The prince is in the imperial capital." So you''re an nobility ?" Yes. My real name is Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit. I''m the eldest son of the Count of Farenheit." "Haha!"'' When I told her my real name, she dropped to her knees and fell down. She even stretched her arms out politely, like something out of a cartoon. I''ve never seen anyone actually do this before. I guess it''s a good thing that the ground is grass and there''s no dirt on my clothes. "Well, Mei?¡¡" "Haha! It seems that she got the wrong ideaa bout nobility. Perhaps her strange way of speaking came from the same place. I''m slightly curious about what happened in Mei past. "Face up. "Haha! She raises her head while in the "banzai" position. It''s kind of funny. ...... "Well, would it help if you did it normally?" "Normally, is it? "Yes. We''re friends, right?¡¡Then it doesn''t matter what we are." ...... "Indeed, we are friends!" "The smile returned to May''s face." I''m sure you''ll agree that she''s much prettier when she''s smiling. "Now, there''s a reason why I called you here." " reason ? Well, you don''t need a reason to invite a friend to your house, so technically, this is the right time to invite her. "I don''t know. What is it?'' May, with a puzzled look on her face, asked cutely. ''I want to remodel the cart." "Do you even have a cart?" "Yes. Come with me." I took her to the backyard where I kept the cart. The reason I called Mei today was because I wanted to modify the cart. The cart I got yesterday was indeed sturdy and well made, but the resistance to turning the wheels was a bit too much for the technology of this world. The axle was coated with some kind of fur and grease, but compared to modern Japanese wheels, it was still difficult to move. That''s why I wanted to do the best part of reincarnating in another world: cheat on modern knowledge. What I wanted to make was a ball bearing. This mechanism, also known as a ball bearing, consists of a metal ball sandwiched between two metal rings that can be closed together to reduce frictional resistance during rotation and allow for rotation with less force. Surprisingly, it has a long history on earth, and I think it''s not impossible to do it with the technology of this world. I''m sure this will improve the performance of the cart''s wheels. However, even though I have the knowledge, I don''t have any metal working skills. This is where Mei, who made her debut as a forger a few days ago, comes in. "I want you to make something thst I tell you." I understand!¡¡It sounds interesting! If she didn''t want to do it, I was going to quit, but she seemed to be enjoying her first time hearing about crafts. Maybe this will work out. I immediately explained the structure of the ball bearing using diagrams. Mei ''s eyes were shining as she listened intently to my explanation. At that time, I had no idea that this would be the moment that would lead to the birth of a great inventor. CH 19 "wow" I running around the vast backyard, towing a cart that was overwhelmingly more powerful than ever. "Aaahhhh! Nearly was Mei, shaking her red hair and screaming. "It''s too early, it''s too early! I''m not done yet!¡¡I''m going over the edge! " I didn''t expect Mei to be so dexterous. Even though she was blessed with an excellent master and was born as a dwarf that excelled at forging, she had just started her training a few days ago. I only thought that she would be better than me, who had no experience at all, but the result was this. To be frank, Mei is a genius. "Light ...... carts is light ......!" Mei is a six-year-old girl, so she must weigh about 20 kilograms. If you think of a burlap sack as 20 kilos of rice, you''ll know it''s heavy. And yet, cart is so light!¡¡It is so light that it seems as if nothing is riding on it, and it behaves so comfortably. It''s as refreshing as riding a bicycle down a slope. It already was dusk. The sun was beginning to set, and it was time to call it a a day . However, the joy of completing this project after several hours of work is inexplicable, and I am venting it by running around with Mei like this. ?? It was noon. After calling Mai and explaining the work process to her, I led her to the secret base. We arrived at the pit house, which was as magnificent as ever, and started our work there. First, we needed to secure materials. We used metal. But even if we say metal, lead and copper are not good enough. We needed iron, which has overwhelming strength and durability. No matter how spacious the Farenheit family''s house was, it was a nobleman''s residence, so it was not as well equipped as a workshop. All it had was a small oven for baking bread and an incinerator for burning garbage. There is no such thing as a lump of iron. There was no such thing as an iron ingot, much less a furnace for melting iron. When I told Mei that the first thing we need to do was to collect the materials, she said, "Leave it to me!" She seemed confident, so I let her do as she wanted. First of all, Mei showed her dwarven characteristics . Dwarves are a race indigenous to a land called the Nord Peninsula, which is located across the sea in the northern part of the Imperial Kingdom. The Nords Peninsula and the Imperial Kingdom are connected by land, but there are other countries in between, so the only direct route is by sea. The dwarves who live on the Nord Peninsula are different from other kind of people in that they are shorter in heigh , both men and women, and the men are muscular and hairy, while the women are remarkably youthful. Gnomes are the generic name for spirits that live in the earth. They are said to control earth magic, and are said to exist all over the world. I''ve heard that the master of these gnomes is called the earth mother goddess, but I don''t know that much about the earth attribute, so I''ll skip the details. So, because the Dwarf race has a high affinity with these gnomes, the entire race has a high aptitude for earth magic. And it''s a universal property that applies even to six-year-old dwarves who are not particularly skilled in magic. It''s a long story, but Meiru Arendal, the daughter of dwarves, used earth magic by natural instinct and intuition! The next moment I inwardly wondered if the gnome would react to such a lazy spell, and then I was once again annoyed with myself for having reacted that way. As soon as Mei chanted an incantation that could not be described as serious or insincere, the ground rose up, bobbing ......, and then familiar black grains of sand sprang up from the ground. No way?! I shouted like a rock-type demon mimicking a tree. With a random incantation, what Mei procured from the ground was unmistakably pure iron sand that didn''t even need to be reduced. "Mei. What was that? "I don''t know. Maybe all dwarves can do it." She didn''t quite understand what she was doing, but it was probably spirit magic. If a person with no talant to magic can use it, there is no other way. The fact that she is loved by the spirit of the earth suggests that this is the case. In the first place, Mei''s magic power is not that much. She maybe oler than me , but compared to me, she doesn''t have much. Spirit magic requires less magic power because the spirit can perform the magic with the highest efficiency even with less magic power. This was not the end of Mei ''s frightening glimpse. Just as she thought she had procured iron sand, she began to cast another spell. The next thing he knew, he was casting another spell. She said, "'',please make this iron round, and make it a scarf.: I''m not surprised anymore. That''s how dwarves are, I thought. As expected, the piles of iron sand scattered on the ground began to change shape ...... and become round. The iron was not being melted by heat, but it was shaping itself beautifully. "This is truly magic,......." I''m sure it''s not strange because magic is a part of everyday life in this world. I''m not sure what to make of it, but as a former Japanese, I feel a little strange about it. "Finally, we must attach this ......" Mei fiddled with the finished parts and gradually assembled them into the shape of a bearing. I watched her from the side for more than ten minutes. Finally, the ball bearing it''s had been waiting for was completed. "It''s done!" "It was awesome. ......" I checked t if it worked properly, and found that it rotated surprisingly smoothly. Since it was made with spirit magic, the margin of error was much smaller than when it was handmade. It is a mystery to me why civilization has not developed this before . After that, we repeated this process three more times to prepare the bearings for all the wheels. The wooden wheels of the cart were not an exact circle, so the two of us had to scrape and file them so that the bearings would fit properly, and it was almost evening when the cart was completed. "It''s done!" It wasn''t much work, but we were happy with what we had done. I shared the joy of completion with Mei. And that brings us back to the scene at the beginning. ?? I''m tired from all the running around, and Mei is nauseous from all the rocking, so we lie down on the floor of the secret base. "I''m tired of running ......,''"and I''m tired of being rocked ......." Children do noisy things, but I think I was too noisy this time. I think I''ll act a little more calmly next time. After resting and recovering for a while, we discussed our future prospects. I think I''ll be able to make more money now that I''ve made the cart," she said. Now that she made the cart, I think her income will increase, and she might want to get another one made. "So what do you think? Why don''t you set up your own workshop here at the secret base?" "A workshop of mine own ?" Mei''s eyes lit up at the idea of her own workshop. I guess having your own workshop is one of the dreams of a craftsman. Even if it''s a child, it''s still a dream. I''m going to hunt demons with the tools Mei makes and earn money. , and you will use the money to make many new tools. That''s how we''ll make more and more useful inventions. It sounds like a lot of fun, doesn''t it?" "That''s great!¡¡Ha you are genius!: As for me, I think May is more of a genius than me, because she''s six years old and has that kind of skills , but I don''t think she''d understand that even if I told her. Well, tomorrow I''m going to go hunting for demons outside the city. I''m going to go hunting for demons outside the city tomorrow, and you can think about the workshop I''m going to build here. I''ll pay for the materials, so you can do whatever you want with it. "I''m looking forward to it!¡¡Hmm, I wonder what I''ll make! After showing off her magic so much, Mei''s excitement and joy is appropriate for her age, and it''s a cute sight. If she stays here, she can train as much as she wants, she can learn detailed knowledge of magic from me, and most importantly, she can gain scientific knowledge of modern Japan. I was both looking forward to and dreading Mei ''s future, wondering what kind of forger she would become. CH 20 The next day, after finishing my studies with my tutor, I asked my dad over lunch. "Dad" "what''s up?" He replied with a toothpick in his mouth, I"''d like to be an adventurer. Can a six-year-old be an adventurer?" "Oh, you''re finally interested in being an adventurer?" father muttered, but he seemed to be grinning and enjoying himself. For some reason, my mother''s reaction, which is usually negative about anything dangerous, was not bad. "What?" "You can be an adventurer, all in all . The only thing you need to be an adventurer is your ability, and your age, gender, and status are completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is whether or not you are a citizen of the empire. If you apply for it, you can easily register as a foreigner. "That''s rather graceful." "Adventurers are basically responsible for themselves . The guild won''t get involved no matter what happens, but registration itself is pretty easy." " we are used to travel around the empire with a party." my mom said, her face was somewhat happy. I''m sure she''s reminiscing about the good old days of her youth. " Oh, I forgot to mention that criminals are not allowed. If you''re an adventurer, you''re not going to be able to work as an adventurer. In the first place, when you are imprisoned, you are subjected to forced labor, so it is physically impossible for you to work as an adventurer.''" "That''s true." "But there are quite a few criminal gangs. It''s a rough profession, and it''s inevitable." "I see. ......" "So the chances of getting into trouble are reasonably high. Especially kids like you, who are often the target of bullying." It''s a standard thing when registering as an adventurer. well, bullying newcomers is common in other workplaces as well. "Even if I can register successfully, there''s going to be some kind of trouble. ......" It''s a good idea to give up on that. It''s a path every adventurer must take. "That''s right. How did it go for your dad?" When I asked this, my father and mother looked at each other and started to grin. " we were kicked." I''ve never seen Mom smile like that before. ...... "If you''re a man, you''ll have to fight back. The guild does not interfere in disputes between adventurers. Shaking off the sparks of fire that fall on you is a necessary to obtain power to survive in a cutthroat society." "Hal, you''ll be fine. you our pride and joy." Apparently, they were saying, "Do what you want." The parents'' permission was now granted. T"hank you. I''m going to register right after this." The registration process would be easier if yyou had some identification. Take your family crest with you.?" "Yeah, okay." My dad handed me a mithril key tag with our family crest on it around the end of last year, saying it was important, and it was stored in my room. When he gave it to me, I thought, "Isn''t that an inro?" The key tag is an item that shows noble status, so no one but our family can touch it. I can''t ask Alisa to bring it, I''ll have to go look for it myself later. I don''t know where I put it... ...... ?? After spending half an hour searching for the key tag, I arrived at the Heitburg branch of the Adventurers'' Guild, located on the western edge of the territorial capital of Heitburg. It''s a splendid four-story building that''s worthy of the term "solid and sturdy." The grounds seemed to be quite large, which made me realize the enormity of the adventurer''s guild. The reason why the Adventurer''s Guild was located at the western end of the city while the other guilds, such as the Commercial Guild, the Craftsman''s Guild, and the Agricultural Guild, were located in the center of the city was simply because of the delivery of materials. While the other guilds do not transport as many goods, the Adventurer''s Guild brings in a large number of demon corpses called "materials" almost every day. In some cases, human corpses are brought in as well,......, making it impossible to set up a facility in the center of the city. That being said, adventurers love the fact that it''s easy to carry in, so I guess there''s no problem with that. Incidentally, the agricultural guild, which is also thought to handle a large amount of crops, actually does not have a problem with being located in the center of the city, since its main duties are to adjust distribution volume and prices and to survey the productivity of the land, and the guild does not directly handle tax collection or sales. I was a little surprised to see that this was not what I expected, but apparently that''s how it works. Well, let''s just go inside and register as an adventurer. If I don''t register, no matter how many demons I hunt, they won''t buy them. I want to earn money on my own without having help of parents, the best way is to register as an adventurer. When I opened the wooden double doors, I heard a squeak ....... But if you think that''s going to get you the attention of everyone inside,......, it''s not. It''s just like city hall on earth. They don''t have the kind of culture that would go out of its way to stare at people who come in. However, as an obvious child, I seemed to stand out a bit, and when they saw me walking towards the reception desk, they looked at me in a confused way (as if they were wondering if they should talk to me). Well, I''m not an adventurer yet, you know. The premise of self-responsibility doesn''t apply to me. I guess that''s why thy wondering if they should call out to me. "Um..." "Yes, what''s wrong?" I talked to the receptionist who was closest to me. She responded in the way a child would. Hmmm, I''m not used to this kind of reaction. Maybe it''s because I act like a child at home, but my dad and mom don''t really treat me like one. I want to register as an adventurer." "Oh, do you have your parents'' permission?" The receptionist replied with a slightly troubled look. I don''t understand how i would feels. If I were at Hello Work employee and a six-year-old child came to me asking for a job, I''m sure I would react the same way. "But you know what, sis? We may look like kids, but we''re adults on the inside." "I''m getting it. I don''t know if it will work." With that said, I took out the key tag with the family crest of the counts of Farrenheit from my pocket. by the way if you are a person in a slum, or if you are a person in this city who grew up with a primary education in a shrine, even ordinary people should know this family crest. I don''t know about the crests of other aristocrats, but I''m sure I''ll learn only the crests that indicate the imperial family and the Farrenheit family. "I''m sure you''ve learned the crests of the royal family and the Farenheit family. ......?¡¡Oh, I beg your pardon." "I don''t want to make a scene, so you can act normal. I just want to register as an adventurer." "I''ll start the process then." As expected, the key tag. As if "I can''t see this crest in my eyes!" Usually, the family crest is the judgment ability of the head-only those who are allowed to act as representatives of the aristocrats of the house outside are handed over by the head. In other words, showing me a key tag with a family crest here means that I am here at my own discretion, with the father of the counts of Farrenheit admitting that I am a full-fledged person. I If that''s the case, then the entire responsibility lies with me. If any problem arose, it would be my fault for using my authority as a nobleman to cause the problem, and the receptionist would not be vilified. This was one of the reasons why the receptionist''s attitude had changed. "Please write your name, age and hometown here." "Yes. I filled my personal information on a piece of high-quality paper. The receptionist''s face was a little tense as she looked at my long name, which was peculiar to aristocrats. Ordinary people''s names are much shorter. Basically, it''s just the last name and first name. Or in some cases, just the first name. Well, these days, it is rare to see just a name. I don''t know if that''s good or bad. Leaving aside the name situation of the commoners of the empire, I finished filling my personal information for the moment. The next step is probably a standard one. Magic power registration! "Yes. Thank you very much. . I''ll start the explanation now." "¡¡Huh?" "''There are eleven ranks for adventurers, from the bottom to the top: F, E, D, C, B-, B, B+, A-, A, A+, S. These ranks are there to protect adventurers and to increase the success rate of their missions . The ranks are used to determine the appropriate level of difficulty for the adventurer receiving the request. As a result, there may be multiple rounds of testing for advancement." Apparently, there is no magical power registration. I was a little disappointed, but I decided to listen to the explanation quietly. "And adventurers are limited in the requests they can accept according to their rank. Specifically, you can only accept requests up to one rank above you. There are no restrictions on the lower ranks, but please note that your rank will not increase if you only target the lower ranks." That''s obvious. In the case that you''ve got a lot of money to spend, you''ll be able to take advantage of it. " if your failed request , you will be charged a penalty of about 10% of your compensation. However, this does not apply to cases where the request has been taken over through proper procedures." This part also makes sense to me. I have no particular doubts about this. This time, you will start at F rank, but F rank is a little different from the other ranks. F rank is basically for chores that can only be done in towns and villages, or for gathering low herbs. Please note that requests that involve fighting will be accepted from E rank. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. ...... Do you have any questions?" "How do I become an E rank?" "If you complete dozens of simple F-rank collection requests or multiple E rank requests, your rank will automatically increase. Anything else?" "No, I''m fine for now." "Here is your guild card. If you lose it, it will have to be reissued, and you will need to provide another form of identification and pay a fee of 10,000 ells to have it reissued." "Oh, what happens if I lose it or it gets stolen?" In that case, you will have to go to the nearest guild and request that your card be suspended. Please note that while your card is suspended, you will not be able to make any withdrawals, even if you are the cardholder. If you have a different ID, the suspension will be lifted, so don''t worry. "I see." It''s like a credit card. It doesn''t have a photo on it, so it can be misused by others if they want to, but if you notice that you''ve dropped it, you can stop its use with a smartphone app or a phone call. It seems primitive, but it''s an excellent system. I''m sure you can understand why you don''t need to register your magic power. This is it then. If you want to report the results of your request, please go to the counter here or the warehouse next door. We also buy materials at the warehouse next door, so please go there when you''ve finished your request. "Yes. "The guild staff will support your activities as adventurers from now on. All of us at the guild look forward to seeing you in action. "Thank you. I look forward to working with you." That''s how I became an adventurer. Now, I''m going to hunt a lot of demons and raise my rank fast! CH 21 After registering as an adventurer, I immediately went to the board where requests were posted. There were many requests for various ranks on the board, giving it the perfect atmosphere of an adventurer''s guild. "Hmmm, nice." Naturally, there were a small number of requests for A-rank and above, and the rewards were noticeably higher than the other requests. "In the northernmost town of Kanai, there was a request to defeat a stray land dragon that had come down from the great mountain range: ....... The reward for defeating it is five million ells. It seems like a story from a distant world. The fact that the reward for defeating the dragon is about 5 million Japanese yen is amazing, but the fact that there are people who can defeat a dragon, even a subspecies, is even more amazing. In a world where people like my father have quit being human, it''s not as if there aren''t adventurers out there who can take down a land dragon. ...... I''m not sure if 5 million ells is cheap or expensive for a dragon like that. If the money from selling the materials is yours, it seems like a fair price. It''s called a dragon, so the price of the materials must be very high. Thinking about this, I search for a request that matches my rank. One day, I''d like to make a lot of money By hunting dragons. I''ll have more than enough money when I inherit the position of head of the Farenheit family, the great noble family that rules the vast territory and rich industry of the frontier county, so I may not be able to make money purely by myself for another 20 years. It might be a good idea to think about money from a young age, but there''s nothing better than having money. It would be a shame if I became obsessed with money, but I already have a plan to use it effectively, so there should be no problem. I''m going to invest in the genius forger, Meiru Arendal, and buy her formidable talent. And in the future, I''ll be able to enjoy a life of ease and prosperity with useful tools! With this ambition secretly in my heart, I turned my attention to a request form. On the paper, there was a large sign that read, "Permanent request. Please don''t peel it off." Underneath it was written, "Seeking goblin defeat. Please come to the counter with the proof of defeat. The reward is 4,000 ells per goblin." "Goblins, huh?" I''ve never seen one before. From what I''ve heard, they''re humanoid demons with green skin, ugly looks, and about the height of a human child. they are they vicious demon that attacks women and children, rapes and kills them, have almost no intelligence, and is very strong in reproduction. My prior knowledge of it was almost the same as that of the fantasy novels and games I had read when I was in Japan. Their strength is such that they can kill ordinary women and children. As an E rank demon, it is a good training target for a novice adventurer. However, there was one thing that I had to be careful of, and that was when I encountered a group of goblins. Each goblin is a low-grade demon that can be described as a small fish, but in numbers they are power. A human running at full speed can run faster than a goblin, so as long as they can escape, there is no problem, but if they fall or are injured, they are in danger. The goblins, with their strong fertility, swarm with a certain frequency, so we need to be careful about that. "First the goblins." Goblin defeat is a request for E ranks, but even F ranks can take it without any problem. It''s a waste of time for me as I''m trying to get my rank up quickly, and the chores and collection requests in the city for F ranks are just a waste of time. It says "Do not remove", so I leave the guild without removing the paper. Today, I''m going to eradicate the goblins around Heitburg. ?? I walked out of the adventurer''s guild and headed for my cart, which was located in the cart parking space by the guild. I locked it up with a padlock because it''s a very valuable cart with very high performance. So there was no need to worry about it being stolen even if I left it in a public parking space. "........................" --As you can see. I honestly couldn''t believe my eyes. My cart was certainly not stolen. However, there were three people who were planning to steal it with all their might, crowding around my cart and rummaging around. I couldn''t believe that there were so many people trying to steal in the middle of the day, right in front of such a crowded street. I was a good-hearted ex-Japanese, who had grown up in a rich and prosperous family. So, first of all, I doubted my eyes. Next, I doubted my mind. Finally, I questioned the humanity of the bastards crowding around my cart. I was about to be awakened to Cartesian skepticism. I''m a realist, for God''s sake! "What the hell are you guys doing" I couldn''t help but doubt the existence of the world! "Huh?¡¡What''s with the kid?" "What a pain in the ass, ....... Hey, why don''t you go home and suck on your mother''s nipples?" The reactions are understandable. "Then go home." ""That''s not gonna happen. Step away from the cart." I was very angry when they touched my cart without permission, but they even tried to steal it. There is no reason to forgive them. However, it would be sad if they attacked suddenly and damaged the cart, so I had to ask them to move away first. "Hmm?¡¡Hey, kid. Is this your cart?" "Yes, it is. Don''t touch my things without permission." When the leader of the group heard my reply, he grinned and held out his hand. "Let me go ."" "What?" . I think this guy might have a Shotaro complex. By the way, I don''t care what you think, but when I hear the name Shotaro, I think of the guy from "San wo Motte Yo", not a certain 28. "It''s not opening !" "Of course it''s because I lock the door. What do you think it''s locked for? Well, this guy is dumb. "Hey, you little shit!¡¡You don''t know shit about adults!: "Adults don''t do this." As you can see, the man who was upset with me tried to hit him , so I gave him a [shock] in the on belly punch, just enough to keep him alive Thanks to that, the man who was called Marc by his accomplices was blown away ... It wasn''t normal, so I guess they were trying to steal a cart. I wonder if these guys will cause domestic violence or child abuse ... Feeling a little uncomfortable, I glanced in the direction of where Marc had blown up. He is covered in rubble after plunging into the wall of the demolition yard attached to the side of the guild, but he is not dead because he is twitching. Well, maybe five or ten of his bones are broken. ...... In any case, he would have been charged with disrespect by my voice, and I would have chopped his head off for real. I''m sure you''ll be grateful that I kept my mouth shut. "What about you guys?" "Hee-hee!" I glared lightly at the two cronies standing by the cart, and that was enough to make them run away in fear. "I won''t let them go . I shot them from behind, aiming at their arms and shoulders, where they would not be able moving . The two high speed shots hit the shoulders and arms of the two men and they both fell down on the spot. ''Geez" "Ouch!" Unfortunately, they got what they deserved. I won''t call the guards because it''s too much trouble, but I won''t call a doctor as well. We''ll let them deal with what they''ve done on their own. If I call the guards , they''ll probably find out who I am, and they''ll all be charged with disrespect, at best falling into slavery, at worst beheaded. Sometimes it''s kinder not to call them. Before I knew it, a crowd of people had gathered around me. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the guards arrived. I can''t condone their brutality, but I don''t want to take their lives either. they managed to get up, but I called out to the two who were still screaming in pain. "Uh, what was he called, uh, ...... Mark?¡¡Fran?¡¡¡¡Anyway, that''s your brother over there. Make sure you take him with you. And make sure you pay for the broken wall in the demolition yard." There was no reply. "Any reply?" "Yes, sir!" "Good. Take care of yourself." I thought to myself, "How can they be cheerful when they have a broken bone?" But I couldn''t think of any other way to greet him, so I had no choice. With the cart safely in tow, I headed for the West Gate, one of the four gates that run east, west, north, south, and west of the Heitburg. I had a little trouble, but this was my first day as a registered adventurer. For the sake of my good fortune as an adventurer, I''m going to make the goblins who live around here bleed!¡¡Sacrifice! CH 22 As expected, there was a bit of a commotion, but it was resolved successfully (by force ), so I didn''t feel too bad as I proceeded down the street. The warm, sunny weather was comfortable. The wind was calm, and it was a perfect day for an adventurer As I pull the cart with both hands, I keep a watchful eye on the area. This area was less than two kilometers from the city of Heitburg, so there were no demons to be seen, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious. Even on a busy road, stray goblins and slimes may appear. However, while goblins are one of the weakest demons, slimes are one of the weakest demons, and when salt is applied to them, they instantly shrivel up and become less active, so there is little need to be wary of them. They don''t move very fast, and even if they don''t have much fighting power, they can be defeated with salt, so merchant companies often keep salt on hand for self-defense. However, in the inland territory of the Farenheit Frontier Counties, salt is a rather precious thing , so i want to defeat them without using it as much as possible. This is not a recommended method of defeating them, as it may lead to salt damage in this land of prosperous agriculture. There are several ways to kill them, but the most reliable way is to roast them with fire. Any kind of fire will do. It can be fire magic, fire arrows, or torch fire. Anyway, if you attack them with a certain amount of heat, they will boil or evaporate and cease to breathe. I don''t know if the word "suffocate" is appropriate in this case, since it is doubtful that they are breathing in the first place. ...... There are many other ways to defeat a slime, such as crushing the magic stone that forms its core, or ripping all the mucus that makes up the slime''s body from its core. However, the magic stone is the most expensive part of the slime''s material, so it is safe to say that almost no adventurers attack the magic stone. The mucus can also be sold, but only at a slightly higher price than spring water, and since a large amount of mucus is already on the market as a material from slime cultivators, it will only end up being sold at a discount. However, other worlds are also interesting. It''s said that different things come in different places, but I had no idea that slime cultivators existed. Slime is not edible, of course, but it can be used as a material for alchemy, to improve the soil, or to demolish buildings because it corrodes metal. In an unusual pattern, some people even keep them as pets. It seems that there are a certain number of enthusiasts in every world, and they like the emotionless, squishy feeling of them. I guess it''s like a terrestrial version of jellyfish. I must have gone about four or five kilometers. There are a few forests growing here and there, though they are sparse, and at this rate there are probably some low-ranked demons hiding there. "Hmm, I guess it''s time to raise the alarm." Non-attribute magic also includes a detection-type magic called "sonar. It is a C-ranked magic that emits a wave of magic power of a certain frequency and uses it like sonar to determine the enemy and terrain. I could use it, of course, but my field of vision was still clear enough, and there was no need to use that magic here. Slimes, which are hard to spot, are not a threat in this area, where there are no powerful demons to begin with, and goblins, which are a danger, are very conspicuous. The further we got away from the city, the more difficult it would be to find and the stronger the demons would become, but this area, with its many villages and settlements on the outskirts, was a safe zone. However, this did not mean that there were no demons at all. There are many goblins, and on rare occasions, ferocious monsters such as green boars. This is why adventuring is such a profession, and why the city still needs walls. After walking for a while, I spotted a small silhouette in the woods about 50 meters away. The size of the silhouette was about one meter, and there were three of them hiding behind a tree. They were goblins. "There you go, ...... goblins. at. You''re a million years too young to be trying to fool the humans. It is said that goblins have no intelligence, but that doesn''t mean they don''t think. Unlike slimes, goblins have brains, so it is not impossible that there are individuals who aim to deceive you in this way. It is common knowledge that goblins hide in the shadows to take advantage of opportunities, and it is also write in the demon books. Of course, such a game of hide and seek would never succeed, and the goblins of the world would always be attacked from behind and turned into a reward of 4,000 ells. What unfortune creatures they are. Now, knowing that there were goblins in the shadows of the forest, I had no right to walk right in front of them, but what should I do? I could go through the woods and take them by surprise from behind, but I don''t feel like going all the way through a forest full of trees and plants. Hmmm, that''s too much trouble, so I''ll just smash it head-on. It would be a shame to waste time worrying about goblins like this. After leaving the cart , I tapped the knife in my waistband and walked toward the woods, conscious that I could pull it out at any time. I don''t intend to attack with the knife, however. The knife was just a consolation prize. There was no way that a six-year-old could be a match for a goblin. Well, if I strengthen my body, that may not be the case, but in my case, I have a better means of attack. "Gogya!" "Gah!" As soon as I reached the woods, three goblins jumped at me with dirty squeals. The one at the far end was probably the leader . It was a great opportunity for a surprise attack, but I couldn''t handle them because they call out to me and make noticed me . In a strict army, that would be an execution. "Shock bullets x3!" Three hardball-sized "impact bullets" flew at the goblin''s head with the speed of a major league baseball. Of course, there was no way for the goblins to avoid them, and before they could make a sound, the poor goblins'' heads exploded and they were taken down . "It was only for a moment, wasn''t it ......? Now, let''s get the proof of defeat to ............ Oh, shoot. I''m sorry. The goblin''s proof of defeat site is the right ear, but perhaps my "impact bullet" was too powerful, and when the head exploded, the right ear was blown to pieces. This means that I can''t prove that I killed the goblin. "It''s a good thing that the magic stone is safe." I had no choice but to plunge the knife into the goblins'' chest and expose the area around the heart. One of the characteristics of a demon is the presence of a magical stone, a crystal of magical power, near its heart. This feature is not found in ordinary animals. The goblin''s magic stone is of the lowest rank, but it is enough to activate any magical tool on the market, so it is sometimes sold like a dry cell battery. The price is not that high, so it sells well in the general public. . Well, that''s why the price for buying one is not even 1,000 yen. ...... At any rate, I shoved my hands into their chest and secured three magic stones. 3,000 ells is nothing to scoff at. It''s enough to pay for one drink. I''ve never had a drink before, so I don''t know what it tastes like. It was probably because I was taking it easy like that. The next thing I knew, I felt the presence of many demons around me. "I''m not sure if it''s a good thing or not. I used the non-attribute magic "sonar" to check, and found about 50 goblins within a 100 meter radius. This means i surrounded. I''ve said that goblins can''t be a threat, but there are exceptions to that rule. That was the goblin swarm. Whose words were it that said that fighting is all about numbers? As I stood up to prepare for the goblin horde that was slowly closing the distance, I thought about how I would deal with them. I''m not going to lose. It''s just that there are so many of them. It might take some time. --This is going to be interesting. Thinking like a battle junkie, I waited for the goblins. CH 23 I WAS surrounded by a swarm of goblins. There were about 50 of them in total. If I were to tell you that I was surrounded by 50 ordinary adult males with no particular combat training, would you be able to clearly understand the level of threat? "This could possibly be the problem for me " To be honest, dealing with this many people is going to be a pain in the ass. I''m confident in my magical abilities, so I''m sure that if I focus on firepower, I won''t be overwhelmed, but that will make it difficult to secure the parts to prove my defeat. The reward for defeating the goblin was 4000 ells. The reward for defeating the goblins is 4,000 ells, 5,000 ells if you include the magic stones, and 250,000 ells is hard to pass up. "At any rate, I need to reduce the power of the ''shock bullets '' a bit." It was the size of a hard baseball that exploded the head. It''s a good idea to use a ping pong ball,......, or even a smaller pistol bullet - a 9mm Parabellum bullet would be sufficient. 9mm is about the diameter of your index finger. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I think it''s a good idea. It''s a finger gun. It''s a minimal impact bullet the size of a handgun bullet. ...... I think I''ll name it "Dillinger". While I was thinking of a new name, the goblins were getting closer and closer. It''s about time they came into view. Even so, the goblins are stupid enough to attack a single person - even an infant - in a pack of 50. They don''t seem to understand the concept of efficiency. Even if they did kill me, how would they divide the 50 goblins? If I weighed less than 20 kilos and was split into 50 pieces, each piece of meat would only be worth a small share. ...... "Gogaaaah!" "Gah!¡¡"Gaaaah!" "Gee!" "Gee!" "Guaguaaaah!" The goblins, with their prey in front of them, are shouting their victory roar . They have not even killed me yet. This is exactly what it means to be a raccoon without a raccoon. I was thinking about goblin rewards, so I''m not in a position to talk about ...... goblins either. I''m not going to hold back on my attacks. The "Dillinger," a 9mm mini-impact bullet from my finger, was sucked into the head of the goblin that was running ahead at subsonic speed. "Gosh ......" The goblin let out a momentary squeal that could not be called a scream, and with a thud, collapsed . The left eye area and the side of the head were blown off, but this time the right ear seemed to be intact. "Okay, this worked out I had gained confidence in the Dillinger, and started firing in rapid succession, starting with the nearest one. "Gah!" "Geez, ......" "Guaa......" One after another, the goblins fall down. The goblins are still more than 30 meters away, but I''ve already killed nearly ten of them. "Geez." "Gogyaa!" The distance between us is now less than 10 meters. But there are still about 30 goblins left. To be honest, I don''t want to have to deal with them in close combat. "......!" I want to kill them all at once somehow. How do I get rid of them ......? The next moment, a flash of inspiration landed in my head. I''ll be able to kill a bunch of goblins at once with this. I don''t know if I can do it, but I''ll have to try ....... I imagined activating "Sonar" and "Dillinger" in that order and linking them together. First, capture the enemy with the sonar. At the same time, I imagine the bullets of the "Derringer" heading towards the captured enemy. ...... I call it ....... "The Absolute Killing Zone"! From my fingertips, that i held in the shape of a pistol, more than ten small "impact bullets" are fired every second, just like a machine gun. The semi-energetic bullets, which have no substance, fly at subsonic speeds toward the heads of the goblins without missing even once. --Dopapapapapapang! A cloud of dust billowed into the area. The ugly cries of the goblins are no longer heard. "...... new technique, success." This is a one-on-many special move that wipes out all enemies within range. Apparently, it worked. This was my first day as an adventurer. It was a debut that suggested that my life as an adventurer would be full of vicissitudes, but I felt that it wasn''t too bad. ?? "Ahhhh, I''m so tired... ......" I''m on my way back to the territorial capital of Heidburg with a cart in tow. In the back of the cart were a large number of ears, magic stones, and some horned rabbits. Horned rabbits are good. The meat itself can be used as material, so as long as you drain the blood, you don''t have to dismantle it, and it''s easy to kill. But goblins. You guys are no good. No matter how much 250,000 ells i get, if ikeep plunging my hands into the hearts of 50 corpses that look like humans and digging out the magic stones, i wil go crazy. I don''t even want to think about how many lives I''ve messed with and corpses I''ve desecrated in one day. They''re not bad, but they''re psychotic demons. That''s what goblins are, I reconfirmed. ?? "Oh, you''re kidding. ......" "Hey, look at that. That kid it''s can''t be ......." "Wow, you killed that many goblins?¡¡I can''t believe it."" I entered the city of Heitburg through the west gate and was now showing the contents of the cart to the guild staff at the warehouse and dismantling area attached to the nearby adventurer''s guild. The stares around me were incredible. It seems that almost everyone here is paying attention to me. It''s not that there aren''t parties of adventurers active in the frontier city of Heitburg who have taken down goblin hordes, but the theory is that goblins should be hunted in units of several. A six-year-old kid did that on his first day as a registered adventurer, so it was only natural that i would be the center of attention. "Did you kill all these, goblins ? "Yeah. I was too lazy to get the magic stones." "I''m sure you did. ............ ...... Wait a minute, I''ll assess it now. "Thank you." The old guild employee checked the materials with a tired look on his face. It''s a great way to make sure you''re getting the most out of your money. "I''m sure you''ll be able to find something that works for you. "Roughly 270,000. That''s a month''s salary. "No, that''s more than a month''s salary. You''re going to be a big shot, kid." "Ha-ha-ha. That''s almost 400,000 yen in Japanese yen. Adventurers are the best! ?? After that, I signed up for a parking lot for carts and wagons exclusively for adventurers, parked my cart there (locked, of course), and was walking home with two horned rabbits in my leather bag. I''ll have them serve a dish with this meat for a meal tomorrow or the day after. Come to think of it, it''s about time for the green boa meat to mature. Maybe they''ll serve it for dinner today. I''ve never had green boa before, so I''m looking forward to it. I wonder if it tastes like pork. Still, it''s amazing how some demons taste so good and others so bad. I wonder what determines the taste. Magic power?¡¡Or is it their eating habits? The mystery of demons only deepens. CH 24 The next day, as I headed to the Adventurer''s Guild after completing my morning routine, I was stopped by the receptionist at the counter. "Sir Eberhard, may I have a word with you?"" "When I am working as an adventurer, you can call me Hal. You don''t even have to address me as "sir. If the adventurers in the area were to find out my identity, my life as an adventurer would be extremely difficult. "They would look at me as if I adventuring is a my hobby. Well, that''s actually true r. " yes , i understand , Hal " "So wat the matter " I looked at her and asked her to quit using honorifics, and the receptionist finally started talking to me in an not formal manner. "Didn''t you defeat the goblin horde yesterday?`" "Yes, I did. Was it wrong thing ?" I don''t think there''s anything wrong with that , goblins, as they are a harmless monster that should be killed as soon as possible. "No, it''s not a problem. In fact, it''s the opposite: since you''ve accomplished multiple E rank requests, your rank has been raised from F to E. Congratulations. ." "Wow!¡¡I''m glad to hear that. That''s great. I think I''ll raise my rank again today." It seems that my adventurer rank has been raised. Well, I guess it''s only natural after defeating that many goblins. . You''re not used to being an adventurer yet. So be careful " "Yeah, I'' will " It''s best not to get hurt. "Here''s your guild card, then. I''ve updated your rank and account balance information." "Thank you. . I''ll go check on the request as soon as I can." Now that I''m ranked E, I can accept requests for D rank, which is considered to be a full-fledged adventurer. D rank is more dangerous, but it also earns a lot more money. People who can''t reach D rank (which is the majority of people in the world) should find something else to do instead of being an adventurer, but D If you can get to D rank or higher, you can make more money as an adventurer. I''m still an E-ranked adventurer, but even an E-ranked adventurer can receive D-ranked requests, and since I''m only six years old and have a promising future, I''m sure to become a D-ranked adventurer in the near future. In the future, i will be the heir to the Northern General, but in youth, i still wants to be a successful man. "Oh, ......, I like this one." It was past noon. Adventurers are came early in the morning, so there were no requests left on the request board except for the regular requests, but there was one that looked good. "Regular investigation of Lantern Ruins. "Lantern Ruins. The Lantern Ruins, located in a forest about 20 kilometers north of Heitburg, are the ruins of an ancient magical civilization. ....... The academic research has already been done and it is not very important, but in order to preserve the ruins, adventurers are sent to investigate periodically to see if there are any abnormalities. Deadline for completion: one week. Reward: 50,000 ells. ...... I see. It''s a good deal of money if I can get 50,000 eles just for going there, investigating, and coming back. 20 kilometers is a distance that would normally take two or three days to go there and back, but for me, who can travel fast by applying shock magic, it''s an instant distance. And if it''s a D-rank request, the level of danger is probably not that high. "Okay, I''ve decided. I''ll take this one." "I took the paper and brought it to the reception counter." "Oh, you''re taking this?"" "Yes. . It''ll be easier. ""It''s a little far. Are you going to be okay?" "Yeah, I an " "...... Well, if you say so, Hal, I won''t stop you. I''ll accept." The receptionist who received the paper filled out the request form with my adventurer ID, name, and the receptionist''s signature. It''s a fantasy world, so you''d think they''d have some kind of magical management system, but it seems to be surprisingly analog. "Okay. Here you go. The deadline for the achievement is one week, so I suggest you take it somewhat easy on yourself. Also, this, please." Then the receptionist handed me a thin booklet. "What is this?"" "It contains the exact location of the ruins, the method investigation and the investigation items for this request. I''m sure you''ll find all the details in it, so can you read it before you go? "Hmm, analog is analog, but it systematic, isn''t it ......?" "What?" "No, it''s nothing. Thanks. I''ll be there. "Have a safe trip. "Okay. The receptionist sees me off and I leave the guild. This time, I''m going to drive a cart again. I can put up with it because I''m attached to this cart, but I''m not sure I want to be towing it every time I go out on a long trip. It would be easier if there were some kind of item box like in a common fantasy novel. There are some items that look like that, but they seem to be so expensive that only royalty, aristocrats, merchants, and the military can own them. It''s funny, I think I''m one of such people ....... Well, as for being an adventurer, it''s a hobby of mine. As long as I can do whatever I want, I want to accomplish it on my own without depending on my parents. Besides, even if I can''t get it right now, I have a feeling that I''ll get it eventually. It''s strange that I can''t help but feel that way when I look at Mei. CH 25 An ancient magical civilization. It''s a legend that has been passed down not only in Hylant Empire, but all over the world. But even though it''s called a legend, it''s not a story of creation like from a myth, it''s based on fact, and is as close to history as possible. It''s been about 1,500 years since the founding of the Imperial Kingdom of Hylant, where I live, began. The first nation created by humanity after the demon king was defeated and liberated by a legendary hero, also known as a "hero" or "saint," was this Hylant Empire. The hero ascended to the throne as the first emperor, and his bloodline is said to be connected to the current emperor. It is said that the ancient civilization fell into disuse during the hundreds of years that mankind was ruled by the Demon King until he was defeated by a hero, but in the world before that, there existed a magical civilization that surpassed even modern magic technology. And the birthplace of the ancient magical civilization is said to be the ancient city of Beckenburg, located in the western part of the Imperial Kingdom. It is a city similar to Kyoto in Japan. The civilization that developed around Beckenburg is said to have spread all over the world, with the current Imperial Kingdom at its center, but since the Demon King and his dependents, the demons, appeared about 2000 years ago and destroyed all of them, most of the technology has not been transmitted to the current era . However, that doesn''t mean that the legacy of the ancient magical civilization hasn''t been handed down at all. For example, the runes that are the key to activating the magic we use every day. They were invented during the time of the ancient magical civilization. From the time of the first emperor to the morden day , the runes are said to be the greatest heritage that has been restored through the efforts of many mages. Incidentally, the magic circle is said to be a later invention. That''s a little surprising. It must have been bloody difficult to unravel the mysteries of magic by comparing the chanting spells that had been passed down orally and secretly so as not to be discovered by mages, and the ancient runes that had been discovered through the excavation of ancient ruins. The fact that we are able to use magic today is due to all that hard work of our predecessors. These ruins hold such potential for the future. Even though the academic research has already been completed, there may be some undiscovered historical materials left behind. This was one of the reasons why adventurers were regularly asked to investigate the ruins, even though they were not of high importance. "Ruins, huh? It''s like ancient Greece or the Mayan civilization. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to see them when I was alive in Japan., because I died before I could travel abroad. I''ve been in historical sites in Japan like the Toro Ruins with its pit houses and the Sakitama Tumulus Group with its ancient tombs, but I''ve never been to "the ancient ruins" with buildings made of stone. Naturally, my tension was very high as i headed to the Lantern Ruins for the investigate ." "I''ve heard that the ruins are over 2000 years old. I''m a little excited. Since it was within 20 kilometers of the largest city in the northern region of the empire, I thought it would be a good idea to turn it into a tourist attraction, but unfortunately that didn''t seem to be the case. It seems that the concept of tourism itself does not exist. Unlike modern Japan, there are no convenient means of transportation such as trains or cars, so it is not so easy to travel. However, that is not to say that there are no sightseeing spots at all, and it seems that famous hot spring resorts and shrines are widely known by both the commoners and the nobility. The territory of the Farenheit Frontier Counts also has several famous shrines, and although it''s not part of the Frontier Counts'' territory, the neighboring territory of a parasitic noble of the same faction is a nationally famous hot spring resort. I''ve been wanting to visit one of these places for a while, but I haven''t been able to do so yet, so I might as well take the opportunity to do so once I''ve saved up some of my money as an adventurer. Now that I was thinking about the tourism situation in the Imperial Kingdom, it seemed that I was getting close to the Lantern Ruins. The distance of 20 kilometers is just a blink of an eye when you are driving at 50 kilometers per hour. In this world, traffic jams only occur in some urban shopping areas, and there are no traffic lights. Instead, the road conditions are so bad that it''s hard to say which is better: ....... Well, if need to driving, there''s nothing wrong with bumpy roads when you''re walking or running. The human foot is a great thing. In the meantime, i seemed to have finally reached the forest where the Lantern Ruins are located. The trees were quite dense, and the atmosphere was quite somber. "Hmm, this is another difficult forest to enter." The forests in this country are relatively sparse compared to Japan, probably due to the climate. They are probably closer to European forests. However, there are some rare forests that are like dense forests. This is exactly the case here. I don''t know what makes them like that, but you have to be careful because only in such dense forests are there many demons. "It would be nice if they would at least maintain the path. ......" I waded through the branches and stepped into the forest. The grass was rustling and tangling around my feet, making it extremely difficult to walk. "Wow, a spider web!" If i won''t be careful, spider webs can stick to my face. Even though I grew up running around in the fields, I still can''t get used to spider webs. I thought to myself, "Well, maybe I can put up a barrier to keep them out!" I felt like I had come up with a great idea. Fortunately, my magic power is literally an order of magnitude higher than that of other people. I think it''s an advantage for adventurers that they don''t have to worry about using it in such a useless way. "The Barrier." I deploy a thin, spherical magical barrier around myself.The C-rank non-attribute magic " Shield" wraps me around with a pretty cool noise. "This is good. I''ll do this again next time." It''s a very useful magic that consumes very little magic power because once it''s deployed, it doesn''t disappear until it''s broken. If you''re in a battle, you''ll probably have to reapply it many times, but fortunately i am exploring. It also prevents surprise attacks. I it can''t can''t break it unless you''re hit by surprise attack , it also means i can prevent surprise attacks. It is a magic that is essential when working in a place like this where visibility is limited. The only regret is that this is a C-rank spell, and there are not many mages who can use C-rank spells; a D-rank is considered a full-fledged mage, and a C-rank is enough to be a soldier or adventurer. It''s not like there are a lot of skilled mages in the world who can do better , it''s just a matter of time. Even though this is the country that gave birth to the brave, imperial people are not a fighting people. "Sonar." While deploying the barrier to prepare for surprise attacks and spider webs, it would be a shame to consume the barrier unnecessarily, so i using the sonar to detect demons. It seems that there are no demons within a 100 meter radius . "Whoa, it''s getting stronger ." There was a slightly stronger reaction in the area slightly farther than 100 meters. It wasn''t that strong, but it didn''t seem to be moving at all, and seemed to be staying in one place. It had a round silhouette. As soon as a small reaction - probably a wild rabbit or a small bird - walked by the silhouette, the round silhouette grew long and thin and charged the small reaction. In no time at all, the small reaction was swallowed up and eventually disappeared. "A snake." The elongated silhouette was probably a snake-shaped demon. The round shape must have been a coiled snake. I''m not sure what to make of it. Oh, looks like those are the remains. The silhouette, perhaps satisfied with its prey, curled up again to rest. It''s not like they''re approaching me , so there seems to be no need to be wary. It seemed that I had finally arrived at the Lantern Ruins. It had taken me about 30 minutes since I entered the forest. It''s not far, not close, just a normal distance. e. ...... Yeah, it matches the features of the data. I''m pretty sure this is the Lantern Ruins." The structure looks like a pile of quarried rocks, about 10 meters high and 40 meters wide. The cracked walls with ivy vines crawling on them reminded me of the long history of the ruins. CH 26 The ruins of a lantern made of rock, 10 meters high and 40 meters wide. The entrance was open, and the doors looked as if they had long since fallen into decay. In The inside of the ruin , slightly visible from the outside, was still covered with ivy and cobwebs, indicating the poor state of preservation. "If it''s an important ting , the government should pay to protect it. ......" Or should the government of the Farenheit frontier county do it? I''ll have to talk to my dad about this when I get home. We can''t let the historical buildings fall down. "I don''t really feel like going in there, though. I was expecting something a little more mysterious in terms of decorations since it was called an ancient ruin, but I couldn''t feel any aesthetic sense from the Lantern Ruins. They just piled up rocks and adopted the styles that were popular during the time of ancient civilization in the most obvious places. ...... At the very least, it looked like a warehouse, factory, or other industrial building, not a cultural facility. From what I''ve heard, there are many ruins of ancient civilizations in the streets of the ancient city of Beckenburg, and the scenery is very beautiful and elegant. As far as I could tell from the paintings in the travel books, at least there were not so many bleak buildings like the ruins in front of me. Well, this is also the countryside in the northern part of the Imperial Kingdom. Maybe they just didn''t need to make it as glamorous as the city. I was a little disappointed, but business is business, so I stepped into the Lantern Ruins. While deploying the barrier, I also remembered to activate the magic of the illumination light. The "lighting" has brightened up the previously pitch-black ruins. It''s much easier to walk now. Stepping on the floor, which was cracked in some places, I proceeded deeper into the ruins. The sight of rats and other unfamiliar insects crawling on the walls and floor was, to put it mildly, creepy. "It''s all about the barrier. ......" If i haven barrier spell , this would be the kind of request I would never accept. If i am not careful, i will soon find myself in a situation where ihave to interact with a ghetto. "I''m not sure which one it is. As I walked along with a chill running down my spine at the sight of these horrible lowlife, I eventually came to a fork in the road. On the right was a staircase leading to the upper floor, and on the left was a corridor leading to several rooms. I checked the booknote that the receptionist handed me when I accepted the request, and found that both were included in the survey. In the corridor, we wanted to check if the rooms had been ransacked. Are the stairs in a condition where people can go up and down? Let''s start with the stairs. I picked up a stone block that looked like it weighed close to forty kilos and started up the stairs. The weight of a six year old doesn''t give me an accurate idea of strength, so i have to make it as heavy as an adult before it''s worthwhile. Ip roceeded upstairs, where i was told that I would have to check a few more rooms. Checking the checklist, I went through each item, and after inspecting the roof, I went downstairs. . "At this rate, i will be done soon. I might be able to get home by the end of the day. I muttered to myself without saying anything to anyone and continued my investigation. After checking the first and second rooms, I was checking the last room when I suddenly noticed something strange. "¡¡What is that?"'' When I looked closely, I noticed that some of the color of the floor was discolored. It''s not a discoloration, but it''s as if the floor was originally made of a different material. It''s as if they are hiding something underneath it. ...... "...... ''sonar''." I put my hand on the floor and shoot the "sonar" from my palm towards the basement. "¡¡This is also bizarre." Underneath that different colored floor, as expected, there was a mysterious space that seemed to extend quite deep into the earth. "...... I didn''t see anything like this in the materials you gave me. What''s going on?" The most likely scenario is that some bandit or someone has modified the ruins and is using it as a stronghold, or that there is a new discovery that the researchers could not find. To be honest, I don''t think that bandits are using the ruins as a stronghold. Who would want to build a stronghold in such a remote place? I wonder if this is a new discovery that the researchers couldn''t find. To be honest, I don''t think that''s very likely either, but I think it''s the most likely possibility. Why did the ancients bother to leave ruins in such a place? Why are the Lantern ruins not considered that important? I think it is because the true value of these ruins has not yet been discovered. ...... "I can''t open it. The floor doesn''t budge even when I push or step on it. I''m pretty sure this place is connected to the underground. Is there some other gimmick hidden somewhere? I carefully observed the room. But I''m not a researcher, so there''s no way I can find any unique mechanism. "Hmm, I''ll cheat a little." I''m not going to get anywhere, so I''m going to use a very weak [shock] and destroy only the parts that are a different color, being very careful not to affect the ruins. Boom! ...... "......okey !" A hole was made in the floor with a rather loud noise. We were here to do a conservation survey of the ruins, and it seemed like a bad idea to damage the ruins, but if it was a major historical discovery, there would be no blame. There are necessary sacrifices, I guess. I''m willing to bet that it''s probably a great discovery. "It''s surprisingly beautiful over here. ...... Again, there was no light, but it was no problem since I can illuminated by "lights". Because it was sealed up, the inside was relatively clean, unlike the outside where it was open. Above all, there were no insects. It was wonderful. I went down the stairs for a few minutes. There was still no sign of reaching the room downstairs. I feel like I''ve been down about ten floors already, but the narrow view never seems to change. "Hmmm... I''m in trouble. It''s going to be very boring if this keeps going on and on. There''s no road more difficult to walk than a road with no goal in sight. I shot my sonar down to check the remaining distance. "What? But that may have been a mistake. Even after all this walking, I was still only a tenth of the way down. ", Wait, how many floors is this?¡¡How did the ancients dig this up? A mole?"" The depth was about four to five hundred meters from the ground. To be honest, I was afraid that it was so deep that even if buried the Tokyo Tower in the ground, it still wouldn''t be enough. "I''m a little worried about the oxygen level. ......" I felt uneasy, so I deployed a larger-than-usual "barrier" to ensure that there was enough air inside. This will allow me to operate in an oxygen-free and toxic zone for a few hours. I went down for a while as it was, but when I got about halfway down, my knees were laughing at me for goodness sake, so I decided to use [Shock] to move faster. I released a weak shockwave from the soles of my feet to soften the impact when I landed, and ran down the stairs, skipping a few steps. I succeeded in descending several times faster than before, and was able to reach the bottom much more easily. "It''s a big door." At the end of the stairs was a metal door that opened in both directions and was at least five meters high. It had a picture of a supernatural being, a dwarf, and people. "Is it an ancient temple or something?" I don''t think it''s a temple, because the decoration on the ground part was quite poor for a temple. In any case, nothing can be done until the door is opened, so I activate my "body enhancement" and push the door open, taking care to be ready for anything. The door opens with a heavy gurgling ...... sound and I see what''s on the other side of the door. "This is ......!" When I saw it, I yelped and froze. What I saw on the other side of the door were countless passageways that seemed to be tunnels stretching as far as the eye could see, and a pile of silvery white metal ingots piled high in the middle. What caught my attention most of all was a single, iridescent metal ingot that was placed in the center of the pile. CH 27 "This is ......!" The countless tunnels and piles of metal ingots in front of me left me in awe. The pile of silvery metal ingots alone must have been the size of a four-ton truck. The rainbow-colored ingot in the center of the pile was probably as big as a child. Clearly, it''s out of the ordinary. "It''s a definite discovery of the century. ......" While keeping an eye on my surroundings, I approached the pile of ingots and observed them from a close distance. When I picked up the silver ingot, it was very heavy and did not feel like a fake at all. "I have to report this as soon as possible. I''ll just take one with me as proof." The rainbow-colored one didn''t seem heavy enough si take it as proof , so I put the silver one I had just picked up into my leather bag and turned back. It was a shame that I had gotten so rich, but I didn''t have an endless box of items like in novels and games. I felt a twinge of regret, but there was nothing I could do about it. When ] people get greedy, they usually fail. I closed the heavy metal door and ran up the stairs at a speed many times faster than when I came in while using [Shock]. After a few minutes of running, I finally arrived at the room I came from. I left the lantern ruins and ran off into the forest, this time with my "body enhancement" and "shock" on full blast. I dove through the dense trees, jumping from branch to branch as I ran through the forest. I hadn''t thought that my old training in the mountains would come in handy in a place like this. "Oh, that''s the snake from earlier.> In order to avoid unnecessary battles, I had also activated my sonar, and at the end of my perception, the reaction of the giant snake that had been there when I arrived appeared. It seems to have eaten its prey earlier and is still curled up and asleep. "It;s so carefree." I was a little annoyed that it was relaxing while I was in such a hurry, so I kneaded a little magic power, put it on my sonar, and released it toward the snake in the distance. "Oh, it fell." The snake, perhaps startled by the suddenness of the attack, jumped up and fell from the branch where it had been resting. The way it jumped up from its coiled position was like a spring toy. "Hahaha, yeah.: After relieving myself of a little stress, I ran out of the forest. It was not yet evening, but the late afternoon sun was dazzling. "Ah, the cart ......." There was a cart nearby that had been left at the entrance to the forest. I had left it at the entrance of the forest because I could not drive it into the forest. "I''m in a hurry right now. . I''ll come back and leave it there until then. ......" It''s a pity, but it can''t be helped. No one would bother to come to such an underpopulated area to steal something. After that, it took me about 20 minutes to get back to Heitburg. There were no obstacles, and it was just a straight shot, so I got there very quickly. ?? As soon as I got back to Heitburg, I didn''t take any detours and headed straight for the guild. When I opened the door to the guild and entered the building, the guild was crowded with adventurers who had completed their requests. I weaved my way through the adventurers to the reception desk. "¡¡What''s wrong?" Perhaps because I came back too early, the receptionist came to see if there was a problem. "I have something important to tell you about the Lantern Ruins. I''d like to talk to you in a private room or with the guild master if possible." "Important?¡¡...... Okay. I can''t just take the you to Guildmaster, so I''ll ask him in the back room first." "Thanks." "Sorry, it''s a rule," said the receptionist, leading me to the back room. "So, what''s the matter?" If I were an ordinary six-year-old, the conversation would not have gone so smoothly. I was grateful for my aristocratic status at times like this. "Actually, I''ve already been to the Lantern Ruins, but I found something amazing there. "Oh, you''ve already been there and back?¡¡Did you use a horse?" Well, it''s not impossible with a horse, is it? That''s what most people would think. In fact, the Fahrenheit family has a few fast horses. "No, it''s not like that, but it''s true that I went and came back. Well, I figured that''s the way to go." "Okay, " I''ll tell her about my unique magic another time. I''m sure she will be able to understand if I explain it to her at the time when i will be tested for promotion to the next rank. "So, the great discovery is this." I took out a silver ingot from the leather bag I was carrying and placed it on the desk. "......Could this be ...... mithril?!" Mithril ....... It''s not just silver or aluminum, it''s silver with a strange luster. I''m not sure wha to make of it. I took out a mithril key tag with my family crest from my pocket and compared it to the shine of the ingot. "Yeah, it definitely looks like mithril." "Hal, can I take this to the guild?¡¡I want to make sure it''s real alright ?. "Sure." "Thank you, I''ll be right back, have a cup of tea and wait for me!" As soon as she said that, the receptionist ran to the back of the guild with a silver lump that seemed to be mithril. Well, I guess I''m going to be bored for while. In order to pass the time, I''m going to do some meditation to amplify my magic power, which I''ve been slacking on lately. ............. ................... "Sorry to keep you waiting." "Welcome back." By the time she came back, I had a slight increase in magic power. Well, joking aside. "So, how did it go?" "I''ve only done a quick appraisal, but I''m pretty sure it''s real mithril. ...... You found that in the Lantern Ruins, didn''t you? "Yes, I did. Well, to be precise, in a huge, supposedly undiscovered crypt beneath the Lantern Ruins." "Undiscovered areas of ancient ruins. ...... Hal, this is amazing. This is the discovery of the century. It could go down in the history books." The receptionist told me with a serious face, no joke. It''s not as if she was talking about herself. "The greatness is yet to come. Actually, that ingot is only one of many. I think there were roughly a thousand times as many in the Lantern Ruins. "A thousand times!" "Also, there was a rainbow-colored ingot in the center, do you know what it is?" The receptionist was troubled to hear the word "rainbow". "I don''t know. ...... Either way, this is way out of my area . I''ll take you to the guild master, and we can go over it again. "Yes." So I was told, and I was ave to meet with the guild master. ?? "It''s probably an orichalcum." In the Guildmaster''s room on the second floor of the Adventurer''s Guild, me, the receptionist, and the Guildmaster (a strange-looking woman) talked. "Orihalcon is ......, the legendary one!" The receptionist was astonished at what the guildmaster had said. "Yes, I''m sure of it. As far as I know, orichalcone is the only metal that glitters in rainbow colors. There was also a mountain of mithril, so I think it''s highly plausible. I''m not sure how you found it, but I''m glad you did. ...... Mr. Eberhard." Guilmaz spoke to me. Despite the fact that it happened so much, I''m the one who brought the story to you, the six-year-old. He seemed to be quite taken aback by the out-of-the-ordinary development. "I felt something strange on the floor of the ruins, so I checked with ''sonar'' and found it." "It''s amazing that you can use sonar at your age, and it''s also amazing that you noticed it." "Sonar" is a C-rank non-attribute magic, right?¡¡There aren''t that many adventurers who can use it, are there?" The receptionist''s eyes on me changed to those of a child prodigy. "Well, even I didn''t learn ''sonar'' until I was 15. "You''re bteer than Gilmas? "Yes. Well, it doesn''t matter to me. The Lantern Ruins are more important right now The receptionist told me that when she was young (and he still looks pretty young), Gilmas was famous around the Haightburg area as an A-rank adventurer. The receptionist secretly told me about it. I wonder if there''s a law in this world that says beautiful women are strong. Well, that''s beside the point. "What''s going to happen to this ingot? I asked implicitly, "As the first discoverer, can I claim ownership of the ingot? Gilmas smiled slightly at me and said gently; "Don''t worry. As the finder, you will have 50% ownership. "Fifty percent?" "Yes. Normally it is 100%, but this time the situation is a little different. You went to the Lantern Ruins on a research mission, right?¡¡Since the purpose of the mission was to investigate, we can''t afford not to give the client any of the results of it . I''m sure you were paid well for that, so it''s a good deal ". "What about the ownership of the Lantern Ruins?¡¡Ownership, or rather jurisdiction, is fine. "Ownership?¡¡I don''t know who owns those ruins, ....... I thought it was under the jurisdiction of a research institute under the direct control of the imperial government. It''s a little unclear. If you don''t make this kind of information clear, before you know it, it could be illegally occupied by a shady merchant or individual and they could claim ownership. Humans have a strange habit of flocking to places that smell of money. "If the ownership of the Lantern Ruins is unclear, I would like the Adventurer''s Guild to hurry up and recommend to the territorial government or the country that the Lantern Ruins be officially owned by the public, and to temporarily blockade the area until it is owned by the public. I am request it not as a adventurer, but as the next head of the Farenheit family. Even though the Fahrenheit family is behind this, the Adventurers Guild and the Frontier Counts are two separate organizations. There is no hierarchy between them. So, of course, we can''t issue orders with compelling force, but that doesn''t mean we can ignore the requests of either side lightly. In order to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship, it is important to cooperate with each other. "You''re right. I''ll send a few trustworthy adventurers and guild staff to the ruins as soon as possible. Leave the requesting to me. I''ll also contact the headquarters of the Adventurer''s Guild in the Imperial City. "I''ll ask my dad for help too." "Hmm, you''re very convincing, Eberhard. Isn''t that a bit unfair?" "Well?" I''m simply saying that it''s easier to talk to someone when their father is the head of the territorial government. I have to use my connections. "I can''t wait to see what the future holds for you." Gilmas muttered with a bitter smile. I felt somewhat sorry for the receptionist who had been left behind. um.. sorry for mess with chapter 28 , sorry added chapter double and n the second time press number instead of 7 so .. by the way how to make updates auto instead of manual ? CH 28 "This is ......!" The countless tunnels and piles of metal ingots in front of me left me in awe. The pile of silvery metal ingots alone must have been the size of a four-ton truck. The rainbow-colored ingot in the center of the pile was probably as big as a child. Clearly, it''s out of the ordinary. "It''s a definite discovery of the century. ......" While keeping an eye on my surroundings, I approached the pile of ingots and observed them from a close distance. When I picked up the silver ingot, it was very heavy and did not feel like a fake at all. "I have to report this as soon as possible. I''ll just take one with me as proof." The rainbow-colored one didn''t seem heavy enough si take it as proof , so I put the silver one I had just picked up into my leather bag and turned back. It was a shame that I had gotten so rich, but I didn''t have an endless box of items like in novels and games. I felt a twinge of regret, but there was nothing I could do about it. When ] people get greedy, they usually fail. I closed the heavy metal door and ran up the stairs at a speed many times faster than when I came in while using [Shock]. After a few minutes of running, I finally arrived at the room I came from. I left the lantern ruins and ran off into the forest, this time with my "body enhancement" and "shock" on full blast. I dove through the dense trees, jumping from branch to branch as I ran through the forest. I hadn''t thought that my old training in the mountains would come in handy in a place like this. "Oh, that''s the snake from earlier.> In order to avoid unnecessary battles, I had also activated my sonar, and at the end of my perception, the reaction of the giant snake that had been there when I arrived appeared. It seems to have eaten its prey earlier and is still curled up and asleep. "It;s so carefree." I was a little annoyed that it was relaxing while I was in such a hurry, so I kneaded a little magic power, put it on my sonar, and released it toward the snake in the distance. "Oh, it fell." The snake, perhaps startled by the suddenness of the attack, jumped up and fell from the branch where it had been resting. The way it jumped up from its coiled position was like a spring toy. "Hahaha, yeah.: After relieving myself of a little stress, I ran out of the forest. It was not yet evening, but the late afternoon sun was dazzling. "Ah, the cart ......." There was a cart nearby that had been left at the entrance to the forest. I had left it at the entrance of the forest because I could not drive it into the forest. "I''m in a hurry right now. . I''ll come back and leave it there until then. ......" It''s a pity, but it can''t be helped. No one would bother to come to such an underpopulated area to steal something. After that, it took me about 20 minutes to get back to Heitburg. There were no obstacles, and it was just a straight shot, so I got there very quickly. ?? As soon as I got back to Heitburg, I didn''t take any detours and headed straight for the guild. When I opened the door to the guild and entered the building, the guild was crowded with adventurers who had completed their requests. I weaved my way through the adventurers to the reception desk. "¡¡What''s wrong?" Perhaps because I came back too early, the receptionist came to see if there was a problem. "I have something important to tell you about the Lantern Ruins. I''d like to talk to you in a private room or with the guild master if possible." "Important?¡¡...... Okay. I can''t just take the you to Guildmaster, so I''ll ask him in the back room first." "Thanks." "Sorry, it''s a rule," said the receptionist, leading me to the back room. "So, what''s the matter?" If I were an ordinary six-year-old, the conversation would not have gone so smoothly. I was grateful for my aristocratic status at times like this. "Actually, I''ve already been to the Lantern Ruins, but I found something amazing there. "Oh, you''ve already been there and back?¡¡Did you use a horse?" Well, it''s not impossible with a horse, is it? That''s what most people would think. In fact, the Fahrenheit family has a few fast horses. "No, it''s not like that, but it''s true that I went and came back. Well, I figured that''s the way to go." "Okay, " I''ll tell her about my unique magic another time. I''m sure she will be able to understand if I explain it to her at the time when i will be tested for promotion to the next rank. "So, the great discovery is this." I took out a silver ingot from the leather bag I was carrying and placed it on the desk. "......Could this be ...... mithril?!" Mithril ....... It''s not just silver or aluminum, it''s silver with a strange luster. I''m not sure wha to make of it. I took out a mithril key tag with my family crest from my pocket and compared it to the shine of the ingot. "Yeah, it definitely looks like mithril." "Hal, can I take this to the guild?¡¡I want to make sure it''s real alright ?. "Sure." "Thank you, I''ll be right back, have a cup of tea and wait for me!" As soon as she said that, the receptionist ran to the back of the guild with a silver lump that seemed to be mithril. Well, I guess I''m going to be bored for while. In order to pass the time, I''m going to do some meditation to amplify my magic power, which I''ve been slacking on lately. ............. ................... "Sorry to keep you waiting." "Welcome back." By the time she came back, I had a slight increase in magic power. Well, joking aside. "So, how did it go?" "I''ve only done a quick appraisal, but I''m pretty sure it''s real mithril. ...... You found that in the Lantern Ruins, didn''t you? "Yes, I did. Well, to be precise, in a huge, supposedly undiscovered crypt beneath the Lantern Ruins." "Undiscovered areas of ancient ruins. ...... Hal, this is amazing. This is the discovery of the century. It could go down in the history books." The receptionist told me with a serious face, no joke. It''s not as if she was talking about herself. "The greatness is yet to come. Actually, that ingot is only one of many. I think there were roughly a thousand times as many in the Lantern Ruins. "A thousand times!" "Also, there was a rainbow-colored ingot in the center, do you know what it is?" The receptionist was troubled to hear the word "rainbow". "I don''t know. ...... Either way, this is way out of my area . I''ll take you to the guild master, and we can go over it again. "Yes." So I was told, and I was ave to meet with the guild master. ?? "It''s probably an orichalcum." In the Guildmaster''s room on the second floor of the Adventurer''s Guild, me, the receptionist, and the Guildmaster (a strange-looking woman) talked. "Orihalcon is ......, the legendary one!" The receptionist was astonished at what the guildmaster had said. "Yes, I''m sure of it. As far as I know, orichalcone is the only metal that glitters in rainbow colors. There was also a mountain of mithril, so I think it''s highly plausible. I''m not sure how you found it, but I''m glad you did. ...... Mr. Eberhard." Guilmaz spoke to me. Despite the fact that it happened so much, I''m the one who brought the story to you, the six-year-old. He seemed to be quite taken aback by the out-of-the-ordinary development. "I felt something strange on the floor of the ruins, so I checked with ''sonar'' and found it." "It''s amazing that you can use sonar at your age, and it''s also amazing that you noticed it." "Sonar" is a C-rank non-attribute magic, right?¡¡There aren''t that many adventurers who can use it, are there?" The receptionist''s eyes on me changed to those of a child prodigy. "Well, even I didn''t learn ''sonar'' until I was 15. "You''re bteer than Gilmas? "Yes. Well, it doesn''t matter to me. The Lantern Ruins are more important right now The receptionist told me that when she was young (and he still looks pretty young), Gilmas was famous around the Haightburg area as an A-rank adventurer. The receptionist secretly told me about it. I wonder if there''s a law in this world that says beautiful women are strong. Well, that''s beside the point. "What''s going to happen to this ingot? I asked implicitly, "As the first discoverer, can I claim ownership of the ingot? Gilmas smiled slightly at me and said gently; "Don''t worry. As the finder, you will have 50% ownership. "Fifty percent?" "Yes. Normally it is 100%, but this time the situation is a little different. You went to the Lantern Ruins on a research mission, right?¡¡Since the purpose of the mission was to investigate, we can''t afford not to give the client any of the results of it . I''m sure you were paid well for that, so it''s a good deal ". "What about the ownership of the Lantern Ruins?¡¡Ownership, or rather jurisdiction, is fine. "Ownership?¡¡I don''t know who owns those ruins, ....... I thought it was under the jurisdiction of a research institute under the direct control of the imperial government. It''s a little unclear. If you don''t make this kind of information clear, before you know it, it could be illegally occupied by a shady merchant or individual and they could claim ownership. Humans have a strange habit of flocking to places that smell of money. "If the ownership of the Lantern Ruins is unclear, I would like the Adventurer''s Guild to hurry up and recommend to the territorial government or the country that the Lantern Ruins be officially owned by the public, and to temporarily blockade the area until it is owned by the public. I am request it not as a adventurer, but as the next head of the Farenheit family. Even though the Fahrenheit family is behind this, the Adventurers Guild and the Frontier Counts are two separate organizations. There is no hierarchy between them. So, of course, we can''t issue orders with compelling force, but that doesn''t mean we can ignore the requests of either side lightly. In order to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship, it is important to cooperate with each other. "You''re right. I''ll send a few trustworthy adventurers and guild staff to the ruins as soon as possible. Leave the requesting to me. I''ll also contact the headquarters of the Adventurer''s Guild in the Imperial City. "I''ll ask my dad for help too." "Hmm, you''re very convincing, Eberhard. Isn''t that a bit unfair?" "Well?" I''m simply saying that it''s easier to talk to someone when their father is the head of the territorial government. I have to use my connections. "I can''t wait to see what the future holds for you." Gilmas muttered with a bitter smile. I felt somewhat sorry for the receptionist who had been left behind. um.. sorry for mess with chapter 28 , sorry added chapter double and n the second time press number instead of 7 so .. by the way how to make updates auto instead of manual ? CH 29 When we arrived at the backyard, we immediately started preparing to build the workshop. The first thing we had to do was to select a location. We had already done this last time, so we only needed to check. The next step was to design the building. This is where Mei''s talent came into play. First, she drew a picture of what kind of building she wanted on a piece of paper with a pen, and her drawing was very good. Her lines were not blurred at all, and her perspective was very clear. The quality of her drawings is so good that she might be able to make a living as a painter in a few years. But that''s where it really begins. Mei''''s blueprint of the workshop was as accurate as if it were drawn by a professional architect. It was not the kind of building that a young child would draw that ignored the laws of physics. She had designed the workshop realistically, with a firm understanding of the laws of physics at work in the real world. "Wow, ......, that''s amazing ......!" I could not help but groan at this. Mei''s blueprint was based on stone, but the building itself was a two-story structure. Just like Mei ''s parents'' house, the first floor was the workshop and the second floor was the living space. It seems that the roof and floor will be made of wood. It was a perfect blueprint. "Mei , did you just think of this?" "Yes, I did. , I just made the house a little more three-dimensional. Modern buildings are made of reinforced concrete, so it''s a different story, but basically, pre-modern stone buildings are not 100% stone. Thinking about it. If all the roofs and floors were made of stone, what guarantee would there be that they would not fall down? In the first place, it would be nearly impossible to cut out stones of the same size as those used for the ceiling and floor. So the basic pattern is to build a frame out of wood, or make the building stand on its own with stone walls, and then just put a wooden roof on top. ...... Would a six-year-old with no building experience normally design a wooden roof or second floor?¡¡They would never think that deeply about it. Not many adults understand the roof and framework of a stone building either, I guess. It really makes me think that Mei is always looking at things in great detail. I guess people with a different point of view like this will become big deals in the future. Mei is still a great girl. "The material ...... for the stone walls is fine because of May''s earth magic, but the problem is the wood for the roof. The wood for the roof and floor of the workshop must be straight. The wood for the roof and floor of the workshop must be straight, not squishy like in a pit house. "I''ll ask the servants in the finance department. I''m sorry to say that I have to rely on them every time, but I hope they''ll tolerate it as a child''s work. I''m sorry that I have to ask them every time. "Lumber?¡¡It''s in Warehouse No. 4. I''ll show you." Our administration department was excellent. It is a mystery why the warehouse of a nobleman''s mansion is stocked with straight lumber, just like a lumber store, but it is better to have it than not, so I will not complain. A certain amount of waste is important. If you keep cutting back, you''re going to go bankrupt in an emergency. "Then let''s take this and this with us." This time, according to the plan Mei had designed, I carried a few pieces of wood of a good length. I can carry a few pieces of wood with no problem if I am physically enhanced, so I can carry all the wood back and forth several times. "I''ll return the key to the warehouse later, so you can go back." "All right. " I told the servant that, and I decided to work hard with Mei on the transport. ¡¡. After a few back and forth trips, we (or rather just me ) finally finished carrying all the lumber for the framework. "Alright!¡¡I''m going to build it now!" Well, I guess it''s okay that Mei seems to be having fun. "Well, I''ll start building the pillars." "Yes! I carefully pushed the pillar into the ground according to the blueprint, making sure it was vertical. I carefully pushed the pillar into the ground so that it was perpendicular to the blueprint. For a while after that, I built the pillars and Mei continued to correct them according to the plans. The next step was to build the wall. "Okay, Mei-. I''m looking forward to working with you. "Me too " As she rolled up her arms, Mei used earth attribute magic with a subtle line that could not be called a spell. "''Gnome, I want to make a stone wall, so please do your best. What do you mean, "please do your best"? And what about the earth spirit gnomes who do their best with that random spell?" But the effect of that random spell was tremendous, and the stone wall that grew out of the ground grew larger and larger, covering the framework. It was an excellent construction process, but when it reached the halfway point, the stone wall suddenly stopped. "Mei?" "It''s ...... already...." When I looked, I saw that Mei had run out of magic power and collapsed. This is the first time I''ve ever seen such a thing. "Water ......." "What Mei needs now is not water, but magic power. I don''t know where I learned that. As I prodded her, I tuned in to her wavelength and transferred my own magic power to her. Mei is recovering quickly. "Oh, I''ll come back to life. ......" This is the first time I''ve ever seen such a thing. After regaining her energy, she resumed construction. So, after two more sessions of replenishing her magic (this time before she collapsed), I built the roof, Mei built the walls, and the workshop was finally complete. "It''s done!" We high-fived each other and shared our joy. ...... But as usual, I was hugged. Mei, you love to hug me. ...... I don''t know if she''s strong because she''s a dwarf, but it''s quite painful ....... Well, I don''t feel bad that she likes me, so I won''t say anything. It''s a good thing that I was able to complete it this time, but I don''t think I can stick around every time I need to replenish her magic. She''s not a person with a lot of magical energy, so if she''s going to stay in the workshop as long as she wants, we''ll have to solve the problem of supplying her with magical energy. I''m not sure what I''m going to do about it. ...... CH 30 Mei''s magic supply problem was the biggest obstacle to developing her talent. She is a genius at forging and earth-based alchemical magic. However, she doesn''t have the amount of magic power necessary to develop her talent. As I wanted to live a comfortable life with Mei''s technical skills and modern knowledge as soon as possible, it was an urgent task for me to find a way to compensate for her lack of magical power. "Hmm, the obvious and cheap way is mana potions..." A mana potion, or a potion that restores magic power, is an essential item for adventurers to recover their magic power. The only drawback is that if you use it too much, it becomes less effective, and more importantly, it is not good for health. The other disadvantage is that it costs a lot of money for ordinary people, but that''s not a problem for me since I have almost unlimited funds. However, I am still concerned about Mei''s health. A mana potion is like an energy drink. They use chemicals to forcibly bring the body into a state suitable for recovering magic power, and promote early recovery of magic power. This is the basic idea behind magic recovery potions. There were two types of mana potions, and most of the mana potions sold to the public were of that pattern. There is another type of potion that dissolves magic power into water and takes the magic power itself into the body, but it is rarely sold. This is because it is very dangerous. Magic power is like a powerful drug. If you take too much magic into your body, you will get addicted to it before your body gets used to it. This is the reason why I matched my wavelength when I transferred my magic power to Mei. "It''s annoying. ......"" "What''s the matter ?" Mei, who was very happy after finishing the construction of the workshop, innocently asked me. It''s good to be a child, isn''t it? You don''t have to think about anything difficult. Well, I''m a kid now, too. ...... "No, Mei''s magic power is not good enough to use magic like this. I''m trying to figure out how to fix that, you know? "It takes time to increase your magic power." Mei said as if it was someone else''s problem. I''m thinking about it for you (and me)! "I''m sure it''s a different story if you have a magic power outlet. ......" I think I''ve got an idea. "If Mei herself lacks magical power, it would be nice if there was someone who could make up for it like I did earlier ... It doesn''t have to be a human being ..? ... This is probably should be external battery. Wouldn''t it be a solution if we could make it? " You should be thankful for modern knowledge. If I hadn''t been living in Japan, I wouldn''t have come up with this idea. "External magical power battery. Let''s do this." "Mei, let''s go into town for a bit." "We going out? "A little shopping. I''ve got an idea." " I am coming !" I took Mei into the city with me. We''ll go past the public areas, the upscale residential areas and the market street. "Mei, which is the commercial district?" We''re going to the commercial district, which sells magical tools, alchemy materials, and industrial products. The market street is mainly for selling food and handicrafts, so if you want to buy daily necessities, furniture, and home appliances , go to the commercial district. If you want to buy daily necessities, furniture, home appliances, etc., you need to go to the commercial district. Mey''s family was a forging workshop, not a weapon shop, so I thought she might know a store that sold wholesale goods. "That''s over there!" Mei walked toward the central square. Well, the central square is literally in the center of the city.so you can basically go anywhere in the city once you get there. "Hmm, I think it''s that way.", When we arrived at the central square, we walked to the south side of the square with a little anxiety in Mei ''s words. It''s true that the main street runs through it and it seems to be the most lively, so I think it''s this way. "Oh." At the beginning of the road stretching from the central square to each direction, there was an arrow-shaped sign with the name of the street, the direction, and the name of the district ahead. "Arnold Street," "Commercial District, this way. Apparently, this was the right way. ?? "we arrived " "Oh." After a few minutes of walking, we came to the commercial district. There are many clothing stores, pottery shops, general stores, and magic tools stores lined up all over the place. There seemed to be a few weapon shops here and there. "Now, let''s go to the store that sells magic stones. Is it okay to go to a store that sells materials for alchemy?" "Probably, yes." We walked in search of a material shop." "Mare Clothing Store", "Stanley Magic Tool Store", "Ars Alchemy Workshop" ....... Hmm?¡¡I didn''t know there was an alchemy shop here. It''s not an industrial area. "There''s a lot of custom-made alchemy here. "I see. ...... " As we walked along talking about this, we finally found a store that we need "Material shop Black". This is it. We passed a signboard with pictures of materials such as steel and wood, and opened the wooden door. The door opened with a clanking sound. "Welcome." Inside was an old man in his forties, sitting at the back of the store. "What, it''s just the two of you?" "Yeah." "Do you have any money?¡¡What we have here is pretty expensive." "We''ll be fine. "Okay. Then take your time." Well, two kids alone usually make you nervous. I can''t wait for to grow up. "Old man, do you have any magic stones?" "Magical stone?¡¡The magic stone is on the right shelf." "Thanks." The right ...... shelf on the left, from the old man''s point of view, has a basket of magic stones, divided into different sizes. "Oh, nice. Let''s see, ......?" "It''s beautiful." We started with the lowest rank magic stones. They cost about 1,500 El. The price of a goblin''s magic stone is about 1,000 ells, so it''s a fair price. I concentrated on examining the amount of magic power inside the demon stones. "It''s about a quarter of ...... Mei." It seems to have a good capacity. However, it''s probably enough to activate the daily grimoire, but not enough to compensate for Mei''s magical power. Next, we take a look at the one next shelf to it, which is a higher rank. This one seems to have more D rank demon stones. The amount of magic power is about half that of Mei''s, and the price is 4000 ells. The price is 4,000 ells, and it starts to get a little expensive around here. Next to them, there was a line of demon stones that seemed to belong to C-rank demons. They don''t seem to have any higher-ranked ones. "The higher-ranked demon stones are in the back of the store. I don''t like it when people steal them." "I see. The magic stones are small. Some people might steaing l them "The C-ranked magic stones are available at ....... Oh, this is good." This time, it seemed to have enough magic power for one person, Mei. The price was 10,000 ells a piece. It''s a bit expensive, but it''s a reasonable price . "I''ll take about 20 of these C-rank magic stones. "Hey, hey, it''s going to cost a lot. Are you okay with that?" "yes , here the whole price ...... You''re good, kid. Thanks a lot!" The old man finds 20 C-ranked magic stones and puts them in a box. "I''ll have to make a case for the outside of the magic tank." Even if I only buy the magic stones inside, it will be sad if they are bare. "Oh, I like this. Mei , do you know what this is? "I think it''s aluminum." "You''re clever , girl. That''s right." I think I''ll go for aluminum because it''s light and easy to carry around. "Oh, you bought a lot. Yso I''ll give you some more . Come back again." "That''s very generous!: This is how we got the magic stone that holds the magic power of twenty Mei, and the aluminum that will be the battery''s outer case. When we got back home, we''ll start making the magic battery CH 31 In order to make the magic battery , we bought 20 magic stones and 2kg of aluminum. because magic stones have the property of storing magic power, just like dry cell batteries are used to power magic tools. But actually, not just any magic power will do. What''s more, ordinary magic stones cannot be reused. Strictly speaking, reuse is not theoretically impossible, but it is difficult for almost all people who use magic stones. Demon stones are the crystallized form of demon power. Just as the waveform of magical power differs from person to person, each individual demon has its own pattern of magical power, just like a fingerprint. In other words, as long as the magic power is extracted from the magic stone and used, each magic power of the stone has a slightly different waveform. Therefore, if I want to recharge, or rather fill, a magic stone, I -have to send magic power according to the wave form of the magic stone. And since there are not many people who can do such a dexterous job, reusing magic stones is not very realistic. However, I think. If it''s difficult to fill the magic stone, why not make a device that makes it easy to do so? Using my modern knowledge and Mei''s genius engineering sense, I''m going to develop a device that converts the waveform of magic power. A device that converts the waveform of magic power. It''s easy to say in words, but probably very difficult to make. I myself am good at controlling magic power, so I can change the wavelength at will, but that''s meaningless. I have to somehow artificially or mechanically convert the waveform of the magic power. "Hmmm, what should I do? ......" As I groan, May asks me, crossing her arms. -What do you mean?" "In other words, I should increase or decrease the amount of magic flowing, so that the stones are in line with each other, right? "That''s right. I''m just trying to figure out how to do that." "Let''s use ...... mithril." "Mithril? "We have a lot of mithril, but what are we going to do with it?" "Mithril is a metal whose power is very easily transmitted. Aluminum, on the other hand, is not that easy to pass on. I''m sure you''ll be able to find something that works for you. ".................. That''s it! To be honest, it took me quite a while to understand what Mei was saying, but I guess that''s what it comes down to. It''s not that I''m not a fan of the idea, but the idea was to make a conductor out of these two alloys to create a magic circuit. The speed, volume, and pressure of the magical power flowing through the wire would change depending on whether more or less of one of the two metals was used when making the alloy. In the event that you''ve got a lot of time and energy, you''ll be able to make use of it to your advantage. --To be honest, I didn''t expect Mei to come up with such a idea so easily. Maybe I hadn''t yet gauged May''s true talent . ".. This will work." I can measure the magic power to adjust the wavelength, and Mei can adjust the mixing ratio accordingly. It''ll work. If May and I combine our powers, we can create a great invention that doesn''t exist yet in this world. ?? "What do you think? "Hmm, I need more mithril. Oh, way more " , "yeah, it will be enough " " than next. one How about this one? "Oh, I think there''s too much ...... this time. Make it more aluminum. ...... "Right. Okay" "that''s good." May and I continued to build the converter, making adjustments little by little. It was quick to come up with a theory, but the rest of the work was steady and repetitive. "Yes. Okay, that''s the last one." "Yes." The last step was to match the wavelength of Mei s magic power. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. Humans also have their own waveforms and wavelengths. It''s not a problem for someone like me who can convert it on his own, but for someone who can''t, if he takes the magic power of the magic stone directly into his body, he''ll get addicted to it. In other words, it''s like the relationship between blood type and blood transfusion. Even if the blood is the same, if the type doesn''t match, it will be rejected and the blood will coagulate. You can think of it like that. "Now, shall we make it? "Yes. ...... What''s this? "Yeah, a little more mithril. ...... Next, increase the aluminum. ...... Oh, and decrease it a bit. ....... Next. The last step was to match the wavelength of Mei ''s magic power. It doesn''t matter what wavelength i use a magic tool, but it''s different when i take out magic power and use it. Humans also have their own waveforms and wavelengths. It''s not a problem if you''re a person who can convert it on your own like me, but if you''re not, and you take the magic power of the magic stone directly into your body, you''ll get addicted to magic power. We worked for several hours. The sun had already set and it was getting dark when the magic battery was finally completed. "So, it''s done: ......!" ""It''s done!¡¡Yay!" Mei was so innocent. She was jumping up and down with joy. "You did it, Hal!"" "Geez! It''s always nice to be hugged like this. "It''s a little late, but let''s try it out." "Of course!" Mei stands up, carrying a magic battery in the shape of a school bag. Although it looks like a school bag, the body is made of aluminum, not leather. " Magic power supply is on!" "It''s the start! When the switch is pressed, the device begins to supply magic power. "Oh, it''s coming, it''s coming! "Oh, yes, it''s coming!"" May exclaimed with a strangely erotic expression on her face, but apparently we had succeeded. When the magic power in the battery is reduced to a certain extent, I turn off the switch. Now it was time to replenish the magic power in the battery . "Okay, let''s get it flowing. ......" This time, I, with my vast amount of magic power, will do the work. Of course, I don''t convert the wavelength, but pour it in with the wavelength of my own magic power. ".¡¡...... is great, it''s being supplied properly ......!" "Yes it did !" "Mei, try a little bit of that. "Yeah. ...... is working ! "Yes! When I created the magic circuit, I designed the spout to be 100% mithril, so it doesn''t matter who pours the magic into it, and it''s clear that it''s working. Now anyone can pour magic into it in their spare time. "This is great, it''s going to sell! "Are you going to sell it? "It''s a joint project between you and me. We''ll apply for a patent in our names to the commercial guild. "Hmm, since it''s our production, we'' need to make cool name to it "What would you like?" "Gnome-general. ......"" "Gnomes?" "I''m a Dwarf, so I''m a gnome, and Hal is going to be a North Lord, so he''s a general. The two of us together should be ''Gnome Generals''!" "I see. ....... That''s a good name. I see. . From now on, anything we develop together will be marketed under the name ''Gnome General''! "Let''s do that!" In this way, the external magic battery that Mei could use freely was completed, and it was also decided to commercialize it. I''m sure that Mei ''s father, the master of the Arendal workshop, will take care of the formalities at the commercial guild, and if the need arises, I''ll be able to show my identity and things will go smoothly. It seems that there is no need to worry about the fake products. Because of the nature of the machine that supplies magic power to the magic stone, it has to be tailor-made to match the magic waveform of the magic stone and the person to whom the magic power is supplied. Since there are only a few people who can do such a dexterous job, there should be no problem. A black box is a black box because it cannot be easily imitated by others. After this, Mei''s research and development progressed at an accelerated pace beyond my imagination, but I had no way of knowing that at that time. CH 32 A few months have passed since Mei and I developed the magic battery together. The season has changed from spring to summer, and the days are still hot and humid, though not as hot as midsummer in Japan. However, it is not so hot that we need air conditioning. As long as there is good brease in the shade, it is relatively comfortable. In the southern part of the country, facing the sea, the temperature is high and the humidity is high, so I heard it is very difficult. I''ve heard that the winters are warmer there, so it''s not so bad compared to Farenheit, where the winters are cold and the summers are cool. Now that that''s out of the way, let''s talk about what''s going on with Mei and me. It seems that the magic battery that we developed was a more revolutionary invention than I had expected. The moment the master took it to the commercial guild under the name of "Gnome General", word quickly spread to the magic guild, and through the intermediary of the commercial guild, we ended up signing an exclusive contract with the magic guild. I was told that it would be of great significance for the development and testing of new magic. I''m not a member of the magic guild, so I don''t know much about it. At present, only I, who can accurately perceive magic power, and Mei, who can precisely process it, can make a magic battery . A select production team from the Commercial Guild, the Magic Guild, and the Craftsmen''s Guild is currently trying to secure a mass production system while paying the patent fee, but until they are able to produce \\, the developer, Norm General, will be taking care of all the production. Naturally, the price would go up, and before we knew it, Mei and I were earning as much money as the average person earns in a lifetime. The sales and the technical value of the products seemed to have made the master realize the greatness of his daughter''s abilities, and he has put the forging business on hold for now, leaving the production of magic battery to his apprentices. I heard that with Mei''s rough earnings and brokerage fees, the Arendelle workshop was suddenly booming. However, it is typical of the craftsmen that they invest all their profits in technological development. I''m looking forward to the future of the workshop. I think I''ll buy up some stocks while I can. In the meantime, the busy Mei is inventing new magic tools and weapons in between the production of magic battery , while using the abundant funds to invest in the equipment and personnel of the Arendahl workshop, or to enhance the equipment of the workshop dedicated to Mei and me in the premises of the Fahrenheit family. The collaboration between my modern knowledge and Mei''s devilish sense is unstoppable, and before I know it, new products are being sold on the market by the magic guild and the commercial guild. By the way, I haven''t announced it to the world yet any guns or cannons that might obviously disrupt the military balance of the world, because they are dangerous. Such things should be made public when I take over as the Northern General and decide that they are necessary. Of course, not making it and not being able to make it are two completely different things, so I will not neglect development. It''s a different world where you never know what''s going to happen, like me being reincarnated. It is necessary to be prepared for emergencies. It''s my policy to knock down stone bridges and build new steel bridges before crossing them. One day, as I was leaving my room to grab a snack, I bumped into my sister who was walking down the hallway. "Oh, Sis." "Hal." My older sister, who is two years older than me, is called Noel Ekaterina von Flensburg Fahrenheit. She is very strong-willed, unprincipled and selfish, and I have been troubled by her daily pranks. She was so innocent that I couldn''t get angry even if I wanted . In a way, I think she has a talent because she attacks me just when I don''t think of getting angry. "Hal, what''s wrong?" She was probably surprised to see me at home, since I was usually studying with my tutor, running around in the garden, or out of town. It''s not that I don''t take time off, either. "I''m hungry, so I thought I''d pick up some snacks.: "Oh, that''s great!¡¡I''ll ask the chef to make us something ."'' Noel grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the room. "I''d like some pound cake or something." "I want sushi. ......: "Sushi?¡¡What''s that? " I couldn''t help but say what I liked when I was Japanese. "It''s raw fish on rice mixed with vinegar." What''s that?" That sounds bad. ......: It''s strange that sushi sounds so bad when you only hear about the cooking process. It''s so delicious. ...... This world is based on the West, so there are demi-glace sauces and exotic spices, but no soy sauce or miso. Fortunately, we have a relatively rich food culture, so it''s not too painful, but I miss the salty Japanese food . I''ve heard that there is a culture of eating rice in the south and on the islands, so I''d like to ask the Chamber of Commerce to order some for me. While Noel was dragging me to the kitchen, the door to the reception room opened and someone came out from inside. It seemed that we had a visitor. "Oh, there''s a young master and a little lady." The man who came out of the room was dressed in elegant clothes, but had an eerie smile on his face that made it difficult to see his true intentions. His tone of voice was polite, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking on the inside. There are people like this sometimes. I''m not very good at it. "These are my daughter and son."" Then my father came out and introduced us. He seemed to be smiling on the surface, but after watching him for so long, it was obvious that he was not in a good mood. "The young lady is lovely., and the young man looks intelligent. You have the blood of the Count of the Frontier in your veins." "Don''t flatter too much . , I''ve already confirmed what you said. As long as you abide by the laws of my domain, there is nothing I can do to intervene. "Yes, of course I understand. It is only natural for us to visit you to greet you in the course of our business. ...... Excuse me then. With that, the condescending merchant man left the house, guided by the butler. An indescribable atmosphere remained there. "...... Eberhard." "What?" "I don''t have any proof of that. Lately, there have been rumors of a gloomy story going around. You''ve been out on the town a lot, you know. Just be careful." "All right." "I''m sure you''ll be fine. I''m not that worried about that either. I''m not that worried about it. ...... Noel, you should stay out of town. ". I don''t have to go into town. I can call my friends and merchants at home." "You''d better stay at home." It may seem like a self-centered village, but when it comes to the nobility, it''s actually more convenient. The guards would not be happy if I went into town unannounced, and the merchants in town would literally lose their heads if something went wrong in their stores. On the other hand, inviting people to come to the mansion has a much lower security risk, and since it costs more, the merchants can return more money to the people. In the sense of returning money to the commoners and not causing problems, Noel was right. The only reason I''m walking around freely is because I''m allowed to. Although I have permission to do so, I should normally be confined to the mansion. In my case, I''m strong myself, and there''s no one who can harm me unless I call in a dragon or a northern general, so I have a lot of freedom. Isn''t it wonderful to be strong! "By the way, Eberhard, there was a letter for you." "A letter?"'' I don''t think I have a pen friend. If you''re looking for a promotional DM, go to ....... "Lilly?" It was not a promotional DM. It was a normal letter from a friend, or even a fianc¨¦. "...... It''s been a while. I hope you''re doing well, Mr. Eberhard." ...... is a letter to your teacher? Unfortunately, I have yet to meet someone I can call my mentor. My dad is my martial arts master, but he''s my dad. He lives at home, so he doesn''t write letters. I''ve been free lately, so I''ll come visit you soon . That''s all." ...... Haha, that''s so Lily. "Lily''s coming to visit? That''s great. You should get to know your fianc¨¦ better . It will make the future more amicable." "That''s what a lovey-dovey couple would say. ......" "Oh, so you''re Lily. I''d like to meet her because I''ve never met her before!" "Well, I hope the girls get along. Fortunately, you seem to be on the same page. ......" Lily, the tomboy, and my unreasonable sister as well . I can only see a future where I will be caught in the middle and crushed. So, when is this time?, when are they coming?"¡¡...... "I think they will arrive three days before the Spirit Festival." That''s today! I think it''s too sudden every time. "I''ve heard that they left the day after they sent the letter. That''s what the letter from the duke said. "You''re just like Hal, acting on the spur of the moment. "We are similar aren''t we? "We''ll have to get ready to meet them . ...... For now, I''ll show to her my new inventions and my secret base. That''s what I''ve been spending most of my time doing lately. I''m looking forward to seeing Lily again, and figuring out how I''m going to entertain her. CH 33 When I heard that Lily was coming, I hurriedly changed out of my proper loungewear and dressed into crisp clothes for a special cases . As an aristocrat, I''m not sure if I''m supposed to wear clean and stylish clothes on a regular basis. To be honest, I spend most of my time at home in simple clothes, like shirts and chinos that could be sold at Uniqlo. This wasn''t just me, but also my dad, my mom, and Noel. Not to mention my younger brother and sister, who are still very young . I''m not sure why I have to wear such a tight formal wear when no one is looking at me. Aristocrats are creatures that look good, but if you don''t have someone to look at you , you don''t have to ear such clothes . That''s why, when I have an urgent visitor like Lily, I usually have to make my guest wait. However, it''s almost like a formality, and depending on the status of the person i am dealing with, how long I make them wait, or whether I greet them in person. The old man seemed to be dressed in formal attire today to great the merchant, but the clothes he was wearing were not of that high a rank, and he was probably kept waiting for a reasonably long time. Adults ......, or rather nobles, seem to have a lot of trouble dealing with details. This is the only part of my life that I am worried about it in the future. I''m not bound by rules, I can do whatever want ! I changed from my cotton shirt, which I didn''t mind getting dirty, to a more presentable silk shirt, and changed my underwear from khaki chinos bought at a local store to custom-made dark blue pants. I put on an iron horn leather belt, and I was finally ready to go. Although she was my fianc¨¦e, she was the daughter of a duke. In terms of status, she''s above me, so I can''t afford to look shabby. It seems I can''t be freely. "Master Hal, Lady Lily is here to see you." Alisa, the maid whom i kicked out of the room for trying to help me change, opens the door and comes to tell me. "You''re here already? That was pretty last minute." I hurried to the door with Alisa. At the entrance facing the lobby, there was Lily in a cute white onesie, whom I hadn''t seen in months, and May in a sleeveless dress, whom I hadn''t seen yesterday. "Lily, long time no see. You already here . I called out to her, but she didn''t respond . "Lilly?" When I looked closer, I saw that Mei was also in a low tone. "What?¡¡What''s wrong with you two?" "...... It''s been so long since we''ve seen each other." "It''s terrible. ......" "......?" There was a disturbing feeling. Lily walked up to me, grabbed me by the shoulders, opened her eyes and screamed. " who is that woman?" "What?" I was about to reply that she was just a friend, when Mei interrupted with an unnecessary remark. '' You was just playing with me?! So where do you learn to do that?¡¡You and I only play in the first place! I look at the two of them, trying hard to suppress the urge to say ....... Lily is angry, and Mei looks sad. I''m not sure if that was just a tease, or if she was really sad. "What''s this?" "Hal'' you idiot ! "Hal i won''t hang out with you anymore!"" It seems that at the age of six, I''ve been caught up in a battle of wits. ?? "So Mei and I are just friends and we haven''t caused any problems. "That''s true, isn''t it?¡¡So you''re sure about that? It''s not like you''ve been cheating or anything?" "How can a child molester have an affair?" "That''s true.'' For the time being, if I wanted to make an excuse on the spot, I had a feeling that the place would be overwhelmed, so I first prepared Mei''s skewered meat and had him close it at the workshop. As expected, Mei reluctantly withdrew when she as told , "I''ll came later," perhaps because she saw that the genius blacksmith girl wasn''t match for the duke''s daughter. And from there on, it was just time for Lily. I explained to her how much I cared for her and that Mei was just a good friend and that I was innocent, and she managed to forgive me. I I haven''t played with Hal for months," she said., and yet that thief cat has been playing with you every day, that''s one thing I can''t forgive. "Please forgive me, ....... I''ll play with you all day until I collapse." . That''s it. I''ll let you off with that." In the event that you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us. Hmm, I''m not supposed to be a pedophile... ...... Later, while my sister Noel and Lily, who had come after hearing the news of Lily''s arrival, were eating a snack together, I went to the workshop where Mei was. When I entered the workshop, Mei was playing with some metal in a slightly distracted manner. "Mei." "...... Hal." "Sorry, I can''t play with you today."" ...... I have no choice. I know what I''m doing. I know that duke daughter has an intermediary. "You can use this place freely without me. I''ll tell the servants." "...... No, it''s fine. When the day comes when you can play, please come to my house." "Mei ......" I''m lucky that I don''t get to say, "I don''t know you anymore." "All right." i am sorry then." After saying that, May went home. Even though it was bad timing, I''m sorry for what I did. I''ll have to do something to make it up to her in the near future. Despite my feelings of incompleteness, I was still happy that Lily had come to visit me, so I decided to enjoy myself to the fullest with her. We strolled through the beautiful gardens, explored the mountains behind the city, and even disguised ourselves as commoners before touring the city and enjoying the food stalls. I decided not to go to the workshop or the secret base, as I didn''t want Lily to be sad. "Oh, I''m so tired. ......" "I''ve done a lot of walking. ......" I''ve been working out, so physically I''m fine, but mentally I''m very tired. It is not good for the mind to act while being careful. It was hot outside, and I felt like taking a bath to refresh myself. "I want to take a bath." "What a coincidence, me too." "lets take bath together . "Yeah, let''s go to ...... together, eh?" I wanted to ask Her , "Are you sure? I wanted to ask him back, but I restrained myself. Or am I a man of self-control? First of all, I''m not a pedophile. No, not at all. Lily is too cute for that. "Lily, in case you forgot, I''m a guy." "I know that. You don''t like it? ". No, I don''t! "That''s fine. Let''s go. I''m not sure if she''s a tomboy or an arrogant one, but she''s not as bad as Noel, which makes me smile. This is how I ended up bathing with Lily. ...... Is it okey mixed bathing with your fianc¨¦? ?? Her silk one-piece dress falls away, revealing her fine white porcelain skin. A fragrant scent of flowers drifted from her slightly sweaty neck, stimulating my still-unawakened man parts. The child''s soft belly and cute peachy buttocks tempted me - and that''s not good enough £¡£¡£¡£¡£¡¡¡I don''t want to be a criminal, even if a i am her fianc¨¦ ! But then again, I''m also a six-year-old, and she''s my fianc¨¦ to begin with, so in terms of taking responsibility, there''s nothing wrong with that, is there?¡¡But I''m an adult on the inside, and according to Japanese ethics, it''s a crime to look around like you''re licking a child, but this is the otherworldly Hylant Empire, and I don''t know what''s going on anymore... --. "Ohhhhhh!" What''s wrong with you?" I got a "creepy" from a six-year-old girl. Not bad for an abusive fianc¨¦." Apparently my head was going crazy from the heat and fatigue. CH 34 After getting out of the bath, we changed into our loungewear and drank some cold fruit water. This fruit water is made from soaking tocana fruit, which has a characteristic lemon-like sourness and a slight sweetness, in natural water. In the city, it is often served in restaurants, and is not widely used in households. The price of cooling magic tools is high enough, as well as the cost of maintaining them, that it is difficult for the commoner to afford it . As I drank the fruit water, I listened to Lily''s story. "I think it''s the merchant who''s at fault, even if he knows that your father won''t touch him. "Yes, that''s a rude thing for a commoner to do. they should know your place. It''s unforgivable." I gave her an appropriate response and let it go. I don''t know, I think it''s crazy that Lily is talking to me like this without feeling any shame at all, even though we had exposed our nakedness to each other a while ago. I don''t care how much of a child you are, if you were a normal woman, you''d be embarrassed to be naked! "I think we should follow the rules. Don''t you agree?'' '' I don''t see anything wrong with it, because most rules have a good reason, even if they don''t make sense." "That''s right!¡¡It''s not like we''re the only ones trying to cheat." It seems that even in the duchy ruled by His Excellency the Duke of Bernstein, Lily''s father, there are some merchants who are not of good character. According to Lily, there are some merchants who use illegal methods and do unscrupulous business. It is also troublesome because they are said to be large capitalists. "I wish I could crush such a business association. ......" "Lily, if you let your power get the better of you, it will make us nobles look bad." "I know, I but it''s just so awful. ...... "I''m sure His Excellency won''t just sit back and watch, so I''m sure everything will fine ." Even in our frontier territory, there are people who are involved in suspicious activities and illegal activities. As long as people gather, there will always be a negative side to it , and as the rulers , we nobles are expected to have the political skills to control them and prevent as much damage as possible. Naturally, our family, with a history of several hundred years, has inherited the know-how to deal with such people, and here in Heitburg, we have almost never had any major damage. It''s not just our territory, but the Dukes of Bernstein as well. "You''re right. U can rest assured with my father. I''m getting sleepy now. Hal, come sleep with me.'' Lily said to me while sneezing. She''s still a child in this respect. I''m still a child, and I''m starting to get sleepy as well.'' "There is a room for Lily, aren''t you need to go back? There is a saying that men and women do not sit together at the age of seven, and I don''t think it is socially acceptable for a daughter of a good family to share a bed with a man before marriage. "I don''t mind. Don''t you like it, Hal?'' "I don''t mind Bathing together is one thing, but sleeping together is totally fine . There''s no way a six-year-old''s body can do anything insolent. In fact, we''re only six years old, not seven, so there''s no problem if we share the same bedclothes. "Soft and fluffy. Lily always jumps on the bed where she sleep and rolls around. . The last time we met, she was rolling around on the lawn. ...... "I''m tired, I think I''ll sleep soon." In this world, the level of civilization is of a pre-modern quality, with only a hint of medieval times, so to be honest, when I was reincarnated, I imagined that the bedding would be very heavy and hard. However, when I started living here, I found that it was much more comfortable than I expected. It was much more comfortable than the bed or futon I had slept on in my previous life, which was a type of futon laid on top of a wooden board bought at Nitori. Of course, my status as a nobleman probably had something to do with it, but in terms of the quality of my sleep, this life definitely surpassed the level of my previous life. So this is the true sleep that I''ve heard so much about. ...... And my bed is really big. I''ve always had the image that rich people have big beds, but for a six-year-old, it was pointlessly large. Even a sumo wrestler or a foreign rugby player could sleep in it, side by side. "You ......"'' Lily said in a disgusting voice, flipping up the thin summer blanket and inviting me intobed. I wondered where she had learned to do that. "You''ll have to do that in ten years.'' Ten years from now, Lily and I will be sixteen years old. In the culture of this world, it wouldn''t be surprising if we were married. If you''re married, you don''t have to say anything to the people around you whether you''re sleeping together or having sex. Or rather, in the sense of family prosperity, you have to do such things. The platinum blonde with a fluffy, gentle perm and fine white porcelain skin. She has clear blue eyes and a pretty face that''s as well-rounded as a bisque doll. And a personality that seems to enjoy being with me. I''m blessed to be able to do whatever I want with her in ten years. Ghehehe ....... As I rolled over on the futon, Lily came up to me and hugged me. "Huh, good night ......." Lily says and closes her eyes. The high body temperature of a child and the girlish softness of her touch made me feel annoyed. No, she''s a child, ....... "Good night. It''s time for me to go to sleep. The woman next to me, Lily, is making my mind go wild, but my body seems to be at its limit. I held Lily''s hand as she hugged me and closed my eyes. ?? " Master Hal . It''s morning." I hear a voice calling me. I don''t want you to disturb my pleasant sleep time. "Please wake up. '' "Oh, it''s so loud." "It''s bright outside!" I heard the sound of the curtains opening, and it suddenly became bright in front of me. It seems that the maid, Alisa, has come to wake me up. "You should wake up too, lady Lily-. You''re in a very dangerous position. "...... Dangerous?" When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of half-open white pajamas, a pair of puffy buttocks, and a cute little girl named Lily . Hmm?" "What the hell is this ......?" What I saw when I woke up completely was Lily, who was sleeping on my chest, upside down on top of me. She was lying upside down on my chest, right in front of my face, with her crotch in front of my face, and her face buried between my legs in a dangerous place. "This is not good." When I woke up fully, I saw Lily sleeping on my chest, just upside down against me, while I was lying on my side as usual. Her crotch was right in front of my face, and her face was between my legs, sleeping with her face buried in a dangerous place. There is no way that a duchess should be dressed like this, like the adult videos she secretly watched behind her parents'' back in her previous life. It was definitely a matter of concern. ."I''m sorry, but ...... this is ......." you are sleepwalking?" It''s a terrible thing to be told. It''s a good thing you''re my fianc¨¦. "Hmm, Hal- ......, I love you ......." I''m not sure if she''s confessing in her sleep or if she just likes me as a friend, but either way, Lily is revealing her positive feelings for me. It''s cute, but the way Alisa looks at me is depressing. "Good for you, Hal-sama." "Stop that smirk." I slapped Lily''s ass, thinking that this is what warm eyes look like. ". Wake up, Lily. You''re not looking very good." "Mmm...... \five minutes......" I wonder if I a company employee or a school employee, but I can''t get up until Lily wakes up, so I keep pounding her soft ass. CH 35 After that, Lily stayed at our house for a while. We went for walks in the backyard and mountains, enjoyed afternoon tea in the front garden, had lunch at a fancy restaurant in the upper class district, and went to town dressed as commoners. and finally , it was the day of the Spirit Festival. "It''s the spirit festival today, isn''t it?" "That''s what I thought." The Spirit Festival. It''s the most important religion in the country, and it''s based on the folk beliefs that have been handed down in Hylands since ancient times. One of the most important religious events is the Spirit Festival. It is a national festival, similar to the annual festivals of Japanese Shintoism, Obon, New Year, summer festivals, and Christmas in the West. It is a major national event held in the summer to give thanks to nature for the abundant harvest and to pray for the prosperity of the nation. It was customary for the entire nation, from the peasants to the emperor, to celebrate this spirit festival, with the people of the region taking the lead in celebrating it. In the territory of the Counts of Farenheit, many people gathered at the main churches in Heitburg, and the annual parade of floats and portable shrines through the city was a summer tradition. "What kind of floats will there be this year?'' "I''m looking forward to it!'' The memeber of the Fahrenheit family, as the governing family of the territory, are supposed to be in charge of holding the spirit festival in Heitburg. Strictly speaking, the Farrenheit family enjoys the festival with the city''s influential people and citizens during the day, and after dark, they perform the rituals together with the priests of the shrine. This is influenced by the religious style of the Imperial Kingdom, which is based on ritual and political unity. Knowing Christianity, it would seem normal for the sacred and the secular to be separated, but this is the Imperial Kingdom of Hylands. The emperor, who is the head of politics, is also the head of the national religion, the Hylant Theocracy. It''s only natural when you think about it. The legend of the heroes is the founding myth of the country. It is only natural that the imperial family, which has the blood of the heroes , would take center stage. And we, the nobles, are the ones entrusted by the emperor with the role of governing the various regions. In other words, we are the emperor''s representatives in the provinces. So it was only natural for the nobles to hold a spirit festival in their own territories. "I''m going to participate in the ritual at night, is that okay with you?¡¡Wasn''t she supposed to be doing something at the Bernstadt spirit festival?'' ''I don''t mind, because I''m your fianc¨¦e". That''s right. Lily is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Bernstein, but she has no plans to inherit the family because she has elder brother . If so, it would be beneficial for both Lily and duke to attend the spiritual festival at home with me, the son of the Fahrenheit Margrave and her fianc¨¦e. "In that case, why don''t you join us, Lily?" "Yes. It''s enough for my father and mother to participate in the daytime banquet. I''m a child, I can''t drink, and I''m still a child, so I don''t feel comfortable mixing with the adults. "We''ll have some free time in the evening, so we can look around the city together. It''s the Spirit Festival, so there will be lots of stalls.'' "Yay!" I held Lily''s hand and we went out into the city. I change into some elegant clothes and don''t forget to disguise myself as a wealthy commoner. ?? "Oh my god!¡¡That''s amazing!¡¡Look at this, HaL . Look at that float, it''s really impressive!'' "It''s so elaborate!¡¡I wonder how much it cost.'' The floats had the motif of a Western temple, and many players with instruments like bagpipes, flutes, and harps were riding on them. The music was cheerful and nostalgic, like the Celtic music I''d heard in a previous life, and the people around me were hunched over with ale and grilled meat on skewers, making a lot of noise in the middle of the day. "It''s so nice.; When I come to a festival like this, I naturally feel uplifted. When I see people enjoying themselves, I start to enjoy myself.'' "Hal-. I want to eat that.'' "Yakiniku skewers, huh? If that''s the case, I can recommend a place." I looked around and searched for the stall of the old man who was always a favorite of mine. I walked around for a while looking for it, and found that he had a stall near the central plaza, a bit far from the clinic. He had set up his stall near the central square, a short distance away from the temple, , " Old man, give me four skewers of grilled meat. "Whoa, you boy from before !¡¡Are you with your girlfriend today?¡¡You''re good, I''ll give you one!" ''Are you sure? " ""Have fun with her!¡¡Thank you!" "Oh, she''s not my girlfriend. She''s ......!" "Lilly?"¡¡" "Whoo!¡¡...... Oh, thank you." "I could have given her three, but I was afraid she might drop them on the ground." "I know. It has an exotic spice flavor." "It''s addictive. One more!" "Okey. Lily devoured two of the skewers in no time and asked for a third. I also ate my share of the grilled meat skewers and walked around with Lily in a slightly vulgar manner. We stayed like this for a while, enjoying the atmosphere of the festival by visiting the stalls and buying fruit water to quench our thirst. When we reached the upscale shopping district for the upper class and the atmosphere of the festival had calmed down a bit, I took Lily into one of the stores. "Welcome." We entered a jewelry store that catered to the aristocracy and wealthy people . The store was sparsely populated, and despite the bustle outside, the atmosphere was calm. "Wow!¡¡It''s beautiful!" Lily was drawn to the showcase of products." "Are you picking out a gift today?" The jeweler, who seemed to be the owner, smiled naturally and spoke to us. "Yes, ". "I''d like to give her a pendant or something that would suit her." "Very well, sir. Please wait a moment." The jeweler looked around the store for a moment, then looked at me and led me to a shelf. "How about this one? It''s a little pricey, but it has a very nice design" that reminds me of the color of her companion''s hair and eyes. He showed me an elegantly designed pendant with a gold chain that reminded me of Lily''s blond hair and a pint-sized emerald that reminded me of the blue of her eyes. "Here.'' "Very well, sir."'' As the jeweler said, it is indeed a bit pricey, but that''s a minor issue. I had a lot of assets from my adventuring and being a part of the Gnome Generals, so I didn''t have to buy a gift for my fianc¨¦e with my parents'' money. Then I would choose two more items and buy them as a set too. We walked out of the store with Lily still engrossed in the jewels in the showcase, sat down on a bench in the square and I handed her the emerald pendant I had just bought. "Here, you can have it." "Are you sure?" The emerald pendant is the size of a pinky fingernail, and it''s an elegant pendant that suits Lily. When I handed it to her, I gave the pendant the magic of communication as a gift. "I''ve given this pendant a ''communication'' spell, so if you get lonely you can always talk to me with this.'' I also have one of the items I bought earlier, a bracelet-shaped "communication" magic tool with sapphires embedded in it. It''s a great way to make sure you''re getting the most out of your money. "Can I talk to you anytime?" "Yes. ". There are many variations of this "communication" magic that connects distant places with each other via wireless communication, but the truth is that most mages are not able to use it on a long distance. maybe a few kilometers at most. Even so, there is no shortage of communication on the battlefield and in the city, and if mages who can use "communication" are on standby at multiple relay stations, like in the Ekiden system, information can be transmitted from one end of the country to the other at a very high speed. So even if the limit is only a kilometer or so, a mage who can use "communication" is valued to a certain extent, and at least will not be out of work. It''s such a B-grade non-attribute magic "communication", but the one I use is far more powerful than that of other mages. The distance from Heitburg to Bernstadt, the capital of the Duke of Bernstein''s domain, is about 500 kilometers It would be easier to understand if I said it was about the distance from Tokyo to Morioka. I don''t know what the maximum distance is, because I haven''t tried it yet. The Farrenheide frontier territory is a vertical rectangle that is close to a square, so the diagonal line connecting the edges of the territory is the longest route that can be taken in a straight line. That distance is about 800 to 900 kilometers, so we can communicate for at least 800 kilometers without time lag. I don''t know how much further we can go, because I haven''t been outside the territory yet. My feeling is that we can go another 500 kilometers or so. However, if I wanted to connect that much distance with magic, it would normally consume a great deal of magic power. In fact, that was the reason why most mages could not connect long distances. That''s where my previous life knowledge came into play. If you don''t have enough magic power, you can just push the burden onto someone who does. It''s the same as the principle of toll-free numbers and collect calls. The cost of the call is imposed on the other party. I''m the one who consumes the most magic power. By doing this, I was able to solve the problem of communication distance immediately. No matter who the other party is, as long as they are communicating with me or through me, they can communicate without worrying about the distance issue. I''ve also made some improvements so that the ''communication'' doesn''t get mixed up in the way of phone numbers. Eventually, I would like to develop magic for jamming and communication interception. "I''d like to develop jamming and interception magic as well." "That means there''s magic that can send your voice far away." "Wow, ...... that''s kind of cool. ......"" Unlike Mei , Lily was not very interested in technical matters. However, she was very happy to be able to communicate with me. "So you won''t be lonely now!" "I guess so. We can talk all the time". "We''ll be in touch every day!" "Oh, every day?" It''s not always possible to go out every day. There are days when I''m tired and sleepy, and it don''t have a recording function, so if I take off my bracelet while I''m taking a bath, I may not notice. "I''ll try to answer as much as I can, but please don''t be upset if I can''t." "I can''t help it. It''s not like I want to be bombed, either." I didn''t know what to think about that, but I was relieved that Lily wouldn''t be lonely anymore." "Letters take a long time to arrive, you know." "Yes. " The smile on her face made me feel glad that I had given her this gift. CH 36 Night had fallen. The people of the city were still drinking, dancing, and making noise, but not the nobles and priests. The Spirit Festival was about to begin. It is the role of us nobles and priests to perform the rituals and give thanks to the spirits of the earth and the gods of heaven. If the lively festival we had just witnessed was the daytime portion of the Spirit Festival, this was the nighttime portion of the Spirit Festival. "Brother?" "Clifford. It''s been a long time." "It''s good to see you." . It''s a big day. I can''t afford to get sick." "You''re right. ...... It''s been a long time, Eberhard." "It''s been a long time. Uncle." My father, Karlheinz Klaus von Fahrenheit, has several siblings. However, he has no older brothers or sisters, but two younger brothers and two younger sisters under his eldest son, Dad. This person is Clifford Kraus von Fahrenheit. This is Clifford Kraus von Fahrenheit, the younger brother of my father, who is the head priest of the Heitburg Temple. "It''s been a long time, sir Hal. "Long time no see, Ani." "Hi, long time no see. Ellen. Edward." They''re my cousins. They are my uncle Clifford''s children. Ellen is the eldest, and Edward is her younger brother and eldest son. Ellen is one year younger than me, and Edward is three. Edward is exactly the same age as my younger brother, Albert. They are both lovely siblings who call me brother. The second Farenheit family, with Clifford as the patriarch, is a branch of our Farenheit family. The first family is the successor to the lord, and the second family is the successor to the priest. This is how they usually divide the sacred and the secular to rule this large frontier county. This is because, as a practical matter, there is no way we can have a literal unity of church and state. It''s impossible for me to be a priest in addition to my busy work as a lord. Therefore, as a member of the same family, it was the usual practice of the nobility to entrust the "ritual" part to a branch family. This is the same even for the imperial family. The Emperor is busy ruling the Kingdom of Hylands. So it was customary for the Cardinal of Hylands, the head of the temple in the imperial city of Orleus, the headquarters of the Hylands religion, to be passed down from generation to generation to the emperor''s younger brother or a male relative. "The rituals are about to begin. Is everyone ready?" In order to perform the ritual, we all changed into our priestly attire. I was dressed in a white vestments, which made me look like a respectable cardinal." "You look good, Hal." Lily, who has also changed into a female priest''s vestments, says to me. Lily, too, was no longer the tomboy that she usually was, but her white robe was neat and clean and looked great on her. "It''s time. Time to go, everyone, stay calm and don''t get nervous as we practiced. The old man said, mainly to us kids. I''ve been there last year, and I''ve practiced a lot, so there''s no problem. I''m sure Lily will be able to handle herself as a young lady as always, not to mention her siblings who are priests in their own right. "I''m fine." "Good. Let''s go."" The sound of bells ringing ....... The fire was lit in the shrine. The fire is lit in the ritual hall, and the spirit festival night begins. A few hours passed. A few hours have passed since then. The rituals proceeded smoothly, with no one making any mistakes, everyone taking their places, offering prayers for thanksgiving and prosperity, and raising offerings according to the prescribed rituals. After the ritual, we were greeted in the courtyard of the shrine by envoys from other noble families, the heads of the guilds, the heads of the large merchant associations, and the upper echelons of the patrol and internal affairs officials. We didn''t go around to greet them because we were in a higher position than they were. "I would like to extend my congratulations to you and your family." "Thank you for coming all this way." "Thank you for your continued support."" "May you be blessed with the blessings of the spirit."" These are all standard phrases. Both my dad and uncle change the wording a little depending on the person they''re talking to, but basically what they''re saying is the same. I guess it''s called socializing. Adults are such annoying creatures. By the time we were done, it was well past midnight, too much hard work for a six-year-old. I felt like I was about to lose consciousness. "You guys did a great job. You must be exhausted. Now go home and get some rest." "What about you, Dad?" ". We still have some cleaning to do." "Hmm." Strictly speaking, the Spirit Festival was not over just for today. We have to guard the fire all night long to make sure that the sacred fire on the altar does not burn out. However, this is not our role. There were several priests who were in charge of keeping the fire going. What they mean by "tidying up" is handing over the task to these fire keepers. Then, tomorrow morning, the fire will be extinguished according to the proper procedure, and the ritual will finally be over. This fun but difficult ritual role will be taken over at the same time when I succeed as the head of the family. I still have almost thirty years to go before I take over the house, but if I don''t get used to it while I still can, I''ll be in trouble later. At first, this year''s spirit festival went off without a hitch. I think I''ll take a good night''s rest tonight. ?? After the spirit festival, we spent a peaceful day without any major events. It was hot outside, so we stayed inside reading books and telling stories to cool off, and before we knew it, the day to say goodbye had arrived. "I don''t want to go home yet." ''"I don''t want to leave yet. I have a communication device, so I won''t be sad." "I''ll see you in the winter. "I''ll be waiting. I''ll come to you in the fall." "Okay. See you later, Hal!" "See you, Lily." It''s about 500 kilometers to Bernstadt, the Duke''s hometown. It is a long journey of six days even with the duke''s excellent horses and a high performance (actually, the bearings used in the cart have been modified during the past week, so the performance is even higher) carriage. As a duke''s family, they have several excellent guards, and there are several patrol stations on the main roads. There are also several patrol stations along the main roads. The security on the main roads is quite good due to the heavy traffic, not to mention the narrow side roads. There was no need to worry. "Bye bye!" Lily''s cheerful voice made me feel that she was a tomboy after all, as she leaned out of the carriage window and waved her hands around. If you look closely, you''ll see that the maid''s hands are wrapped around her waist, so she''s probably holding on desperately to keep Lily from falling inside the carriage. Maids have a tough job. And so, after a week''s stay, Lily returned to the Duke''s estate. Although there was a conflict with May during her visit, it did not become a big problem thanks to May''s support. Lily didn''t mention it from there on, and I think she enjoyed it enough. It''s been a while since I''ve had any fun with Lily, and I''m glad I did. ...... Well, now I have to go to Mei ''s place to make it up to her." I disguised myself as a commoner (although I try to look "somewhat rich," so I''m not that badly dressed), put on a leather pouch, said a few words to the gatekeeper, and went out into the city. CH 37 "Hal, it''s been a long time. "I''m glad to see that you haven''t changed." I thought she was depressed because she couldn''t see me, but she was working on her own work as usual. I wonder if stress is the reason why the daily quota of magic battery and magic wavelength converters are half finished, and yet there are remnants of works I''ve never seen lying around. However, it seemed to relieve her stress, and her expression was relatively clear. "Oh, by the way, I had something for you ." "What is it?" "Here." I handed her another item that I had bought when Lily and I stopped by a jewelry store on the day of the Spirit Festival. "Is this a ...... pendant?" "Yes. I''m sorry about the other day. I''d like to apologize for that, but I''ve given it a ...... ''communication'' spell, so I hope you''ll keep it on your person." "If you want a magic tool for communication, I''ve made one before. ...... "But that''s not cute. Mei is cute, so she needs to wear something nice." When I replied, May''s face turned red and she started stammering. Her hair is red, and her face is red from the neck up. "Isn''t it cute?" "Yes. Cute," In fact, Mei''s face is quite well-rounded, and there is no doubt that she will become quite beautiful in the future. "I''m sure she''ll be very beautiful. ...... " May scratches her head and shrinks back as if embarrassed. Ruby, t would go well with her fiery red hair. With my sapphire and Lily''s emerald, we could have a battle of the three demons. Mei is embarrassed, or maybe she''s just too shy. I put a pendant around her neck. "Yes, it looks good on you." "''Thank you very much ......''" I''m sure you''ll be able to understand why I''ve been so impressed with your work. She told this through the magic tool, it was quite a sight. ?? "Look, it''s the newly opened ''Demonic Assault Gun''." After that, Mei was ladylike for a while, playing with the pendant on her neck , but after 15 minutes, she recovered and regained her usual innocent energy. She was now explaining to me about the secret magic tools that she had developed during the week I had been away. "Whoa. A magic shock gun. Is it different from the previous gun?" Previously, Mei and I had used magic to shape modern knowledge of Earth. It''s a single-shot, reloadable, pseudo-flintlock gun. It is a relatively primitive gun, slightly more powerful than a flintlock rifle, but less powerful than a modern bolt-action rifle. The reason for the "pseudo" is that it is technically not a flintlock rifle, but a magical rock rifle. The reason for the "pseudo" is that it is not strictly a flintlock rifle but a magical rock rifle. "Yes. The previous gun had a good amount of power, but it still lacked versatility." "It''s a dangerous toy for ordinary people who can''t use magic, but for soldiers and adventurers who can use magic and bowguns, is should be fine . In this world, there are bowguns. In addition, they are quite well made and have high power, accuracy, and rapid-fire capabilities that do not require the development of guns. If you combine it with magic, it will give you a higher level of aggression than a poorly made flintlock gun. In fact, guns with extremely primitive structures existed before Mei and I developed them. The quality of the gun was disappointing, as it did not even reach the level of a flintlock gun, but as long as gunpowder was known to exist, there existed a kind of tube that was less than a gun. However, it could only be used as a false threat against small wild animals, and it was only powerful enough to kill even humans. Inevitably, they were only used as traps in rural areas, and had long since fallen into disuse in adventurer and military circles. "But this gun is completely different!: "How is it different?" "It uses Hal''s shock magic." "My shock magic ?" "Yes. I''''ve seen Hal cast magic on magic stones before, but this time You used it to combine the magic tank technology that stocks magic power in magic stones with the magic of casting spells to open a gun that can cast Hal''s spells on anyone, although the power is fixed. I''m sorry. "What? "Please watch. " --Bang! ""Yeah, " --Bus-bus-bus-bus. "Oh, no, no, no, no." The revolver in May''s hand fired a number of small impact rounds, about one centimeter in diameter, but they were definitely my impact rounds. They hit the wooden planks and made several fist-sized holes in the wood. "This might bring , military revolution and ......." "As you can see, each magic stone can shoot six times. There is also a magic stone that can shoot six times per stone. There are also two types of magic stones." e showed me a magic stone that looked like a magnum bullet. After all, May''s talent was out of the ordinary. "May." "Yes?" "Don''t let the master see this." "What?¡¡All right, ." "Use it only for your own protection. If anyone else finds out, they''ll copy that and we''ll lose our military advantage. "If that''s what you want to do, Hal, I don''t mind." I put my hand on May''s shoulder, who didn''t seem to understand anything, and I vowed to never take my eyes off her from now on. ...... CH 38 After carefully explaining to Mei, the developer of the secret weapon "Magic Shock Gun," how the weapon would have a great impact on society and how it could endanger her, I managed to get her to understand and I breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, I wasn''t sure if Mei would understand, since she was an inventor and craftsman at heart, or at worst, a mad scientist. She was not stupid, but rather quite intelligent, judging from her sense of invention and the observation and point of view that underpinned it. "It''s true that it''s frightening to think that this could be circulated and eventually be used to target me. Mei is the creator of such extraordinary inventions. It would be better if her genius was bought and she was recruited by a large capital merchant or a nobleman. Some of them might use dangerous professions and use illegal means to get Mei to do what they want. As the eldest son of the Northern Shogun family, and more importantly as a friend, I will never allow such a thing to happen, but I can''t just stick to Mei all the time. Perhaps in the future I''ll hire Mei as my own forger, but for now, we''re both still children. It would be better to keep the magic shock gun out of sigh until I''m strong enough to let no one mess with it, or at least until Mei learns how to defend herself. The impact gun is certainly powerful and epoch-making, but it''s still good to use up to B rank. A rank ... No, if there is A-rank, it must be done without any hands or legs. And if you are a royal aristocrat or a big merchant, you can easily hire an A-rank adventurer or bouncer. In short, I need to be able to fight off the A-rankers lightly in order to be safe. "A-rank, huh?" I''m sure I''m the strongest six-year-old in the world, but that''s meaningless. Ranks are a kind of official standard for measuring the strength of adventurers and mages, and a certain level of skill is guaranteed if the rank is the same regardless of the type of job. It is a standard set by the guilds of adventurers and magicians, and the governments of various countries, including the Imperial State, in cooperation with each other, and it has spread all over the world because of its convenience. Father who always does mock fights when training is too strong, and to be honest, it is difficult to judge how strong the S rank is, but my mother, Theresia Sally von Flensburg Fahrenheit, the "fresh green saint," is relatively easy to understand. But it''s relatively easy to tell. My mother is an A+ ranked mage, but while she uses magic with great dexterity, I have far more magic power than she does. Of course, in proportion to the amount of magic power, the power of a single blow is actually higher for me. However, rank is not as simple as it seems. It''s not just a matter of being strong. It''s about how well you can use magic. How well can you cast the right spell? Is it powerful enough? Is the speed of activation and accuracy within an acceptable range? There is no limit to the criteria, but I haven''t beat my mother at all except for her power and magical power. The magic listed in "Magic Encyclopedia" has been roughly mastered, but some of the last ones have not yet been mastered, and above all, "Magic Encyclopedia" alone is not enough. If it is a general magician level, it is already enough at the time of "Magic Encyclopedia -Basic Edition-", but if you want to succeed the Northern General who occupies one of the strongest parts of the empire, "Advanced Edition" will be a little unsatisfactory. I still need to learn a lot of magic, and in addition to magic, I also need to learn the martial arts of the Northern Shogun Bushin style. The development of magic tools is also a good idea, but when will I become strong enough to feel secure? It looks like I still have a long way to go. ?? "I''ve never been to this area before, come to think of it. "Well, I sometimes come here when I''m carrying unloaded goods, but ......'' "It''s not a place you want to come alone." "Yes." We were now at the edge of the warehouse district, not far from the craftsmen''s quarter and blacksmith''s quarter of the city of Heitburg. The reason is not important. We were simply exploring a part of the city we hadn''t been to yet. As it was just a row of warehouses, there were very few pedestrians. Even if there were, there were only the occasional muscled craftsman carrying a weapon, which was not a very reassuring sight. The warehouse was large, and the atmosphere was dim and somewhat eerie, but it was not dirty. In fact, I''d say it was beautiful. It was somewhat similar to the Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama that I had visited in a previous life. However, it was dark. It was like a red brick warehouse in the shade. This warehouse district is the driving force behind the industrial economy of Heidburg. When I think about it, I don''t feel scared. However, it must be dark and quiet even in the daytime, so I didn''t feel like coming here much. "There''s no one here." "Even if there were, nothing would happen." "Something might happen." "I don''t think anything will happen." We walked along the dimly lit warehouse district, chatting about such things. The area is quite large, so the scenery continues to be unchanging. "Oh, there''s a person. "It''s true. Who thre ? "It looks like he''s looking for someone." "Are you lost?" A few warehouses down the street, a young man is running around looking for something, scurrying around. His face is pale so he might have been in a tense situation. "Oh, he''s gone." "He''s gone, isn''t he?" Perhaps he didn''t notice us, but he went around the corner and disappeared. He was dashing around the corner when he disappeared, so he must be in dire straits. "He is a strange guy, ......." "I wonder if he was in a fight." Fires and fights are the flower of Heitburg,......, but it''s not like that. I don''t know about other cities, but at least in Heitburg it''s different. This city is relatively safe. If you were to get into a fight on the street, the military police would immediately come to your aid. Fire is no different. The city has a mixture of half-timbered buildings and stone buildings, so fires do not spread as fast as in Edo. Also, most high-rise buildings have water tanks on the rooftop for daily use, so there is plenty of fire extinguishing system. In the end, after the strange man I saw earlier, the street disappeared again. "...... should we go somewhere else ?" "Yes, of course. ......" We were getting a little bored, so we turned a nearby corner to leave the warehouse district. Then I made eye contact with a girl in front of me - about our age - who was crouched in the shadows hiding and shivering. "?" "!" For a moment, the girl almost screamed, but when she realized we were children, she hurriedly held her breath and swallowed her scream. Then she took a few deep breaths and looked at us again. She e took a few deep breaths and looked at me again, " Uh, well. What''s happen to you ?¡¡Are you running away from someone, by any chance?" The girl''s overly unnatural appearance and the suspicious man from earlier went round and round in my head. I have a bad feeling about this. "......, I was grabbed by a strange man. And I was locked up in a room. So I got scared and ran away." I don''t understand what hs e is saying, but it seems to be a kidnapping. It seems to me that something fishy is going on in Heitburg. I thought the city was supposed to be safe. "Anyway, can you stand up?"" Mei held out her hand to the girl and helped her to stand. "Oh my god. ...... There''s going to be some trouble." As I walked to the patrolman''s station to leave the girl with them , I scratched my head and thought that I had more to report to my father. CH 39 "What?¡¡Kidnapping?" "Yeah. , I don''t know details , but from what I hear, that''s what is it "Boy, you''re sure about that, aren''t you?¡¡You don''t want to mess with the adults." "Yeah, iI am sure ." We took the girl to the patrol station, but they didn''t trust us much because we were kids. I had no choice but to take out the key tag with the family crest from mu pocket and invoke my nobleman''s authority. "Do you know this crest?" "I beg your pardon!" "That''s all I need to know. And if you take good care of her, I''ll let you off the hook for your rudeness." "Yes, sir. ...... Hey, Marco. Marco, take Eric and go find the child''s parents!" "Roger that, captain.'' I''m going to go around the perimeter, see if I can find the parents of this kid. "Wait, John. I need the kid''s name and parent''s name first. "Oh , right" Apparently, they take their job seriously. I''m sure thry has a high level of professionalism as they belongs to the patrol unit. "And so, young master. Where did you find this girl?" The captain of the patrol squad, in contrast to the previous one, politely asked me about the situation. Before I knew it, I was being served tea, and Mei was sitting next to me, crunching on some sweets. I don''t know what to say, but he''s a thick-skinned guy. "There''s a warehouse district, right? I think it''s Warehouse No. 4 there.¡¡It was in the opposite direction of the blacksmith town, so I''m pretty sure it was around there." "I see. Then the residential area is close by, isn''t it? I don''t think they would charge a ransom to a civilian, so maybe it was an illegal slave hunt?" "Wasn''t that kind of thing swept away by the previous control order?" In the Imperial Kingdom, there are only three types of slaves: criminal slaves, war slaves, and debt slaves. And only the emperor and the court can reduce a person to the status of a slave. All other slaves are illegal slaves. A year or so ago, in order to save the innocent people who had been enslaved, a nationwide announcement was issued and all illegal slaves were supposed to be freed. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing. "It was supposed to be so. "Underground organizations are everywhere. Even if it''s impossible in Japan, if you sell it overseas, you won''t get caught .... Maybe the old one is gone and there is a chance. It may have come from somewhere else just for the chance, aiming at the place. " "It''s a real nuisance and it''s causing a lot of damage, so make sure you''re not in areas that are unattended, including at night." "We''ll do our best, but we don''t have enough staff. "Do you think we should set up a temporary budget and hire adventurers?" "That would put the criminals on alert. I''m sure the patrolmen will find out when we let this girl go, so I''m sure the enemy will already be on high alert." "I''m sure the enemy is already on alert. It''s a nasty ......." "The only thing that the patrolmen can do is to tighten up the screening process in and out of the city." "That''s right. That''s what I want you to do. I''ll talk to my father about it." "Thank you." While I was talking to the captain of the police station, John, who had been out on a field trip, came back with a woman. "I found someone who I think might be the parent of this child." "Annie!" "Mom!" The girl, who was called Annie, jumped to her mother and started crying. The mother hugs Annie and cries too. "I''m so glad." "Yes, me too ." It''s still good that it ended well this time, but that doesn''t mean it will happen every time. I''m sure there have been similar incidents in the past that just didn''t come to light. In order to prevent such tragedies from happening, the emperor issued a decree banning illegal slavery. I''m not going to allow anyone to cause this kind of misfortune as the son of the lord of this city. "I have to think of something to do." "You mean a way to find criminals? "That''s one thing, but the most important thing is deterrence. We need to retaliate thoroughly so that they can never do that in this city again." If we show that those who make enemies with me will be thoroughly crushed, at least those who misbehave in this town will voluntarily disappear somewhere. I''m sure they''re all willing to die for it. However, in order to retaliate, we need to find them first, so Mei has a point. The young man I saw in the warehouse district was too far away for me to get a good look at him, and it would be difficult for me to find him on my own. I had no choice but to mobilize patrolmen and territorial troops to search for him. "It''s been a pain in the ass." In addition to sonar, there are other spells that can be used to search for enemies, such as eavesdropping and telescopic vision. "I''m not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it''s a good idea. I was determined to start training as soon as I got back. ?? "I''ve heard about you. You''ve done well. Thank you for your help. As a lord, I thank you." "Well, I''m will the next lord, too. I''m not a stranger to this." "I knew you would say that. Eberhard, I''m proud of you." "Ahh, that''s embarrassing." "That''s just like you." Father looks at me with a frown, but there''s nothing cute about the frowning eyes of a mature man. To be honest, I wish he would stop. "You''re amazing, HaL. Your mother will praise you. "Thank you." "That''s great, . I''m going to teach you magic as a reward. "Seriously?¡¡That''s great. What are you going to teach me?" "Hmm, how about healing magic?" "Yay! "Hal is not good with anything that doesn''t have an attribute, so it will be non-attribute recovery magic." There are many different types of recovery magic. The most popular is the non-attribute, followed by the light attribute. After that comes water, earth, and finally fire and wind. The life attribute is rare, so it is not a major player in the mainstream. This is because the life attribute is a special attribute that only those with an aptitude for the two attributes of water and earth can use as their own magic. There are only a few high-ranking priests who can use the life attribute. And to top it all off, my mother, Theresa, was an A+ ranked life attribute mage, a "fresh green saint. My dad is an S-ranked mage ...... or maybe a warrior? If my father is a master of the Northern Shogunate Bushinryu, my mother is a master of magic. I''ve been reading "The Complete Book of Magic" and doing a lot of self-discipline, but I still don''t think I could have mastered magic at the age of six without the detailed control and handling of magic power that my mom taught me in between training sessions with my dad. I owe a lot to my mom. "Recovery magic... ......" I still can''t use recovery magic. I''ve been trying to learn it, but I just don''t know where to start, so I''ve been neglecting it. --If you can''t heal an injury, why not just not get one? Fortunately, I was able to use [Shock], a half-cheat-like unique magic, so when I was about to get injured, I would release a reverse-phase shockwave to cushion the impact, or use it to quickly evade, and so far I''ve lived without any serious injuries. However, there is no guarantee that I won''t be injured in the future if i taken by surprise, and the lack of a means of recovery is still a disadvantage. Aegis ships are designed on the premise that they will not be shot at, but if their armor is paper even if they are not shot at, when they are shot at, they can only sink. But if the armor is paper, the ship will sink if it is hit. The ship must be heavily armored like a battleship, yet highly maneuverable and skilled in evasion and recovery. I was determined to protect my territory from the creeping demons by learning to "heal" as well as "eavesdrop" and "telescopic vision". note . I am dropping that series CH 40 " Listen.¡¡Recovery magic is all about how quickly and accurately the treatment is done. If you won''t do it properly , you might die before you will be able healing yourself . "Uh-huh." I was currently being taught magic by my mother in the backyard. She''s usually kind and somewhat gentle, but it''s not because she''s been called the "Saint of the Green". When it came to teaching magic, she was surprisingly strict. However, it doesn''t mean that she suddenly changes her personality and becomes a demon teacher .She just asks for things with a high degree of difficulty in the usual relaxed manner. While praising and encouraging me , she also giving me a good advice with excessive expectations, which helping me improve quickly. The more I learn, the more i lose, but that''s a minor problem compared to improving magic. "But don''t worry, Hal.¡¡You''re only six years old and you''re so good at magic." This is because I have the unique skill of "continuity is power". It''s not like I''m a genius or anything, but there''s no way I could become that strong for no reason. In fact, I''m not a particularly fast learner. ,and my speed of learning is no different from that of other people around me .The only reason I was able to develop my skills to this level was because of the stoic training I received from my excellent teacher, my cheat-unique skills, and my unparalleled mental strength. Non-attribute recovery magic is the most popular type of recovery magic, so let''s work hard and lern it today!¡¡Don''t worry, Hal, you can do it! My mother''s expectations were heavy. "It''s going to be tough to master it in a day, isn''t it ......? "There are non-attribute recovery spells ranging from D-rank to A+. I can only use A-rank spell . My mom didn''t listen to me. She had so much faith in me that she didn''t even consider the possibility that I might not be able to learn it. "We will start with rank D?" "No, let''s start with B." " wow , really? Isn''t that a little too fast? "D-rank and C-rank recovery magic are like a first aid treatment compatible with B-rank and above. It''s a good idea to start with B-rank if you want it to be more effective . You will be heal more fatal wounds ." "I see." That said, aside from D rank, C rank is by no means a low rank ... As an adventurer or soldier, if person can use at least C-rank magic, he shouldn''t have any trouble earning with it for the rest of life. Even regular soldiers of the imperial army, who are renowned as elite, are guaranteed to pass the enlistment test if they have D-rank combat power. "Let''s start training immediately!¡¡First of all, let''s start with the basics, the B-rank ''healing promotion''. This promotes the natural healing power of the human body by gathering more magic power in the affected area. ---- Half a day passed like this, and before I knew it, the sun was setting. "I''m tired. ......" I''m not sure if it''s my imagination or not, but my physical strength has been restored through repeated practice of recovery magic, but for some reason I feel a certain fatigue. "Recovery magic will heal your strength and wounds, but it won''t restore your magic power and energy~" That''s a fair point, if you ask me.¡¡. If recovery magic could heal not only physical strength but also magic power and energy, then with just one recovery magic users in the party, the mage could shoot magic indefinitely, and the recovery magic user could recover indefinitely by casting recovery magic on himself. How could there be such an invincible party? If such a thing were possible, the world would have been unified by now, and mankind''s long-cherished dream of a perpetual motion machine would be complete. Well, that engine is a living person. "In case you''re wondering, there are some life magic spells that can restore magic and energy. Instead, they take away your strength and vitality, though." "There is such thing as a good deal." If you take something, you wil lose something. I guess that''s how the balance is working . "You''ve done a great job, by the way!¡¡I can''t believe you mastered almost everything in one day. I''m so proud of you, Hal!" "I''m afraid I''ve reached my limit, though. ......" In order not to betray my mother''s expectations, I worked hard from morning until nightfall to train so that I could successfully learn a variety of non-attribute recovery magic, including "healing promotion," "diagnosis," "sterilization," "suture," and "purification. I''ve been using magic for a whole day, and my magic power, which is 28,654, is about to run out of. "I''m not sure if it''s because you was using magic for a long time. It''s scary, even for you " My father, who came to check on me after work, said to me. "No, he''s not fine at all. ...... He''ll fall asleep soon I don''t know why, but when my magic power gets low, I get tired. The people say that this is probably a defense reaction to protect the body, because when the magic power drops to zero, the person faints. "The fact that I can talk to you normally like this is out of the ordinary . Maybe the day will come when I''ll be surpassed. I''m sure that if I were to put almost seven times as much magic power into my current body and unleash a shockwave on maximum power, I could probably knock him out. But if I do that, I''ll faint with zero magic left, and it''s not a very good way to win, so I just don''t do it. In the first place, it is unlikely that the father will take such a large gap attack. If I could escape, I would not lose, but in the end, it is difficult for me to beat him. "Well, let''s go home. Dinner is almost ready. "I wonder what we''ll have today." "I''m hungry. ......" The magic power increases by expanding the magic power circuit by compressing and circulating it in the body, but it can also be increased by using a large amount of magic power, like today. In short, as long as a large amount of magic power flows through the magic power circuit and the circuit expands, it doesn''t matter what means are used. I''ve used so much magic power that I''m sure the amount of magic power will increase to some extent. When I have more magic power, I will start training again tomorrow. There are still a number of spells to learn, such as "eavesdropping" and "telescopic vision". I want to think about improving existing magic and applying [Shock]. Thinking about what I can do to keep the city safe, I returned to the mansion with my parents. CH 41 A few days after I learned recovery magic. After that, I had successfully mastered several new magic spells such as "telescopic vision" and "eavesdropping", and I was working on developing a new magic spell using "shock". At this point, my combat power should be quite high. The only attribute I can use is the non-attribute (for some reason, I had no aptitude for other attributes magic, which I should have been able to use). I can''t extend what idon''t have, no matter how much I will say "continuity is power. I can use a number of non-attribute magic, North Shogun Bushinryu, [shock], and recovery magic, and my overall fighting ability is already close to A+ rank. I''m sure i can say that at least A is definitely there. There are not that many A-ranked mages or adventurers in the empire, and an A-ranked mage can be a mainstay in a local adventurer''s guild, or even a front-line mages in one of the three elite divisions of the imperial army. In the case if you are a commoner, you will not have to worry about your livelihood for the rest of your life. But you never know what''s going to happen in the world. For example, I still don''t think I can beat my father . My father, General Karl Heinz of the North, used to be an S-ranked warrior, a "war demon. Even now that he''s married and I''m born, his fame is known throughout the empire It seems that even though he is such men , he is not actually the strongest in the empire. I''ve only heard rumors about it , but I heard that there is a hermit in the Imperial Kingdom who lives for hundreds of years. He seems to be living in seclusion somewhere deep in the mountains or in the forest, but if there is a crisis in the empire, he is promised to go into battle at the request of the emperor. He seems to be like a guardian god , but since he is a hermit, it is safe to assume that he is half god. It''s impossible for a human to live for hundreds of years, and since he''s got a leg up on the rest of us, I guess he''s not too far off the mark. As of now, the only people who are known to be stronger than me are in the imperial army or my parents, and they are all basically of good nature, so the chances of me being harmed by them are low . But of course there are bad people more powerful than me that I don''t know about, and there''s no guarantee that I won''t run into them. Then I must become stronger as soon as possible to be able to fight against enemies I have yet to see. I am the future heir to the Northern General. I can''t just sit around playing around. ?? "The kidnapper from last time, it seems that the culprit has been caught." "Oh!¡¡It''s relief said father , who already finished his lunch and was drinking his after-dinner tea as he savored his exotic sauteed beef. "The patrolmen were able to respond quickly to Eberhard''s request. It''s not always easy for an organization to move without a decision from the their boss . It seems that my taking the feared girl to the police lead to the revealing his identity at the time, and instructing them to take immediate action had been successful. "Strengthening patrols and stricter screening of city entrances and exits may seem like mundane measures, but they are costly and cannot be easily implemented by a decision made by patrol headquarters alone. We have to get the approval of the council and the lord to increase the budget for the measures. In this way , you may be a child, but you are the next lord , even if you are a child, and you will be held responsible for what you do according to your orders. That''s why I was able to work on the measures quickly without waiting for approval." In ordinarily case , a rigid system of rules and regulations is effective in preventing rampant injustice and outbursts of power, but once an incident occurs, a top-down approach may be faster and more accurate. However, if the top management makes a wrong decision, the whole thing will go down the drain, so it cannot be said that top-down is better. It just so happened that my decision was the right one this time. "The criminal who was caught was a lowly adventurer , who work in a criminal organization. The man himself was nothing more than a disposable pawn, but the person he was working on was one of the organization''s heads . This is the reason why the Heitburg branch of the organization was destroyed in the end. "That''s right. Then I did a good thing. "But the head of the organization seems to have escaped. I''m sending urgent letters to the surrounding lords, but I don''t know if they get them in time. Criminal organizations are a pain in the ass. As long as the top executives are still alive, the low-level goons can be supplemented by the poor and the desperate, and instead of obeying the law and customs, they ignore them do more cromes so no matter how many times they beaten , they always will come back from nowhere. Since it is much easier to steal money than earning them , people without any sense of ethics will commit crimes without any hesitation. So, from the perspective of the lords who are cracking down on them, they have no choice but to put pressure on the criminal organizations to shut them down and make it relatively easier for the people who are earning in a right way . Some people have no choice but to become criminals, and it''s a hard world to live in, but that''s the way politics is. Sometimes it is necessary to make a ruthless choice to cut off the evil of the few. This world is still in the process of development. It is not as rich as the developed countries of the world. It need to modify the structure of society as a whole without wasting limited resources. "I hope Lily made it back home safely." She left Heidburg a few days ago and should be arriving at her parents'' house in Bernstadt by now. The distance to Bernstadt will still take a couple of days, she said. But with the duke''s excellent bodyguards, she won''t be delayed as much as the crime syndicate. I''m sure the criminal organizations don''t want to make enemies of the dukes. The duke''s family, which is powerful , will probably destroy them sooner or later, but as long as they don''t touch the duke''s family, they won''t be actively destroyed. It may seem like a futile attempt to prolong life, but if person can get out of the criminal business and get a legitimate job while prolonging his life, he is in good position. "Dont worry " I''ve also given her the pendant for the communication device, and I''m sure she will contact me when she gets to Bernstadt safely. I thought there was nothing to worry about, and returned to my room. CH 42 "Hal!¡¡Help me!!!!" "!" I heard Lily''s voice in the middle of the night, and I jumped up. I in my room. I was asleep in my bed and Lily was not next to me. "Hal!" "Lilly?" I''m sure t''s not a dream. Lily is calling me. I hurriedly channeled my magic into a sapphire bracelet and connected it to Lily''s communication device. "(Hello, Lily. Can you hear me?) She might be in some kind of danger. I whispered to Lily so that no one else could hear me. "Oh, Hal!¡¡Thank God, we''re connected! "What''s the matter, Lily? Yo are in danger ? Since Lily was speaking in a normal voice, I replied in a normal voice without lowering my voice. "I''m being held as hostage by bandits. But it''s okay because there is no Mihari right now. "A bandist?¡¡Are you okay?" "The knights is alive and well. Their goal seems to be to get money from me . "All right. I''ll go help you right away. Do you know where you are located ? "I don''t think we in the dukedom yet. We''re in a big town. "How long have you been held by them ......? "''...... the day before yesterday. But they didn''t hurt me. The day before yesterday, which means they were attacked two days after they left Heitburg, although they apparently received minimal treatment considering that they were safe for two days. "''Do you know how they look like ?'' "''Hmmm, ......, there are quite a few of them, so I can''t say . they don''t look too shabby for bandits. They look like mafia. "''Mafia. I understand. If anything happens, call me right away. If you whisper, they probably won''t notice. "Yeah. ......, Hal." "What is it?" "''I''m scared. Don''t worry, I''ll save you." Once I shut down the communication, I hurriedly ran out of the room and searched around the study, illuminating the surroundings with the non-attribute magic "Lighting". I picked up a map of the surrounding area, with the Farenheit frontier county at the center. With the level of technology in this world, maps are sercert information, so they are kept in the back of the study like this. "That what i need !'' I picked up a map of the surrounding area, with the Farenheit frontier county at the center. With the level of technology in this world, maps are sercert information, so they are kept in the back of the study like this. I searched for a town that fit the criteria Lily had mentioned. A relatively large town in front of the dukedom, a town that takes about two days to travel from here. "It''s ....... The town Canard." The town Canard is a medium-sized town with a population of about 10,000, located about 150 kilometers southwest from the Heidburg. There are a few other small settlements, but no large towns. "Jut you wait , Lily. I''ll save you ." I picked up the map and ran out of the study. I went straight to my parent''s room and woke them up. "Eberhard?¡¡What are you doing here at this hour ?" "Lily''s in trouble. I need to go to the town Canard. " Town Canard ?¡¡And what do you mean by , Lily''s in trouble?" "I''ll tell you all about it later. If you can, I want you to send a squad of Territorials or patrolmen to Canard town right now. See you later . "Hey, Eberhard, what''s going on ?" "Lily''s been kidnapped by the bandits ! "What?" That''s all I said, and I ran out of my parents'' bedroom. I wrapped a leather pouch around my waist and grabbed a map. I left the mansion and ran out into the night streets of Heitburg. ?? "''Mei, you are awake!?" I don''t think a six-year-old girl should be awake at three o''clock at night , when everyone should sleep but I bet on the possibility that she might be awake, so I sent a message to Mei. After a while, I received a reply from her. "''Nn ......, what''s wrong ......, at this hour ......''" It seems that I woke her up when she was sleeping . "''It''s an emergency. I need your help." "'' Emergency? "''Yes. I''m on my way already " "''......'' is understood. I''ll make the necessary preparings ." "Thank you." Not only she was not angry when I call her in the middle of the night, but she agreed to help me without asking what''s going on. What a good friend she is . "So, what''s going on ?'' When I arrived at the Arendelle workshop, Mei was standing in front of the workshop, waiting for me. She seemed to have made herself presentable in a short time. "I want to go to the town Canard now. Do you have any magic tools that would be useful for traveling on long distances?" The town Canard is about 150 kilometers away. It''s a lot faster to arriving by using magic than going on foot, but no matter how fast I go, it''s going to take me about three hours of running at full speed. And after three hours of running, I will be exhausted. And i won''t be able to rescue Lily. That''s where Mei comes in. I thought that she might have developed some kind of magical tool suitable for transportation as part of her hobby. "What ......? I''m sure i have something like this . "Oh!¡¡Well then." "It''s just that the magic energy consumption is horribly low ." "......, let me have a look." "This way." What Mei showed me was a huge object that looked like a winged cruise missile with a seat and motorcycle handlebars added to it. "It''s the M-1." "...... What is this?" I had a pretty good idea of what it was, but I didn''t think it was possible, so I asked her for more information. "I made it based on the airplane that Hal showed me on paper a while ago. It is the next new flying tool that use Hal''s Shook magic as water power to fly through the air. "Science and Technology Paradigm Shift!" I wonder if Mei is the reincarnation of a modern Earth scientist?¡¡The gods of forging must have possessed her, because she made a rocket plane after seeing the paper airplane I made before. "The M-1 requires three C-rank magic stones to fly in the sky, even at its lowest. Even then, it only can fly for a few minutes . "That''s horribly low on fuel consumption." It only takes a few minutes of Mei''s magical power for three people to fly. "That''s why I think it''ll be hard to make it useful." "Don''t worry.Now I''m here." With the amount of magic power I have, I should be able to travel to a distance of 150 kilometers without losing half of it.That would be much faster than running, and it was still the right decision to ask for Mei''s help. "Thank you. The truth is that Lily has been kidnapped by the bandits and sje is in trouble. So I''m wanted to save her . "What that drug dealer? ......" When Mei heard this, she looked complicated. But when she thought of something, she looked up and told me. "Please wait a moment." Mei returned to the workshop and brought something. She was carrying a backpack on her back. "Please take me with you." "Mei? "If something happens to Hal''s fiancee , Hal will be sad. That''s not good." "Mei ......" "I will help you." It''s a great to have to rent transportation at the moment. "All right. Thank you, Mei " "You''re my friend, so , it''s natural thing ." I couldn''t help but burst into tears, but I was too embarrassed to look at her "Well, we can''t fly wit this thing in the town , so we''ll have to go outside the city first. "Right. I''ll take it. . ...... Hmmm! I raised my muscle strength with "Body Strengthening" and lifted the "M-1". It''s quite heavy, but not so heavy to the point where I can''t carry it. Mei and I continued our way through the city at night. The gates of the castle were closed, but the guards were standing there, so I showed them the crest of the Fahrenheit family to get them lets us pass though. "Be careful, sir. "Tell my father I''m leaving ." "Very well, sir." I explained the situation to him and he agreed, so I guess that this guard was a very resourceful person. "Now, let''s use the shock engine." With that, Mei turned on the starter and started the engine. After the sound of "ooh ......", there was a loud bang and the engine started work . Geez, ............ "That''s pretty powerful. "The speed is about 300 kilometers per hour." Three hundred kilometers per hour is about the same speed as the bullet train, isn''t it? It is an thing that is an extremely rare for the technological level of this world. "I can''t keep magic power. That thing needs a lot of magic power . I a m sure you can handle it Hal " There''s magic in this world. It''s good that with magic is possible to make things work . "Now, let''s get in." "You want me to drive?" "It''s a system that required people to provide the magic power." Apparently, I have to fly on jet plane without a license. "I''m going to have to do it on the spot. Well, probably Hal will be fine." "Probably?" But if I won''t do that , Lily would be in danger. There is no option not to do it. "Let''s go. "Okay." I climbed in the M-1, put Mei in the back, and revved the engine. I put Mei on the back please and started driving . The "M-1" accelerates with a sound of "GOOOOOO......". The wind blows against it as it accelerates, but the windshield does a good job of keeping it from affecting us. "It''s a good design.'' "Thanks " Mei might even develop a passenger plane one day. I don''t think my magical power will be able to power a passenger plane, so I''ll probably leave the technical issues to her. The plane finally took off wwith speed of over 150 kilometers per hour. It was the first flight of my life since I was reborn in this world. "we are flying !" "It was a successful ! "What?" "This is the first I manned flight!" "What the hell is wrong with you?¡¡I knew you were a mad scientist!" It seems that it was the first time for Mei as well as me to fly .I don''t know if there is flying magic in this world, but this is probably the first time in history that a magic tool has been used to fly. They say that people will do anything to achieve it , but no one in this world could have imagined that a six-year-old would be able to create it. "Wait for me, Lily." The altitude was already about 100 meters. "The M-1 is sucking my magic power and accelerating rapidly. The speed is probably 200 kilometers per hour. The city of Heitburg is becoming closer and closer . "I''ll leave the road planning to you. Behind me, Mei , holding a map in her hand, corrects direction by referring to the terrain. If all goes well, we should be able to reach the town Canard in less than an hour. --Wait for me, Lilly. I''m going to save you ! ---- Wait for me, crime organization . I''m going to kill you all, every last of you CH 43 With a roaring sound, the "M-1" carrying Mei and me through the summer night sky. It''s quite exhilarating to see the forests, plains, and scattered villages from the such high . "It''s a good thing that today is full moon If it was cloudy, we would have lost altitude and hit the ground before we knew it. It was fortunate that even though it was nighttime, the moonlight made it possible to see clearly like it was a daytime . "We''re almost to the town Canard. Mei , who was sitting behind me, told me in a loud voice over my back. The problem was with the "M-1" is that it is difficult to hear even if to shout loudly due to the noise of the engine and wind. After flying for a while, I saw a few artificial lights in the distance. "............ We arrived If to look closely, It can be seen many buildings crowded together and surrounded by a walls . It was still hard to tell for sure, but every few houses had some kind of lamp or light leaking out of window. "That''s the town Canard, , and in basin of direction, we arrived ." Apparently, that was the town Canard. "We''re ready to land. Hold on tight!" "Yes, sir! I slowed down the M-1 and gradually lowered its altitude. . I pulled the wooden wheels out of the fuselage and prepared for landing. I''m not worried about it because it''s a magical tool that Mei made, but even if the plane can''t handle the impact of landing, I''ll put up a barrier and release a reverse-phase shockwave to mitigate the impact, so it won''t get hurt. "......3, two, one, landing!" --Zzzzzzzzz! "........................ landing successful. "It''s worked out ! This is Mei As expected, it was a magic tool made by Mei. The steering wheel was a little shaky, but we succeeded in landing without any problems. "I''m not too worried about it because I had a successful unmanned flight test with a small plane.'' "But it''s not like we''re going to be doing the real thing right away. ......'' "I knew Hal would be able to handle it even if it failed. ......'' Well, I''m the one who asked her to do it. I can''t blame Mei for that .And it''s working. "I''ll leave the plane here. It''s hard to find it here because of the grass, so we''ll use that again it when we''re done." "Well, it can''t be helped. And Hal, how much magic power do you need to be able to fly well? This is a grassland a few hundred meters away from the town Canard. There are no buildings nearby, only small forests and wheat fields. Naturally, there was no one around. "...... Shall we go then?" "Yes." We stealthily approached the town, blending in with the tall grass. If the guards or patrolmen were involved in Lily''s kidnapping, they would know that we had come to rescue her. As I carefully approached the town, trying not to make a sound, I tried to contact Lily via "communication". "Lily, can you hear me? If you can hear me, please respond." "...... Hal?¡¡I can hear you. What''s wrong?" Her voice was sleepy, as if she had been sleep until now. "I'' came t the e town where you being held can you see what''s going on outside from there?" I tried to check with my sonar, but I couldn''t cover the whole town. First of all, it''s still impossible for me to extract specific responses from the 10,000 or so people. It might be possible if it were my mother or some hermit whose location 7was unknown but it would be difficult with my current abilities. So, I asked Lily if she could see any remarkable things . This is a kind of cheating that can only be done by using the magic of communication. In the past, "communication" was a type of magic that could only be used one-way if both parties were unable to use it. The reason why I can have a two-way conversation like this is because I have a magic tool . It''s not the best way to go, but it''s a good thing that I had prepared a handy tool like a cell phone to use. "I can see a white wall and a tower in the distance." "A tower?" It was not a great wall like the one in Heitburg, about three meters high, so I could easily climb it by shooting shock waves from my feet. "Tower .... That''s it!" In the center of the town, there was a building that looked like a shrine but a rather magnificent bell tower. As far as I could see, there was no building taller than a five-story tall bell tower in Canard, so I was pretty sure that was the tower. However, I could see the tower from most of the town, so I wasn''t quite able to narrow down the area. "The tower is visible from most of the town. , but that wasn''t enough information to find you ....... How close is the white wall?" "''It''s pretty close. Also, it''s pretty big. A large white wall. In modern Japan, this would be a very important piece of information, but most of the walls of the buildings in this town were white. To be honest, it was not a condition to narrow down the search. "Hmmm... ....... I don''t know what to do. ...... "Then why don''t you have Hal climb up the tower and report to Lily so she can see you? "I see, that''s a good idea!" When I was troubled, Mei suggested a good idea, and I immediately started to follow her advice. "Lilly, I''m going to climb the tower now, and when you will be able too see me , let me know." "Okay." With this idea , I can narrow down the search area considerably. Mei might be a genius after all. As we entered the town, we took care not to be spotted by the residents or patrolmen using the sonar, and headed towards the building where the bell tower is located at a short run. Occasionally, drunks, government officials on our way were , and patrolmen would be caught in the sonar''s search range, but we hided in the shadows each time we got a response, and somehow we managed to reach the bell tower without being spotted. "There are no soldiers in sight, right ?" "Well, it''s the middle of the night. Let''s go. "Yes." We snuck into the grounds of the temple and ran to the foot of the bell tower. "Mei, you stay downstairs and keep an security " "Okay, " I put on my Strengthen magic and take out a throwing knife from my pouch. "Hmm." Just as my throwing knife was about to reach the top of the 15-meter bell tower, I activated the magic I had cast on the knife. "Binding Rope!" Several magic wires about five millimeters thin flew out from the knife and entangled in the bell tower. One of them wrapped around my arm. It took me about 30 seconds to reach the top of the bell tower, where the bell was. "Lily, can you see me ?" I activated my newly learned "telescopic vision" to look around the town, while I connected my "communication" to Lily. After a few seconds, Lily replied. "I can see you ......!¡¡Hal, you came ! "Of course, I''d go anywhere to save Lily."" It was a cringe-worthy line, but it was also meant to reassure Lily. Embarrassed, I moved around the bell. "''How'' about this ?" "''There''s still some distance ." "''How about this?" "Almost there." "Are you in the front?"" "There it is!¡¡That''s the front. you pretty far away from there. Can you see me ?" I activated my "telescopic vision" as fast as I could and checked each building that was some distance away. This way, I should be able to see Lily at some point. "I will save you .¡¡Lily!" "Hal!" I found Lily. I could see her looking at me from a window with iron bars in a small warehouse-like building on the grounds of a larger house about 300 meters away from here. "Iron bars ......, won''t stop me ......." There are no guards on the premises at a glance, but there is a glimmer of light leaking from inside what appears to be the main building. I''m not sure if they''re having a party to calculate the ransom they''ll get from kidnapping the duke''s daughter. Either way, it would be their last party. I jumped down from the top of the bell tower and landed softly with a shockwave on my feets , then ran over to Mei who was standing on guard to tell her that I had found Lily. "Mei , I found Lily. Let''s hurry up and save her ". "Okay. I''ll help you." Saying this, Mei took out from her bag a magic gun that she had just developed. It is a revolver type shock gun. It''s a weapon with 36 bullets. "Now we can take out those bastards! "...... is very reliable."¡¡To be honest, I wasn''t planning on letting Mei participate in the mission to save Lily ....... If I can handle this kind of armament, i should have no problem taking on a big man. It''s better to keep Mei away from the fight and let her shoot from a distance. "Let''s go." "Yes." Now that I knew the location, there was no need to hide. I ran at full speed through the city at night with Mei. CH 44 Listen, Mei. Our first priority is to rescue Lily. We''ll deal with the criminals later. "Okay, ." We came to the hideout of the crime organization where Lily was being held, and we hided in the shadows to plan our strategy. "Here''s the plan. I''ll get Lily take out of here , and you take her and run to safe place . If you see anyone suspicious, fire back with a gun. It''s better if you don''t kill them, because it will be possible to get more information from them, but you can kill them if you want. They are the people who kidnapped the duchess. They''ll get the death penalty for impunity anyway. "With magic gun I will fire ." "It''s will be good not to cause any damage to people or houses. It''s the middle of the night, so it''s relatively safe. "I''ll leave that to you, . The accuracy is perfect." "Excellent." If I rescue Lily, they will certainly notice me. So, before they can fight back, I have to take them all out at once. "...... Then let''s start the mission ." Mei and I jumped out of the shadows and ran to the hideout''s gate. The bored-looking gatekeeper notices us and asks us who we are. "Who the hell are you?" ......" "I hate it when people make noise. If it was just me, Mei would still be here. Until we get Lilly out of here, we have to be covert. "Just in case they''re waiting for , us in trouble. ...... "''Sonar'', ''wiretap''." I'' m going to use the two magics to find out if there are any hidden enemies. This is because in this world, there are people who can use sonar-breaking "stealth" and "silence" magic. Sonar-breaking is a magic that prevents the other party from detecting your presence, like a stealth device . It hides your presence by absorbing the magic waves of detection emitted by your opponent, or by bouncing them back in a completely different direction. Silence also blocks the flow of air around you so that no sound is transmitted. These two magics were said to be ver important for a assassins . "......, but there aren''t many people who can use that kind of advanced magic. Unlike "sonar," which is a C-rank non-attribute magic, "stealth" is an A-rank non-attribute magic. It''s also a B-rank non-attribute magic. In the case if person an assassin who is highly skilled in both, he don''t have to go against the laws to get hired by a legitimate organization like the military at an exceptional rate. There was no need for this kind of banditry. "...... Okay, there''s no reactions . After confirming that there were no ambusher, I opened the gate and ran to the warehouse-type building where Lily was being held. "Lily, I''m here to save you ." "Hal......! Lily looks at me with tears in her eyes from other side of the bars. "It''s okay. Just stay away from the door." "All right. After confirming that Lily is away from the door, I unleash a shockwave that break through the door. The door blew inward with a loud sound . "Lily!" "Hal-kun!" Lily jumps out from the place and hugs me. It seems that she is not chained up or anything. "Let''s hurry and get to safe place ." "Uh-huh." Perhaps sensing something unusual, from the inside of the building that was near by suddenly became noisy. It''s a good chance to escape while no one has come out yet. "This way!" Mei was waving at us from a distant corner. "I''m sure you have a lot of thing to say , but for now I''d appreciate it if you''d just shut up and follow me." By the way, Lily and Mei have always seen each other as enemies . But not in that case . We''re going to the tower where we can see the whole town, so it''s the best place for us to go. "I see, you''ve thought of that." From the high bell tower, we can shoot the enemy from a distance. If thay try to climb up from the bottom, the enemy will not be able to get close to us once the stairs are blocked. It won''t be suitable for a long-term battle, but we don''t have to worry about that, because I''ll come running as soon as I''ve destroyed the enemy. "How do we get up there?¡¡I thought the stairs were locked." "Here we go " Meii took out a key. "It''s the key. "Why didn''t you take it out earlier?" If you''d told me, I wouldn''t have had to climb up the wall. " Hal climbed up before I could say anything. ......" When she said that, I couldn''t argue with her. I mean, six-year-olds don''t usually have a key. There was no way I could have predicted that. "Oh, Mei it''s not normal. ......" In the meantime, I heard a loud voice coming from the hiding place. It seems that we have been noticed. "I''m coming ." "Uh-huh." Mei pulled Lily along with her, whether she liked it or not. "I''m sorry. "Sorry for what? "For calling you a dumb cat. Don''t worry about it. Hurry up, or you''ll get caught again." "Thank you, ......."" It seems that the conflict has been resolved. "Lily, where are your guards and servants ? " Hal, I was wondering if you could help them out too. "All right. I''ll help them, too. The more you help them, the more layers of protection you''ll have over Lily. "Well, then I''m going to punish them for their hubris. ...... "I''m going to make them pay for everything they had done l!" "Hal. "What? "...... please." "I got it." I watched as the two of them made their way to safe place towards the Shrine, and then headed to the hideout of the crime organization . It''s wil be bloodbath tonight. No one will escape alive . CH 45 Ow! " Ugh!" "Who the hell are you? A big group of men screamed and rolled around. Some were blown away and fainted, some were cowering with broken bones, and some were retreating in fear. Not a single one of them tries to stand up against me. "It''s not easy for you, Your Excellency. to have your beloved daughter kidnapped by a bunch of people. But something didn''t make sense. The duke''s bodyguards are excellent,warriors with a rank of C- and B-ranked and one A-ranked. I''m not sure how much of a difference there is in the numbers, but I can''t see how they could be defeated by small fish like this. "...... So this is the prison where the guards are being held." I looked and saw that there was a door with a padlock on it, so I released a tiny shockwave to destroy the lock. "Is the duke''s bodyguard here?" "...... Who are you?" This time, one of the good-dressed men who had been chained up asked me. "I am Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit, Lily''s fiance . Lily contacted me and I rushed to her aid. It seems that they couldn''t see my face in the dark, so I used the magic "lighting" to illuminate the prison, and when they saw my face, they said in surprise. "Master Eberhard!" "You can be amazed later. Can you move?" I break their chains and turn. "You''re our savior ul. you very much. Where'' is Lily ? "I''ve already taken her to the safe place . I will defeat the enemy. I want some of you to go and escort her . "Yes, . Hey, Jade, Tony, Alan. You guys head to the young lady''s side . Maids, too. Terry, Roger, Alfred. You''re camin with me to destroy and capture the bandits . Sasha, you talk to the town patrol to told them to send out unit . Show them the duke''s family crest." ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸ yes ¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ He is an excellent duke''s escort knight. He made a mistake once, but once he was freed, he quickly regained his composure and acted quickly. "What about you, sir Eberhard? "Of course, I will destroy them." When I responded, the escort captain turned over and told me. "There is one enemy who is too much for us to handle. He is the one we ...... Please be very careful with that enemy.I think he probably an A+ rank." A+ rank. In terms of strength, he''s one rank below my dad, and probably about the same level as me right now. At the very least, he''s strong enough to have defeated multiple escort knights in addition to this A-ranked escort captain. "...... Hey, what'' happens while I was not here ?" "Felix, ......!¡¡You''re resting, Capet." "Fuck up, ....... So why are you guys running?" The man who came out from the back of the hideout was a man in his thirties, carrying a long long great Sword on his shoulder, who looked like the kind of adventurer the captain of the guard had just told us about. He was about six feet tall, with a medium build, and his hair was neither too long nor too short. Above all, he has a savage look in his eyes. Even now, even though he had killed the man who had complained to him in an instant, he acted as if nothing had happened, which could only be described as creepy. "It''s that guy, . Eberhard, ....... He''s the one that messed up with us . ......!" "Oh, what, you want to run away after I beat you?¡¡I don''t like that. My employer would be very angry. "Employer?" "Me, my little gentleman. "...... you. Another man came out of the room. It was that stinky merchant-looking man who had come to the Fahrenheit house a few days ago to meet with father. "Business is booming." "Slaves can be sold at a high price. "Just when I had stared t a kidnapping business and the duchess came to visit. It''s no exaggeration to say that the luck was already on my side, isn''t it?" The stinky merchant-looking man tapped the shoulder of the man standing beside him called Felix. "Fortunately, I''ve made a new connection with Felix the Wind Slayer, a renowned bouncer, and this i will have rint now duke daughter and a legitimate son of a frontier count in one go?" . If the enemy had kidnapped Lily for some other reason, I would have found it difficult to do the same. But when I saw them wi my eyes, I understand that they were human trash. This way, I wouldn''t have to worry about overdoing things . "Eberhard." "You guys need to stay back. You don''t want to get caught in the middle of this." "...... Thank you, . Good luck. ...... Hey, we''re take care of other the Hurry up and get to move " "Yes !" Due to my hasty flight, I only have about half of my magic power left, but strangely enough, I don''t feel as if I am going to lose. "Felix the Wind Slayer. I''ve never heard of him. "Oh?¡¡You don''t know me, an A+ ranked adventurer?" "I''m afraid no . I''ve got a much better people around me ." "The kid is ....... That''s the kind of thinking you get from being spoiled, isn''t it?¡¡I''ll play with you for a while.t, though the cost of such behavior is high! "You''re a ragtag bunch of losers. ......" "Fuck you! "Haha, you''re taking kid too serious d." The air between the two was tense. In the midst of this tense air, the two of them gradually close the gap. One of the escorts retreated and made a jarring sound. That sound was a signal, and the rest of the escort jumped out of the way. CH 46 The sound The sound of one of the guards retreating is signal, and they jump out of the way as if they been shot. There was a high-pitched clang, and Felix''s great sword slashed fiercely against my magic -covered knife. "You''re pretty good for a kid!¡¡Are you really just kid?" "I am just kid . ......! From his pint of view , I release a shockwave at his feet, causing him to step away and get distance "It''s been a while since I''ve been hit by someone this strong. Hey, fake merchant. Can I kill him ?" "Who is this fake merchant? You can''t kill him. He'' will a valuable hostage of mine . "Ahh!¡¡This is such a nice fight, but I can''t hold back !¡¡Die! "This is why adventurer-battle junkies ......" "What are you talking about?" I was a little pissed off that he was ignoring me, so I fired a few shock bullets at the fake merchant and Felix . "What the hell is that?¡¡What''s that? I''ve never seen such thing before. "......!" But Felix, of course, was able to block them. This guy saw through my impact bullet at first sight and cut it down.And the one I fired at the fake merchant, as measure. "You can''t prevent it in one go . .. It seems that he is not just an A+ rank. His magic power itself is not that great, but his swordsmanship is outstanding. If it''s just swordsmanship, he might be stronger than my dad. "I have two names first one is ''Wind Slayer''. My second name is ''Kazekiri , because I can cut even the wind. Remember that. You are going to die soon, though." "Then I''ll tell you something too. I don''t have a second name yet, but I''m the one who will eventually succeed the North General." "The next North General. There is no shortage of opponents. It''s just a shame you are too young." "...... What are you talking about? Hurry up and take him down!¡¡I don''t care if you have a limb or two! "Your true colors are showing, fake merchant." The shocking bullet that just hit him must have scared him. The fake merchant forgot his condescending tone and gave Felix a foul-mouthed order. In fact, if Felix hadn''t help him , the fake merchant would have been dead. It was a desperate move. "My employer'' is angry ," he said. . Next time, I''ll be serious." "I''m not afraid of you " It''s my eighteenth [shock] after all. The Hokushobu Shinryu is also good , but my skill level still lackss Then, the only thing i can rely on is the saturation attack of [shock] that you a huge amount of magical power. Beyond the limit of Felix''s ability so i can handle him ,with a huge firepower "Die, kid!"" "You''re going to end up in a piggy bank!" Felix closed the distance with terrifying acceleration. Fe I can''t seem to break his stance. It''s too dangerous if things stay like this. Then. "Shock barrage!" With both of my hands outstretched, I fire a series of "shock bullets" with such fury that it look like a machine guns. "It''s so fucking annoying !¡¡I''ll be back! I can''t attack the fake merchant, so I direct all my power on Felix and attack with everything I''ve got. Each of the "shock bullet " had the power of a 35 mm machine gun, but Felix was nor harmed by dozens of them. "Oh, my God!" The great sword that he is using is also a very powerful one, and it seems that even after such an impact, the blade does not even damaged a little. ...... I thought about destroying the weapon, but at this rate, I''d be cut down before his weapon reached its limit. ". I''m getting used to it. It was no longer a barrage of bullets and Felix had cut through it all , and was approaching me step by step. It''s no use. I''ll have to use that. I wanted not to use it but ......, if I things stay like this, O will lose sooner or later. Realizing that the odds were stacked against me, I decided to devote a little of my magic to my feet, gaining some distance between me and Felix and thn I activating a new spell that I recently developed. "(...... ''Minefield''!)" "Gah! "Minefield". It''s spell in which a shockwave released from my feet travels through the ground and explodes in the distance. It''s not a spell that directly impacts the enemy, so it''s not very powerful, but it''s a great spell to break enemy stance . "Bursting Impact Bullet!" The next my spell is the newly developed "Bursting Impact Bullet," which explodes just before hitting the enemy, making it impossible to physically cut them down. This spell is slightly less powerful than a direct hit with a normal impact bullet, but chance of get damage is higher . "Aaah!" It seems that the attack went through. It seems that no matter how much speed have slayer Felix is, it was difficult for him to literally slice through the blast. It seems that his second name "Kazekiri " was an exaggeration. But that didn''t take him down He stood up with a crazy smile on his face, bleeding from all over his body. ...... What a troublesome enemy Felix stood up slowly and ran toward me, crawling along the ground, keeping a low profile. "Fast!" It was an attack that exploited the gaps in his consciousness. I couldn''t catch up with him. "Die!" Felix had been saying nothing but "die" since a while ago. I don''t think he has much of a vocabulary. "I am six years old. I can''t die!" We get into melee combat, but his weapon a long, two-handed great sword then he is swung with both hands. On the other hand, my weapon is a small knife that covered with magic and an unlimited distance If I wil get in his range I won''t l win ! "Storm dance rambles!"¡¡"Blink the enemy" ¡¡"Crucifixion!" The "Storm Dance" is a series of attacks like a dancing storm, where the magic power flows through the nerves of the entire body, raising the reflexes and exceeding the reaction speed of user to attack oponent Then, after Felix was knocked off his stance by the Storm Dance, I cast the Blink of an Eye to get him out of his defensive stance. And finally, I striked Felix''s empty hand with a Crucifixion "Aah! But even after that, Felix didn''t let go of his weapon I could barely keep the barrier in place, but I was blown away several dozen meters. While being blown over the city I adjusted my stance and landed softly while releasing a few shockwaves. ...... Even for a child, a strike that blows a 20 kg body dozens of meters away is terrifying. If this had been a direct hit , I would have been cut in half above and below my torso for sure. "...... is that the Bushin-ryu? It''s hard to beat!" Felix, who had chased after me after I was blown away, said with a fierce smile, but it was only "hard to del with ". He''s better than me, that''s for sure. "......A+ rank. opennet It''s harder than I thought." I''m not sure if we''re evenly matched or if he''s better. So far, I''ve been able to get advance over him, but that''s only because I''ve been able to push him around with a lot of magic power. It''s probably the case that out abilities are almost the same. In fact, as an all-rounder with short- to long-range attack methods, I have a slight advantage over Felix, who specializes in short-range attacks. However, I haven''t been able to beat him. I don''t have enough experience in actual combat. "You so a talent t it''s oo shame to kill you . But the good feeling is when I nip such young talent in the bud." "......, you battle junkie." I cursed him, but I couldn''t think of a way to shut him up. I''m not sure how long I''ll be able to keep it up, though I still have some magic left. I didn''t know how much pressure I''ll be under in the fight for ...... my life. I was muttering to myself inwardly, "It''s not easy being the next "Northern General" when I experience the tension of the fight for live at the age of six. ...... Now, how do I get out of this situation? CH 47 How should I get out of this situation? If I rush in, I''m sure to be countered, and my steaming is low I try to take this into an endurance battle. I have plenty of magic power, but if I continue with strategy of stretching things out, I will sure to run out of magic power . The only reason I can maintain a stalemate like this is because i am prolonging the time until death in exchange for a huge amount of magic power. "Hey kid. Why are you so strong?"" Felix was talking to me as if we were long-time friends, as if he didn''t like the situation as much as I did. I don''t have to answer him, but I do want time to think of a way out of this, so I do. ". I''ve been working out my whole life, and I don''t want to be mixted in with the other kids around here. "Ever since you were born?¡¡You can''t train yourself while you''re a baby." "But it''s true, Otherwise, I wouldn''t be so strong." "Wow, there are some interesting people in this world. I''m about to turn 30 and I''ve never met a kid as strong as you." "No way." I can''t take it lightly. "Now, have you come up with a better solution? "Tsk." Apparently, he was being shown mercy. For him, this is a game, even if his life is on the line. I don''t have time for this, but I'' won''t a crazy bastard take advantage of me. ".Unfortunately, I didn''t come up with a good plan. I''ll just have to do my best and rely on my luck . "Oh?¡¡What a boring guy. I''m going to kill you. "You''re going to kill him either way , aren''t you?Why Don''t you have the option of letting him go? "There''s no such option. Die!" "You son of a bitch!" Felix comes at me with his great sword held it like a spear.I intercepted it with my "binding rope," but the magical power ropes used to capture him were easily cut. "Ooh!¡¡My head and neck are going to be cut off!" "You''re going to die in this pace " I flew to the side, firing shock bullet as I fled. Felix without problem e slicing it off, but... "That''s a shame." "What?¡¡Aah!" The first impact bullet I fired was hidden by another bursting impact bullet, which hit him directly. Even though it is less powerful than a normal "shock bullet", it will definitely cause a lot of damage if it hits. "I am not done yet ." I fired one "Bursting Impact Bullet" after another. It was a little difficult to control it l, but I still managed to hit Felix with five or six shots. "Hmm?" Felix''s voice came out of the cloud of dust. "I''m Felix the Wind Slayer! He shouts, standing up again, this time striking at me from behind. "Nnnnngh!" --Nnnn! The knife I held up as quickly as I could - the one Mei had given me - caught the heavy blow and shattered it into pieces. The magic blade that I had been holding dissipated, leaving me unarmed. "Ugh" I get away and gain a distance of a dozen meters between us , but I didn''t feel safe. He''d close the distance to me in an instant. "You ...... can''t win up with that. "I''m not going stop until I''ve killed my prey. The reason for Felix''s strength may be his superior swordsmanship, but it''s just as likely that it''s his unreasonable ability to take a beating. He was not particularly good at defense, nor did he wear armor. And yet, Felix would get up again and again. Not protecting anyone, but just to satisfy his own desires. There is no one more annoying to deal with. --He''s like a hero in a dark fantasy. His motives are bullshit, but his refusal to go down makes me think he''s cool. "But I can''t forgive you." He kidnapped Lily. So I will never forgive him. I''m not going to lose. "Last time. Here i cam ." "We''re almost out of time. Let''s have a nice dance." "I have no interest in dancing with men. "You''re a real pain in the ass, you know that? Die!" "...... you!" I don''t have much magic left, but my physical damage is minimal. On the other hand, he has a huge physical advantage over me, but he has very little magic power from the start and he'' s fully wounded. The odds were in my favor. Ah !" "Oooohhhh!" Felix''s "Wind Slash" and my "Impact Bullet" were at odds. I''m not backing down, and neither he is . "I''m not taking any chances. "......! There''s not much magic left. Felix was nearing his limit due to that attack. If he don''t, we''ll end up fighting each other. --But I''m not alone. I have the Goddess of Victory with me! A star twinkled in the night sky. --Ta-da! The sound of a single gunshot echoed across the battlefield. "Wha..!" Felix''s head was bleeding and he was dizzy, and I wasn''t about to let that chance go . "Ohhhhhh... £¡£¡£¡£¡!" I poured all of my magic power into my attack and sent a storm of "shock bullets " at him. Since he hadn''t focused his magic, each shot might have been as powerful as a mortar. It was so powerful and loud that Felix couldn''t hear his screams. ".................." The cloud of dust cleared. Felix, who had been blown tens of meters away, had been knocked unconscious against the side of the road. "I won. ...... I turned my head toward the moone, where the moonlit belfry loomed majestically. I gave a thumbs up to the goddess of victory, Mei, who was probably in the bell tower. CH 48 I approached Felix'' , exhausted and dizzy, as my magic seemed to be nearing its limit. I approached him with caution, just in case he is fainted, but this time he definitely did. "I can''t believe you fainted after all , ......." Felix was badly injured. Even in his dazed state after being shot in the head, he still had a lot of marks on his right arm where he had tried to slash my shock bullets . However, the sword was broken and the arm from the right shoulder down was shattered and fractured. In the meantime, when I examined him with "Diagnosis", one of the recovery magic, I found a broken left leg, ribs, and several other injuries such as concussions and serious damage to internal organs. His ...... "wind slash" was very strong, but with this arm, he would never be able to wield a sword again. Felix himself is still alive, but he is dead as the wind slayer . Normally, I would think that Felix would be dead if he was injured this badly, but the fact that he is still alive after all this is probably because his vitality is so outstanding. Even the direct hit to the brain by Mei''s gun had only caused a slight cut to his temple and a concussion. Honestly, I don''t understand. That magic shock gun, although less powerful than my "shock bullet", is still powerful enough to penetrate a wooden board. I''m sure it will kill him . I''ll tie him up. It''s not impossible for Felix, so while he''s unconscious, let''s take away his tie him with the "bondage rope". "Rope." Ropes from magical power extended from my hands and twisted intricately to bind the unconscious Felix. Felix jerked, as if he could feel the pain even though he was unconscious, but he showed no signs of waking up. The damage seemed too great. "...... . Sir Eberhard!" Just as I finished restraining Felix, the captain of the duke''s escor arrived with several of his men and a patrol of Canard town. Apparently, they were able to restrain the small fish without incident. "Are you injured, sir Eberhard?" " I''m fine, but I need you to take Lily into save place . "Yes, sir. So, where is the young lady? I silently point to the moonlit bell tower. "Make sure the lady is safe!¡¡Hurry up! "Yes , sir !" The movement of the escort unit that was trying to protect Lily was quite agile and solid. Although they were caught off guard by an unexpectedly strong enemy, they were still excellent guards for the duke''s family. "...... Hal-!" "Lily!" Lily, who had come down from the bell tower with Mei, ran up to me at once. "I was scared that Hal would lose. ...... "There''s no way I''m going to lose. "But I was scared. was scared for Lily, too, but she''s okay. "Thank you, ............. "What''s the point of being a bride if you can''t your fiancee in time of need?" "Hal." "What?" "I love you." "What? --Squeal. "Aaah!¡¡This guy dodged a bullet!¡¡I''m not going to let you get away with this, even though you the heroine this time! "Oh, !¡¡ we can''t do this in public! "Oh, so this is the nobleman''s knight story. I''ll have one of my minstrels sing it for you." "That''s a good thing . I''m looking forward to listening to it over a drink. Hey, patrolman, don''t get excited about people''s love stories. And don''t try to spread it! "Well, I''m glad Lily''s okay anyway. "I''m glad you''re okay too, Hal. And so the Lily kidnapping case was ended without anyone getting hurt. ?? "Eberhard . Thank you so much for saving Lily , how can I thank you?" "Sir, please raise your head. I was only saving Lily''s life as her fiance . I did what I had to do, so don''t worry about it ." A few days after the incident, Lily''s father, the Duke of Bernstein, received the news and came to the frontier count''s mansion in Heitburg with more guards than usual and a large reward. I''m in the middle of asking me about the reward for saving Lily''s life. "However, this time it was my fault for limiting the number of guards. As a father, I feel ashamed." " What do you mean? This incident took place in my territory. The entire responsibility lies with me. I will take full responsibility." "North General. Your son took care of it instead of you didn''t he? If you look at the entire frontier count family, there is no one it at blame . After all, it was my blame . "I''m sorry to interrupt you. This incident was caused entirely by the fact that we, the guards, were not strong enough. I apologize with all my heart and soul for this, and I hope you will not be offended by it . "How dare you!¡¡You literally risked your life to protect her . I. I''m not a martial arts expert, but I''ve heard the "wind slayer" nickname. There''s nothing for you and your convoy to be ashamed of." "But that''s no way to show it!" The discussion was becoming confused. The only saving grace was that in the end, no real harm was done and everyone felt responsible and wanted to apologize. If this had turned into a blame game, we would have gone to hell in a handbasket. I''m glad everything ended well . Aside from that, we can''t go on like this. "Then let''s do this." I was the only one in the group who wasn''t responsible for the situation, but I was the only one who had made a difference, so I had to come up with a solution "We all have to take responsibility. The Count of Farenheit failed to notice that a serious crime was taking place in his territory, and it could have been a serious matter. The Duke of Bernstein also limited his daughter''s escort, which almost led to a diplomatic incident with another territory. The guards also failed to protect her who entrusted to them by their lord. All of them have a point, and it can''t be the responsibility of just one person. Then all of us must take responsibility and use it as a lesson for the future so that this kind of situation will never happen again." "...... Yes, this incident would not have happened if everyone had taken proper measures." "I can assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again in my territory. "I can assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again in my territory. "Next time, I will protect the Lady at all costs." Everyone said their determination with a mysterious look on their face. Well, we''ll have to work out the details of how we''re going to carry out that resolution, but for now, let''s finish this. Fortunately, Lily was not injured." "...... That''s the kid you often bring over to our house to play with, right?¡¡I''ll come to your house later to thank you." "You might be surprised, master. ......" "It would be a surprise if lord and the duke of another territory all came to workshop to thank me. He might be shocked to find out who I am, a regular visitor." "Please be generous with reward for Mei. If it Mei was not with me , this rescue wouldn''t have been possible. I told about the magic plane "M-1" that Meo invented and the last cover fire with the magic shock gun. "What?¡¡...... That''s a military revolution in the making." "You have a terrible talent, ....... Eberhard, how dare you spit on such a genius?" "Well, I just happened to find it." Mei''s talents seem to be frightening even to those who are in charge of the affairs of the country. As a lord, this is a talent that they want to capture. They may regret that they did not realize that such a talent was lying dormant. "Maybe there are geniuses lying around in places we don''t normally pay attention to. It''s not the world we live in, but there have been men who came from commoner backgrounds and rose to power. It is not surprising that anything can happen. "You''re absolutely right. "I''m going to do my best to keep up with them. The three of them, who had experienced the bitterness of Lily''s kidnapping, each expressed their own thoughts. "Speaking of which, what happened to the merchant and Felix? I asked my father, curious about the the people who had made this incident the most complicated. I''m sure the noblemen who rule the estate have a gag order in place, as they don''t want the bad news of the duchess being taken prisoner to be spread around, but there''s no need for secrecy when I''m the one in charge. "The merchant will be confiscated and executed.Felix was kept alive because he might have some use for us , but he''s injured. He still hasn''t woken up." "Execution, that''s fair enough. I don''t think Felix would listen to if he woke up." "That''s why we''re always on the lookout for him, just in case he wakes up. It''s Felix. I''m sure Felix will be able to break out of jail even if he''s badly injured. "For now, you should stay by Lily''s side for a while longer. She''ll want to be with you. "Do me a favor, too. Go play with her . "I''ll leave you to it. I finished what I needed I headed back to Lily. It''s not that I volunteered to talk to them . It was because I needed to as a party and as the next head of the family. Of course I want to talk to girls. I wonder what she''s doing now, probably having tea in the garden with Mei and sister Noel. I headed to the garden, excited about the leisurely girl time to come. ?? "Well, it''s time to grow up from here." "How about a reward or the Arendelle workshop?" "I''ve heard that the craftsmens is quite skilled. Wouldn''t it be a good idea to embrace them as your personal craftsmens ?" "That''s a good idea, but if we do that, they might react if there''s a problem." "If that''s the case, I''ll have to make him the first of my business partners. As a lord, whenever you have to deal with a them , I have to order the work from that workshop. "Or perhaps you could give them preferential treatment in terms of taxes and patents." "Well, since I''m a duke, I suppose the reward would be money and goods. "That''s good, my lord. You''re so easygoing." "How can you say that when you have so many men in your own lands?"" "Ha-ha-ha. "Ha-ha-ha. In the parlor where Eberhard left off, the dirty laugh... CH 49 Side : Henriette Lilli von Bernstein "Father. I have a question for you.: "What is it, Lilli? Tell me ." The day I returned to the dukedom, I was sitting in a chair facing my father. It was not a meal or tea time. I have something serious to discuss. "This time, I was saved by Hal. But from now on, I don''t want to be being protecting all the time by him ." "Continue." Perhaps sensing my seriousness, my father also became serious and listened to me. "Hal is very strong. I''m very proud of him as his bride . ...... But I also don''t want to just be protected. I also want to become a strong person who can stand by his side and support him. H"n. ...... Eberhard is a boy who is so strong that it can be said that he is a out of the ordinary for his age . Even though his parent is northern generals it can be said that it is a gens . It''s hard to believe it ." Father is as strict as ever. But he thinks things through before he says something . That''s why I''m willing to listen to him even though he''s strict. "I understand. But I want to spend the rest of my life with Hal . I''ll do anything for that . This is my own way of showing my feelings for him. "...... It seems that your stubborn about it . So what do you want to do?" "I want training in magic , father." I have a little more magic power then average person . I''m not as good as Hal, but I think I have the potential to be a mage. "Magic. I''ve heard that training in magic is hard one . Will you will be able to endure it? I Will . If I can''t, do this I don''t have the right to be with Hal-. I want to be someone who is worthy of him I don''t want to just be protected by Hal! Hearing my declaration , father closed his eyes and was thinking for a while. I wonder if will he allow me to learn magic, or will he not? "...... is fine. I''ll send a trusted mage to teach you. Just remember, you said it yourself. Just don''t foret what you say. "Of course, Father. Thanks for that ......!" Hal, I''ll do my best to become stronger. And I''m going to become a woman who can stand next to you. Then we''ll be together. Until then, I'' Won''t vist you . That''s what i decide for myself ......, but please don''t mind if I visit you once in a while, okay? Side : Mei Arendal "My lord, my lord!¡¡What are you doing here in such a hot and humid place? ... When my dad came out with a surprised voice, Hal and his father and Lily''s father''s Duke were standing in front of my house. I did. The surroundings are noisy due to the rugged faces, and the people on the road stop and fall down. "The Duke said, "My daughter has been very much indebted to your daughter, and I wanted to thank her." The Duke said so and gave his father a package that seemed to be heavy. ...... "The Duke''s daughter?¡¡Is there something wrong with our store ?" My father, who doesn''t know what''s going on, is in a state of panic. It''s quite interesting to watch from the side. "No, that''s not why I''m here." Following the duke''s words, the servant accompanying the duke explained the situation to him in detail. As he listened to the story, father finally seemed to understand the situation. "M-m-m-m, Mei. When did you achieved something like this I mean, the child that always came to our house was the legitimate sons of the lord.¡¡I''m sorry for calling you a bowler, please forgive me! "Hahaha, it''s too much , master. It''s okay to call me a bowler, like always. ...... Also, Mei''s unique way of speaking is just like yours, it''s funny." Hal is smiling happily. When Hal looks happy, I feel happy, too. It''s a strange thing. "It''s a small and dirty workshop. , but..." "Well, you''re in my way." "Excuse me." "Sorry to disturb you." The duke, the lord, Hal, and his guards came into Arendelle workshop one after another. It''s kinda troublesome . To be honest, I want everyone except Hal to leave as soon as possible. "So, about the reward..."" Hal''s father started the speak . "Yes, ." ". You can give it to her directly, but she''s still a child. I''ll let her take the reward once again when she'' will be older, but for now I''ve decided it''s better to give the reward to your Arendahl workshop. "To my workshop, you mean?" "Yes. I''ve heard that this workshop boasts of a very high level of technology. I''ve also heard that they''ve created a number of new inventions." That probably refers to the numerous inventions I''ve created with Hal, such as ball bearings and magic power battery . I enjoy developing them, but making them is a hassle, so I just teach the workers at the workshop how to make them and leave the rest to them. "So, I want the Arendahl workshop to be owned by Farenheit family." "Owned!" Father jumped up in surprise. Well, I can understand his feeling. If they become a client, We wil be given priority for work, our income will improve, and above all, it will be stable. Unless employer, the nobleman, is forced to change his ways, we don''t have to worry about working for him . For craftsmen who are not good at business, this is something to drool over. "I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Eventually, we''ll be able to buy up and merge with other small workshops that are struggling to stay afloat, and we''ll be happy if they become even bigger than they are now." "This workshop, which I inherited from my father, is now my own workshop. ...... "....... It was worth the effort to come here from my hometown, my father. My grandson has done such a great job. ......" The father is muttering something thinking about his now deceased grandfather. "I''m thinking of going with such a policy for now, if that''s okay with you?" If you don''t like it, you can refuse. I won''t complain." I''m glad Hal said that. It''s impossible for us commoners to refuse a proposal from a nobleman. I have no intention of refusing, but the fact that he give a choice proves that he care about me that much. This makes me happy. "It''s absurd to refuse o¡¡We, the Arendelle Workshop , would be delighted to be owned by the Frontier Count family !" "Well, good. " "I will do my very best." If our workshop will be owned by them the facilities of the smithy will be improved . I''m excited to think that I can work on even more inventions from now on. If Hal asks me for help again, as he did this time, I will polish my skills even more so that I can be of help then as well, and I will create many,more inventions! CH 50 Side : Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit "Eberhard." "What is it ¡¡Dad? " " I will training you today. When you''re done eating, come to the training grounds . "Okay. As I was eating my breakfast, my father informed me with an unusually serious look. It was customary for him to tell me whether or not he was going train me , but today was different. After finishing my breakfast and getting ready, I headed for the training grounds in the backyard. In the training grounds , my father was waiting for me with his arms crossed in meditation. "Hello." "Eberhard, I''m going to teach you the North Shogun Bushin Style Ura." "What, that ?" The North Shogun Bushinryu "Ura". It is a martial art full of secrets that have never been recorded and that my father has never taught me. "In the front, we mainly practice basic auxiliary magic such as kata, body movements, and body strengthening, but what we wil do today I have no idea. Since all the elements necessary for normal martial arts are included in the "front", it is even more difficult to predict what they will do in the "back". So far, I hadn''t lern it because he thought I wasn''t ready for it, but maybe my fight with Felix had changed his mind. "It''s strange for me to say this, but the secret behind the extraordinary strength of the Northern Shogunate''s Shinryu lies in this ''back''. "The Secret of Strength: ......" "It''s not just a mental argument like "I can''t lose because I have something to protect." "Normally, this ''behind the curtain'' training starts when you turn ten. Eberhard is only six years old, but I''ve decided that you''re ready. ...... .Just remember. This ''behind the scenes'' stuff comes with its own dangers." "Yeah, I know. "Good." Fathey uncrossed his arms and took a stance. "Watch me." As soon as he said that, he worked up the magic in his body and began to strengthen his entire body with magic. This is the North Shogun Bushin-ryu "Ura", the inner form of the "Clothed Wrapping". "It''s not just a body enhancement. It is difficult to achieve such a high level of enhancement with C-rank non-attribute magic "body enhancement". "Try to attack . "How much power i nedd put into it ?" "At a level that would kill an average person." "Okay. I worked up my magic power and casted a moderately powerful ''shock bullet There was no way for him to avoid it, and the "impact bullet" hit him directly, but he was not injured. "Not even a scratch. ...... "That''s not all. dad continued, and began to move at high speed. He ran around in all directions at a speed that the current me could never achieve even with the application [Shock]. "Ha!" --Dogong ......! In addition, I slam my fist into a huge rock that seems to be five or six meters high and shatter it. "The robe!" His demonstration ended with a series of amazing moves that could hardly be considered human skills. "I''m going to show you how to do this. This is the ''robe''. You will learn this inner form ''robe'' and another form ''general''s armor''. "The robe and general''s armor " "There are only two elements to the Northern Shogunate Shinryu. If the robe is a technique that strengthens from within, the general''s armor is a technique that strengthens from the outside." "What is the general armor is ? "It''s relatively easy compared to Clothed. You are already using something similar to it. "What?¡¡Something similar to the General''s Armor? "It''s a magic blade. I''m sure you''ve already mastered the materialization of magic, and with your vast amount of magic power, it will be easy for you to master the general''s armor. Having said that, father now let the magic power out of his body and materialize as if it were covering his body. "It''s a magic armor. "This is need for defense." However, as soon as he said that, the father immediately deactivated the "general''s armor". "It''s just that this is a terribly inefficient technique. , and with my amount of magic power, I will be exhausted fast . That''s why I don''t use it often. "I see." That''s why I always only used the cloak when I was training. "The cloak requires very delicate magic control techniques. I You can say that the reason why the North Shogun Bushin-ryu is the strongest is because of this robe. The successive Northern Generals have made their strength known to the world by inheriting that technology . "Great ......." "If you can master this, you''ll have a full prepared . There will be nothing left for me to teach you." "So let''s get starting ......." "But it usually takes ten years to master this. It took me eight years." "............" That''s because it''s such a powerful technique. It''s not something that can be mastered in a year or two." "It''s just that you have an extraordinary amount of magic power. You should be able to use it many times more than average person . Maybe you''ll be able to learn it much faster than the other ." "Whoa!¡¡Then teach me how to do it right away!" "All right. Let''s see if you can surpass me." "Sure!" My fame after defeating Felix growen without me knowing it . The more powerful I became, the more people there would be to exploit or eliminate me, even if I was just a mob" That''s why I have to become stronger in order to protect myself from such people, and to protect people who important to me. But how can it be that the stronger I get, the more trouble comes my way when I''m trying to get stronger to protect people who important to me , is it unreasonable? I don''t know I if I''m just being selfish. Well, the bottom line is that I just have to become strong enough to blow all that trouble away. The only reason I am have so many ties is because I don''t have the strength to break them down and push forward. I''ll be strong enough to protect Lily, Mei , my family and all other the people whom I care about, and to wil be able to stand any opponent that will go against me . I don''t think it''s impossible in the slightest. I have a unique skill called "Continuity is Power. Hard work will not betray me. (This is the end of arc 1, "Reincarnation and Childhood"!¡¡To be continued in arc 2, "The boyhood ") Note :Finally finished 1st arc , guys ! Sorry for the long absent of mine . It''s just author haven''t posted for 2 month nd i was late to notice it ...And when i did i lose all my motivation on posting/mtling . And author resumed posting recently And i am catched up with raws of another series that I am mtling under the name of Royal . Shortly , won''t drop it again . But dont expect a lot chapter per day . And what more importantly , have you enjoyed that arc/series that far ? Comments below , or if that not too hard write review on novel update . Thanks for reading that far . CH 51 "Hello, Silver. You''re on a great shape today." ". Hey, Ernst, you''re the one who''s doing all the work. "I''m no match for you, Silver. You''re a kid, but you an S-rank adventurer. The heat of the day had abated, and the evening came . At the adventurer''s guild in Heitburg, there was a lot of bragging going on among the adventurers. The number of monsters tends to be higher in summer than in winter, perhaps because monsters are also living creatures. The luxury of the day was determined by how many of the increasing number of prey person could hunt. This was a topic that came up whenever the adventurers who didn''t have money to spend at night met each other. "Ernst is only 20 years old, but he has a B+ rank. I think he has a bright future. "Hey, Ernst and Silver, how about a drink? " Just then, a barmen invitation came from the tavern attached to the guild. "Oh, I''m coming!" "I''m sorry, I have to go home. See you next time." "What the hell ?! This thing again !? "Haha ... " "I''ll let you be this time . I smiled bitterly and left the place. When I left the guild, the streets were crowded with people returning home after work. Some were hurrying home to their families. Some were going to have a drink with their co-workers . There was a wide variety of faces, including the owner of a liquor store, who was throwing up his arms as if his work was just about to begin. Their faces are all cheerful. This is proof of the peaceful life in this town. "When will you be back, brother?" As I was walking home, my communication device rang and I received a message from my younger brother, Albert, who will turn nine this year. "''I''m coming . What''s for dinner this evening? "''Aged horn beef steak, with an exotic jean sauce that my you likes. "I''m looking forward to it. I''ll hurry home." "''All right. Take care."" I cut off the communication with Albert and hurried to the home. The sun was about to set. ?? "Welcome home, brother." "Welcome back, brother!" "Hal, you''re late. We all got tired of waiting. I''m sorry. I hunted down a green boar for you. "Oh, I see ! "welcome back !" "Yeah, I''m home. Have you been a good boy? "Mmm! My brother Albert, my seven-year-old sister Rosetta, my fourteen-year-old sister Noelle, and my two-year-old twin brothers Sieghart and Charlotte greeted me. "Welcome back, Hal!" "Eberhard, go wash your hands quickly. We''ll have dinner when you get back." "Yes." Mom and Dad came out, and now the whole family was here. A family of eight: parents and six children. In modern Japan, this would be a large family. "Master Hal, let me take your clothes." "Thank you, Alisa. Alisa has grown up a lot. I think she was 26 this year?¡¡She''s a grown woman now. Today''s meal was a horned beef steak with jian sauce, a soy sauce-like seasoning I had found in the market a few years ago and which was used in the East. I hurried to the washroom as my heart racing. ?? Six years had passed since my fight with Felix. After a while, Felix woke up, but as soon as he realized that he couldn''t use his right arm, he bit his tongue off and killed himself. Felix''s choice to die on his own instead by the hands of others was understable , but at the same time, it made me feel sad. He would never be forgiven for what he had done, but his swordsmanship and self-honesty could have been used for good. However, there was nothing I could do about it He may has been an enemy, but I had taken a his life. As the next lord, I will have to make ruthless decisions at times. , and I have to be ethical, but also responsible. I''m sorry to say this to Lily, but it was a good experience that made me realize this clearly and strongly. That''s how I feel mentally. I was almost an adult from the start, so I didn''t grow much else. But on the physical side, I have grown a lot. I was six years old back then , but now I''m twelve, and I''m starting to acquire the features of an older brother. I''ve also grown a lot taller. I''m about 150 centimeters tall.¡¡I had grown to the tall of an average first year Japanese junior high school student. As expected, Lily, my bride, has grown up to be a neat and pretty young lady ..But inside, she''s a tomboy, and she''s a great one. It''s a blessing in disguise that since the incident, she''s been very de-rated only towards me, so it''s a relief that she doesn''t hit me so unreasonably. Besides, I still have a memories form my previous life, and my mental age is almost thirty years old when added up. It''s so cute to see a girl of same age being so picky. A tsundere childhood friend is the best. However, she is very hard on Mei. Lilly sees her as an enemy because she sticks to me unconsciously. a. Lily''s specialty is ice, which is a relatively rare attribute for a girl who has learned magic, and the of the women between Lily and May is like the Cold War between the United States and Russia. However, she doesn''t seem to dislike her from the bottom of her heart since she saved her life. You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the best results. That being said, I guess I couldn''t stand Mei being sticky all the time to me . After making extraordinary efforts with her guts and tenacity, she woke up about two years ago to the magic of spatiotemporal attributes, She population of the Imperial Kingdom is about 20 million, so even in an Imperial Kingdom with a relatively large number of mages, it''s a rare attribute that only about 200 people have. Thanks to this, she now uses the A-rank space-time attribute magic "Transference" to come to my house every week to play. She says it''s because she''s practicing her magic, but in reality, she just wants to see me. She''s just a tsundere! I can''t help but think how cute she is And then there''s Mei. She was my second childhood friend, but she turned into a monster. The blood of a dwarf was terrifying. First of all, as dwarves, don''t grow that tall. Mei is about 130 centimeters tall, which is quite small for a 12-year-old. She is about the size of a third grader. However, from what I knew about dwarves from fantasy, stories I felt that she had grown a lot more than I expected. This is because it is not uncommon for stories to portray dwarves as a race that is less than a meter (or even a few dozen centimeters in some cases) in height. However, the height of the master and other dwarven craftsmen in the Arendal workshop was less than one hundred and sixty centimeters, which is about the same as an adult woman in the Hylands, so it is normal for dwarves to be a little shorter than humans. It seems that dwarves are not as small as they appear in stories. Now, these are a race of dwarves where the men become muscular and gory. So what happens to the women? ............ The correct answer is a whipped bimbo. To be honest, it might have been better to go the loli girl route like the dwarves in fantasy stories. I''ve always wondered why in so many stories, male dwarves are physically blessed and females are infants. If the physical characteristics of the race were gender neutral, wouldn''t women be just as physically developed as men? --And that''s exactly what happened. If she had been a Loli, I would have been convinced that''s what she was, even if I couldn''t explain why. In reality, Mei is only 12 years old, but she has grown a big-breasted Loli titty with an E-cup size that is unbelievable. It''s really shameful. £¡£¡£¡£¡£¡ It was so awful that my poor woke up for the first time in a long time. What''s worse than anything else is that Mei''s hugging habit still hasn''t been cured. She hasn''t shown any signs of hugging anyone other than me, and I''m sure she has no intention of changing it, but I can''t stand being hugged. I''m sure she has no intention of fixing it, but I can''t stand being hugged. Thanks to this, I''m exhausted every morning. I think I need to seriously think about a nourishing menu. Thanks to the existence of monsters in this world, there''s no shortage of ingredients for that kind of menu. To be honest, my sexual awakening in this life was Mei . In addition, the more I work out, the more my energy will grow, thanks to the fact that continuity is power. It''s not just that it doesn''t do any good, but it might even interfere with my daily life, so i am carefully with that . It''s a good thing that I''m still able to control myself, but I''m worried that I might do something awful to Mei soon. I''. I didn''t trust myself . CH 52 Other people have also changed a lot. For example, my younger brother Albert, who was three years old back then , now has grown up into a good person who loves his older brother. This is also the result of my education as his older brother. Recently, he seems to be learning the "front" of the Northern Shogunate Bushinryu from my father, and the day when he and I will be able to train together in earnest may be coming soon. I need to devote myself to becoming stronger so that I won''t be embarrassed as an older brother at that time. My sister, Rosetta, has also changed a lot. I mean, she was only one year old at the time and was just buzzing about, so of course she would change. The one who has changed the most is definitely Rosetta. She is a very serious and good-hearted girl. She has a gentle personality, and even though she is seven years old, she is very serious about her studies, piano (I call it piano because it looks like a musical instrument), embroidery, etiquette, and ballroom dancing as a noblewoman. Rosetta is a true young lady. I''m sure she''ll be happy. No, I''ll make you happy, big brother!¡¡I''m the eldest! And my youngest twins . They are identical twins, a boy and a girl, and Charlotte, is my big sister. My younger brother Sieghart seems to be getting along well with Charlotte, and I''m looking forward to their future. They are both two years old now, and they are cute little babies who drink milk. I think it''s time to give them some baby food. My sister Noel¡¡ she is getting even more unreasonable and violent. She''s got the education and cunning of a young lady, and she''s perfect on the outside, so she''s a real pain in the ass. I know it''s not the original meaning of the word, but I secretly call her a "shyster. The other day, she stole the biggest piece of meat from me . I can''t believe she''s the daughter of a frontier count. I will never forgive her for that. That''s all. Next is the maid, Alisa. She turned 26 and got married. Her partner is Anthony, who is also a servant. I thought I''ve heard that name before, but it''s the guy who used to be a young employee of the administration department. I heard that Anthony had fallen in love with Alisa at first sight when he and Alisa had gone to look for a cart. In other words, I was the cupid of their love. As someone who''s known Alisa since I was born, I''m honestly glad that she''s happy. In this world, getting married at 26 is quite late. The reason why she got married now is because I grown up and I don''t need much help anymore. As a personal maid OF the son of a noble family, she can''t marry irresponsibly until her master is grown up. In that case, he was able to marry Alisa relatively early among the exclusive maids, probably because she was able to become independent much earlier due to my personality problems. Anyway, Alisa is getting married, ....... I''m sad that I won''t be able to enjoy the feeling of being held by her soft breasts, but I have Mei. I don''t have a problem with boobs. So, I hope she will be happy to the fullest. By the way, since she is servant of our family, I talked to my father and presented to her a wedding gift and newlywed vacation. I would be very happy if she could has child soon. There are still other strange people in the world. Mei''s father, the master of the Arendelle workshop. He was a top-notch blacksmith, but he was also a top-notch manager. Since he was appointed as the official craftsman for the frontier count family, he has developed the workshop into one of the biggest workshops in the empire with his overflowing business talent. He began by buying up struggling workshops in his territory, recruited craftsmen from other workshops, retired skilled blacksmiths as mentors, used them to train newcomers, invested in equipment, and conducted research and development. By allocating all resources to the training of new employees, capital investment, and research and development, and by placing his daughter at the head of the R&D team, he established a solid system that combines hardware and software, and achieved rapid growth in a short time. No matter how much knowledge I had from my previous life, it was nearly impossible for me to manage the company so smoothly. All I could do was to back up the reforms he made. The fact that he was able to grow the workshop to this level was a result of his talent and hard work. Perhaps the repercussions of the series of reforms have had an effect on the town, but for the past two years, the tax revenue in the territory has been increasing slightly, and my father has praised me with a smile on his face, saying, "You also have talent as a future lord." However, the Farenheit family is a military aristocracy family entrusted with the defense of the northern part of the Imperial Kingdom. No matter how talented I am, my actual duties will be limited. Of course, I''ll do the bare minimum, but basically, most of the management of the territory is systematic and left to the civil servants . This is like the bureaucracy and local civil servants in Japan, or the police force in ancient China. It''s better for the management of a developed territory with a certain amount of history to have a systematic system of governance by appointing talented people. It''s still fresh in my mind that when I told my father this, he denied it, saying, "That''s not true." "It doesn''t matter how capable subordinates are, if the top management who uses them is incompetent. It''s true, as they say. In Japan, the bureaucrats are all extremely talented, but when the ministers and prefectural governors are incompetent, the entire country and local governments are burdened. On the other hand, if the top officials are excellent, the whole country seems to be doing well to some extent. So it seems that even if you are a military aristocrat, you should not take internal affairs lightly. Speaking of other things that had changed, I remembered one more thing that had changed: the uncle at the grilled meat stall I frequented. He had finally succeeded in setting up his own store in one of the shopping arcades, probably because he had been selling delicious food in an earnest and friendly manner. He had hired new employees and cooks, and get off to a good start. I took Mei and the artisans from the Arendelle workshop out to dinner to celebrate the opening. They''ve been adding more liquors and new menu dishes , and they seem to have a good number of repeat customers. It''s good to see a good restaurant continue to grow. Well, that''s about the only thing that has changed around me. My father and mother haven''t changed at all, and other than them, there aren''t many people around me who have changed. The only one who has changed is me. I''ve grown a lot stronger in the past six years. I''ve learned how to use [shock] in many different ways, and my magic power and physical strength have increased considerably. For the time being, my status is as follows. ----------------------- Eberhard Karlheinz Von Flensburg Fahrenheit Life force: 536/536 Magic power : 51,692 / 51,692 Physical Ability: 693 Intelligence : 138 Magic Attribute : - Specific Magic : Shock Specific Skill : Continuity is Power ----------------------- First of all, the life force ......, or HP, has increased to a certain extent. The reason for this is because of the training of the North Shogun Bushinryu and working as an adventurer. I would say that I am almost one of the best 12-year-olds pepole in the country. Even if you compare me to adult adventurers and soldiers, I am probably one of the best. Next is magic power. This has grown to an unbelievable degree. I wonder if there''s anyone who has more magic than me.¡¡The rate of increase is so high that it makes me think so. To put it bluntly, I think I''m as good as the people in the Court Magic Division, one of the three major divisions that are renowned as elite. Next was physical ability. It''s improved a lot since I was six years old, when I was about average, and now, even without any magical enhancements, I can take on a pack of goblins, orcs, or even a bunch of hoodlums in my average state. In terms of rank, I was in the upper D or lower C ranks. It would be hard to make it in the Knights of the Kingsguard, but I''m sure I could make it in any army or knightly order around. And that''s not the biggest thing that changed . For the past six years, I''ve been desperately training in the Northern Shogunate Bushinryu "backstage" from morning to night, literally using my enormous amount of magical power. Finally, one year ago, I won the final fight against my master, my father, in a duel in which we both gave it our all, and my training with father was finished . It was a difficult time for me, as if I were vomiting blood. It was a series of hardships that made it impossible for me to even do my occasional works as an adventurer. My muscles and magic circuits were torn to shreds, and I had to forcefully heal them with recovery magic and train again. But I was not discouraged. To be honest, I felt like I was going to lose it many times, but looking at Lily, Mei, and my younger siblings, I couldn''t bring myself to skip the training to gain the power to protect them. Unlike in my previous life, in this world, the more I worked, the more I was rewarded. So there was no way I wouldn''t make an effort. I told myself, "I''m not going to let my loved ones suffer ." I was probably the strongest and youngest of all the Northern Generals at 11 years old, who mastered the Northern General Bushinryu "Ura" in five years of training. CH 53 The training of the North Shogun Bushinryu "inside" was extremely fierce. It is a training that would not have been possible without big amount of magic power, recovery magic, and the unique skill "Practice Makes Perfect". it. I mastered the "General''s Armor" in one year. I had always been able to use magic swords , so it didn''t take me that long to master the materialization of magic power. The amount of magic power that I have is inordinately large. In contrast, it took me a very long time to learn the "clothe and tie". It took me two years to master it to a certain extent, and then three years to get it to a level where it could use it in actual combat. As I sat at the table, I remembered the hard days of training. .... "Eberhard. I''m sure you''re skilled in manipulating magic. What''s the difference between normal "body enhancement" and "cloak"? Normal "body enhancement" makes the body stronger and more vital by concentrating the magic power on the part you want to strengthen. But this is not the case with "Clothing". It looks more like it''s spreading to the entire body in detail. "That''s pretty close but that''s the right answer is . It is true that the magic power is spread to every corner of the body. Then how are you doing it?" To start the training of the North Shogun Bushinryu "inside ", father posed a difficult question. If I were asked to guess how they do it without any prior knowledge, I don''t think I could normally answer. "Hmmm ....... Every inch of ....... The magic power circuit is being expanded ......?¡¡But since magic circuits are not real organs of the body, they are not supposed to lead to ''body enhancement''. ...... I take a deep breath and try to collect my thoughts. "It''s not a magic circuit. The expansion of magic circuits is useful for using magic, but it only increases the power of magic and does not lead to the enhancement of the body. So even if you train your magic circuits and make them thicker, it may lead to an increase in the power of the "body enhancement", but it will not spread the enhancement to every corner. If you try to force it, the amount of magic power consumed will be outrageous." "In other words, you can''t just keep on thinking about increasing the power like you do in normal magic training. A change in thinking is necessary." "I don''t get it. The creator who came up with this must have been an amazing person. Sighing deeply once more, I look up at the sky. The air in Heitburg is clear . Japan was one of the cleanest countries in the world, but even so, the air in cities like Tokyo was more polluted than deep in the mountains of the countryside due to exhaust gas and dust. Heitburg is a provincial city located right next to a vast expanse of nature. The air is very clean, and more importantly, the stars are very visible. The starry sky from here is completely different from the one on Earth. There is no Summer Triangle, Orion, or the Milky Way. There are many similar things, but they are different from what I remember on Earth. It''s daytime now, so it''s impossible to see them. "............ Oh, could it be?" I looked at my father again. "Did you come up with something? "Hey, can you show again? "...... Okey" The magical power exudes from the inside of HIS body as if it Was smog and wraps the his body. I was convinced of the true identity of "that thing I saw it getting darker and darker with each pulse. "---- pulse. Blood, to be exact." When Dad heard this, his eyes widened in admiration, followed by a grin and he said . "You got it. The secret of the cloak''s ability to spread magic throughout the body lies in the blood. "Yes!" "Let me explain." , then you''ve found the answer to your question. Fathe began to explain in detail about the "robe". "As you know, normal ''body enhancement'' only involves concentrating magic power on the part of the body you want to strengthen. You can get a lot of power and strength just by doing that, but there is a limit to that." . I know that better than anyone. I can also use body enhancement . The amount of my magic power is almost 30,000, so it should be possible to use a very high level of "body enhancements". However, in reality, once I strengthened MY body to a certain level, no matter how much magic i put into it, I cannot strengthen it to that level after that. This is generally called the "wall of enhancement" in the wizard world. This is true for most any kind enhancement magic that can be called enhancement, whether it is body enhancement or material enhancement.It was common knowledge in the wizard world that there is a limit to enhancement. But in the Bushinryu, it goes even deeper than that. It doesn''t just use brutal force to strengthen the body, it changes the way you think and strengthens it in a new way. "The technique is called ''blood demon mixing''." "First, the compressed magic power is collected in the heart, and then the magic power and blood are mixed in the heart. Then, the blood tinged with magic power is spread to every coner of the body through the blood vessels. Blood runs through the entire body, from the tip of the head to the tip of the toes. By distributing magic power densely throughout the body through the blood, it is possible to strengthen the body with a density that is much higher than that of ordinary "magic power enhancement". The amount of magic power consumed is large, but if you master it, there is little waste and you can achieve the highest efficiency in strengthening." "The magic power that has spread through the bloodstream to the entire body blows out from the sweat glands to cover the surface of the body, covering the entire body in a thin layer. This technique is called ''cloak and clothe'' because it looks as if you are wearing the magic power like a robe. I had chill on my back as I listened to my father''s explainings . It wasn''t because I was scared. It was because I was shocked by how amazing it was. The magic power is sent to the whole body through the blood. In essence, this means that every single cell in the body will be strengthened with magical power. In this day and age, when the concept of cells has not yet been discovered, the idea of strengthening the body on a cellular level was amazing . I wonder how brilliant the first Lord Farenheit really was. ". Just be careful, don''t suddenly ''mix blood and magic'' in the heart." "Why? "Because if you do it wrong way , you will die. In the past, people have collapsed and died during training, or their hearts stopped beating, or they survived but could not speak properly. You have to mix the magic power little by little and strengthen your whole body step by step. ".................." I see. The power of the heart muscle is strengthened abnormally, and the blood pressure becomes too high, which may cause a cerebral hemorrhage, or a heart attack due to the sudden magical power in the heart. This is why it is strictly forbidden to do it at once . "There is a reason why this training is supposed to start at the age of ten. The adjustment is endlessly difficult, but the more you master it, the stronger your body and combat power will be, beyond human limits. This is the reason why the Farrenheit family has outstanding combat power, because they can use this "cloak". "............ is amazing." "It may take some time, but I think you can learn it. As far as I know, there are not many people of your age as talented as you. "I''ll do my best you , father. "I''ll do my best. Keep up the good work." "Can you say the same things in a few years? "Ha-ha-ha! "Ha-ha-ha! This is how my hard and demanding training began. CH 54 In order to learn to a robe, you must first learn to mix blood . I believe you can''t use attribute magic, can you? "Yes. "Then I have no choice but to call Theresa." He went back to the mansion to call mother. About ten minutes later, Dad came back with Mother. "Hal, you''re training in the Bushinryu. You''re doing great! As usual, Mom was optimistic. But in a way, she is even more strict than my dad, so I can''t relax." "Theresa, can you use the water magic to make a pure water ball?" "Pure water ball ?¡¡Okay, ''water''." Mom is an A+ ranked mage, and she can do this level of magic with just one line of chanting.My mom is usually a mage who uses runes and magic circles and doesn''t use chanting much, but chanting is more convenient when you need to use a little magic "It''s a beautiful water ball. My dad is praising the water ball as it floats in the air, but I''m not here to see my parents'' flirting "So, do I mix this with magic?" I had a feeling that if I left them alone, I''d have more brothers and sisters soon so I asked my dad for the sake of my own training. "Yes. You get that idea. Add magic power to this pure water ball . But do it evenly. If there is any bias or if you feel the concentration is too thin, you will be failed . He was very strict from the very beginning. I think it''s better to raise the bar a little at a time since it''s my first time. "If you can''t do this, you might as well give up training in the Bushinryu." I see. So you''re making it tough on me in order to inspire me. Then let''s give it a try , With my unique skill i should be able do that .... "I never thought I''d be able to do it in a day. ......" "You''re the one who said I should be able! to do this much : "That was just for the sake of motivating you ! "Fuck -----!" "I don''t care. It was a way to get you motivating ." "Yeah, but you know what?" "Hal, you''re amazing!¡¡That''s our son ! "Yeah." "It''s late today, so let''s call it a night." "Oh, we''re done?¡¡I am still in good. shape "It''s going to be even harder tomorrow. Get some rest for now . "¡¡Okay." So the next day, I''m going through hell. "Next i try do it with water from the river. " "Yeah, I can do it. ............, what the hell is that?" "Is it hard?" "It doesn''t even drw out at all." " It''s not difficult at all. The subtle impurities in the river water block the flow of magic power, and the magic power doesn''t spread evenly at all. It would be easier if you were told to paint the air with color. " "Do you know why?"" "Impurities are getting in the way. You can''t do this unless you clean it up." "But that''s not the case, is it?" Then dad put out his hand and let the magic flow, and the magic spread to the river water and made it homogeneous. "What the ...." "It''s because the impurities have been ''analysis-searched'' and the magic power has been adjusted so that it is exactly the same value as the water." "Every single impurity?" "It''s not exactly one by one, because I'' m pouring magic power into impurities of similar composition all together, but let''s put it this way. "That''s a lie," I shouted. "Don''t raise your voice here. How many impurities do you think there are in your blood?" That''s something I''m more familiar with from my previous life. Blood is made up of about half blood cells and the other half is plasma. If 90% of the plasma is water, it means that the remaining 10% is not water. Blood cells are not water as a matter of course, and if to look at the blood as a whole, about 60% of it should be non-water.It''s very hard to get the magic power to flow evenly. "This is a very difficult task. ......" "Well, you just need to take your time. It took me eight years, too." I can understand why it usually takes more than ten years. It is not a skill that can be learned overnight. "It''s not something you can learn overnight. You start with the river water, and when the river water stage is passed , we will be on the next stage the swamp water. It would be better if we had sea water, but the sea is too far away from here. Once we will be done with swamp water, we can try with blood. But when you do it with blood, you should practice with small animals first. It''s dangerous." "Yes, I understand." And so the days of the daily training began. ...... .... About two years later, when I was eight years old, I was finally able to use the "blood demon mixture" to some extent. I was able to channel a small amount of magic power into my own blood as well. "All right, I think You passed the first step ." "The first stage means there''s a second step? To be honest, I don''t want to go through any more painful training ......, I thought as I asked my father. "No, what we''re going to do is the same, we''re just going to increase the accuracy in this second step. "Good, I can do that. In fact, my motivation is quite high because the results are visibly . Even though I''ve only been able to do a little bit of "blood demon mixing," it''s enough to give me the same effect as "body strengthening" at full strength. The amount of magic power consumed has been saved considerably. If I become more proficient at this, I''m sure I''ll become much stronger than I''ve ever been. "The general''s armor training also seems to be going well. "I''ve already almost perfected the materialization of magic power. Here." I also activate "General''s Armor" for a change of mood. One of the mysteries of the Hokushobu Shinryu, which has mastered the realization of magical power, is unfolded at once. "...... haha, you still have an amazing amount of magic." "I think no one can beat you at that. I walk around, clad in the silhouette of a translucent magical giant that is several meters tall. "!" I swing the upper half of the Titan''s arm and slam my fist into the ground.¡¡And the ground caved in like a crater with a loud sound. "The ground cratered with a loud thud. How''s your defense?" "I''m much better at defense. I released my newly developed "Guided Impact Munition" into the sky and guided it towards myself. Several of them hit the armor I was wearing, but the armor didn''t even shake. "There''s also this. t. This time they are slightly larger than the previous ones. "Shock Reaction Armored Aegis!" "What?" At the same time as I shouted the name of the spell , "General''s armor" was dyed silvery white. A "guided impact bullet" is coming towards me. However, they all disappeared without hitting me directly, blocked by silver armor. "... Is it offset by emitting shock waves of opposite phase now?" At first glance, the father will detect the true identity. It''s a stone''s throw. I''m not calling myself the Northern General to Date. "Yeah. I tried to combine it with my unique skill . Name it" Silver Armored Aegis "" Have you ever heard of explosion response armor? It''s like the brick tiles on old tanks that explode in response to an enemy attack, and the shockwave neutralizes the attack. Inspired by this, I tried to incorporate [Shock] into the "General''s Armor" this time. This is the reason why the magic giant appears to shine in a silvery white color as a result of its shock-reflecting properties that also reflect light to some extent. "It''s amazing. Do you want to maintain this amount of" general''s armor "and make further improvements? What is it? " "Well, by that it''s not normal ..." When I materializing magical power, enormous magical power and precise control power are needed . The materialization of magical power is, so to speak, like constantly exercising magic. As soon as get rid of it even for a moment, the control of the magical power will be lost and the clouds will disappear. However, since I was born and my ego was budding, I have repeatedly trained magic power circulate it and r manipulate it every day, so this level of application was a piece of cake for me. It took me two years to finally clear the first stage, so I guess I understand how difficult it is to put on clothes. " But it''s strange, because the "General''s Armor" is so easy to lern , but the "Clothed Armor" is insanely difficult. I muttered to myself, to which my father replied with a serious face. "In fact, the General''s Armor is supposed to be difficult as well. "Really ?" "Yeah. The armor of the general is quite strong on its own, but not as strong as the cloak. If it''s similar, it''s also partially used in other ways . "The General''s Armor? It''s true that it has a great defense and a good attack power, but if you ask me if it''s on the same level as the armor, I have to tilt my head. It seems that the "General''s Armor" chooses the right person to use it. I''ve lost it once "Oh, really? ......" So the "General''s Armor" that we are using now may not be the "General''s Armor" in the true sense of the word. ...... Originally, it was said that "general''s armor" and "robe" were profound techniques that could only be completed when the two were combined. After a beat, the father continued. "This is what my late father ...... and your grandfather Klaus told me, so I do not know the details , because my father also told me that he heard it from his father, and there is no record of it. --It''s a shocking story. Even the desperately strong "robe" that my father used was still incomplete. "Eberhard." "Yeah? "You must complete this technique. You have not yet mastered the " robe ", but if you are so proficient with the " general''s armor ", you may be able to combine the two and make it complete. "I''m ...... going to revive the Bushinryu? "............ Well, you can take it easy on for now. It''s best if you can come up with it on a whim. After all, the North Shogun Bushin-ryu is already the strongest martial art in the world . "Dad, ......" That''s what my dad says, but as a member of the Fahrenheit family, I guess I can''t give up on the idea that the actual "North Shogun Bushinryu" will be revived one day. Even though I have a previous life memories , I am also a member of the Fahrenheit family. I''m not afraid to make an effort to revive the true Bushinryu. CH 55 --So that''s how I learn this whole thing, and that''s how i ended up able to use robe "Eberhard. What are you muttering by yourself ?¡¡Sit down quickly.'' I was standing in front of the dinner table. I was reminiscing about my rigorous training over the past few years, and to the from the side , I looked like a vague, ill-bred heires "Oh, no, I was just thinking." The training was literally painful to the point of hell , but thanks to it, I am now able to live happily. I was successfully finished that training , and the father officially told me that I could be free for about three years before entered the Imperial Academy of Magic at the age of fifteen. I have memories of my previous life, and I''m almost up to the academy''s passing standards in all but history, philosophy, mathematics, and magic, which are all considered liberal arts for nobles. It''s not that difficult to learn history, and I''m the only one who can successfully learning magic. In addition, my fighting ability now surpasses my father''s ( though just barely ). I had done everything I needed to do academically, and now that I didn''t have to worry about my strength, I was considered to be able to handle anything that came my way, and as a result, I was quite free. "Let''s eat . ""Yes!"" My younger siblings were enjoying themselves. When I saw them, I naturally felt happy too. I hadn''t had much luck with such feelings in my previous life, so it was a strange feeling. ?? The next day, I changed into the rough clothes I wear when I working as an adventurer, and headed to Mei''s parents'' house, the Arendal Workshop. Mei used to be an indoor person, but recently she started to come along with my adventuring activities, carrying her own weapons. According to her, "I want to collect excellent materials by seeing them with my own eyes. That''s why Mei herself doesn''t have to fight much. Basically, I do the fighting and she does the appraising and collecting. However, I thought it would be inappropriate to be unarmed, so I armed myself. "Hal , I''m almost ready to go. Please wait for me out front. "Yes. We communicate with each other using a pendant with a communication function. Thanks to this magic tool, we can live a convenient life like modern people without having to set a detailed meeting place or time. "Hello. "It''s been a while." When I arrived at the Arendelle workshop, Mei was waiting for me with a small backpack on her back and a gun that was placed around her waist. She was dressed in a shirt and chinos, looking like something out of a western movie. "How''s the R&D going?" It''s finally settled," I have something for you, Hal.'' "What?"" Mei is an adventurer ......, or rather an adventurer''s comrade and a smith, but she does not always balance the two on a regular basis. It''s more accurate to say that she alternate between accompanying me in my research and collecting, and using the results of research and development in my workshop. And this time, the research and development period has just ended. So I invited her to join me on my adventure . "I didn''t expect that the research to draw out the mysterious power of orichalcon would take so long. , but now I''ve finally found a way to put it to practical use. And this is the new weapon that contains the orichalcon, the "Magic Sword Raikiri. "Raikiri ....... I don''t know how you lern that name, ....... "That''s a nostalgic word." Raikiri. Needless to say, it is the famous sword "Raikiri" in Japan. A long time ago, Mei had seen me slashing monsters with saying "Raikiri!" with magical power on the branches I picked up around area, but that event influenced this naming. I saw it. ...... I It''s an embarrassing memory now, but Mei has brilliantly healed the wound. "So, you''re using orichalcone, right?¡¡What special effects does it have?" It''s not just a hard metal. If you are looking for hardness, there is a metal called adamantite that is much harder than iron. It''s a lot cheaper to use adamantite (which is still expensive) than to use orichalcone, which is more expensive . So why use orichalcone? The reason was that orichalcone is a metal that possesses a very rare power. In fact, artifacts such as holy swords and treasures that appear in founding myths are all made of orichalcon. Even if they are not , msde with pure orichalcone, some of them always contain orichalcone. Since orichalcon has a mysterious power, weapons that contain orichalcon have special abilities. What these special abilities are depends on the time, occasion, and user, and cannot be defined in general. According to some theories, it is said that they are sensitive to the user''s magical power or will and manifest mysterious properties. In any case, it''s a fiction that doesn''t go beyond the realm of legend, and since it''s so valuable, there''s no way it could be used for experiments, and the truth has been in the dark for the past few hundred years. However, the situation changed drastically six years ago when I discovered a large amount of Mithril and Orihalcon in the Lantern Ruins in north of Heitburg. A massive ingot of orichalcone, considered to be one of the largest in the history of the Imperial Kingdom.I''ve got 50 percent of the rights, and I''m letting the genius blacksmith Meir Arendahl do the research with the help of money, power, and connections. Strictly speaking, it is more correct to say that I approved the research because I was afraid that Mei would resent me if I didn''t let her do the research, which she was very interested in.But as an aristocrat and a member of the upper class, I have a reputation to uphold, and to the outside world, I was the one who asked Mei to do the research. But let''s leave the politics aside. In Mei''s hands, most miracles are not miracles at all. I''m sure she''ll be able to handle a mythical metal as normal. "No, it took me a long time I didn''t expect it to take so many years. ...... But it''s really powerful!¡¡Hal, please try pouring some magic power into this as e. Maybe something interesting will happen. . "Ah, yes. Let''s see. I took the sword he handed me and pulled it out of its sheath. I''m not sure iif that mythical weapon cal weapon, but you never know if it''s actually mythical until you try it. "Then I''ll let the magic flow through." "Oh, wait a minute." Then Mei hides behind me. "That''s enough. "Mei ......" It''s no use. She''s a non-combatant.. Her technical skills are far from those of a normal person, but her physical strength is unmistakably that of a normal person. "Okay, here we go. ...... Ohh." As expected, it is a mythical metal. When I tried to shed magical power, i was absorbed more and more magical power. If it is a human with little magical power, a huge amount of magical power will be absorbed at such a high speed that it will instantly fall into magical power deficiency. I continued to let the magic flow for a few seconds, and eventually the absorption of magic power subsided with a pale mechanical line running down the blade. "Is this ...... activated? "Yes, I''m pretty sure it did. Hal, give it a try and see if it works." "Is it safe?¡¡Will it explode or something?" "Probably not, Hal." "Probably? "From the looks I don''t think this is the kind of thing that would explode with great force. It''s more like a silent, terrifying presence." "...... Mmm." I gave it a fearful shake, but nothing happened. I swung and swung again, but there was no sign of anything happening. "Is ............ failed " " Hal, try slashing it. "It''s ......?¡¡It''s steel, of course it''s impossible! Mei showed us a lump of iron that seemed to be at least 50 centimeters thick. It was a steel ingot, a very hard steel ingot used in the forging of swords. "I don''t think it will break, but won''t it cut?" "I don''t know, but if the power of the orichalcone is real, it will cut. "Hmm, well, let''s give it a try. ." --Snap! "What?" "You was able to cut it.'' --Spat. "...... has no resistance at all." "Excellent ." Mei handed me the "Magic Sword Raikiri". The weapon boasted a monstrous performance that could slice through a 50cm steel ingot without any trouble. CH 56 "But well, it''s a legendary metal with remarkable durability" . ......" It''s a lump of iron for smithing. It''s not just a rock, of course, but it has a completely different durability . Orichalcon must be an amazing metal, because it can cut through it like tofu. "Hal. Can I have a look?" "Oh, yes. Yes. Mei, the creator and researcher, asked to sho her it , so I handed her the magic sword, Raikiri, without hesitation. She looked at it for a while and then handed it back to me. "I''m guessing that the unusual slash you just made was probably caused by Hal''s unique skill . "My [Shock]?" "Yes." She continued. "It seems that the orichalcone reacts to the user''s magical power and nature and amplifies it. If you try hard enough, you can do something similar with your [Shock], can''t you? I couldn''t help but mutter something to myself as I thought of what Mei had said. "High-frequency blade." "High-frequency blade?¡¡I don''t know much about it, but if the essence of the orichalcone is the amplification of magic, I think it''s safe to assume that the same thing can be done in general . A high-frequency blade, sometimes referred to as a vibrating sword or an ultrasonic cutter. It is a fictional scientific weapon often seen in manga and anime that vibrates blade at high speed to easily slice through even the hardest materials. Although it is fictional, it has been put to practical use in the industrial business in reality, and is said to be useful for processing hard metals. In other words, it''s not a completely unfeasible science fiction weapon. "Hal?" I took out my dagger knife that was on my waist and swung it down at the iron lump lying in the shape of a dice. It wasn''t quite like tofu, but the knife still managed to slice halfway through the lump of iron without broking the blade. "That''s great, I got it." I transmitted a high-frequency [shock] to the knife and tried to slash the iron block, but it seemed to work better than I expected Although it doesn''t have the same level of strength as the Raikiri, it might be a good way to get out of a tough situation "I''m sure you''re right, Hal. Now then, the Raikiri is a gift for you, Hal." "Is that okay?" "It''s no good for me to have it. I''ll be happy to have it. "You''re a researcher." "Hahaha. Then let''s go right away. I want gat at least an A-rank magic stone today. "No, wait a minute. I''ll put on a mask." If I put on the silver mask, I will become an unidentified "silver comet. Incidentally, the two names "Silver Comet" come from two sources. The "silver" comes from the silvery white appearance of the "Aegis" armor, and the "comet" comes because I am newcomer who appeared like a comet. I don''t know how I came up with the idea, but I''ve been working in a secret due to fear of being exposed, and the next thing I know, people are calling me that. "Well, shall we go?" "Yes, ." Mei and I walked together to the Adventurer''s Guild. I wonder what kind of request we''ll get today. ?? "Oh, it''s Silver." "Who''s the girl next to you?" "I don''t know. But she''s pretty cute." "Do you want me to go talk to her?" "Don''t do that. It''s the Silver''s girl. "Yeah, don''t do it unless you want to die. As soon as we entered the Adventurer''s Guild, the attention of everyone inside was focused on us. "That''s a terrible thing to say. I''ve never killed anyone directly. "The woman of silver, apparently," c Mm-hmm. "You''ve got a funny way of making me laugh." I pulled Mei, who was grimacing and uncomfortable, along with me to the reception desk. It''s a little crowded, but it''s not difficult to get through because everyone naturally run away from me "Oh, it''s you, Silver . Are you following the usual pattern today? "Yes. Recoment me something , please Sally, the receptionist, who was one of the few people who knew the identity of the Silver Comet, took out a file and flipped through it d. She''s half my exclusive, and her position and salary rise in proportion to my contribution to the guild, and she''s a rising star in the Heitburg branch of the adventurer''s guild. "I recommend this request. A rank A monster, a wyvern, has suddenly appeared and begun to live in a village near the demon forest. You have to defeat it." "I''ve never seen a wyvern before. How big are they? "I''d say it''s about three meters high from the ground.¡¡If it spreads its wings, it could be four or five meters tall. It''s a lower level dragon, so it''s relatively smaller for a dragon species. "But it''s still much bigger than a human." "It''s an A-ranked monster . It''s an A-rank demon. Strong monsters are usually big. "What parts of the wyvern can be used as materials?" Mei , who was only interested in materials, asked Sally from the side. Scales can be used to make excellent armor, blood can be used for alchemy, claws and fangs can be used for weapons, bones can be used for forging, meat can be used for fine food, organs can be used for medicines. Even the wing membrane can be used to make leather goods. That''s why wyverns can be sold for much more than find a party to kill them . Wyverns are worth a lot of money. "Everything is made from ...... materials. ......" "That''s great. You''re going to be use everything from head to toe? I''m starting to feel sorry for the wyverns." "The guild would appreciate it if you hunted them as much as possible, since they are such one that attack people and livestock. There are reports that their numbers are increasing due to the fact that they are attacking people''s livestock, so we don''t have to be careful about over-hunting them. " So let''s just exterminate the wyverns that have feared up residence around the village. "Let''s do that." In Japan, there was a problem with too many deer raiding the forests. A certain amount of thinning will be necessary. "I''ll take care of the request then." "Please?" "Okay, here are the details." "Thank you. She handed me a map with a lot of information with it. It includes the location of settlements, the expected population of wyverns, and the distribution of other demons. "That''s very helpful ." "It''s an A-rank request. I''m sure it''s a lot more detailed than that, since there have been a number of D-rank and C-rank research requests before this one. "I see. You certainly can''t just send out A-rank requests." "That''s what I mean." The only people who can receive A-rank requests are A-rank and above. You can only receive requests up to minus one rank, so even if you have a B+ rank, which is considered elite in the world, you can''t get one. And with A-rank, the labor cost is ridiculously high. If they were to just give out A-rank requests, they would be wasting human resources, and the Adventurer''s Guild would be in the trouble just to pay the fees. Therefore, when a request comes in and is expected to be difficult, the guild asks a D-ranked adventurer or a mid-level C-ranked adventurer to do some research before assigning the request to the appropriate rank. "The deadline for completing the task is about a month, so I think you can take your time. Have a good day then." "I''m off." "I''m off." Sally sees me off and Mei and I leave the Adventurer''s Guild. And when we leave,I stop and have a discussion with Mei. "Well, Mei . The request deadline is one month. I took it on the spur of the moment, but isn''t it a bit long?" "Well, I guess it''s enough time "It sounds like a fun request to me, and I''m totally fine with it since I''m free. What about you, Mei?¡¡Won''t master get mad at you for being away for a month? "Well, the R&D team is growing now, so I''m sure they''ll be able to run without me, but we have to ask them. "That''s right. Besides, I almost forgot, we''re only twelve years old." If you think about it, a 12 year old girl going on a trip alone with a guy of her own age is not allowed in a n anime. I don''t want to invoke my nobleman''s authority either, since I''m indebted to master. ...... . I''m sorry Mei, but that''s all I can do. ?? . I don''t mind. Eberhard said he''ll go with you ." And this is what I got when I asked the master. It was quite easy to get permission. "But, master, are you sure?¡¡I''m a man." "It''s more convenient for me." "What? "Well, there are many things in the adult world, you know. The master said something I didn''t understand, but it was good that he had given me permission. "So, let''s go. We have an item box , so we don''t have to worry about food, clothing, or place to stay . Item box . This is also a new magical tool that was developed during the past six years. It is a large-capacity item box created with the best of Lily''s time-space magic and Mei''s magic tool production techniques. The time inside the box is stopped (it can be slowed down or accelerated), the contents never get mixed up, and the capacity is the size of a prefectural gymnasium. Although it can''t hold living things, it''s a super advanced artifact that boasts the ghostly performance of a blue raccoon robot''s interdimensional pocket. Of course, such a thing does not exist in this world. On the contrary, We were slowly going beyond the common sense of the world. "Oh, wait!"" Mei stopped me there. "What?" "Why don''t we call Lily?" "I''d love to, but I''m not sure if she will approve it . "I''m sure it will be fine." "I don''t think so. Well, let''s ask her. "'' "Lily, hello?" I''ll ask her on the communication pendant. "Coming!" "See, I told you " "It''s true. ......" Thus, Lily joined us on our adventure . CH 57 Lily, who had hurriedly come to me with transfer magic after preparing herself after the communication, spoke to me in a slightly angry tone. "You just can''t not invite me to such a fun thing! "I don''t know wht on your mind , you know ? "Of course it will be fine if that Hal Is that so?¡¡ I don''t understand why any parent would leave their beloved daughter in the hands of a child like me . "Well, now that we can go together like this..." "Oh, no!¡¡A thieving cat took mercy on me!¡¡Hahaha! "Oh, do you think it''s mean showing Mercy ?" It''s a woman''s war. ......! I was watching from the side thinking, "What''s wrong with you?" "But if you''re a bride to be, you should be more cautious !¡¡You''re supposed to call your fianc¨¦ first in such cases! "Well, yeah, I guess , it''s right thing ." "Of course!" My bride Lily got angry with me. Well, her base personality is Japanese. It''s hard to connect daily activities with aristocratic ideas like my bride''s , let alone scientific knowledge. "Also, her father said that no matter if she is bride s, she is still an unmarried women , so he can''t allow her to stay overnight. "What are you going to do then?" It''s a good thing I''m came , but I can''t go on an adventurous journey if I can''t stay the night. "So I''m leaving at night. I''ll transfer back to you in the morning with transfer magic, so don''t leave me behind "I see, I understand. Is that okay with you, Mei?: "Well, she''s the one who started it." The girls, who had just were in a fire fight between were relatively friendly as long as I didn''t get involved, probably because she had saved her lives. For Lily, a friend who is not bound by status differences is probably valuable. "So, let''s get going." "Yeah!" Now that we''ve talked it out, we''re off. The sun had already risen . ?? "No, ......, but it''s a long way." "Well, it''s 350 kilometers away. "Boring . I wonder if there''s anything I can do to pass the time?" After walking for about half an hour out of town, we were getting pretty bored. We walked and walked, but the scenery didn''t change. All we could see were meadows, wheat fields, a few forests. There were the occasional monsters , but they were regularly exterminated, and none of them seemed to come to the area around the road. In other words, it was boring as hell. It was about 350 kilometers northeast to the village near the demon forest where we were heading t In a straight line, it would be about the distance from Tokyo to Lake Biwa. If to use a more realistic analogy in terms of direction, it would be somewhere between Tokyo and northern Miyagi Prefecture. In any case, in this world without vehicles, a distance of 350 kilometers is big distance . Even in modern Japan, where trains are available, it is not an short distance to travel unless you use the bullet train. It''s too far to walk, and Lily''s transfer magic can only take her to places she''s been before. We are not leave the Farenheit territory which shows you just how big our frontier territory is. "Mei, there''s no one around, so let''s get that thing out." "Is that it?" "Yes, that one. When I asked her to do so, she looked back at me and confirmed it. "What''s that?¡¡Don''t be so shy , show me. It was cute to see Lily looking like she wanted to be shown how to do it, but I felt sorry for her if she didn''t, so I encouraged May to let her out. This is the trail wagon "" that runs through the wilderness of the Great Plains! "What''s this?" As Mei mouths the sound of a small drum that was also present in this world, she pulls out a transport from item box that looks like the sum of a standard carriage and a Volkswagen Type II. I knew what the Trail Wagen Buffalo was, as I had been involved in its development ......, or rather, had interjected from the side, but Lily, who had never seen one before, probably couldn''t understand what it was just by looking at it. In fact, it is a mobile artifact that does not yet exist in this world, so it is not surprising. "Lily, this is ...... a self-propelled carriage." "Self-propelled carriage ......?"" "Yes. It''s a carriage that moves without horses." "A carriage that moves without horses?" That''s a car, in other words. That''s what it is. With Mei''s super technology, I have created the concept of automobiles in this other world. "Come on, let''s take a ride." "I''ll take one!"" "I''m in!" Lily was next, and then Mei got in. "It''s pretty big inside. "That''s what we had to work so hard for!" Mei is banging on the walls like a Japanese car development team. "But does it really work?" "It''s pretty fast, it''ll go fifty kilometers." "Yes, it does. It can go up to about 70 kilometers per hour." "Seventy kilometers!" Seventy kilometers is about the speed of a horse running at full speed. The fact that this metal ,monster can go as fast as a horse is probably unbelievable. "After you will see it is Let''s try to drive it." As soon as she said that, Mei got into the driver''s seat and started the magic engine. It seems that my [shock] is also involved in this engine, but I don''t know the details either. The only thing I know is that Mei is amazing . --The vehicle began to vibrate slightly, making a nice little sound. The vibration is quite pleasant, about the same as that of a modern Japanese bus. "Then let''s get underway!" "Oh, it''s moving! Slowly, the "Buffalo" moved along the unpaved street with exposed soil. The suspension is so effective that I don''t get carsick even on bumpy roads. "Oh my !¡¡It''s so comfortable!" I exclaimed as I stuck my head out the window and let the wind hit my face. The inside of the Buffalo is like a large living room, so it''s easy to move around inside . "Mei, you''re amazing. ......" "Oh my , I''ve been complimented!¡¡And , you can drink the drinks in the storage room there. Mei showed us the storage room, which looked like a refrigerator ...... set up in the car. The time inside is stopped by the application of Lily''s space-time magic, so the items inside will not deteriorate unless the door is opened. "Lily''s space-time magic is pretty awesome too."" I said to Lily, who smiled and handed me a glass of chilled Rango juice. "Oh, thank you." "Mmm-hmm." "Yee-hei" Lilly smiled beside me. Mei was driving at high speed . Everyone seems to be having fun, and I''m starting to enjoy it too. Note . Will take a break for 2 days CH 58 " Hey... " What''s wrong ?" "While traveling in the Buffalo, I suddenly raised my voice and Mei asked me . "Oh, no, I saw a monster magic reaction in about 500 meters away. "Five hundred meters?¡¡That''s a long way. I''m sure they''ll be gone by the time we will arrive o Lily replied, but it didn''t seem it will be like this . "No, they seem to have stayed on the road all along. "Are they sleeping?" "I think it''s an ambush. "I guess so. That means it''s an intelligent monster , right? There are o lo of types of demons, from slime, which may or may not even have instincts, to goblins, which have a certain amount of mind . It''s hard to think of a low-grade , monster like a slime that will stay in one place without thinking. It would be better to assume that they are smart enough to learn that people often pass by when they are on the street. "¡¡I want to kill them ." "Lily?"" Lily raised her hand, looking very curious. I can understand why she would want have her first battle with a monsters , but isn''t it dangerous? "I''ve got this."" "I see." With that, Lily created a 30 centimeter-long ice spear and made it float in the air. Come to think of it, Lily had learned ice magic before space-time magic, right? "I''ve never seen Lily''s magic before. I''m curious to see what kind of magic is it and if it gets dangerous I''ll help hher from the side, so it''s safe to try "Yes!¡¡That''s exciting!" "But don''t come ti them near as close as 30 meters It''s dangerous. If she has both long and short range attacks like I do, it''s not a problem, but if she can only attack from a distance, she shouldn''t get as close as possible until she will be sure attack reached the target. "I That''s fine. ...... My arms are itching ." "Well, just take it easy."" Even if the reaction is strong, it is at best a C-rank. It''s not even close toA rank, which is considered as advanced monster , and probably not even B-rank, which is semi-advanced. There''s nothing to worry about as long as I''m standing by her side. "It''s about time. The distance between us and the monster is now less than 100 meters. It''s not surprising that they shown sooner or later. "No? "It''s mimicking us. There are some animals in the world that mimic each other very cleverly. And it''s not just a privilege of animals. It''s not just animals that mimic each other, it''s also monster that are based on animals. "Lily, do you know where it is?" But for me, with my sonar, the position is obvious. "Hmm, maybe. There?" Lily pointed to an unnatural rise in the ground. It''s hard to tell from a distance, but the mimicry is so poor that if you look at it from close up with prior information that it''s suspicious, you can definitely spot it. "Correct." "Then I''ll deal with that right away " "Pause do ." It would be tough for Lily, who had never experienced a real battle, to suddenly take a shot between the lines. So Mei brakes gently and stops a few dozen meters in front of her. "Take aim and ...... let''s go!¡¡"Ice Spear"! Lily creates several ice spears that are larger than the ones she just created, and seem to be 40 to 50 centimeters long, and launches them at a very fast speed. Boom!¡¡The "Ice Spear" that flew with an eerie sound pierced the mimicking monster with a pleasantly ugly thrust. "Gugyoaahhhh! The monster, which was suddenly hit by a shot , jumped up and screamed. But perhaps it was hit in the wrong place, and its cries gradually diminished until it finally bled out and stopped moving. "That''s great, Lily. That was a nice blow. "¡¡I did it." "You''re pretty good at that." There was already no response on my sonar. It was a sign that the enemy had been completely defeated . "What kind of demon was it after all? I approached the dead monster and didn''t wishing to touch it directly, so I cast a "General''s Armor" to create a magical arm and grab it. The monster that was mimicking ... "Lizard?" "Hmm, this is a lizard." Looking at a large earth-colored lizard that seems to be close to 1 meter, Mei, who was also approaching to the side, said with his arms crossed. "Lizard? What is it?" "It''s a C-rank subordinate monster that mimics soil. It eats soil like an earthworm and takes nutrition from insects and other small creatures in the soil. But in rare cases, it can attack large animals, so the adventurer''s guild has designated it as a target to be defeated. "You know a lot about it ." "One of our worker is a reptile enthusiast. We have a reptile enthusiast in our workshop , and if you ask me, they''re quite charming looking. "Well, they''re dead, though. And they even eat large animals, right?¡¡I guess ordinary people can''t handle them I guess they''re like iguanas. I wonder if it''s like iguanas. On Earth, there were often news stories about reptile lovers who were bitten by their pets and seriously injured on compilation sites. "It''s often a problem when the pet owner is eaten. "Hee ....... Please other about that...." It''s not strange that a earth lizard that has eaten its owner to death and learned to taste humans runs away and ambushes people on the street like this ....... "I''m fine with that. We knew the reality and lamented the fact that we couldn''t keep them." As we were talking about this, Lily, who was poking at the corpse of a tweaked earth lizard with an ice spear , asked me question . "Hey, can we sell this?" "¡¡Can we eat the meat or something? "Oh, no. It smells like dirt." "Teeth, claws and scales are used to make armor, I believe. The meat, as you can imagine, smells like dirt and is inedible, so let''s throw it away." " Shall we dismantle it? "Yeah. ...... "Here are your gloves." "Thanks. Can I borrow your knife?" Lily was the one who killed it, so she was the one to dismantle it. It was the first time for Lily to dismantle a prey, so it took some time, but it was not bad. "Ahhhh, it''s done!" The dismantling was done in about 20 minutes, a bit fastener then i thought . "It took about 20 minutes." "Oh, sure. It would have been easier to entrust it to the guild. We have an inventory with a time stop function." "Will the guild dismantle it for me?" "For a fee, yes." "I wish you would have told me that first. ......" Lily, whose hands were sticky with blood and dirt even though she was wearing gloves, lamented with a fed-up expression. "It''s a good thing that you learning. You got the hang of dismantling it to some extent. "Yes. There is a difference between not being able to do something and being able to do something but not doing it. At least with this practice, she'' s not inexperienced anymore. A normal duchess would not be able to experience this, so in that sense it is a valuable experience. "Well, then, let''s get going. Even though we have plenty of time, we don''t want to be stuck here." "Yes." "Let''s go!" Our journey continues. CH 59 We had been riding in the " Buffalo" for a few hours, and passed about two-thirds of the way to our destination, and the sun had set. We stopped the "Buffalo" at a flat spot beside the road and took a break. After that, not only earth lizards, but also goblins, slimes, green boas, and orcs appeared and were defeated by Lily to add to our inventory. Thanks to this, there was no shortage of ingredients for dinner. "I''ve never killed so many living creatures in my life. "Well, they''re monsters , aren''t they?" If you kill a pet animal, or even a monster that attacks people, the psychological impact will not be that great. "I don''t like the thought of a duchess who can kill monsters with no hesitation." "What!¡¡You said it, vixen! "You''re a petulant fox!" "Ahhhh, ----!¡¡I don''t care what people think!¡¡I''m not going to let you get away with this! I''m going report this and put pressure on the workshop!" "Don''t, it''s interference in internal affairs. ...... I can only see a future of conflicts, like an external lord putting pressure on the workshop of another territory. It''s not wartime, so I''d like Lily to think a little more about that . Also, Lily is not very flat. It''s a cute size, but I like it. "Lily, I like you that way you are I''m not really arguing with her, but I feel sorry for her if she remains in a bad mood, so I follow your suit ." "Really?¡¡You''re not lying?"" "What am I supposed to do, lie to Lily?" "...... Mmm-hmm!¡¡Okay, I forgive you." I don''t know where the tsundere went, but Lily is so happy to be with me that she''s completely delirious. Thanks to her, I succeeded in appeasing her without difficulty. Cute. " I can explain it." "I''m going to punish you." I walked behind the pouting Mei and grabbed her by her two assertive, lush mountain ranges. It was a super Wonderful Happy Excellent Utopia, to say the least, with a combination of sinking softness and bouncing youthful elasticity. It was a super Wonderful Happy Excellent Utopia, to say the least. "Hee-ahh!" She jumped up in a panic, her face unusually red . She jumped away from me, hugging her chest with both arms, shivering and opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. "Are you really twelve years old?" This is a weapon now. "Ha, ha. ......"" "What?" "Hal----- idiot ! This is the first time in the nearly six years sincet Mei has spoken out bad of me, I thought as she abused me for no good reason. ?? "Fix my mood, will you?" "Hmph." While Lilly was preparing dinner, I kept talking to Mei sulky back. She usually talks to me on her own, but this time she didn''t respond at all. I was troubled "You didn''t like me rubbing your chest?" No, I think she usually doesn''t like it, but that''s just the way she is. "I don''t know! ..... Oh, maybe it''s because I told Lily that I only like her? "Shh!¡¡I don''t know!" That''s right. She is cute . "I said that because I felt bad for her. I really like you too." Her ears twitched. Mei''s ears, which are slightly more pointed than those of humans, reacted. "Lilly is a precious girl friend that Mei can say whatever she wants. But if you''re too mean to her, she might not like you." "...... I don''t like that. "You have to be nice to her. Besides, I''m not going to leave you just because I have fianc¨¦e. I guess May is messing around with Lily because she''s worried that she might take me awy . If that''s the case, I have to relieve her of it. Besides, she''s so close to the legitimate son of a great aristocrat. If she doesn''t become my wife in the future, the situation around her will not allow it. That''s why Mei''s fears are confirmed to be unfounded. Fortunately, both Mei and I have positive feelings for each other, so we are unlikely to encounter any problems that tend to occur between men and women with different statuses. "Hal........." "Mei?" "I love ...............!" "Muggah!" So don''t hug me so suddenly. I can''t breathe. ....... ?? "So, are we done talking?¡¡It seems like you guys have been making fun of each other a lot. "The food Lily made looks delicious. "Don''t play dumb. I was watching you." "I''ll make it up to you later." "Well, I''m your fiancee , aren''t I?¡¡I''ll forgive you for being so open-minded!" Lily is so cute when she can''t be honest. I kissed her lightly on the cheek so that Mei wouldn''t see it . "Ah!¡¡: "It''s so hot!¡¡I''m sorry for scaring you. Don''t shake the ladle, it''s hot!: Lily cries out, holding her cheeks and turning red. It''s not that she''s uncomfortable, she''s simply happy and embarrassed because she was kissed . But Lily was cooking. Thanks to her, I got a few drops of boiling water on me, but this was also my fault, so to speak. I''ll take it in stride. ...... By the way, I''ve become quite a sketchy guy. I couldn''t have imagined such a development in my previous life. I''m glad I was reincarnated. ?? The "Buffalo" is an excellent machine that can also be used as a bed if the chair is folded down! "Huh!¡¡Wow, it''s so fluffy!" Lilly and Mei are back to normal, but it''s almost ti to sleep . Lily had better go home early or Her father would be worried about her. "I love it. I want to take stay over tomorrow. Perhaps because she knows this, she lounges in bed, looking as if she wants to leave it behind. "It will be fun to lying down together . It''s kind of like a sleeper express. It''s not the same as a night train, though, because it''s only during the day that you can lie down and move. "I''ll wake up early tomorrow and come here!¡¡Good night, Hal , Mei . "Good night, Lily." "Good night, Lily." Then Lily went back to the Duke''s house with transfer magic. ¨E i just noticed, Lily just call Mei by name? Until now, she only called her a female fox, a thief cat, you, a dwarf girl, and so on. This means that the two of them have become even closer. ...... female friendship. I like that kind of thing. I don''t have any male friends, so I admire that. "Now, let''s go to bed. "Wait, Mei. You''re not going to sleep without taking a bath, are you?" "What?¡¡No matter what, the Buffalo doesn''t have a bath. Mei looked back at me with a look that said, "Why did you suddenly do something so outrageous? But as an ex-Japanese, I can''t believe she would sleep without taking a bath! "If I don''t have one, I''ll make one!¡¡Mei , can you use water magic? "No, I can''t!¡¡I can only use earth magic ! "Let''s boil some drinking water from the inventory!¡¡''" "Yes. But if we use earth magic to make the bathwater, what about the fuel?" "I''ll make the wood." With my physical abilities pushed to the limit, I was able to cut down a tree and turn it into firewood in an instant. That''s only took 30 seconds! "Then, I put the chopped wood into my inventory!¡¡And with 0% humidity, the elapsed time accelerates! Raw wood is explosive and difficult to burn , but if to use the inventory to roll and dry it, it''s ready to use. It''s just firewood. Hahaha! "What a great passion. ......" "The bath is the only thing I can''t give up. The japanese part of my heart is screaming at me. I''m not going to compromise on the bath. ...... . After that, when I tried to go in slowly by myself, Mei also broke in and we had to go in together. She was so shy about having her breasts squeezed, but she didn''t mind being seen naked?¡¡I don''t understand her. Also, May''s breasts were amazing. It was especially bad when I saw it . Let''s just say it was hard to handle without being caught after Mei had fallen asleep. Note tomorrow probably won''t be any chapters . Thanks for reading CH 60 It was morning. But I was sleepy Because I had stay up all night with her, with her ample chest rising and falling in time with her breathing, with her sleep-talking, though I couldn''t understand what she was saying, and with her occasionally rolling over and hugging me, it was impossible for me to sleep properly. I finally fell asleep at dawn, just as the sky was getting whiter. But as soon as the sun rise up, Lily came and woke me up. By the way, Lily had said yesterday that she was going to wake up early and come over here ....... I know she is looking forward to it, but I''m going crazy with lark of sleep ¡¡By the way, speaking of lark of sleep , I had a lot of trouble last night. There are no tissues in this world. What am I supposed to do? I don''t want to wipe with a towel, and if I flush it with water, it will harden. I had no choice but to stand there for a while and wash it off little by little with water. It seemed to be the same in this world, that it could be easily washed away after some time. "What are you doing ? Wake up!¡¡Let''s eat breakfast!" Lily woke me up by banging her ladle on the frying pa To be honest, I''m dying for her to stop because she''s annoying Mei and it''s bothering my sleep-deprived head. "Nnnnnnnggggggg ......" "Don''t sound like a zombie! "Ice water shower!" "It''s cold!" "You awake? The cold water dropped on my face and I finally wakes up a little. "Yes, breakfast is ready." "Hmmm. Good morning, Lily. "Good morning." And then Meir Arendal, the source of my sleepiness, wakes up. "Good morning. The bed was softer than I expected and I slept well!" That''s because you were sleeping peacefully without a care in the world!" I shouted inwardly, sipping on the cold water Lily served me without showing it. I can''t have a good night''s sleep unless I get a partition or something. I feel like I''m going to die of exhaustion before we reach destination. "For breakfast today, I made a sandwich with saut¨¦ed orc meat and a Caesar salad on a bun. There''s also consomm¨¦ soup with oak bone broth. "That''s quite a feast for a morning. You look like an aristocrat." "What are you talking about, the legitimate son of a great nobleman? That''s what I said. I think I may have been sleepwalking and I remembered past life "Itadakimasu" We said "Itadakimasu" in the style of the Imperial Kingdom , and enjoyed our meal. She was a duchess who was never supposed to cook for herself, but surprisingly, Lily was a very good cook. "Why is Lily such a good cook? As with the with last night''s dinner, the quality of the food was as good as that of a top chef. And she does it with ingredients that she has on hand. I wonder if Lily is blessed by the god of cooking? "I like to cook. It''s kind of fun, and I''ve gotten good at it by cooking every day at home . She could open a fancy restaurant in a prime location in the imperial capital right now. As a former Japanese gourmet, I can vouch for the taste. "I''m so lucky to be able to eat such delicious food." "Stop it, you''re embarrassing me." She said that, but she seem happy about it. And so we spent a leisurely and peaceful morning, despite the fact that we were on a road where demons were present. ?? After finishing our breakfast and cleaning up, we got ready to leave. When we were ready, we checked our route for the day. "If all goes well, we should reach our destination in about two hours, around noon today. "We passed a lot yesterday, so we should have plenty of time today." "I''ll stay on the lookout with the sonar, Lily will fight monster off, and Mei will drive." "Yes, ." "Leave it to me I will deal with monsters !" I also knew that my sleepiness was at its limit. "I''m sorry, I couldn''t sleep last night. I''ll have the sonar respond automatically, so let me sleep until for a while . ......" "I create the magic circle for the sonar on a piece of paper and stuck it to the ceiling of the Buffalo. I''ll play with the shape of the magic circle and the arrangement of the runes, and modify the magic formula so that it will make a sound in response to living things even when I''m asleep. I''ll have to remember to set an alarm to go off in my sleeping brain if a monster of ......B-rank or higher appears that Lily can''t handle by herself. "I don''t think anything will happen, but ....... Good night, I''ll take care of the rest. ......" "I wonder why you''re so sleepy?" "Well?¡¡Maybe Mei was talking too loud in her sleep." As I listened to the two of them talking about it amd they were not far off from the truth, I fall asleep ?? "Are you awake?" "Mei. What is it ?" When I woke up, Mei, who had been resting with a glass of drink, looked at me and said, "We''re in an hour away from our destination. "We''re taking a break now." "Hal, are you awake?" Lily came over and called out to me. "Yes, I feel much better." Maybe it was the hour of sleep, but I feel fine now. "Did you see any dangerous monsters?" . No. They were all that type I could defeat." "Maybe it''s because the Buffalo is big and fast. A monster with some intelligence and the ability to judge the situation would have been scare and run away. "I see." "If they see a buffalo and still come at you, they''re either stupid enough to not sense the danger of the unknown, or they''re chickenshit monster who are too scared to move. Even on Earth, a deer would skare of the light of a car''s headlights. The same thing seems to happen to weak monsters . "Here''s your soup. It''s delicious." "Thank you." As I drank the leftover consomm¨¦ soup with oak bone broth from the morning, I stretched, cracking my spine. "We better get going. "Okay. "Okay." Mei launched the magic engine and Buffalo began to run. We almost arrived ?? "No, but we'' re here pretty fast." "It''s a victory for the technology of our Arendelle workshop. "Normally it would take a week, but we arrived in just two days. It was a long journey of 350 kilometers, but by this world''s standards, it had taken us only two days to reach our destination. This was the first time for the "Buffalo" to travel such a long distance. By the way, it seems that the "Buffalo" can already be produced by the craftsmen in the workshop without Mei ''s help. So, if she wanted to sell it on a large scale, she could do so . However, if this kind of product were to go out into the world, it would ruin the business of the carriage , and the end result would be that some unknown workshop or other country would disassemble it and steal the technology. So, the current policy is to sell only to trusted and influential people in the territory, noblemen who are close to us , and the royal family and those authorized by the royal family. However, if we didn''t have the technology for a magic engine or a magic battery, we wouldn''t be able to imitate it. It''s not the kind of thing that can be reproduced by a craftsman with natural talent who has to go through several years of special training. "I see, that''s why it''s a black box. In the event that you''re not sure what to do, you''ll be able to find out by yourself. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one. Even though I''ve been watching her closely and know her better than anyone else, I still shudder at her talent when I look back. Maybe Mei will even develop a space rocket someday. At the very least, she has advanced the scientific civilization of this world by at least a hundred years. It''s not impossible, is it? "Yes, it is. In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to use the site, please feel free to contact us. By the way, Mei made something when she was six years old that a blacksmith with natural talent would have to train for several years to make. When I think about it, I realize once again how amazing the woman known as Meir Arendelle is. Even though I''ve been watching her closely and know her better than anyone else, I still shudder at her talent when I glance back at her. However, it would not be impossible for a blacksmith with a certain amount of knowledge and experience to understand these mechanisms and imitate them to create similar products. If this were to happen, it would be a huge loss for the Arendelle workshop, which has invested a huge amount of money in research and development and equipment. In the current situation where laws such as patents and copyrights have not yet caught up, they had no choice but to prevent the outflow of technology on their own. "Hey!¡¡What''s that?" "Lily?" As we were talking, Lily, who had gotten out of the Buffalo earlier and was looking out at the scenery of the farming village, poked her head into the car, looking uncomfortable. "There''s a big, black thing flying towards us. Could that be a wyvern?" I got out of the car and used my "sonar" at the monster bird in the distance, and its silhouette became clear. Long neck, broad wings, thick tail, sharp claws, and hard scales covering its surface. It was ---- definitely a wyvern. CH 61 "Our target worthy of holy silver coins is coming ." Mei said, looking at the wyvern. By the way, a holy silver coin is a mithril coin, worth 10 million ells. What an awful thing to say. She only sees the wyvern "as material. Even the wyverns are still a living being! "Alright, let''s go hunting!" I''m going to hunt them down and get materials!" Lily agrees with me. Oh, my God. I wondered where the ladylike Lily had gone whom I met at first. "Lily, just so you know, the wyvern is an A-ranked . Can you defeat it?" To be honest, I think it''s pretty tough for Lily, who is (probably) only have a B-rank level ability. "I''ll try my best. Will you help me if I''m in danger?" "Okay, I will. Be careful, okay?" There is a hopeless barrier between A-rank and S-rank. I learned that the hard way during my training. ...... . I''m going to chant a very powerful spell, and you''re going to hit him to reduce his strength. "Yes, . My beloved gun will burst out flames! In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. "Hey, when did you make something like that ......? "It is a magic shock gun !¡¡I''m proud to say that it''s a new product with increased power and range compared to the pistol type! Mei''s modern weaponry without modern knowledge is unstoppable. She has been running up and down the history of science and technology for hundreds of years by herself. ...... "I''m impressed." "It''s an excellent weapon with a fairly high rate of fire. So let''s get started with ......." --Dang! "............ Geez!" It seems to have hit the wing. We can still hear the screams of the wyverns, although they are still more than a hundred meters away. It''s a very good hit. --Dang, dang, dang, dang! "...... GEEAAA!" The wyvern, which has been shot in the torso, neck, and legs, lets out a subtle scream that can''t be described as a scream or a roar of rage, and swoops down at May. There are only a few tears in his eyes, and he has a serious look in his eyes. ...... Let''s go!¡¡"Fenrir, Spirit of the Frozen Silver Ice, pierce my enemy with your spear of crystal clear icicles! Icicle Lance!" .The "Icicle Lance" gradually increases its rotation speed, and when it reaches a critical point, it is shot out at high speed. "--!¡¡Grrrrrr!" The wyvern noticed the attack and hurriedly turned to avoid it, but it was too late to realize what had happened. "Grrrrr ............!¡¡Aaa......, Aaa.................." The wyvern, which had been pierced in the thickest part of its body by an icicle, let out a painful scream and crashed. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. "Yes!¡¡We defeated it! "We did it!" I was surprised. The girls, who were not adventurers, had defeated an A-ranked demon on their own without my help. This is not a scene you''ll see very often. Lily had almost no combat experience except for the last two days, and Mei couldn''t even use practical combat magic. How out of the ordinary is this? It''s almost as impossible as a small developing country with a crappy army beating the world''s strongest country, the United States, in a pitched battle. Even the word "miracle" seems to be a clich¨¦. "Awesome, you two!¡¡It''s a wyvern, it''s A-ranked. How did you manage to defeat it? ...... No, seriously, this is amazing." I''m still excited, and I''m screaming they , who who defeated the wyvern are a little more calm. "Is it really that great?" "It''s really great. It''s so great that you can join the ranks of high-ranked adventurers as soon as you register as an adventurer." ". I don''t really feel it. It''s like I just got carried away and beat it." It''s just that you have no combat experience." In fact, Lily''s Icicle Lance was probably as powerful as A-rank magic. The same goes for Mei''s sniper accuracy. It''s had a higher hit rate than the special forces and snipers in my previous life. "I feel embarrassed when people praise me." "Hmm, that''s surprising. Maybe we''re pretty strong?" I''m not sure if this is a fluke or not, but it will become clearer in the future. In the first place, wyverns are not so naive that they can be defeated on a spot , so it''s almost as if we''ve already read what''s going to happen. ?? "Thank you for coming all the way from far away land . You''ve been very helpful." We had defeated the wyvern and were now at the home of the village chief." "We were told that you already killed one wyvern.I''m not doubting you, but if you don''t mind, may I see it?" I guess he want to see the face of the wyvern that attacked their village. The village chief asked apologetically. "Sure. But it''s no place here for this , so I''ll show you outside." Since I''m an adventurer, I wear a mask, and I answered from underneath the mask. I need to improve this to some extent. My voice gets cloudy through the mask. A number of villagers had gathered outside, looking curiously at the buffalo placed in front of the chief''s house. "You guys, give us some room." The chief said, and the villagers scattered and began to look at us from a distance. "Then please." "Lily." "Yes, I understand." I gave the signal and Lily took out a dead wyvern from her item, and the villagers, including the chief, recoiled in horror as a black dragon about three meters long appeared on the scene. "It''s a wyvern! "There''s a huge hole in its stomach . Is it dead?¡¡Did those adventurers kill it?" You''d be surprised, wouldn''t you? It''s the corpse of an extremely dangerous A-rank hexenbiest. You may wonder how they defeated it. "I''m sorry to hear that. As expected of an S-rank adventurer." "''S-rank''?" Apparently, they hadn''t gotten the word that we had received the job. In the first place, we traveled a distance of 350 kilometers in two days. Unless it was a communication device, it must have taken a long time for the information to reach such a remote place. "No, I''m not the one who defeated this. It was those 2 girls." I said to the village chief, pointing at Lily and Mei who were standing one step behind me. When I told them, they were even more surprised and shouted. " girls?" I was hiding my face with a mask, and I showed them my S-rank adventurer''s guild card, so they must have thought I was a good adventurer. But these girls are not adventurers. To the average observer, they look like mere 12-year-old girls. "Yes, let me introduce you. The blonde girl over here is Lily. and the red-haired girl over here is Meiru. Neither of them are adventurers, but I brought them here to get experience ." . It''s not a lie, because although the purpose is mostly for fun, it''s not without an element of getting experience . In fact, both Lilly and Mei have succeeded in gaining real-world experience. "I''m not sure what to say. In any case, he defeated the village''s revenge, even if it was only one. I can''t offer you much in the way of hospitality, but please allow me to entertain you tonight." "Then I''ll take your word for it." "Thank you for your hospitality. "Thank you, sir. To the villagers, we must look like a strange trio. They thought that all of the adventurers who came in strange vehicles were children, but they we had A-rank or higher abilities. There is no other group that makes as much sense as our . "Well, let''s see how many wyverns we can hunt during our stay." "Sounds good, I agree." "In moderation. Make sure you have a good rest . "Absolutely, . "I know!¡¡Don''t worry. I''m sorry for the villagers whose property and lives are at stake, but for us, wyverns are nothing more than money-making prey. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are still a number of wyverns living in the area in addition to the one we just saw, so let''s make some money. CH 62 It took us about 20 minutes to ride along the forest road. The forest around us was gradually becoming dense. I could tell that we were approaching of the Demon Forest. "It''s dark. ......" "It''s creepy." I can''t tell what kind of monster it is, but I can hear it all over the place.. I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t curious as to how dangerous this forest is. "Mmm, there''s an enemy 2 kilometers away. Let''s get down." "Roger that, ." "The wyverns are here." I was the first to notice the wyvern''s presence and warned them , as I had increased the range of my sonar since we were in the danger zone. I left buffalo and got into a fighting stance, while walking down a narrow forest path. "It''s ...... quiet now." "The wildlife must have sensed the wyvern''s presence and fled. We''re close." The distance was less than 500 meters. Perhaps it was the nature of flying, but the speed at which wyverns move is not bad. The fear of suddenly appearing out of nowhere and being attacked before we could even react. This was one of the reasons why wyverns were so feared. "Can we do this again?" Lily looks back at me and asks. "Yes, but if there are more than two of them, I''ll help ." "Yeah, okay." No matter how strong they are, Lily and Mei still beginners . It would be better to gain some combat experience now that Evan is out on their own. "I see it!" Mei , holding a gun , shouted. It seems that the wyverns have recognized that we are the perfect prey, neither running nor hiding, and they are flying in a straight line towards us. "You will be exposed to the massive firepower of my gun !" --Damn, damn, damn! Mei ''s three shots hit the wyvern without missing, and the wyvern screamed in pain. "Grrrr!" "''Grrrrrrrr! "Fall in!" --Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang! All of these attacks hit the wyvern, causing it to steady damage. "Grrrr... ......" "I''m sorry.¡¡It''s wobbling! Perhaps the gunfire had taken its toll, but the wyvern was already looking like it was having trouble flying. It is gradually losing altitude. "I think wyvern scales are pretty hard. ...... It''s probably harder than steel of the same thickness (otherwise they wouldn''t have bothered to make it into armor material. It''s a valuable material for armor, which means it''s lighter and stronger than iron.) You can see how powerful May''s gun is, because it can easily penetrate through it. --Dang! A wyvern approach. When Mei hit it''s head with a slamming blow, the Wyvern turned head back and cramped for a few seconds, then fell down and stuck. "............ Amazing, Mei took it down by herself." "I was out of my element." "There was no life creation sign in the sonar. The sonar is already completely silent. "This time, I was able to get a lot of attacks in because of the distance. It doesn''t work like this every time." "It''s amazing, though. The wyverns are not so weak that they can be defeated by chance. The weapon is amazing. No matter how well-trained a professional wrestler , he can''t beat a schoolboy with a gun. But I think what''s really great is not the gun, but the person who handling it. If you''re not good with a gun, you won''t hit it properly. A gun that can''t reach it''s target is no different than an unarmed gun. How you use a weapon is important. In that respect, Meo was as proficient with her invention, the gun , as she was with the special forces of the army in her previous life. This is why she was able to defeat a strong opponent like the Wyvern without suffering a single scratch. "Good for you, Mei. That''s your share, so put it in your inventory." "Of course I will!" I said this as I looked at the corpse of the wyvern that she had killed, and then I suddenly realized something. "What is it?" "What''s going on?"" Mei, who was about to put the wyvern away in her inventory, asks. "No, I thought about that when you two killed the other one earlier. Isn''t a wyvern a little too heavy to fly?" "Oh, ......, you''re right. It''s strange when you think about it. Normally, if it was this heavy, it wouldn''t be able to fly properly. Mei , who had built the M-1 rocket plane, and I, a former Japanese who was familiar with airplanes, were the only ones who could notice this Why do birds fly? Why can airplanes fly in the sky? The answer is simple. Because they are light. It is true that a passenger plane is very heavy if you only look at its weight. However, compared to the thrust of a jet engine, it is not that heavy. In fact, compared to other means of transportation such as cars and ships, the power-to-weight ratio should be quite small. It is no surprise that 10 horsepower per kilogram is faster than 1 horsepower per kilogram. But that doesn''t seem to be the case with the Wyvern. A wyvern. They''re so big that even a layman would have the impression that they can''t possibly fly. Two meters high, three meters from head to tail. With their wings spread out, they are three meters across. But its body was very large. You could even call it a "skeleton. Anyway, it was heavy. It was so heavy that it would be impossible to fly with such wings. It must have weighed several hundred kilograms to a ton. Even the famous pterosaur, Pteranodon, which was 7 meters long, weighed only 20 kilograms or so, so you can see how heavy the wyvern is as a reptile. Long story short, there is no way that a wyvern can fly, physically speaking. But in reality, wyverns are flying through the sky. What does this mean?¡¡Even in a fantasy world, the laws of physics are still working. "The more I think about ......, the more it doesn''t make sense." "I don''t get it. Is it possible that the law of universal gravitation does not work only on wyverns?¡¡It''s a magical creature, so could that be possible? "Isn''t it possible that the wind is amplified by magic?" And then Lily interrupted me " "So I was thinking maybe they use wind magic to amplify the wind when they flap their wings. We mages do something similar, don''t we?" "That''s it ahhhhh!" For better or worse, this is a perspective that we, who were too obsessed with scientific and physical perspectives to break free from our preconceived notions, could never have gotten even if we had stood on our heads. The answer came from Lily, who is naturally from another world and is familiar with magic. "It makes sense, doesn''t it? Because even though it''s heavy, you can amplify and create a wind that exceeds it. I think is that it is about 3 to 4 times greater.¡¡A slightly fat individual might be amplified 5 to 6 times. "That means..." "What?" It seems that it is not necessary for wings to grow directly from the body in order to fly. In short, you can use magic to generate the necessary amount of wind to fly. I''m using the North General''s Bushinryu Ura, which is a masterpiece of magical materialization, to partially activate the outer form of the "General''s Armor," only on my back. I imagine several pairs of magical wings on each side And the image of continuously releasing shock waves from its wings at a constant intensity with its unique magic [Shock] - ....... "--''Flying Wings''!" "What?" "Huh?" "...... is ready!¡¡I''m the first human who flying in the sky!" I was now floating a few dozen centimeters above the ground and I flew with a bang! "You are flying ! "''No, don''t be surprised Mei . You''re the one who flew first." Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten the M-1 we used to rescue Lily six years ago. "That wasn''t me flying, it was the M-1. That''s a different !¡¡I''m witnessing biological evolution right now!" Please don''t treat people as if they are the ultimate life form, living for tens of thousands of years on their own and constantly evolving. "It''s not like I grew wings. It''s magic. If you try hard enough, yo can do that tooo." I don''t know if I have enough magic. But it''s not impossible in theory t he point is that you need to use magic power materialization, wind magic, and some other magic that can be used for flight. For me, it was just a [shock]. On the ground, Lily and Mei are jumping up and down and screaming. I thought to myself as I floated a few meters above the ground, "Maybe the best part of this trip to defeat the wyverns will be flying wings." Note . From now on updates will be irregula CH 63 "Let me kill you ! " I chase after the wyvern at over a hundred kilometers per hour, spouting lines like Felix the Wind Slayer.I''ve only just learned how to use flying wings, so the wyvern has the advantage in speed, but my flying wings are much better in combat where I can fly in all directions. "Gluaaa--......." --Spa! As soon as they crossed each other, I swung my magic sword Raikiri, and each time I swung it, one wyvern''s head separated from its body. The two wyverns that seemed to be his guards were caught between him from both sides, but I stayed in the air and sliced off their heads in rapid succession with a single rotation. "Good." I catch the corpse in midair and transfer it to my inventory before it falls to the ground and is crushed, including the one from earlier. I''ve been hunting for wyverns for a while now, and I already have eight dead wyverns in my inventory. "I think it''s time for a break." I looked around, but I couldn''t see any more wyverns. I attacked the group of eight that I was lucky enough to find, but it seemed that no other wyverns were in the area. I lowered my altitude and flew back to Lilly and Mei on the ground. "I''m back. It was a great hunt.: "I could see it. It''s so crazy." The fact that it''s called a wyvern instead of a flying bird is typical of this world, but it seems that similar phrases existed in this world as well. I was the embodiment of the otherworldly saying. The expected number of the living creatures is around ten, so you hunted about 3 more. In addition to the ones I killed, Lily and Mei killed one wyvern each on their own and three more in cooperation. So we''ve killed 13 wyverns in all. ..... But the girls made a spectacular debut, too: the two of them took down a total of five A-ranked monsters , which is comparable to my record as an S-ranked adventurer. They fearsome rookie beginners . "It''s a shame that there are 13 wyverns in a remote area with no adventurer''s guild or military garrison." "What a disaster." A little further on south, there are adventurer''s guilds and military garrisons to protect against the stampede of monsters coming from the Demon Forest. "They''re not here anymore, are they?" "Yes. I''ve searched as far as I can, but there''s no sign of them." Lily asks, but I don''t spot any C-rank monsters or higher within a 10-kilometer radius, the limit radius of my sonar. In fact, it seems that there are only D-rank and below monsters left. It seems that the wyverns have weeded out all the strong ones to some extent. "It might take some time for the ecosystem to return to normal." I don''t know why thirteen wyverns appeared out of their natural habitat, but it seems to have had a significant impact on more than just the village ?? "Oh, you''ve already defeated them? When we returned to the village chief''s house to report the completion of the defeat, the chief was astonished with wide eyes. I''m sure he believed me, but when I took the 13 wyverns out of my inventory and lined them up as proof, the village chief and the rest of the villagers froze, their mouths hanging open as if their jaws were going to fall off. "...... Well, then, here is your proof of accomplishment. After a while, the chief'' came back from his stiffness and handed me a form he had received from the guild with his handwritten signature and seal indicating that he was the representative of the village. "Yes, thank you." The request is now complete. The reward would be given at the guild after we will returned to Heitburg. Incidentally, since this request was designated as a specific disaster request, the reward would be paid not by the village, but by the country and the lord. This is part of the so-called disaster compensation, and the villagers have no burden. If there were no such system, if a poor village was attacked by a monsters , it would inevitably be wiped out without being able to submit a request. As a country or a lord, the frontier is one of the most important areas for development. If they don''t have a certain level of support, their territories won''t be able to develop for any length of time, and the government is desperate. "It''s kind of like a match pump." The son of the lord who gives out the reward accepts the request and receives the reward. If you look at it from the side, it''s just money circulating within the Fahrenheit family through the adventurer''s guild. "Well, 50% of the reward comes from the government, so it''s a plus." This is also the case in remote territories where money is scarce, and they can''t afford to pay enough. So, to ease the burden, the government also provides 50% assistance. "This is how the Farenheit frontier family is getting richer and richer. "With you, Hal, the economy of Heitburg is safe ." "It''s not healthy unless the economy can run without me, though. Well, Heitburg is the largest regional center city in the north of the Imperial Kingdom. My father''s management of the city is going well, and I don''t think the story is going to turn into a "fallen nobleman domestic politics cheat" situation in the future. So I can work as an adventurer without worry. "Well, it''s getting dark , so let''s have dinner." "If that''s the case, please let us serve you. It''s not much, but it''s a pot of stew with fresh vegetables from the village." ""Oh!"" The contents of the pot brought by the chief''s family were a local dish of the village, filled with meat that looked like some kind of bird and many vegetables. "This is the taste of our local dish that has been familiar to us since the time we carved out this land. It is often eaten at festivals or when there is something to celebrate. Please visit ......." The woman who seemed to be the daughter of the village chief served me a full pot in a wooden bowl with a relaxed design. "Thank you." As I took the bowl and took a sip, the natural broth from the vegetables and poultry, seasoned with simple seasonings like salt and herbs, filled my mouth and made me feel happy. "It''s ...... delicious." It''s good to have a hearty meal at home, but it''s also good to have a simple, yet rich meal like this. It may be a feast for the village head, but for me, it''s like the miso soup I eat at my grandparents'' house when I go back to the country. It''s simple, but warm. "It''s true, it has a deep flavor." My family are cooks , so this kind of lightly flavored food is also possible. As a duchess, Lily has eaten some of the finest meals in the world, but this soup in the pot made her say, "It has depth flavor . And the taste of the broth was enough to make even May''s tongue, which had been brought up on a thick broth, roar. I never thought I would be able to find such a high quality meal in such a remote place." "Mr. Mayor. It''s delicious. "Thank you very much." I''ll ask him to tell me the recipe later. ...... We enjoyed the evening in a friendly atmosphere. Note Thanks for reading . Remember release will be irregular , but you can expect chapter tomorrow . CH 64 As soon as the village was out of sight, we got off the buffalo and put it in our inventory. "Yor turn lily "Yes. Got it With Lily at the center, an intricate geometric magic circle appeared . The circular formation of runes and magic symbols, glowing and spinning on the ground, is truly a fantasy. After about 30 seconds of gazing at such a spectacle that could only be described as projection mapping, Lily turned to me and said, "I''m sorry. After about 30 seconds of staring at the circle , Lily said. "Let''s go home then." "Yes." "Thanks." The next thing we knew, we were floating for a moment, and the scenery around us had changed from the forest to the Camras plain with its bright, low grass. "I can''t get used to transfer magic, no matter how many times I experience it. Well, it''s convenient at least . "It makes me feel a little dizzy . ...... "Is that so?¡¡I have nothing like this " In short, I think Lily has an aptitude for it.And we don''t have much. Transference magic can only transfer to a place you''ve been to once before. Conversely, if you''ve been to a place once, you can transfer there as long as you have enough magic power. This time, I took advantage of this property and succeeded in shortcutting almost all the way home. That''s why the return trip was so quick. "This is Heitburg." About two kilometers ahead of us, we could see the magnificent city walls of Heidburg. Merchants and adventurers were lined up at the gate of the city. "We finally back " "Isn''t that village belong , to your family territory as well ?" "Yes, it is. Even though it was in the same territory, if they were 350 kilometers apart, it would feel like a trip. It''s like a person living in Sapporo traveling to Kushiro. "We''ll be at the west gate then." "Yes. Let''s go with Buffalo!" Since we left the city as adventurers, it would be more efficient to enter the West Gate, which is closer to the Adventurer''s Guild. Mei took the Buffalo out of her inventory and started the magic engine. She seemed to have gotten used to the car by now, and she looked dignified as she got into the driver''s seat. I''ve never driven a car in my previous life, and even driving a passenger car is a bit intimidating for me, but she can easily drive around a Hiace-class Buffalo, so she''s got a lot of guts. So I got into the Buffalo driven by Mei and we drove along the road to Heitburg. A gentle breeze was blowing gently on the long, slient road before noon. ?? "Oh, can you put this on for me?" "An eyes mask?" "There''s something fishy about it." After leaving the buffalo nearby the west gate and making sure there were no people around, I handed them a Venetian mask of similar design as my mask. "Well, I don''t think it''s very useful against professionals, but if you''re dealing with ordinary people, you can avoid unnecessary trouble." "I see." "Is that how it is?" Lily, who had been kidnapped once before, understood quickly.But Mei didn''t understand it " " Mei, you don''t seem to be aware of this, so I''m going to tell you that the Arendelle Workshop is now a major up-and-coming workshop that everyone in the empire''s powerful nobility is paying attention to. And Mei is the heiress of the workshop and the central figure of the development group. It would be troublesome if your identity was exposed." In fact, she could be kidnapped or raided by nobles from other territories or spies from other countries who want to steal her tools. I''m not going to let that happen, and more importantly, Mei herself carries around weapons in her inventory that are a little too much to be called security items, so the chances of her actually being kidnapped are slims , or even none . Still, there are certain people who plan to do bad things. Even if they don''t do any real harm, it would be a hassle to deal with them every time. A certain amount of caution was necessary to avoid unnecessary trouble. "I got it ." "Haha, you look like a suspicious lady at a masked ball." "That''s exactly what my strict tutor looks like." The two masked women were evaluating each other''s appearance. It''s a mask that I don''t usually use , so it gave me a very different impression. If you put it that way, Hal is a faceless golem. "You have eyes." "It just has eyes, sir." I was watching the exchange between the two quietly, and then we started to fly. Then, for some reason, they began critique me . "I don''t think the design is bad, but I think it lacks a bit of individuality." "It should be a little more stylish." "You know, isn''t Mei the one who made this ......? "It was designed by Hal. I just made it according to the design . "Then why didn''t you just change the design?" "That would have gone against the client''s wishes." The topic gradually shifted to criticism of my design sense. "Hey, Hal. Do you want me to introduce you to one of our designers?" "If it''s functional design you''re looking for, leave it to our Arendal Studio!" Then, for some reason, the advertising began. "Is it really that bad , ......?" "Well, it''s no actual problem for an adventurer." "Well, we''re adventurers, aren''t we?" "When this gets old, I''m going to ask Lily''s designer to change design it for me. It will be made in the Arendelle workshop. "Thank you very much." "I hope it''s will be more stylish !" "Well, let''s get going, shall we? "Yeah." "Yeah." After completing the formalities at the west gate, we headed to the adventurer''s guild that was inside the castle gate. "Hello, Silver . Welcome back. When we entered the guild, Sally, a familiar receptionist who was one of the few people who knew the identity of the Silver Comet, approached us. It was past the morning peak period, so the guild was quiet. We made it to the reception counter without drawing any attention. "You''re back already?" "Well, we have the Trailwagen." "But still. It is usually essential to prepare carefully and take all possible measures when hunting wyverns. You''re an S-rank adventurer. "I''m not really a S rank adventurer." After exchanging casual conversation because of our familiarity, I submit the request accomplishment form. "Yes. thanks for your hard work . Then let''s head to the demolition warehouse. "Yes." We lumbered off to the demolition warehouse attached to the guild. In the warehouse, the guild staff and the contractors working on the dismantling work were sweating and working hard. "Oh . Silver here ! " "What?¡¡What the hell is demolition again?" "Guillermo!¡¡We need more demolition workers!" You can hear the screams that don''t seem to be ...... happy. The guild''s management may be happy to hear this, but for the people who is working here is the most important thing. If you''re the kind of person who sacrifices your personal life to work hard, you''re not going to choose a job as a guild employee where "stability" is the main selling point. "...... Ah, time doesn''t pass if it''s in your inventory, so let''s make it a small batch at weekly intervals, shall we?" The demolition workers, who until just a moment ago had been overcome with a sense of despair, suddenly became radiant when they heard my suggestion. "''That''s it, please do! "Then that''s how it is." I told that as I turned to Sally, and she nodded with a bitter look on her face. The guild would have to buy it the same day, but it''s in this condition. I''ll add some extra value to the purchase price." The guild''s fault is that I''m going to be temporarily holding on to my prey, so that will be taken into account in the purchase price. "I''m not going to be able to give you a purchase price until all the assessments are done, so I''m just going to give you the reward for defeating them. "Yes, thank you." Well, even if it''s just the reward for defeating monsters , the total reward should be around 20 to 30 million ells. Thinking that I had earned tens of millions of yen in a few days, I was in a good mood. CH 65 A few days after defeating the wyverns , I was flying alone using my flying wings in a place near the Demon Forest. It was a bit far from the village, so there was no one around. The reason I didn''t bring Lily and Mei with me was because it might be dangerous if I wasn''t alone. In fact, after I received the request, I went to my parents'' room and the guild''s confidential archives, which are off-limits to those below B rank, to research the nature of wyverns. There are a few things that I learned. First of all, wyverns are basically territorial and do not stray far from the area where they were born unless there is a serious problem. It seems that this is because they can monopolize their prey in an environment where there are no natural enemies without having to move. And there are three possible reasons why a wyvern would move. One is when the prey they hunt for food has become extinct. If the land is dry and not suited for living , there are only a few animals and ,monsters living there, so a few wyverns with a big appetite can quickly hunt them all down. No matter how high-ranking the monster is, as long as it doesn''t live off the haze, it has to eat its prey to survive. When they do, they usually go berserk and attack human settlements. This time, however, the herd of wyverns had come from the Demon Forest. The Devil''s Forest is literally a den of monsters . For wyverns, it''s a heavenly environment full of prey. There is no reason for them to travel all the way to a region where food is scarce. The second reason is if they are attacked by an entity that poses a threat to them. But this is also unlikely. Wyverns have a habit of fighting their prey and enemies in groups of several to a dozen animals that share their territory. And when it comes to a pack of A-ranked monsters, the threat level is frightening just thinking about it. Is there really a natural enemy that can attack such a herd so one-sidedly that the wyverns will run away? If it was an S-rank or higher demon like a dragon, it would be possible. I''m not sure what to make of this. It''s hard to imagine that there are demons that would conveniently attack only wyverns, so this pattern is also dead. The last thing I can think of is the most troubling reason I can think of, and I don''t want it to be. It is a pattern that involves human hands. It is said that in the ancient times of magical civilization, there existed a way to manipulating monsters . Even today, there are still ways to use monsters , such as contracts with magical beast or with summoning magic . Of course, what exists in the world today is just a degraded version of contract magic that only works if you pay a rational monster , but even so, it is not impossible to use monsters . And maybe some researcher will reviving the legacy of an ancient magical civilization. In short, I don''t know what the cause of the problem is, and in any case, the danger is quite high, so in order to find out what really happened, I have come to the Demon Forest alone. ?? "......?" For a while, I was flying low over the area around the wyvern colony where we were a few days ago while releasing a "sonar" with a narrower range and higher accuracy, when I suddenly caught a strong magical response . It wasn''t moving, so it didn''t seem to be a living thing. It''s not a living thing. .....I wonder what it is. Is it a magic object? I'' ll try to land at the location where the response was coming from and search for the source of the magic while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Maybe there is a trap or something set up that won''t be caught by the "sonar". There''s nothing wrong with being cautious. As I searched in the grass, behind trees, and in holes in stumps, I discovered that the magic waves were being emitted from the base of a tree about 10 meters high. "...... Is this the cause?"" It was as if the ground had been dug up recently and the color of the soil had changed unnaturally. It was as if the ground had just recently been dug up and filled with something. I took out a shovel from my inventory and started digging up the suspicious area. As I expected, it had been dug once and was soft, so I could keep digging. "I found ......." What came out of the soil was a mysterious magic tool with a fist-sized magic stone fitted inside a cube-shaped case. The magic stone flickered suspiciously as it pulsated, emitting a reddish-black light.Every time it glowed, it emitted a wave of magical power, which was, quite frankly, very suspicious. "I can sence it, ......." That''s the scent of the case. It couldn''t be the legacy of an ancient magical civilization that had been hidden for thousands of years. It is not possible to explain the recent migration of the wyverns. It seems certain that someone had intentionally buried the magic tools. "I''ll have to go home and report it to to my father about this. ...... It seems that the territory of the Frontier Counties is easily targeted by bad people, whether it''s the case of the kidnapping two years ago or the Wyvern riots this time. I''m not sure if it''s because it''s located on the frontier of the empire kingdom , or if they think it''s easier to attack than the center. But the deterrent power of the northern generals should be quite strong , so the ones who will attack will be small fish who can''t even recognize the difference in strength and risk between them, or even ---- "It''s either a small fish that can''t even recognize the difference in strength or the risks involved, or it''s a strong enemy that''s confident enough to play a big game against the ---- Northern General. "This is the first time I have not been able to detect the presence of an enemy by sonar.I found myself being backed up by someone I thought I could do pretty well. "I guess I''m not ready yet. But it was out of my range, so I guess I''m not too bad." At this point, I have more fighting power than my father. In addition to mastering both the front and back of the North Shogun Bushin-ryu, I have an enormous amount of magic power and unique skill [shock]. However, when it comes to experienced interpersonal skills, such as detecting things and observing, I was still not as good as my father. I was able to use "sonar" from an early age . ...... I guess it''s also because I didn''t feel too threatened. It''s like a certain space emperor who relied so much on his scoutmaster that he couldn''t detect his chi. I need to reflect on this. "Hey, are you the one who buried this?" I turned around and tried to see who it was, he had fooled me, an S rank adventurer. I''m sure he''s some kind of otherworldly ninja who specializes in stealth. ...... His extremely well-developed muscles and the imposing appearance they created gave him the air of a king with a hundred beasts at his heels. The supremacy that he wore around his body kept the surrounding monsters at bay, and even though we were close to the demon forest, the area was quiet. "What?" . The supremacy that he wore around his body kept the surrounding demons at bay, and even though he was close to the demon forest, the area was quiet. He was probably in his late thirties. He was probably the same age as my father. I could feel the thickness of his body that young people can''t produce, a power that was almost overwhelming. It''s impossible to recreate in just a year or two, but his perfected body intimidated me with its overwhelming presence. "Hmm, you''re pretty strong." A muscular man scratched his blond hair with a square cut and looked at me. other party, the other party was also looking at me , just as I was looking at him This is the North Shogun Bushinryu, which I have mastered speed and technique.In contrast, my opponent is a warrior who has mastered power and stamina. I''m not sure what to do . It''s not safe to get into close combat. Then, just as in the past when i fought Felix, I had no choice but to attack from a distance. A standoff attack with a "shock bullet " is one of my trump card . "I will ask you to give me that magic tool". A muscular man with a haircut that resembles Dwayne Johnson''s if he were a skinhead approaches me with caution. I can''t give this to him . It is a valuable resource for investigating serious incidents that are occurring in our frontier county and, by extension, in the empire. "I''m sorry, but I can''t do that. . I have a responsibility to take this home and examine it. I put the Cube shaped magic tool in my inventory and turned to the muscle man. He looked at my inventory and didn''t seem to be the least bit upset. And even if he left me off the hook, that''s no reason for him, to let me off the hook. This is the most suspicious activity in the territory of the frontier territory . "...... Oh, that''s too bad. Then I''ll have to take it by force. "I won''t let you do this ." The muscular man stepped back and half-heartedly took a stance. I''m not going to let that happen. ...... All at once, the guy''s intimidation increased. It seems that he is now in a fighting stance. I also use my mind to "mix blood and magic" and activate the North Shogun Bushinryu "Ura" Uchinokata "Robe ". Thud, thud, thud,......, with each passing beat, the magic power around the entire body increases, strengthening the body cell by cell. "It''s the type of skill that will make you stronger in stages," The muscular man immediately recognized the features of the " robe " and told me. He doesn''t seem to have a clue what it is, but he has a terrific eye for observation. "That''s the type of instantaneous enhancement you are. I''ve seen that you can''t be continuously enhanced due to magic consumption." This time, I''m going to try to figure out the muscle man''s fighting style. When the muscle man hears this, his expression tightens and he shifts from his no-holds-barred stance to an even more aggressive stance and takes a fighting stance. We both don''t want to fight each other too much. But if I don''t fight here, the people will suffer even more. I can''t back down. "Let''s go to ----." "Hmm, I''ll go with you then." The battle was about to begin. CH 66 " Let''s get started. --Hmph." As I blinked, the muscle man instantly closed the distance between , probably with less than 0.5 seconds, the distance between us, which was about 10 meters, was almost none . What a guy! "Minefield! The "Minefield" is a shock wave that is released from the feet and propagates through the ground to explode. As a result of several years of training, is now able to produce quite high power. "Oh my !" But the muscle man stomped on the ground with his strong leg power and canceled out the "minefield". "You''re kidding . ......": But instead, I was able to get some distance, so I fired a few "shock bullets" at him. "Hmm!" --bash, bash, bash, bash! However, the muscle man also hits his fist repeatedly to cancel out the "shock bullet" with time to spare. "I can also use long distance skills." A man with a grin speaks to me. His smile is very bright and he doesn''t seem like a bad guy, but he is still the suspicious person. "I''m more of a long range type fighter ." The North General''s Shinryu is focused on close combat, so I can be both, but due to the nature of its inherent magic of shockwaves, I was originally supposed to be sifted into a medium to long range type. Well, as a result of the harsh training I endured, I am now able to do my job as an all-rounder who can fight in both the distance and close combat. "How did you end up in such place ? Since we had gotten separated from each other, I spoke to the muscle man as a way to regain my composure. The muscle man tightened up, but smiled fearlessly and answered me. "For research." "Of this magic tool?" "Yeah. I knew he was bad guy . He is a thug who is trying to hurt my territory. I''m not sure why such a powerful person would do such a meaningless thing. ...... I think you can make a lot of money if you use your power more for the sake of the world. "Then I''m going to have to catch you and report you . He is not even a suspicion anymore. , He is a real criminal " "...... You may have your own reasons, but I have a mission that I can''t failed The smile disappears from the muscle man''s face. This is why criminals who act on their fanatical beliefs are so troublesome. Even if they have already made the decision to avoid risk, they will act without regard for the risk. Religious terrorism is a perfect example of this. ...... I don''t know what kind of mission this muscle man has, though. I don''t even want to know. A crime is still a crime. "You''ll have to forgive me for a broken bone or two. If I don''t try to kill this guy, I''m in danger. I realized this clearly in the few seconds we had just spent fighting. "Hmm, I was just about to say the exact same thing. Tension rises. The wind blew and the leaves shook as we both jumped out of the trees at the same time. I released a shockwave from the bottom of my foot, and the muscle man kicked the ground with his insane leg strength, both of us have a unorthodox super-agility. Ora Ora Ora ! He throws a punch. Not a jab, but a serious phone punch. Telephone punches are often ridiculed as being only good looking and having a lot of wasted motion, but when this muscle man does it, it''s nothing fancy. It''s so powerful that there''s nothing to make fun of! I managed to dodge the attack by twisting my upper body without any preliminary movement using the application of Bushinryu Omote "Instantaneous Flapping"¡¡Oh, my God!¡¡The punch made an impossible sound for a fist, and passed through the place where I had just been. In the end, the fist didn''t hit me, but the aftermath alone gouged out the ground behind me, sinking about 30 centimeters into the ground. "Heee ......" If he hit like this, it''s more than just getting hurt. I''''m sure that even a glimpse of it will cause my body to explode and become minced meat. While I was dumbfounded by his crazy attack , I took the opportunity to attack the muscle man who had a big gap after his attack missed and hit him with my sword, Raikiri, in the manner of an iai slash. "I''m sorry!" The muscle man overreacted a lot more than I thought he would, and he backstepped a few meters to get some distance away from me, so unfortunately my Iai slash with the Raikiri didn''t succeed. I just slashed his clothes a little. ".................." The muscle man stared at my sword as he traced his fingers across his crisply slashed black battle suit. "...... That''s a mess." "What, that''s all you think?"" I thought he understood the danger of the Raikiri in an instant and jumped back as soon as he could. Did he buy too much? "It''s okay. It''s the same for me." "It''s not fair that your body is already a one-hit kill weapon." I''m not really sure what to say about that, since I also have a [shock]. That aside, we start fighting again. He punches and I avoid him, I swing my Raikiri and he jumps back. Both he and I have techniques that can kill an opponent with a single blow. And because of this, we can''t get into each other''s areas of expertise ....... Therefore, the battle situation was in a stalemate due to repeated hit-and-runs, keeping a distance without sticking But I had a unique skill, "Practices makes perfect " This may not be the original meaning of the word, but I can always keep learning and growing. "General''s armor l, deploy." If an opponent''s one-hit kill scares , I can eliminate it him with a one-hit kill!¡¡In accordance with the brainy theory of ......, I just push the magic power to boost the defense and forcefully crush it head-on! "Silver Armor !" The silvery-white magic giant wraps around me and turns into a solid armor. It can also neutralize the enemy''s attack by releasing an inverse phase shock, so I don''t have to be afraid of the muscle man''s Mach punch. "What that ?¡¡............ No, hmm?¡¡Wait a minute." The muscle man waits for the "silver-white armored aegis", distorts his expression, and then makes a dubious face as if remembering something. Now is my chance. I diverted all my focus to the attack and attacked the muscle man. For me, clad in the silver armor of a great general, his attacks are not even worthy of caution. Naturally, the magic power consumption is inordinately high, but if I can cut him down before my magic power runs out, I will win. "Criminal Die !" I shouted a line I had read in a comic book and swung my sword to strike the muscle man. I repeated the attack in accordance with the kata of the North Shogun Bushin-ryu, but it was difficult to hit him. He seems to have sensed that his attacks are not working and has given up on fighting back, devoting all of his resources to evasion. For a muscle guy, you''re pretty light and you''re a smart guy. "Huh, huh, huh, noooo, wait a minute!" " I Won''t " "Just wait!¡¡It could be a misunderstanding!" "There''s no such thing as a misunderstanding!¡¡You''re a criminal who tried to harm my territory! "Clam down already !¡¡You''re the Silver Comet, aren''t you?" My hand stopped unexpectedly. What was that?" "...... I am sure it''s you ." "How did you know?" I''m not wearing my mask. "That Silver s famous all over the world with his silver armor. Don''t you know?" "I don''t know. How could I have heard rumors about myself? I don''t have my own intelligence organization, let alone my father. In addition, I don''t usually use my General Armor - Silver Armored Aegis - a lot in the first place. I only use it when I''m fighting a moderately strong enemy, or when I''m protecting my friends. It''s a waste of magic power and a pain in the ass otherwise . "In addition, your real name is probably ''Eberhardt''. and the adventurer Hurt." "...... is correct." I showed him the mithril key tag with the family crest from my inventory. Then the hostility disappeared from the muscle man, and the magic that had been contained in it dissipated. What the hell? What does that mean? "I''m not your enemy. Rather, I am a ally . The Emperor, the Chancellor, and your father, Karlheinz, have commissioned me to conduct a secret investigation into a suspicious incident in the Farenheit frontier territory . "Do you have any proof?" It''s good that you''ve figured out who I am, but if that''s all, you might just be a sharp enemy. I can''t trust you without proof. "I have proof. Here." The muscle man then took out an official request form with the imperial family crest, the Prime Minister''s seal, and my father''s signature on it. Forgery of the request form is prohibited, and above all, it is virtually impossible to forge because it uses a very complicated magic contract. So I can say with certainty that this is, There are many situations where ............ this makes sense. ¡­¡­¡­Assuming that I was more a suspect from a muscular man''s point of view, I told him to give up on the magic tool, he came to the frontier to investigate, and he said he had a mission. I can understand everything. Or rather, that is more natural. It means that the discomfort that I felt in the verses, "Is this really a bad guy?" Was correct. "So I thought you were a suspect and you thought I was a suspect. ......" "That''s how is it " "What the hell, ....... What''s ...... not funny if we really killed each other. ......" "Well, the misunderstanding was cleared up without any injuries . It was a good thing in the end." The muscle man then smiles with his usual clear face. He''s a funny guy. " "What are you going to do now?" "My name is Jet Braveheart. That''s not my real name. "That''s not your real name?" "It''s called a nickname for job . Don''t say it like it''s your real name." "So, Jet. What are you going to do now? "I''m going to go back to Heidburg and see Karlheinz. and give him a full report , including the fact that I met you and fought you by mistake." "How are you going to get there ?" I''ve got my wings, so that''s not a problem. "I''ll run." "What? "I''m a bit of a fitness freak." I thought he was smart enough to know that he wasn''t as brainy as he looked, but it turns out like this . Normally I wouldn''t think of running 350 kilometers. "''I don''t mind, but I''m going home first. ......''" If Jet wasn''t a suspect, there was no need to catch him. "Going home first?¡¡How are you going to get home?" "Like this." I unfolded my flying wings and rose into the air. "What the hell ! " I was surprised, but convinced at the same time. It seemed that my father had been a bad boy once. "Well, I''ll see you later. I''ll give him that magic tool. " Also, please give this to Karlheinz. It''s a report addressed to His Majesty. I''ll see you at the lord''s mansion in Heidburg. "See you later!" I quickly fly away from the forest near the village. I''m glad it all ended well , ....... There are some strange things in this world. CH 67 "You''ve met Jet?" After I fought and reconciled with the muscle man, aka Jet Braveheart, after a misunderstanding. I flew back to Heitburg from the village near the Demon Forest with my Flying Wings, and was talking with my father. It wasn''t that I doubted Jet , but I was checking with him to share some information. "Yes. He said that His Majesty, the Prime Minister and father asked him to do it." "How could he reveal your true identity? How did he come to this conclusion? "Well, Jet and I half killed each other." "What?" Then, after I explained in detail what had actually happened, my father''s expression changed to one of "I''ve done it. "Well, ....... By the way, I done Wyverns subjection . ....... I should have told you about it. ......" It seems that the lord had already been informed of the "abnormal situation" during the preliminary investigation before the request to defeat the wyvern was made, according to the father . I was the only S-rank adventurer in the vicinity of Heitburg. I was the only one who could accept the request. However, as long as the image of the silver comet and Eberhardt was not established externally, there was no way my father would be contacted when I accepted the request. In fact, it would be normal to prepare in town for a few days before heading out to defeat the comet, so it wouldn''t be surprising if the information was conveyed to the lord by some means during that time, but in our case, we went to the site immediately on the day we received the order, so the information was never conveyed. As a result of a combination of miscommunication, structural flaws, and bad luck, the order was received without me being informed of the jet''s existence. Fortunately, neither of us was injured. I''m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up early on. Even though I was wary, I could have listened to him a little more. ...... After some introspection, I handed over the evidence, the magic tool, to my father. "Thank you. I''ll have him check it out right away. "If you find out anything, would you mind sharing it with me? "All right. I''ll let you know the details as soon as I have get them ." "Thank you." "That''s my line. You seem to have developed a sense of responsibility as the next lord. "Of course, I''m twelve already ." I''ve been living here for twelve years, and I''ve grown attached to that world to the point where I can call it my second home. The people who try to hurt my hometown should get what they deserve. After talk with my father, I left the lord''s office and pondered about the future of my territory. ..... . The next afternoon, Jet came to the mansion during tea time, and I was formally introduced to him by my father. ". I''d like to introduce you to a former colleague of mine during my Imperial Army days, ......, but we belonged to different organizations, but we were classmates, Lieutenant General Jet Braveheart." "Jet Braveheart. I''m now a division commander of the Special Magic Division. Nice to meet you, Eberhard." "Yeah, nice to meet you. ............ No , wait !¡¡You''re going too fast for your own good! The speed at which the jet is moving is amazing . Even if he had just returned, it had only been a full day. In this world where there are no cars, trains, or airplanes, how can a person travel 350 kilometers in one day?¡¡That''s impossible. What kind of physical strength does he have? "I told you I''m confident in my physical strength, didn''t I?" "It''s more than just confidence, isn''t it?" If he run a full marathon at the speed of an Olympic athlete for 17 hours or so, will he be able to get from the Devil''s Forest to the Heidburg? Hmmm, isn''t that too much for the human being ? "''I got there earlier today, though. Well, I was pretty tired, so I took a bath and took a nap, and I slept over. Hahahaha!" Early morning today, seriously, you didn''t even take a break on the road. ...... It''s a chill down my spine to think that I was fighting someone like this. He has not a lot of magic power, but his HP is ridiculous . If to try to fight for a long time, opponent will surely run out of stamina first and lose. I used to describe him as an "instantaneous enhancer", but it seems that the only way to fight him is to have a short battle. "He always was physical idiot. He''s been like that since he was a soldier." Father tells me this information, but it must have been hard for his seniors and superiors back then to have such an incomprehensible person in the team. If it were me, I''m pretty sure I''d have trouble handling him. "Well, that''s okay. ...... So, what is the Special Demon unit ? "Yes, that''s right, the Special deon Unit. "Jet. ......, you''re a great guy." "I''m wondering the same thing myself. Ha-ha-ha!" The Special Demon Division. It is one of the three major divisions of the Special unit of Magic, and it is a super elite unit that is known not only in the Imperial Kingdom, but also in the surrounding countries. The three major divisions are Kingsguard, the Court Magicians, and the Special Magicians, which are the most elite of all the divisions in the Imperial Army. If you can get into one of these three divisions, which are said to be difficult to get into unless you have at least a B+ rank, the local people will talk about it until their grandchildren''s generation, and the family is said to be secure in terms of salary for the rest of their lives, no matter what. Is it like the rangers or paratroopers in the Self-Defense Force?¡¡No, it''s more like the CIA or the Public Security Bureau. Anyway, it''s no exaggeration to say that the Special Division is a prestigious division that anyone who works in a combat-related profession would love to be a part of. "You know that I used to be a Knight Commander in the Kingsguard Order, right? "Yes." Before I was born, my father had been the commander of the Kingsguard that protected the Emperor. He was active as a soldier in the front line troops when he was selected for the job because he was recognized for his abilities. It''s not that he don''t feel safer than other people''s bones because he come from a solid family , but even so, there''s no way he could serve as a knight commander without decent abilities. I''ve heard that he was a very reputable Knight Commander. Jet was the vice division commander of the Special Demon Division at that time. Although they belonged to different divisions, the three major divisions were both rivals and friends, so they had a close relationship. They were also comrades in arms who fought together in the war against the demons. "Heh, ......." I heard that it was a major war. I heard that the Imperial Army suffered a lot of damage. After that war, my father retired from his position as Knight Commander and took over as Northern General, but Jet remained in the Special Demon Division and became the Division Commander. "That''s why I''ve been a division commander for more than a decade now." Jet said with a cheerful face, but I felt a hint of unease in his smile It''s not that I don''t trust in Jet''s abilities, it''s just that I''m worried that there''s something going on in our territory and in the Empire that''s forcing him to go out and investigate it himself. "Hey, Jet. Yesterday we fought over a magic tool, do you know anything else about it?" "Well, I can see why you''re worried, but I''m sorry to say that I don''t." Then why did the division commander of one of the three major divisions go to the trouble of investigating it himself?" "You look curious. Well, that''s how unusual it is to control a monster." "Eberhard. Eberhard, how much do you know about the technology of manipulating monsters?" "I know that there are some ancient magical civilizations that have been able to control them. "Well, you''re not wrong. But the technology of the ancient magical civilization has long been lost. and there is another way of manipulating demons. "Another way ?" I wonder what it is. What is it? Do they raise them strictly from an early age, using both candy and whips? I wonder what it is. What is it? Do they raise them strictly from an early age, using both candy and whips? "Well, there are some people who can do that, but they are quite rare. The other method is the demon''s technique." "Demon?" "Ah. A demon is a creators who was originally a human being, but has been transformed by abnormal magical power, or an unknown being who is said to be a master demon like a vampire and can be forcibly changed into a demon. All of them have an extraordinary strength that transcends humanity, and there is no concept of lifespan. They are like demons or monsters. "But don''t demons exist anymore?" The last one that my father and his comrades fought 16 years ago was the last one, according to the records . "I''m sure that''s true. The method used this time is exactly the same as the one used sixteen years ago." "Oh, no. ......" That''s why Jet went to the trouble of researching it, to make sure it wouldn''t be a repeat of sixteen years ago." "Of course I stopped in Heidburg this time to report to Karlheinz, but I actually had one more suggestion." Jet looked at me and said, ---- "Eberhard. Would you like to join the Special Division?" ---- That''s what he said to me. CH 68 "Would you like to join Special Division?" Lieutenant General Jet Braveheart told it lightly, like it''s not bid deal . His trademark cheerful smile is dazzling. "...... Well..." "I don''t know if you will fit in , Besides, you have a good family background, a good heritage, and most importantly, you''re young. You have the potential to grow fuster to be a servant of the Empire, so it would be a option to try while you''re young." I looked at my father. "You are capable of anything. I was in the Imperial Army once, and I think it would be good experience for you. I guess it''s good idea " "I promise you will be treated well." I feel like a professional baseball player who has been drafted. In a previous life, I was not a big fan of baseball ...... and sports in general, I didn''t used much time on it . "Hm, can you give me a time?" "Fine, but what are you going to do? "I''ll talk to Mom, Lily and Mei "Teresa and ...... The Duke of Bernstein''s daughter? I don''t know who Mei is". "She''s the daughter of the Arendelle blacksmith , Jet, the girl Eberhard''s obsessed with. "Hey, Dad! Don''t say that!" If he was dating her, he''d be crazy about her. It''s not like he''s cheating . "I''m staying in town for a few days " "Jet, why don''t you stay at my place?¡¡I have a guest room. No, thanks, . I''m here on department mission . I''m not a guest, and I think it would be better for me to be outside and gathering information. "I see. Well, I''m very proud of this city. Please go ahead and do as you like ." "I will do so, . Well then, Eberhard, I expect a good response from you." "Yes, sure." With that, Jet left. Strictly speaking, he was going to look for a place to stay, so it might not be the same as "leaving", but I guess he didn''t want to give me a pressure , because if he stayed here , it would look like he was rushing me to give answer, which would be bad thing .. ...... When I went to the office, Jet, who was supposed to have left once, came back and handed me a sheet of paper. "This is the paper with the terms and conditions. Don''t let anyone see that ." "Got it ." My nearly two meter body rubbed against his, and I couldn''t help but back away as reply twice. I don''t know what to say. "I am leaving this time then." I''ll leave you this time," Jet said, and this time he really meant it as he left. I need to talk to Teresa about it. She''s usually optimistic, but she''s a worrier when it comes to her kids. "As a parent, that''s probably the right thing to do." "I don''t think I need to worry. ....... You''re stronger than I am. ......" Father with a slightly distant look in his eyes is looking out the window. As I watched him, I couldn''t help but cry. ?? "----, And so I was invited as a special division , what do you think?" I left the office and found my mother in the salon and told her what had just happened. "...... Well. First of all, as a parent, . I''m so proud of my child for being invited to that prestigious division !" "That''s kind of embarrassing ........" As usual, I''m very embarrassed by the compliments of the parent foolish maman whose expectations of me have gone through the ceiling. "...... I''m a little worried, though." "...... So?" Yeah. Even though you''re stronger than your father, you''re only twelve. You should be able to play with your friends, enjoy tea, and learn to use an instrument. If you can''t do that and you have to go to the battlefield, I''m a bit worried." Hmmm, I haven''t told anyone that I''m an adult inside. Besides, even though I am a former Japanese, I have a very strong ego as Eberhardt now. It would be easier to understand if I say that it is as if the former Japanese me and current me are merging and creating a new personality.¡¡I don''t think I have changed into another personality, but my personality has changed over the years. ...... Anyway, I also have a very strong desire to take care of my new friends and family. It''s a little hard for me to worry about my family. "But, you know." "I can''t go into details, but I want to protect everyone It, and I think joining the Special Magicians is the best option to do so." "...... If you say so, Hal, then I guess it''s right thing "¡¡, I''ll do my best to support you!¡¡You can do it, Hal. ! "...... Thanks, Mom! I thought I was in the clouds, but Mom seemed to support my decision. ? "Hello, Lilly?¡¡Are you free right now? I''d like to talk to you." "I Will came soon ." Tn . caught a cold by the end of september , but now I am fine so . i will posting chapters again from now on CH 69 "Yeah!¡¡You''re going to join the Special division !¡¡ I''m glad to hear that. Let''s head to the Imperial City." I avoided Jet, who was trying to squeeze me with a big smile on his face, and gain distance with him "Right away !?.¡¡Isn''t that too sudden?" "What are you talking about? We can waste our time here ?" "Well, yes, but..." I need at least some time to prepare myself "I want to prepare some things, so wait for three daysl, it''s faster for me to fly , so it''s better if the jet head first ." "Really?¡¡Well, it would take me three days to get to the Imperial City on my own. ....... If Eberhard can make it in a day, then can go first " In fact, it will definitely be slower if we came there together. I don''t feel like I can run a thousand kilometers lile him . In this way , the "flying wing" is convenient. You can no waste time for nearly 1,000 km long journey and connect it with a straight line distance, and it only consumes an excessive amount of magic power. The only thing I don''t want to do is running . "Then, when you get to the capital, visit the military garrison. It''s located near the east gate in the northeast direction from the imperial capital. Give this to the gatekeeper. He''ll show you the way." Jet then handed me a piece of parchment. "Is this a letter of introduction ......?" "Well, I don''t think you''ll need it if you have your family crest . It''s a walking stick. But just in case keep that "That''s true." "Well, I''ll be on my way!¡¡Goodbye." With that, Jet was gone. He''s like a storm. "...... Now, let''s get ready." I''m joining the Special Division, but that doesn''t mean I''m abandoning the life I''ve been leading. I''ll still be with Lily and Mei, and I''ll continue to work as an adventurer as long as my skills won''t be dull I need to prepare for what to came .So I started preparing for my double life. ?? "So, Mei. Lily. I''d like to ask for your cooperation." "Hey, whats up ?" "Have you come up with something interesting?" "Sort of. The reason I called Lily and Mei this time was because I wanted to develop a tool. It''s called ....... "Transfer magic circle!" "What is ......?" I imagined it as a magic circle with a transition point that often appears in games. I''m not sure if I should call it a "door to anywhere" or not. In short, the idea was to combine Lily''s transfer magic and Mei ''s magic tool development technology to develop a device that would allow anyone to transfer to any location . "Hah, I think it''s pretty interesting." "My good point is ......." Lily is on the verge of an collapse, but that''s can''t be helped We did the similar thing with the inventory. "Mei . Can you do it?" "Hmm, I think I can . But the destination can''t be random. We''ll need to set up a device on the exit side as well and link it to the destination. "I see. So we need at least two device ." "Yes. So, even if you are want to go to the imperial capital whether you have been to the imperial capital or not, if the exit device is not in the imperial capital, you will not be able to transfer. In that sense, Lily''s transference magic is amazing, She can easily transfer to any place as long as she have been there before. "Hmph, I''m awesome!" Lily seems to have regained her sense of self-affirmation. It''s pretty cute to see her with her cheeks dyed and her chest out. "I want to leave in four days , so I need it to be finished it by the day after tomorrow. I''ll help you, so please help me. "You can count on me!" "I''m good at transference magic!" This is how the temporary operation to develop a new magic tool began. ?? "Well, it''s done!" "I can''t believe it really took three days. ......" "Technical power! Should we say that the three of us together have extraordinary wisdom, or should we bow down to Mei''s one-woman industrial revolutionehr ? In any case, with the powers of our (with a large contribution of Mei), another great invention of the century was created in just three days. Even so, writing out the magic formula for Lily''s transfer magic and incorporating it into the magic circle was hard enough . ...... It took me more than two days just to do that. We were working on it for over two days now, and I''m happy to say that the quality is exactly what I wanted. "I''ll take this to the imperial capital. , set up the other end in Heitburg, and then I can come back whenever I want. "It will be easy to come back when I''m not on duty, right?" "It''s easy to say, but each transfer consumes a lot of magic power." "That''s not a problem for me." "Speaking of which, Hal, you''re a human magic tank. ......" My current magic power is just over 50,000, more than ten times that of my father., and since it''s ten times the amount of my father, an S-ranked warrior, you can see how monstrous it is. "Well, I''ll get the point across in the Imperial City. After all, hard work never Betray me. "It would be great if you could come back at least once a week.: "That''s right. I''d like to know more about the capital. We''ll came there in three years. "Well, in three years we''ll be students at the academy." When we aristocrats and wealthy commoners reach the age of fifteen, we go to various academies. In particular, the eldest son and daughter of aristocrats often go on to a school in the imperial capital, which also serves as a prelude to their social debut. And among the many academies inb the imperial capital, the ones that are said to be particularly excellent are the imperial magic academy, the imperial knight academy, the imperial sacred academy, and the imperial literary academy, commonly known as the "four graduate academies ." Lily and I are good at magic, so we''ll probably go to the Academy of Magic. Mi , too, she is good at blacksmithing and engineering magic, so she''ll probably go there. By the way, my father was in the Knight Academy and my mother was in the Magic Academy. Lily''s father, the Duke of Bernstein, is said to have graduated from the academy of Letters and Science. academy won''t simply let you enter just because you the son of a nobleman or a large merchant. The entrance exam is extremely difficult regardless of your status, so even if you''re an S rank adventurer, you can''t be too careful. There are always unexpected things . This will happen in three years from now, though ....... This is the time to study hard at elementary schools around the country or under private tutors. I''ve already acquired the necessary education to enter the academy, and I''ll be using that time to work with the Special Division. Lily will further refine her education as befits a duchess, and she will continue to practice ice magic and space-time magic. Mei would probably make further technological advances and start the second industrial revolution by herself. It doesn''t mean that we won''t see each other. , we''ll still see each other every week, and we''ll still play and travel together. However, I think this is a milestone. It''s the first step for us to become stronger . "Well then, put the transference magic circle here: ......." I put the transference magic circle in the corner of my room and walked out into the garden with the two of them. "Be careful." "Have a safe trip ." They said goodbye to me. "Good luck in the capital." "Good luck!" "Hal''s come a long way, hasn''t he? "You''re so cool, brother!" "You''re so cool!" "Cool! Then my dad, my mom, Noel, Albert, Rosetta, Sieghart and Charlotte each gave me words of encouragement. The twin siblings can''t speak well yet, so they can''t speak properly, but it''s also cute. "Have a safe trip , master Hal. "See you later, master ." Alisa and Anthony, the newlyweds, also came to see me off on behalf of the servants. "Thank you, everyone. I''m off then!¡¡...... I''m sure I will be back soon!" I used my "flying wings" and float up. I flew to an altitude that would not affect anyone else, then put up a wind barrier and accelerated at once. The house gets smaller and smaller. The people who had come to see me off became like peas in a pod. The city of Heitburg was left behind I head off to the Imperial Capital. CH 70 Oh, Bernstadt is in sight. ....... ." It had been less than two hours since I left Heidburg. , I was approaching e Bernstadt, where Lily''s parents live. By the way, Bernstadt is located south-southwest from Heidburg, and the imperial capital is located in the southwest direction. Originally, it would have been faster to came straight to the distance, but I had never been to the imperial capital. So I decided to take a roundabout route through Bernstadt, which I had been to before, since it was only a few hours away anyway. If the map of the empire that I took from home was accurate, the imperial capital and Bernstadt should be at about the same latitude. Once I got to Bernstadt, I just had to fly on west and so I will reach the capital. "It''s quite night sigh when you see it from above!" Bernstadt is a large city about the same size as Heidburg. The population is about 100,000, and the city center is lined with tall buildings in an orderly fashion. The reddish-brown roofs spread out like from beautiful picture , just like N?rdlingen in Germany. I didn''t have anything special to do, so I didn''t stop by, but I was thinking of having a date with Lily in Bernstadt sometime in the future. While I was thinking about this, Ipassed through Bernstadt. It would be about two more hours until I reach the imperial capital. As I passed a flock of birds flying nearby, I switched my course to the imperial capital. .... "It''s huge." I said to myself as I looked up at the capital city walls, crossed my arms, and groaned. This is the imperial capital. Heitburg and Bernstadt are also quite splendid cities, but the imperial capital is a different . If I were to put it this way, it would be like the difference between Sapporo or Sendai and Tokyo. The size of the city is different, and the number of people is different. As the capital of the Imperial Kingdom of Hylands, the city was very lively even though I was still outside the city walls. "Hey there, brother!¡¡How about an assortment of dried fruits? "How about some freshly picked lingos? " "You must be tired after your journey, drink some fruit water! "Can I have a glass of fruit water, please? "Thank you!¡¡It''s 100 ells." A little over a hundred yen a glass. It seems to be mixed with ice, and to be honest, I''m grateful that I can drink it like from vending machine. "Hey, old man, can I have some fruit water, too?" "Yes, thank you! "We''ll have some, too." "Thanks!" The other travelers in line near me were also calling out to the fruit water seller . The sun was shining and it was rather hot today. The y, so I guess they want to have a cold drink by the end of their trip. "Thanks for the drink." "Yes, thank you!"" When they done, they return the wooden cup and that''s it. In this world, there is no such thing as a paper cup, so you have to return the cup when you are done drinking. Well, I think that''s better because it''s more eco-correctly and there''s no extra garbage. As I was quenching my thirst with the fruit water, the line was getting a little longer. At this rate, I should be able to enter the Imperial City in about 10 minutes. I''m looking forward to entering the Imperial City for the first time in my life. ?? "Okay, next person..."" It was finally my turn, so I came to the gatekeeper. "ID, please." "Yes , please . "......?¡¡I''m sorry, sir!¡¡Please , go ahead ! As soon as I showed him the my family crest, which is my ID, the gatekeeper''s attitude suddenly changed. But it can''t be helped. This is not a entar for the nobility. Or rather, the only entar for nobles is the main ome . There, you can enter without having to wait, but it''s too much trouble to go there every time. I didn''t want to take the long way around, because I had business at the military garrison near the east gate. "I didn''t care about that. I also want to go to the military garrison . "Very well. I''ll show you the way . Go ahead. " Thank you for your hard work in the heat." I thanked the gatekeeper and walked into the gate.A guard stood there and saluted me when he saw me. "I am Second Lieutenant Arnold Tailman, your guide." "Thank you for your courtesy. Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit. "I''ve heard a lot about you. Please come with me." I don''t think there are any rumors, but I guess that''s just social etiquette. It''ll be a while before they learn about "Silver Comet" . Anyway, Ensign. He''s very young, so he must have graduated from a military academy. He is quite calm and exudes . "I heard that . you was introduced to by Lieutenant General Braveheart. As I was being led down the street, Ensign Tailman spoke to me. I''m sure he''s trying to make me feel comfortable by showing me around in silence. His stock in me was rising. "Yes, Jet had asked me to join , so I did. The real reason why I decided to join the Special Division was because I wanted information, but I don''t think I need to tell him that. "You are on a first-name basis with the general, aren''t you? That''s great." "Are you acquainted with Jet?" He seemed to know something about Jet, so I asked him question. "Yes, I do. Actually, when I was a student at the academy, I was instructed by Lieutenant General ......, who was back then a Major General. It was a one-time opportunity, though. It was an honor. "Oh, yeah. He was quite a hothead, wasn''t he? "It would be rude of me to say that." "Ha-ha-ha." Ensign Tailman smiled and agreed with me. He''s a good guy. "This way ." "You''ve arrived already? You''re early" I guess this is also the skill of Ensign Tailman. While we were chatting happily, we arrived at the garrison. . The Second Lieutenant took care of all the formalities and let us in easily. I followed the Second Lieutenant into the garrison, and after a short walk, I was led to room that looked like the office. "Excuse me, sir. I''m here to show . Eberhard around." "Oh, come in!" I chuckled when I heard a thick voice from inside. "Thanks for the tour." As I walked in, Jet, who just left a few days ago, was sitting at his desk working on something. "Eberhard. You''ve come a long way. "You must be exhausted. You''re done a great job. ......" . I arrived last evening. I feel better after a good night''s sleep." "You''re as strong as ever.: "You also has an extraordinary amount of magical energy." "Well, I suppose it''s mutual. "I guess it''s mutual."" After a little chatting, Jet began to explain. "Let''s talk about the test. Jet told me while I was at the mansion that in order to join the Special division , you have to take an exam, even if you are introduced. . Or perhaps it would be more correct to say that you can''t even take the exam without an introduction. The three major divisions are the elite of the elite. Naturally, there are as many people who want to join as there are stars. Since there was no way to deal with all of them, the reality was that they introduced people whose abilities were known to some extent from the beginning and selected them from among them. However, it was not a matter of getting in through with connections. Even if you was an introduction from the leader, it seems that when you failed , you fail. Do they have the common sense as an elite? Do they have the combat power to endure harsh missions? And whether or not they have the right personality to protect the empire. These are the three aspects that are examined in the written test, the practical test, and the interview in order to select the applicants. Even so, the ratio of applicants is said to be more than 10 times. "As I told you before, there are three tests: written, practical, and interview. , all in one day, so it shouldn''t be too much of a burden. We''d like to start the test tomorrow. "Tomorrow?" "You tired from my trip today, so You will take the test tomorrow. you will have very tight schedule." "You need to find a place to stay for today anyway" "That''s all right. The Fahrenheit family has a villa in the imperial capital." Although it was not a change of attendance, noblemen who owned estates were obliged to go to the imperial capital to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor or attend the Imperial Assembly. For this reason, it was common for nobles who had their headquarters outside the imperial capital to have a separate residence in the imperial capital. "I see. So, tomorrow morning at nine o''clock, we will have an test , so please come back to the garrison by the morning. "Okay." Jet handed me the exam voucher, which I took and stood up. "I''m sorry to bother you." "I''m the one who introduced you. I''d rather be the one to thank. "See you tomorrow." " I''ll look forward to the results of your exam." With that, Jet and I parted ways and I left the garrison. Now, I think I''ll take it easy today in preparation for tomorrow. I began to walk along the streets of the imperial capital, everything I saw was fresh and new, i headed towards the imperial residence of the Fahrenheit family CH 71 It took me half an hour to reach the center of the city. The surrounding buildings gradually change into more elegant ones. As the buildings change from "houses" to "mansions", the demographic of the people walking around also changes slightly. This is the upper class district, the so-called aristocratic district. "There''s no clear boundary between the two." I looked around, but I couldn''t find any outer wall that enclosed the entire noble district. Instead, each house seemed to be surrounded by its own fence. There were some buildings that were not surrounded by walls, but even so, each one seemed to have taken security measures, such as iron bars on the windows and proceed main entrance. What I also noticed was the presence of private security guards patrolling the area. They were not wearing military uniforms like the guards and military officers , but they were dressed in a neat uniform . They had a sword at waist, so I guessed they were a bouncer privately hired to maintain security in the area. Fortunately, I was not spotted by them. If I had been dressed as an adventurer, they would have thought that I was a person of a certain family status, since I was now dressed as a member of a aristocratic family. . Now, even if that noble area , there are some differences that cannot be described in general. For example, the mansions of the small rich people who live on the border between the aristocrats'' area and the commoner area are often "slightly splendid" like those in Setagaya. However, in the central part of the city where I am walking now, there are many mansions ...... or rather castles. And as I said, the residence of the Fahrenheit family is also have very magnificent mansion. "Oh, ......, I''ve heard about it from my father, but it''s still amazing." The mansion that stood before me was not as grand as the main mansion in Heitburg, but it was just as big . It was probably one or two times larger than the mansions. near by In fact, that it wasn''t surrounded by forests and gardens made it look even bigger in comparison. Well, the Frontier Count family is the same rank as the Marquis family in terms of status. It was a sight that made me realize once again that the Farenheit family is a the great noble family . ?? ""Welcome, master Eberhard."" Servant at the front of the house led me inside, where I was greeted by a full cast of the house''s servants. There were probably close to twenty of them in total. Even though there is no one from the Fahrenheit family in this mansion, ....... I wonder if they need more people to care of that house ? Anyway, I was able to enter the mansion without any particular problem because I had already been informed by messenger pigeon. "Nice to meet you all. As you may know, I''m Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit. I''ll be living here for the next few years, going back and forth between Heitburg and the imperial capital, so it''s nice to meet you." "I''m looking forward to working with you." Oh, ......, the pressure is great when 20 people reply to you at once. ....... I''ve never talked to a large number of people before, so I''m feeing l a little self-conscious. Hmm ......, what?" I twisted my head as I spotted a familiar face among the twenty servants. I wonder if I''ve seen her before... "How can I help you?" The head steward, who is the oldest of the group, asks on my behalf, so I decide to ask him. "No, it''s that girl. I think I''ve seen her before. ......" "Wow, you talk about me ?" I''m curious about a young girl who seems to be low on the pecking order among the maids lined up on either side of me. I''m not sure if she'' is at age of middle schooler .¡¡Her short twin-tails parted to the side were quite cute. "Is that you ? Alice, come here." "Ha, ha!" She bit it. Cute. --And more importantly, "Alice" or ....... "...... Alisa?" "I see, there was an Alisa in the main house in Heitburg." Yes, the girl called Alice looked very much like my personal maid, Alisa, although she looked much younger then her . "She is my cousin." "I see!" No wonder they look alike. They are related by blood, so that''s why we look alike. "My family has been in the service of the Fahrenheit family for generations." "I''m glad to hear that." I don''t know what my ancestors were thinking when they decided to serve my family , but if they are still loyal to like this, I will be very happy to be their master. " I don''t mean to be rude, but you must be tired from your long journey, and I''m prepared for you a bath. Just then, the head butler interrupted . He seemed to have cut the conversation short so that I could rest quickly. As expected of the leader of the servants who united them, he had a sharp eye . "Well, I''ll take a bath right away Then will have dinner ." "Very well, sir. This way, please." The head butler led me through the corridors of the second house I would be living in for a while with a fresh feeling. ?? "I''m sorry, sir.¡¡I''ll wash your back." "Hoa! .I was in the bathtub for a little over five minutes when an intruder suddenly appeared in my peaceful bathing . "Eh.. , are you ...... Alice?" I believe she was called Alice, Arisa''s cousin''s maid. She was a few years older than me in terms of her physical age, but in terms of her mental age, she was still young and cute Even with her as my maid , I had no choice but to screen t when she barged in on me while I was completely naked. ", What can I do for you? "Oh, your back, ......."" I heard that before, didn''t I? Hmmm, it sure is hard to wash my back!¡¡But I''m naked!¡¡You''re behind me !¡¡It''s a good thing that Alice is fully clothed. I Just need to be thankful that Alice is fully dressed. She might hadf a thinly clad clothes so that she can get wet, but she''s wearing a kind of maid''s uniform that somehow doesn''t make her look dirty. In fact, she looks like a young landlady at an inn, which makes me smile. Thank goodness, my rationality has triumphed. "Oh, excuse me!¡¡If it hurts, please let me know "Oh, excuse me!¡¡If it hurts, please let me know!" ---- "No, not there!" Alice was so embarrassed that she pushed the lathered towel over her eyes, just hitting my magic sword, Raikiri, and causing a lot of trouble. "I need escape !" "¡¡What about bath ?" Immediately deciding that this was not a good idea, I jumped into the bathtub to reset the situation and retreated to the changing room while Alice was startled by the splashing water. It''s not like I''m going to mess with a maid the first day I moved in!¡¡And that''s not even mentioning the relatives of her own personal maid. I''ve moved here to join the Special division , but it looks like my life in the imperial capital is going to be full of vicissitudes. I sighed, clutching my head with anxiety . CH 72 "I''m sorry about last night. ......" "Oh, right , ....... I can take a bath by myself. ......" The next morning. Alice, who was preparing breakfast, noticed me coming into the dining room and apologized. I know she didn''t mean any harm, so I didn''t blame her. "Master Eberhard, your breakfast is ready. "Thank you, Hendrik. The chief butler, whose name is apparently Hendrik, seems to have prepared the breakfast on behalf of Alice, who was apologizing. The table, which could easily take ten people, was lined with dishes that was like in a first-class hotel. It was not too much, but just enough to fill us up The menu was light on meats and heavy on soups, making it easy on the stomach. The cooks at the residence seemed to be just as good as those at the main residence in Heitburg. "Tea, sir." Alice poured tea into a teacup for me. Normally, Alisa, my personal maid, would do this for me, but she did not come with me to the imperial capital. Well, Alisa is a newlywed, so it can''t be helped. You can''t work at black company and suddenly go on a long business trip when you''re newly married. As a high-income, stable, and white family, I didn''t want to force Alisa to go with me . However, if I were to ask her to her intentions, she would definitely say that she would come with me. The status system in this world is not so lenient that you can refuse to go to the imperial capital There is an absolute wall between the two, even if it''s usually casual. That''s why I didn''t dare to ask her intentions, and chose to have Alisa and Anthony, the newlyweds, stay behind in Heitburg, and went to the imperial capital by myself. Well, this is also the duty of a good lord who cares for his vassals. Ho-ho-ho! "In the imperial capital, Alice here will serve as your personal representative in place of Ms . Alisa-. "Please take care of me ." So it looks like Alice is going to be my personal maid over here in the Imperial Capital. Hendrik does a good job, but he has an important role to play in organizing the house. In other words, he is the representative of the Farenheit frontier family in the imperial capital. Naturally, his workload and responsibilities are incomparable to those of a personal maid. However, as a personal maid, you are in direct contact with your master, and it seems that you have a high status among the servants. When Alisa became my personal maid, she was about 16 years old, and from the looks of it, Alice is about the same age, so it should not be strange. I''d rather have a young lady with a familiar face than an old lady or an old man taking care of me. While enjoying a very breakfast, I was thinking about something very vulgar. ?? After getting ready and leaving home early, I arrived at the military garrison about an hour earlier then needed . When I went to the room where the exam was to be held, with my examination voucher in hand, I found Jet already there, working on something. "Good morning, Jet." "Oh, Eberhard. You''re early!" The room seemed to be empty except for Jet , who seemed to be the only one in the room, which seemed to be large enough for more than twenty people. "Are you studied enough for the exam?" "''I think I have enough time, but not enough content. I can handle the level of the Imperial Academy entrance exam". I'' ve never been one to study hard since I was a child. I''ve had a lot of knowledge drilled into me by my elite tutors and my high ranking parents. And not only in the training of magic and martial arts, but also in the learning aspect, the effect of "practice makes perfect" was very gratifying. But as a graduate of an advanced school in Japan''s super-educated society, I can''t help but bite my navel at the thought that I could have gotten that ability a little earlier,....... I''m sure you''ve heard of it, but I''ve never heard of it. "It''s also important to take the time to study!" "I''ve got no time to study because of your sudden recruitment, right? I had no time to study at all because Jet was recruiting me out of the blue. I''m not sure what to make of it, but I''m pretty sure it''s going to be "12 years and a few minutes of effort", not "30 years and 30 seconds". I I don''t think this test is so easy that it can be solved by a brainiac! Well, all joking aside, even with this kind of personality, Jet is still the leader of the Special Division. I guess he''s a pretty smart guy. I have to admit that. But he is mr muscle! "...... Well, we still have about 30 minutes before we will start . As long as you don''t go into the other rooms, you can do whatever you want!" With that, Jet gathered up the papers he had been working on and left the room. ...... Well, it''s not the first time he''s been a free man,. I don''t care, I''m going to study for a "few minutes". I haven''t prepared for the exam, but I''ve brought a notebook that summarizes what I''ve studied so far. I''m sure I''ll have no problem looking through them and filling in the gaps. ....... ............. ................... And 20 minutes later . The door opened and someone walked in. The person who came in was a unknown perwn . It was a girl about the same age as me from the looks . I wondered if she was a taking an exam.¡¡Wasn''t I the only one taking the exam? The girl''s eyes met mine. The girl bowed to me, and I gave her a light bow. The girl sat down on a seat some distance away from me and fell asleep . She was a strange girl ....... You can''t tell at all from the way she''s sleeping with her arm as the pillow, but in order to take the exam for the Special Division, you need to be recommended by an active member of the division or someone related to it. In other words, the girl was recommended. It''s not like she''s an expert in melee combat from the look at her body and the way she carries herself, nor is her magic power outstanding, although she has a lot ...So she must have a type of magic that uses valuable inherent magic or an unusual attribute. I was somewhat excited to know that there were other people taking the exam besides me. There is no limit to the number of people who can take the exam. Therefore, as long as I was able to pass the exam, I wouldn''t have to worry about other candidates becoming my rivals. They can be considered purely as candidates to be my peers after I join the group. As I was thinking that maybe she and I would be working together , Jet came into the room again with a stack of papers. "We will now begin the written test! ,,,, "I''m sure the in recommendation been explained to you, but I''m going to explain it again for your confirmation. The exam to join the Special Division consists of three tests: a written test, a practical test, and an interview to determine whether you pass or fail. There is a minimum score for each subject, and if the total score does not reach the standard, you will fail. The minimum score is 30% for the written exam, 60% for the practical exam, and 50% for the interview, with a total score of 60% or higher being the approximate passing standard. Do you have any questions?" "What about the practical skills?" I didn''t see anything about it in the outline, so I asked about the practical skills. I don''t think there will be any, but if it turns out to be a colosseum between the students. "You may choose to either fight with the examiner or demonstrate your best magic under certain conditions." "What are the conditions?" "Well, one of the most common is a time limit. No matter how powerful it is, if it takes too long to activate to be useful , it failed ." "I see. Thank you." Good. It seems that I don''t have to fight with her. . Well, whatever the case, I guess I''ll choose combat. I don''t mind demonstrating my best skills , but combat will be easier. "All right, now that there are no more questions, let''s get started with the exam . Jet handed out the question list and answer sheet. I miss this feeling. It''s like the national standardized test I took in a previous life, and it makes me a little nervous. This tense feeling right before the exam were hard for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t get any good results. But now, I feel rather comfortable. The more I try, the more I will be rewarded . I even feel that exams are a good opportunity for me to see my growth. "The time limit is 90 minutes. Let''s begin!" I grabbed my pen and look at the of the question list . CH 73 "Time up " Ninety minutes passed, and I put down my pen at the direction of examiner Jet. The answer sheets and question list were collected and Jet continued, "You will take the practical test at eleven o''clock. "The practical test will begin at eleven o''clock, and we will leave for the training Hall fifteen minutes later , so please be back in this room by then. After saying this, Jet left the room with the sheet answers. This exam was quite difficult, by the way. Twenty-five points each from the four fields of history, philosophy, mathematics, and magic. All of the subjects seemed to be at the level of the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy, which is considered a difficult exam. I was especially worried about Mathematical Sciences. I was good at liberal arts in my previous life, so I wasn''t very good at math. However, I''m good at philosophy and magic. I think I got about 70% in History due to my lack of study. At any rate, I think I''ve passed the written test. "Did you do well on the test ? We''re the only two people who taking the text , so I thought it would be best to make friends with her , so I spoke to her . "No good " Then I got a very unreliable reply. Seriously? "Well, what percentage do you think you can get?" "About 30 percent?" "Seriously, you''re in big trouble." Thirty percent is right on the borderline, isn''t it? That''s what happens when you''re sleeping on the test with your head held high. Don''t you have the guts to do something about it right up until the last minute? "I''ll cover it with my practical skills. " "I have an interview, too. ......" "I threw away the interview." "Hey." You sound very confident, but if you can do show top tier skill , I''m really looking forward to it. It''s the kind of magic that can get you through even if you get the lowest score on the written exam and interview. I''d love to have you as a friend "Hey, where are we going?¡¡It''s almost time to go in about five minutes. I asked as the girl started to walk out of the room. If we will be late , it would cause troubles "Bathroom."" "Oh, excuse me.: It''s been a long exam, and I''m sure she wanted to go to the bathroom. I''ll do the same ?? "Okay, you''re right on time. Now let''s head to the first training area. "What was the result of the written test?" "Well, at least you both passed the minimum standard. "Yay!" I''m glad to see that the girl have passed, even if she was not able . I can''t wait for he to show her skill in the practical test . "But as far as the girl for the test at are concerned, she was right on the minimum score. If she don''t make up for it , she won''t pass. "Mmm." You''re called Steinfeldt? That''s a pretty nice last name. "Iris." "What? "I''m Iris Steinfeldt. Nice to meet you. "Yeah, I''m Eberhard. You can call me Hal." "Nice to meet you Hal " "Oh, yeah. You can call me whatever you want. ......" You''re carefree , ......, even though your success or failure is at stake. Anyway, it''s an interesting coincidence that she call me by the same name I used when I working as an adventurer. In the Special Demon Division, the "Silver Comet" has joined the division, and I''m planning to keep my identity as Eberhardt a secret from the outside world (although I''m sure it will be an opened up within the division), so perhaps it''s more appropriate to call me "Hal". "Now, Eberhard and Steinfeld . Which method will you choose for your practical exam?" Jet asked us on the way to the first training area. Of course, I''ll choose combat. "I think combat." "I''ll do demonstration. "Oh, you''re chose e demonstrating?" "I''m confident in my skills , but I''ve never been in a real fight. "I see." In other words, if you join, depending on your future training, she has the potential to become a good rival. The examiners use the demonstration test to see if there is a high or low probability of that happening. "Well, this is the first training area. The first training ground was a rather large and magnificent gymnasium. The size of the gymnasium was about the same as the prefectural arena or the city gymnasium. However, the floor is not linoleum or wood flooring, but dry soil. It was like a covered school ground. As you can see, the floor is made of earth, so even if you destroy it with magic, we can use earth magic to repair it. In other words, as long as you don''t destroy the building, you can use magic to your heart''s content! It''s just like the Special Demon Division. How could they have anticipated the destruction of the training grounds at the time of the entrance exam? "It seems that another examiner has arrived. At Jet''s words, I looked towards the doorway and saw several examiners coming into the training area. "They all look strong." Iris muttered, but I knew she was right. All of the examiners here are members of the so-called top-notch Special division . "Then let''s start with Iris Steinfeldt" "Yes." I''m not sure what to do. "Steinfeld, you''re happy with the demonstration?" "Yes. "Hmm. I''ll explain it right away. First, you can use any magic you want. I''ll ask you to show me a total of three spells that you are good at. Each spell has a time limit of one minute to activate. If you want to use attack magic or any other magic, attack the doll. You may destroy the doll. Do not use any magic that will damage the training area itself, including the roof and pillars, not the floor, or that will harm the examiners. If you wish to use it, we will separately prepare an opportunity to test it at an outdoor training ground outside the Imperial Capital. Any questions?" "No " "Good. Then stand by in the center of the training grounds. By my signal, we''ll begin. "Okay." Jet and I moved back to the wall of the exercise area to watch Iris demonstrate her magic. There are several examiners, each of whom has moved into a position surrounding Iris, and they seem to be scoring her magic from all directions. The pressure is not hal....... What kind of magic will Iris use when she says she only needs magic to pass the exam? I''m really looking forward to it. "Begin!" Jet signaled in a loud, clear voice. At the same time as Iris activated her magic, a complex magic circle unfolded around Iris . next moment when Iris thought her right hand was sticking out in front of her, her right hand glowed violently and the target doll was charred and popped. At the exact same time as her right hand lit up. "What the hell was that?" The doll looked as if it had been burned to a crisp, with the entire upper torso blown off. The upper half of the body was charred and lying on the ground. I had seen an image like this somewhere a long time ago. That''s right, when I was at home in my previous life, watching a video of the US military''s new weapon experiment with my smartphone in hand: ----. "Laser beam?" "Wow, an attacking type of light magic is quite rare!" Jet roared next to me with a big smile on his face. Light magic. That''s what Jet just said. In this world, light magic, also known as "holy magic," is a rare type of magic, a supportive attribute that is said to be common among priests in shamisen. It is said that the manipulation of light with holy magic power cancels out the magic power of the evil dark attribute of the counterpart. Bit before our very eyes , she had used very rary type of light magci "This is interesting." Jet muttered, looking at Iris with interest. "There seems to be no problem in terms of both power and speed of activation. In particular, the lack of time lag between the moment it is activated and the moment it hits the target will be a huge advantage in actual combat." In general, magic requires a time lag of a few seconds after it is activated before it hits the target. It is not uncommon for a typical beginner''s "fireball" to take more than five seconds to hit a target 20 meters away after it is fired. If it takes five seconds for the fireball to draw a parabolic trajectory and hit the target, even goblins, which are synonymous with small monsters and are derided as "monsters for beginners," can be easily avoided. Even for intermediate to advanced mages who have become accustomed to magic, it still takes time, maybe less than a second. I can tell that my ''impact bullet'', which is close to the speed of sound, it''s have a pretty crazy speed. However, light magic can leave even such a "shock bullet" far behind. The speed at which light travels is about 300,000 kilometers per second. The distance between the mage and the target can literally be reached in "an instant". There is no enemy that can react to that in time . If there were, it would probably bed omnipotent god, but I don''t know if there is a god in this world in the first place. I''ve been reincarnated in another world, so maybe there are gods, but I don''t know if they can communicate with humans, and I don''t know if they''re hostile to humans. To be honest, I think it''s nonsense to thing about something that may or may not exist. It''s a bit off topic, but in short, theoretically, there is no one who can avoid Iris'' attack. The only people who can avoid it are those who can predict the landing point of the bullet based on the behavior of Iris before the attack is launched and take a stance that prevents the attack from hitting in advance. And there are not many people who are capable of doing that. As Jet said, Iris''s light magic had a considerable advantage even in the current situation where she had no actual experience. CH 74 Now for the second spell." While the broken doll is being replaced with a new one, the first "laser beam" magic is being graded, and Jet instructs Iris after all the test takers have given the " okay" sign. ''Got it. Are you ready?" I''m ready. Then let''s start ......! At the same time as the call, a magic circle is deployed around Iris again. This time, the magic circle is at his feet. After a few seconds of waiting, the slowly spinning magic circle gradually emerged from her ankles toward her head. And when the magic circle came up to the thigh area, the examination hall was filled with a buzz - not really, since everyone was a first-rate mage in the division of special mages - but with that kind of atmosphere. ''Oh, my legs are gone ......!'' The part of Iris''s body through which the magic circle had passed had become transparent. I used " passive sonar" (an applied magic of "sonar," a magic that passively analyzes the magic waves flying from the surroundings without emitting detection magic waves from oneself. Simply put, it is a magic that makes you ultra-sensitive to magic power. The foot part of the body is still responding, so it seems that the foot is not really gone. Optical camouflage: ...... I''ve seen this before on the US military''s newest weapons website. Well, it is a standard technology in the sci-fi movie Predator. But what a cheat technique! Humans are creatures that obtain more than 80% of their perceptual information via eyes . ears is also important, but not as as sight. Since it is imperceptible to the sense of sight, it is impossible to measure how effective it is in ambush attacks and undercover operations. This is the kind of magic that assassins and adventurer party thieves the world over are crying out for. Oh, heer whole body''s gone." And within 20 seconds or so, Iris disappeared completely. I''m sure that everyone here is a top-notch magician, so they know she'' s there, but they can''t seem to figure out exactly what she''s doing. I would not even know she was there if I didn''t have my "passive sonar". This is what happens when I know that she'' s there. If she wanted to target me when I''m not aware of her presence, I honestly don''t have confidence in my ability to block the attack. ...... hmmm, this is not a attack magic either, but it is quite useful. And then, after a full minute of invisibility, Iris released the magic. Then one of the examiners asked a question. "Steinfeldt, How long can you use that spell?" "I can keep it up for 10 more minutes." "Hmmm... ....... I understand." The examiner looked at her , and Jett spoke to Iris again. , "And now for the last spell, are you ready?" Yes." "Then begin." On cue, the third magic circle is appeared . This time, there are two magic circles, one at Iris''s feet and the other on the ground in front of her. The magic circle at Iris''s feet floats up from her ankles to her head as before, but this time Iris'' does not disappear. Another magic circle glowed, and an apparition of the exact same person that look like as Iris was created. It is as if there are two Iris. ......" Jet looks at Iris with a serious face. He is probably thinking about the usefulness of these three spells . For example, Iris creates "illusions. And Iris herself disappears with "optical camouflage". Then, without letting the enemy know her location, she attacks him unilaterally with a laser beam, and it will be over , It would be quite difficult for a first-timer to use combo of this spells . No wonder I was confident that I could pass the exam even if I got only 30 points on the written exam. He turned to her and said, "......Good, now please step back. I''ll let you know the results of the test as soon as I get them. Next is the Eberhardt . "Yes, sir. Iris came toward me and switched places with me. "Good luck." "Yeah, I can''t fall here . I''m not going to let you down." "Hmm." Iris doesn''t talk a lot, but she''s very communicative and considerate. And above all, she is a good girl. At this rate, she''ll probably pass the interview just in time. I''m sure she''ll pass the practical test without question, so as long as I don''t screw up, we''ll be working together as co-workers. A:ll right, I''m going to get serious.: No, wait, Eberhardt, just "don''t destroy the training grounds. " What, I''m not that trustworthy?" No, in your case, it''s a battle. You''re dealing with the opponent. What, I''''m not up against you ?" "The recommender can''t test the person he recommends, you know." Really? There may be a widespread infestation of fraud, but most likely it''s because the recommenders can''t really marking the exams. If they want someone to pass the exam, they will be more lenient in their scoring, even if it is not intentional. If they don''t grade them strictly with the intention of losing them, the division will be decline. So, as for your opponent, I have prepared one of the most battle-junk Berserkers in the Special Division." "Wait a minute!¡¡What kind of a battle-junk berserker is that?¡¡I''m an fine human being!" How can I describe you if not a berserker?" Is he abusing you in any way? "No, I''m fighting you." I''m somewhat unconvinced, but ......, an exam is an exam. I can''t say I''m quitting just because I don''t like it. I don''t care if I hurt you." "Oh, so you''re the one who''s going to fight me? You''re a bull!" What? The way he is talk, it sounds as if I''m the one who could get hurt. I think I need to tighten up mu focus on this one. I have no intention of losing "Captain Siegfried!" "Yes! One of the examiners answered and approached us. He is a young man, probably around 20 or so years old. He is about 180 centimeters tall, which is slightly taller than average by the standards of men in this world. However, the high energy emitted from his toned body was very belligerent and intimidating. "You''re my opponent in this to death fight ? "Death fight ?¡¡Are you alright, examiner?" I''m fine. Don''t worry. I''m just a little crazy." What do you mean by that? That.'' However, the fact that he is in the division even though he is crazy is the reflection of his outstanding ability. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you. But there can be few broken bones " ".Broken bones ....., hmm?¡¡What?" The thoughts of a crazy person are not understood by ordinary people, I guess." The fact that this guy is in special division means that he has passed the minimum 30% standard for the written test, right? Captain Siegfried. "Usu." "Fight with the intent to kill. Otherwise, you''re in danger." ............ The other side''s will to fight seems to have already reached a critical point. I''m in trouble. ......." ''Eberhardt, examinee. His nickname is "Thunderbolt." "......." "Really?" An Imperial Knight. There are six titles in the imperial kingdom: baron, viscount, count, frontier count, marquis, and duke, but apart from these, there is the knight order and associate baronet. While the titles of man, son, count, countess, count, marquis, and duke are hereditary, knights and barons are not. The knight order is a system in which those who have distinguished themselves in the military, and the baron is a system in which those who have distinguished themselves in the economy or politics are treated as nobles for one generation only. Since knight order are conferred regardless of status, even if a person already in knight order , they are often used as an incentive for nobility. If a lord succeeds in developing or reforming his lands and pays more taxes, he may be granted a baronetcy by the emperor. This would make the lord more appealing to the outside world as a competent lord. The same can be said for knights. There is no more obvious measure of strength. "Now, both of you, take your positions." Captain Siegfried and I move to the starting line of the training grounds . I''ve been through my fair share of deadly encounters, and I''m sure my opponent has as much or more experience. I could feel the aura of a strong man, and it''s not just the atmosphere. "Begin!" The practical test that would determine whether I passed or failed had begun. P.s Don''t expect much from me ..... CH 75 Begin!" At the same time as Jet''s signal, I activate my "Clothing" and "Shogun''s Armor - Silver Armored Aegis". With each beat of my heart, my whole body becomes full of power, and my vision becomes clearer. At the same time, a silvery-white magical power giant, imbued with the magic of [shock], envelops my entire body. Captain Siegfried did not jump in at the same time as the signal, but activated the blades in the gauntlets of his arms and began to imbue them with lightning-attribute magic, which is relatively rare in this world. The blades, each about 30 centimeters long, gradually became electrified. --The blade begins to flicker blue-white with a bachi-bachi ...... sound. "It''s called ...... ''Thunderbolt,'' and it''s using a rare lightning attribute." "The lightning is fast. You''ll get burned if you don''t take it seriously." "I''m not so weak that I can take a knight''s humiliation." I commend you for not being too proud when you''re still a kid. ...... but that''s it. I''ll beat you!" The characteristic of "body enhancement" by lightning attribute magic power is that it is just spead . The power is the same as in ordinary "physical enhancement," but because the speed of nerve transmission increases by an order of magnitude, reflexes and motor nerves are activated abnormally. The two are known as "Thunderbolt," so they must actually be quite fast. Since neither of us had moved from the starting point yet, the moment I was about to release a "shock bomb" to launch a standoff attack from a long distance. Blade clad in lightning flashed across my eyes. ......! ----Badgichichich! In the nick of time, the "Shogun''s Armor - White Silver Armored Aegis" was activated in time and i was succeeded in blocking the attack. It was too fast for me to react. The blade, clad in purple electricity, was deeply embedded in a wall of magical power that was at least one meter thick. The blade is a full meter in length. In other words, the "general''s armor" does not stop his attack ......Hey, you''re good, aren''t you?" The cold sweat is pouring down my back. The most important thing to remember is that I can''t let my ground dawn The "thunderbolt" is faster than the Hokusho Bujinryu. Not only that. This seemingly unassuming attack easily penetrated the armor of the "Shogun''s Armor," which boasts top-class defensive capabilities among all defensive magic, as well as the armor of the "Silver Armored Aegis," which is a highly compatible version of it. Aside from its power and strength, his spell is probably one of the strongest in the Empire in terms of raw power. I haven''t seen no one who was able to block my attack at first sight beside the Commander there. "Jet prevented this? ......" The actual fact that I''ve actually crossed blades with him, I know exactly what I'' am doing . The actual fact that the actual fight was actually done , I know that. We were both looking for the right moment to give it our all. In the end, thanks to Jet realizing my true identity, we were able to save the day, but if we had continued the battle, it might have been me who would have lost. It was almost a miracle that I was able to advanced in the battle in that situations And the fact that Jet had once prevented that guy from killing me the first time made me realize again how great Jet was as the leader of the Special Division, and at the same time, it gave me a chance to find a ray of light. Jet is a power-type warrior. His speed and technique are top class, but if I had to describe his fighting style in one word, "monstrous strength" would be the most appropriate. He is not a "soft but strong" or "faster than his opponent" type of fighter. The reason why he was able to prevent Captain Siegfried''s super-speed assault. That is why he was able to prevent Captain Siegfried''s super-speed assault. ---- "--''floating mine air." "Ggggghh......!" It seems my reading was correct. The air mine is a stationary impact missile that I set up with minimal movement just before Siegfried tried to attack me again, and it successfully prevented Siegfried''s rush attack and got him at the same time. "Ha-ha, you noticed after all!" Jet, with his arms folded, was shouting at us. The face I caught a glimpse of was contorted in a smile that was truly amusing. Why was Jet, who is not a lash type, able to prevent Siegfried''s attack? It was because he was so fast that he himself could not keep up with the counter. ---- "Floating Mine Air ". The actual "Minefield" is a technique of setting up "shock bombs" in the air as if to ambush enamy . This is another technique that I have developed over the past few years, and one that I had developed for times like this when I was dealing with enemies who were faster than me. "Hey, Mr. ...... ''Thunderbolt''. I haven''t taken any damage at all yet." There was no way that the imperial knight would lose like this. "I don''t know why you said this or whatever it is, but you''re going to get yourself into a trouble, you know." "Well , came and try " I think I''m disgusting, but this is also for the sake of passing the exam. I had to make the battle more intense and give them a lot of opportunities to see me in action. I''ll apologize later on, I made up my mind, and finally pulled out the magic sword Raikiri from my waist and readied it. He lunged at me, knocking me off balance once again, and then I delivered the "Zubaku" blow. he kill me ...... a hundred times! I''ve already died once, I thought to myself as I used my "Silver Armored Aegis" to full power again and laid down the "Air Mine" , But he''s not exactly an imperial knight either. It seemed that he would not let me use the same move so easily. "Sha oraaaa! Siegfried rushes forward again with both arm gauntlets crossed in front of his chest. As usual, I could just barely follow him with my eyes at high speed. The "Air Mine" i used is avoid ......?¡¡----!" It''s so navie ! First, Siegfried''s right hand attack is wielded and the " Air Mine" is drowned out. Then, at a moment''s notice, Siegfried''s left blade, which dashed into my bosom, struck in my "Silver Armored Aegis". This time the blade is longer: a blade of shiden maryoku, extended and deployed from a 30-centimeter blade of substance, slashes through my armor! "!" I just barely managed to avoid it by releasing a shockwave from my leg to to keep my distance, but I got a little cut on my cheek! "--Haaaaah!" I stopped breathing unintentionally. His speed is absolutely terrifying. If it was just the tip of the blade, wouldn''t it have been close to several hundred kilometers? Still, I was surprised. I didn''t expect him to suddenly weave a counter-breaking attack in the next attack after being used a counter technique. Moreover, the power of the second blow has been further increased, and the attack radius has been extended. The second attack is even more powerful, and the attack radius has been extended. This knight of empire for you . "How is it?" "...... Actually, you''re strong. It''s very hard to fight with. You can fight with Hokusho Bujinryu, which is known for its speed, to this extent. Hokusho Bujinryu is indeed fast, but Bujinryu''s strength is not only its speed. It has a power that far surpasses that of ordinary people. It is a technique that can cut down even the most seasoned people . A wealth of techniques to deal with any enemy and play tricks on them. All of these skillfully interact to form a whole, like a work of art, in Hokusho Bujin-ryu. The ultimate all-rounder, In contrast, Jet and Siegfried are unrivaled in pure power and speed. They have mastered a single specialty and are the ultimate specialists, so to speak. And what would happen if I, a generalist, and a specialist were to fight on the same field? The answer is, as I don''t have to tell you, the specialist wins. Therefore, all rounder like me should not fight in the same ring with specialists. They should not be allowed to fight. That is why I am an all-rounder and the Hokusho Bujinryu. But even though I have surpassed my father, I still lack the ability to do it well. My father, who is still far ahead of me in this respect, would probably be able to do it well, but I have not yet reached that level. All I can do is push. ----, but that''s okay for now. No matter how monstrous I am, no matter how fast I am, I have the ultimate "magic" that no one can beat! I put down my magic sword, Raikiri, and loudly announce to Jet . "I apologize in advance, "...... Jet. I''m sorry!¡¡But I don''t want to lose!¡¡I''ll keep the damage to a minimum, but if it breaks, I''m sorry! What?¡¡¡¡Eberhard, what are you saying ? I used my "flying wings" and floated up to the ceiling of the training ground. The "impact bullet" will not work, as it will either be avoided or cut down . The same goes for fighting. You can''t catch me with speed. , I can just strike him all at once with a surface attack that he can''t avoid. Although less powerful than a point attack, it should be powerful enough to defeat Siegfried if I pour my vast red Aegis" only in my right hand in the air and put in magic power to the limit. The "Silver Armored Aegis" is a combined technique of the "General''s Armor" and "Impact". The right hand, which has stored an enormous amount of magic power, glows a silvery white color, and the shockwave that overflows vibrates the air in the drill hall. ...... and, in an effort to prevent the aftermath from destroying the training ground, I points fist toward the ground and unleashes a new technique that i just thought of! ---- "Gale"£¡£¡£¡£¡ ----Dogooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! A tremendous storm so fierce that I can''t keep my eyes open, and the largest shockwave in my blows Siegfried, who was about to counter me on the ground, away! --------!!!" No sounds are heard. The smoke clears, and as I land on the ground, I see the ground of the training ground with a huge crater that looks to be 10 meters in diameter, Siegfried, who is passed out with white eyes at some distance from the crater, and the examiners, all of whom are staring at me with open mouths, like dumbfounded. CH 76 As the dust cloud on the exercise site clears, I see the examiners staring at me in shock. Slightly outside the center of the crater is the figure of Siegfried, with his white eyes peeling back. ''...... , Stop, ......!¡¡Hurry up and check on Captain Siegfried''s condition!" Jet instructs the examiners to check Siegfried''s condition. He has multiple broken bones and fissures , but otherwise he''s fine. He avoided a direct hit. He'' s the fastest man alive. ...... It seems that he is not in life-threatening condition. But the amazing thing about Siegfried is that he was able to move out of the way of the blast in an instant to a spot slightly outside the blast zone in order to minimize the damage from that attack. Thanks to that, he had sustained much less damage than I had imagined. "Yet, it was an attack that even Siegfried couldn''t avoid." "What?" I heard Jet muttering in a low voice, so I asked back. "I didn''t expect you to have the ability to attack at range. s. You''re a human fortress." "A human fortress?" I don''t think it''s that big a deal. Especially when it comes to the special division, there are a lot of such people around. I still have to be stronger than even those people. There are rumors of demons and maybe a war with some country in the future. This is not a peaceful world. I think I might try to become a "human fortress," I thought as I took a deep breath, exhausted after the practical test. ??? "......That concludes the exam . Thank you for your hard work." "Yes, thank you very much as well." "The results will be announced at 5:00 p.m., so until then, you are free to spend your time as you want in the facility. Any questions?" "No, Excuse me." I thanked the him and left the interview room. I was asked a lot of questions, but I think I answered them without any trouble. I think I met the criteria to pass the interview. As I was walking down the hallway, thinking about the results of the test, I saw a door leading to the courtyard, so I took a quick look . Ah. "Hey, good evening." It seems that Iris was here alone. She greeted me with a fresh, straight face and with small wave of her hand. "How was the interview?" "I don''t know." "But if you have such great magic, you won''t be dropped unless you have a personality or belief problem." The Special Magic Division, on the other hand, is more of a "hands-on" division, so I think they will be accepted if they score high on the most important test, the practical skills test. In fact, there are dangerous guys like Captain Siegfried. Even if you don''t have confidence in your communication skills, I don''t think you need to worry that much. "Yours skills were amazing." "Thank you." I used "Gekikaze" on the spur of the moment, but I think it was a pretty good move. It was exciting. Yes, it was. "You will definitely be accepted. I think it''s only because the Commander recommended you ." "Well, I don''t think I''m going to fail." I am subtle." "The 30% written is the problem. ......" I understand that it is difficult to ask a 12-year-old to pass the test of the Imperial Academy. It''s like asking an elementary school student to pass the entrance exam of a high school. It would be difficult unless the child is very smart. Why did Iris decide to join the Special Magic League? "...... because my family is a low-ranked samurai family." " Although they are classified as commoners in terms of status, their standard of living and social status may be better than that of commoners. A powerful samurai family may be a vassal of a lord and boast a power that even exceeds that of a fallen low-ranking nobleman. In some cases, they even have the right to succeed to the title of nobility, as in the case of my "younger brother who has given up the right of succession to his elder brother and separated from the nobility," and in such cases they can rise to the rank of nobility, making them different in status from commoners." The lower-ranked samurai she refers to are those who are as close to commoners among the samurai families. They can be described as fallen samurai. They do not have a family business that has been handed down from generation to generation like merchants and craftsmen, nor do they have land inherited from their parents like farmers. In addition, they did not receive a stipend from their lord, like the higher-ranking samurai, so they had to find work and earn money on their own. The samurai often had some knowledge of martial arts and a certain degree of education. Therefore, most of them are employed in the military or as civil servants. In the case of Iris''s family, it was the military. But my family is an elite family. My father is a leader of the knight order . The Order of the Knights is one of the top-ranking units in the Imperial Army. Even if you were a member of knight order you would probably have a better life than a regular soldier. ....... However, they are not elite like the three major divisions. At best, they are above average. "But if you are a samurai, you need to rise in the ranks." "So, it is no different from the aristocracy in respecting honor?" "That''s right. I have both red blood and blue blood." While living modestly as a commoner, one cannot help but pursue his dreams as an aristocrat. Such a clumsy creature might be a samurai. I can''t help but think that they are like the samurai of Japan. "If you want to get better life, you could marry a noble . ......" "I definitely don''t want a political marriage." "I see " The poor lower-ranked samurai sometimes marry off their daughters to wealthy merchants in order to obtain financial support. However, the wives of samurai families are nothing more than an irritant to the status complex of the wealthy merchants. I heard that it is common for such wives to suffer from mental illness as a result of being tormented by their mothers-in-law and others relatives . "It''s strange for me to say this, but I hope you will be accepted " "Yes." ?? ''Now then, the results are here . Are you ready?" "Yes." "Yes." At the designated time, Iris and I had returned to the room where we had taken the written exam. Jet was standing in front of us with papers under his arm. There seemed to be no one else in the room, and the air was somewhat tense. ''Okay, let''s start with the Eberhardt examiners. ............ 85 points for the written exam, 100 points for the practical exam, and 82 points for the interview. With a total of 267 points, he passed without question. Yay!" I thought I would never fail, but I am still happy to have been passed . I felt like I was one step closer to my dream of protecting someone who is important to me "Next is the Steinfeldt . Are you ready?" "Yes" Iris clenches her fists nervously and takes a deep breath in order to clam down . ''Okay then. ............ 30 points for the written, 95 points for the practical, and 55 points for the interview. That''s a total of 180 points, just enough to pass. Congratulations." Iris, you did !" I looked back at Iris and congratulated her on passing. Iris was stunned at first, but gradually she started to understand what happened and her cheeks started to flush. It was a joy beyond words. She was shaking in a completely different way than before. If it had been one point lower, she would has fallen. You passed anyway, so what the matter?¡¡Don''t cry " ", that''s just how much we expect Steinfeld''s recruits to do with her light magic. You should be proud of that." "......, Iris."" " The light magic is the magic that I am best at. I can beat anyone at light magic." "That''s right, that''s the spirit. If you belong to the special division, you must have at least one thing you can''t lose to anyone else!". ''Hmm, hmmm... ......'' "Iris?" Now, for a brief moment, Iris smiled . Iris, with cool facial expressions, is smiled . "Hul, you''re funny." The doll-like face was even more attractive when she smiled . CH 77 Now then, new recruits Eberhard and Steinfeld. Let me welcome you all as new members of the Special Division!¡¡Everyone! Jet shouted loudly, and the door to the room rattled open, and the examiners from earlier came rushing in. Among them were some new faces who had not been there a while ago. Ah!" Among those who entered the room was, to my surprise, Captain Siegfried. He must have been hurt pretty badly, but is he going to be all right . "Um, Captain Siegfried. " "You can call me by my first name." He was blunt, but strangely enough, I did not feel any gap between us. ''Well then, Siegfried. Are you all right now?" "Our medical team is excellent. I'' m fine now." "You''ll have to rest today and tomorrow, though!" "Hey, stop that, Commander!¡¡I''m fine!" "Ha-ha-ha!" Anyway, there seems to be no problem. T. The healing magic of the Special Magic Division is really advanced when it comes to treating injuries. "Now, the reason I asked you all to gather here is for nothing else but to welcome , the newest members of the Special Division. Come forward, both of you. Jet called us to the center of the room, and we walked out to the center of the room with everyone''s attention focused on us. We have now with new Eberhard. here ." Jet handed me a metal insignia badge in a nice box. The silver-colored insignia is decorated with the phoenix, the symbol of the Special Division. "Thank you." Although small enough to be picked up with a finger, this insignia is very heavy. It is a sign that you have been recognized as a person who is worthy to stand on up to the imperial family. So, I received it with the proper etiquette. "Next, Recruit Steinfeld." "Yes, sir." "Iris is also handed an insignia with a phoenix design." "Now, you are officially a member of the Special Division,Let''s work hard together from now on." "Yes."" The senior examiners...... of the Special Division congratulate us with applause. To my surprise, Captain Siegfried is also clapping his hands, although he is not looking at me. I was very happy to see them smiling at me, and I realized that I had made it into the Special Division. ?? " I''ll have you start your duties tomorrow, so I''ll just give you a brief explanation about your future work." "Yes." "Yes." After the ceremony like the induction ceremony ...... was over, the people in the room were back to just Jet, me, and Iris, the same three people as in the morning. Now we are being briefed by Jet in preparation for our mission starting tomorrow. "The first thing is your position in the Imperial Army. Starting tomorrow, you will be joining the Imperial Army as new sergeants in the Special Division." "Sergeants?" "Why?" We should starting as Privates, right ?" I ask in return, and Iris asked as well. "The members of the three major divisions are elites who have a rich , solid abilities, and a high-minded spirit. The entrance examinations that we have taken are considered to be the same as the regular division''s executive examinations. Therefore, members of the three major divisions all start as sergeants." I see, even back on the earth''s military, if you pass the examination for promotion to the executive ranks, you usually start as a sergeant or second lieutenant. Apparently, the Imperial Army has a similar system. "The special division is an elite division," The first ranks are basically promoted by one grade in one to two years. If you are knight or decorated as Captain Siegfried was, or if you achieve something comparable, you will be promoted to the second grade. Other ranks are guaranteed to retiring wounded warriors and to those who have died in the line of duty." "Wow ......." The colonel in a certain manga is quite amazing because he is a colonel at such a young age, but Jet must be just as amazing as well. I remember that Jet was a lieutenant general, and even considering that he is almost the same age as my father, his speed of promotion must be exceptional. "Perhaps Eberhardt''s newest recruit will surpass me." "I wonder if that''s a wish ......?" It''s not impossible. In fact, you are the youngest of all the successful candidates for the special division" "What?" I looked back at Iris. "The Steinfeld recruit is thirteen, one year older than you." "I see " "I''m older than you.'' ... she does not look older at all, but never mind that. Steinfeldt is also one of the most promising young person in history I''m sorry, but I can''t help but think that she''s i equal to Eberhard. ......" "Halt is out of the ordinary . You shouldn''t worry about it." New recruit Steinfeldt is also one of the most promising young person in history I''m sorry, but I can''t help but think that he''s in the same class as recruit Eberhard. ......" You are rookie, but yours skills is very good ." Well, I''ll let you know the details in due course. . Make sure you have enough energy for tomorrow''s mission. "Yes, I understand. " And so our entrance examinations ended without a hitch, with neither of us failing. ??? "So, where does Iris live now?" I was about to leave the garrison and head home when I suddenly became curious and asked Iris where she was living "The rent in the capital is expensive, so I have a bathroom with no bathtub, and I live in a 2.5 square meter room. Oh ......, the world is a harsh place ......." Two and a half tsubo, in short, is about the same size as a four and a half tatami mat. The bath is not a problem since you can freely use the one at the garrison, but four and a half tatami mats is quite shocking. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that the number of people who have been in the same position for a long time is very small, but it''s not that big of a deal. And since the salary after joining the Special Division is high , I''m sure she will be able to find a better place in the future. Thinking about this, I asked Iris again, " Don''t you have parents? ''My parents'' home is not the imperial capital. It''s in the ...... same territory. Do you know where Calvin is?" "I do. It''s the city northwest of the imperial capital, right?" " Yes, that''s where my parents live". Calvin is a regional city in the northwest of the imperial capital. However, it is still under the direct control of the imperial family, which governs the huge Heiland Empire, is extremely vast. I have never been there because it is in the opposite direction of my route from the northeast of the imperial capital via Bernstadt, but it is one of the cities I would like to visit someday. Calvin is located where two rivers flowing toward the imperial capital merge to form one large river. Since it is a strategic point of transportation, it seems to be one of the towns that have been developed for a long time. "So you''re going to have dinner alone when you get home today?" Yes, I''m too tired to cook, but I have no choice. Cooking after work. It''s one of the challenges that come to young people who live alone. I have servants at home, so I don''t have to worry about meals. ...... . "Let''s hang out somewhere if you want." Hmm? It''s a celebration of our acceptance. We''re the only two who passed , so let''s get along." "......, yeah." It''s a party to celebrate passing the exam. I''m still a kid, so I can''t drink alcohol, but I''m fine with having a nice dinner. "That place has a nice atmosphere. "Yes." . The restaurant was a few minutes'' walk from the garrison, tucked away from the main street, but it looked very nice with the lights streaming in from the windows. Smells good. The restaurant is called "Wakami-Tei at Dusk," "Okay, let''s go here." When I opened the door, the waitress was walking inside the restaurant as if she was busy. "Welcome!¡¡It''s just Two people?" "Yes. Two." "Please take a seat here!" We were shown to a relatively quiet table in the back of the restaurant, where we were shown the menu and thought about our order. It looks like the restaurant is quite popular. "I think it''s that good. I''ll have this one." "Lumia beef steak. I guess they eat it around here, too. I''ll have that one too. Excuse me." "Yes, sir!¡¡One moment, please." The waitress asks me what I want to order. What will you order ? "Two Lumia beef steaks and fruit water." "Yes, sir." A few minutes later, a very delicious looking steak, bread, and fruit water arrive. The meat was cooking on a stone plate with smoke billowing out of it, and the juices were about to overflow. Then, cheers to ...... for our passing ! Cheers! Simple but warm. The taste of the steak I had that day at "Yugure-no-Wami-Tei" for the first time in the Imperial Capital would later become a nice 0 memories! CH 78 That evening. I parted with Iris and returned to the Fahrenheit residence in the imperial capital. Before going to bed, I contacted with Lily and May and gave them a short report on the outcome of the exam. "You passed without a hitch!¡¡Congratulations!" "Congratulations Hal-dono!''" Both of them didn''t seem to be worried at all, but they still congratulated me on passing the exam, which made me very happy. "I may not be able to come home for a while until I get used to the job here ." "In that case, I''ll go to Bernstadt to practice magic in the meantime." "I''ll take care of things while you''re away. I''ll be waiting for you with a new tool." ""The ...... is a very dangerous place." "Please do not harm the people around you." "We will do our best." Well, we have purchased a large piece of land for experiments in the outskirts of Heidburg in the name of the Arendal Workshop, so I don''t think we have to worry about that. ...... But why is it that I don''t feel somewhat safe? I feel like I have to take the reins, because if I take my eyes off of them, they could create some terrible thing. It is always the powerful politicians who turn scientists against each other and use them. If the interests of the person are bad, science will bring evil, but if the §á§Ö§â§ã§à§Þ try to be using iit for good , science will bring good thing . Mei herself is a good girl who never does anything wrong, but I have to be very careful about that. "I have to go to bed. Good night." "Good night." "Good night." Letters are the best way to get in touch with my father and the rest of the family. In this country, where the letter relay system is well established, the letter should reach them in a few days. Now, before going to bed, let''s do the daily magic power increase training. Thanks to this training, which I have been doing ever since my self-awareness developed, I have become so strong that there is no one who can match my magical power. Even so, I still show no sign of reaching the limit of my growth. I wonder how strong I can become with "no growth limit" and .Practice Makes Perfect. I am only 12 years old now, but I am very much looking forward to the future. ??? . The next morning, we, who had officially arrived at the Special Forces Division, were assembled at the facility for the Special Forces Division in the garrison. "Good morning, Sergeants Hult and Steinfeldt." "Good morning, Jet." "Good morning, Commander." The rest of the group was still absent. As new sergeants at the corps, we were called up a little early. I asked Jet to call me " Sergeant Hurt," and he did so. I didn''t care if it was within the Special Forces Division, but I didn''t want outsiders to know that I was Eberhard from the Fahrenheit family. Jet was willing to agree to my request, and he informed the other members of the order to make sure that they were doing the same. In fact, Jet himself proudly states that the name "Jet Braveheart" is a pseudonym. It is said that the only people who know his real name are His Majesty the Emperor, the surrounding senior officials, and my father. Well, Jet is Jet, so it doesn''t matter what his real name is. Of course, real names are also used by some people. , or rather, there are more of those. It is said that the real name is better for selling the name, and it gives the person a good reputation. Captain Siegfried''s real name is "Siegfried von Gillesberger". "So, from today onward, you two will work in two-person teams, forming a squad and going on a mission." "Me and Iris?"" "I don''t think the two newcomers will be able to do the job properly together. But, of course, in the beginning, a more experienced senior member of the order will be there to guide you, so don''t worry." "Yes?" "No matter how many people we have, we don''t just suddenly throw them away. I''ve heard of such practices in the armies of various lords and ladies." He seems to be well prepared in that area. Spiritualism must be destroyed! "Well, let''s start with an explanation of the work of the special division, shall we?" Jet then began to speak. The imperial army, in the broad sense of the word, refers to all the military organizations that exist in the Heiland empire and are mobilized in times of emergency, while in the narrow sense of the word, it refers to the military forces owned by the imperial family and the imperial government. The imperial military in the broad sense includes the military and police forces held by the lords of each region, which may exercise military and police power only within their own territory, and irregular military organizations such as adventurers'' guilds and mercenary guilds, but not the imperial military in the narrow sense. The Imperial Army in the narrow sense of the word plays a central role in the defense of the country, and at the same time, it is the factor that makes the rule of the imperial family firm and solid. The Imperial Army roughly consists of 15 divisions, 12 brigades, and 3 advanced divisions, to which are added the armies of local lords to form the Imperial Army in the broad sense in the event of an emergency. Incidentally, as to how the imperial government controls the local marquis armies, it seems that a person from the center is seconded to the marquis armies to monitor them, thus maintaining the overall consistency of the situation. It is quite an interesting system. The Imperial Army has three senior divisions. These are the so-called "three major divisions," and they are considered to be the key elements of the Imperial Army. The Knights of the royal Guard , as the name implies, are a group of Imperial Guard soldiers who protect the emperor''s person. They also entertain guests of honor from other countries, serve as guards for ceremonies, and inspect the provinces. It is an organization that oversees the entire Imperial Palace and protects the security and peace of the country, and is a little like a combination of the Imperial Guard and the FBI. The Court Magicians are an association that works at the Imperial Court, working day and night to improve the level of magical technology in the country through research and training in the field of magic. It is like a combination of a research institute and an army. The members are all highly educated and capable of casting powerful magic, which is said to be a great source of deterrence against the hypothetical enemy. And finally, the Special Mage Division. Compared to the two spectacular divisions above, the Special Magic Division is famous (in a bad way) as an organization that doesn''t have much to show for itself. It is not that they are not respected, but simply that what they do is not well known. The closest image to the CIA, MI6, KGB, or Public Security Bureau is that of the PATF. If the Knights of the Imperial Guard and the Court Magic Division were divisions of "protection," the Special Magic Division could be said to be a division of " offensive. The Special Magic Division, which had not been very well known, was, for all intents and purposes, the most militant organization in the country. Naturally, there was no way that such military secrets could be made public so easily. There was a reason why the public did not really know the details of their activities. The people didn''t know much about their activities, but there was something behind it. That''s a lot of responsibility. " I don''t know if I can handle it." I think there are many young people who regret joining the order without really understanding what it actually doing . "Don''t worry. You are the elites who have passed through the strict examinations. You may be anxious at times, but I, as the leader of the group, assure you that you will be able to handle the job." "I''m anxious ......" "I know what you mean." "guys?" I''ll keep it to this point, because if I say any more, Jet might get angry. "Well, he''ll be here soon." You''re the senior member of the group? ""Yeas ."" What kind of person is he? Is he strong after all? After waiting for a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door and the door opened. ''''Good morning. You are all early." ''''Mm, good morning. How are you feeling ?" I''m a little short on sleep, I guess. I was so nervous about the new guy coming in that I couldn''t get to sleep. "Are you a childrens ?" "''Ha-ha-ha, this is embarrassing." The first man who came in was a good-looking old man that I had seen somewhere before. "Ah, ......, the examiner." "Yes, we haven''t talked since yesterday. Sergeant Hal, Sergeant Steinfeldt." Yes, this was one of the examiners from yesterday. He was not the type to talk much, so I had assumed he was a retired former divisional officer. "Let me introduce him to you. He is Brigadier General Erich Eulenberg. He has been active on the front lines since before I joined the division, and is a veteran among veterans. He couldn''t be a better choice to be your instructor." "''Good morning, both of you. Did you sleep well last night?" "''Yes, I did. " " I Slept well." "Well, I''m glad to hear that!¡¡When you are my age, you will wake up frequently. I can''''t really sleep well." What a mysterious person. I don''t mean to be rude, but I don''t get a very good impression of him. He is stronger than the average person, but his stamina and muscular strength are still deteriorating, judging from the way he walks and the way he stands. At the very least, if he were to compete with an adventurer who boasted of his physical strength, he would probably lose. As for the amount of magic power, he has a little higher, but still not as much as a court mage. I could not imagine what kind of man he was, and I had a very strange sensation. ........... But one thing was certain, he was definitely not a regular guy. He was the one recommended by Jet. There was no way he was just an old guy. CH 79 Well, since we''re had talked enough , let''s start by taking a mission ." General Eulenberg instructs us to follow him. "You''re going to learn the basics of the Special Magic Division," Eulenberg says. We followed behind him. "The security in the capital has not been good lately," he said. "Is that so?" I don''t know where we'' re headed, but as we walk along, Brigadier General Eulenberg is talking to me, and I''m the one who has to keep the conversation flowing. I''m not very good at keeping up a conversation with an older person whom I don''t know very well for the first time, but I guess the brigadier general is trying to establish a good relationship with me as a mentor. I understand that, so I don''t find it troublesome. Yes. Especially the slum area outside the city walls on the west side. There is a bad smell there. The government can''t do anything about it because it''s not technically the imperial city.area A civil official from the central government told me that they were having a lot of trouble with it. "Heh. ......" There are connections that are passed down from one generation to the next, and having a senior instruct you in this regard is quite meaningful in terms of an educational opportunity. "''So the precincts of the imperial capital are inside the city walls. "The precincts of the imperial capital are inside the city walls, aren''t they?" "Yes, it is. Outside the walls are illegal settlement, so to speak. Naturally, they do not pay taxes. So the government basically leaves them be." "Well, I don''t want to get myself involved, even though I''m not a military officer." Slums are full of danger. If a rich elite civilian officer goes to such a place, they might be robbed and killed. "That is not why the special forces division comes here....... Normally, there would be a patrol." "I see. That means something happened this time, right?" ""You are very sensible, aren''t you? You are right. This is your first task to investigate a slum. Apparently, the number of suspicious people who seem to have come from other countries is increasing. Our higher-ups suspect that they may be spies disguised as refugees." This is getting a little fishy all of a sudden, isn''t it? Spies from other countries? It has not been confirmed yet, but if that is the case, a fight is inevitable. This is why the public officials can''t do anything even though they know it will worsen the situation. "We also learn from the reports of the commercial guilds that the standard of living in the slums has been improving recently." At first glance, this seems like a good thing, but the fact that they are reporting this means that there is more to it than meets the eye. "...... it is?" ''It''s possible that someone is helping them or that there is some black market trading going on. Well, to put it simply, they are using money to incentivize the poor to embrace it for their own sake." ......What a story, I''m sure I''ve heard it somewhere. If the slum residents turn into troublesome social activists as a result of this, it would be a real problem. As long as we can''t eliminate the differences, it is very unfortunate that slums are generated, but that doesn''t mean we can just let illegal activities continue to occur. And this is another thing. I think the government should support these slum residents by providing job training and job assistance, but it is unacceptable to allow crime to spread freely in the slums. Although there may be room for some sympathy, it is necessary for the governance of society to firmly judge evil l. As the next head of the Farenheit family, that''s what I think. "Are you displeased with this kind of mission right from the start? "No, not at all." "I find it rather worthwhile." You joined the conversation , which is a rare thing . You'' ve just been listening the whole time, what''s the matter ?" ''In my hometown, the slums have become a breeding ground for violent crime. I remember there was a case once where an innocent child was killed in it, and it caused a lot of fuss.'' "What a tragic case that is. ......" ''Some people want to work but can''t. But there are also a lot of bad people who want to work but can''t. The slums are full of those people. ." Many of them are former criminals, strictly speaking. Even after they are released from jail after completing their prison sentences, they often end up committing crimes because they don''t want to get a decent job. Incidentally, those who cannot work even if they want to due to chronic illness or injury often work as servants in the shrine temple. Although they are not priests, they are guaranteed a living by supporting the work of the temple. On the other hand, healthy people cannot get such jobs (if they wanted to, they would have to become priests), so there is a decent place for them to work. Most of the people who are released from prison do reflect on their actions and work diligently,Most of them become adventurers," Adventurers, for better or worse, are valued only on the basis of their abilities. No matter how bad their reputation is or how untrustworthy they are, they can survive as long as they have the ability to catch prey. I think it is a fair and very good occupation. "Now, while we were chatting, we arrived at the west gate, didn''t we?" "Yes." West Gate. It is the gateway to the northwestern region, used by those who travel westward from the imperial capital, which is located almost in the center of the Hylant Empire. The number of visitors is very high, and the sight of numerous travelers and merchants lining up to be checked for entry into the city has become a kind of typical sight. The West Gate, however, changed drastically when we moved one or two kilometers south along the city wall. Dark shadows. Miscellaneous buildings. A strange smell in the air and mysterious wastes lying around. The slums are truly aptly described as decadence. The inhabitants of the slum number only a few hundred. Although the population of the slum is very small in comparison with the population of the imperial capital, which is close to one million, a group of several hundred criminals is still quite a threat to the citizens of the city. The imperial capital is still a relatively small place, and in the neighboring Principality of the Federation, the slum population is said to be in the tens of thousands. "Thank you for your hard work." "Thank you for your hard work, too." General Eulenberg is exchanging greetings with a guard at the gate. Brigadier General Eulenberg is exchanging greetings wit the guards He is a gentleman because he treats men politely (even though they belong to different rank),n. I wish I could be such a noble yet caring man. "Now then, let''s get going. Are you ready?" "Yes." " I''m a little nervous." I have plenty of experience in actual combat, so I don''t have any problems, but Iris, who is a total newbie when it comes to combat, seems to be a little uneasy. "Then I will cover for Sergeant Steinfeldt. Shall I leave the handling of unexpected matters to Sergeant Hult?" "I understand." "I''ll leave it to you." And so our first mission began. CH 80 We were followed by someone closely. It was stressful "I don''t feel comfortable with it ......." "It sure makes me feel a little uncomfortable." Aside from me, who was wearing a mask as I had done when I was an adventurer, the bare-faced Iris had a very stern and piercing look in her eyes. " Well, you will get used to it in time. If you keep on dealing with it, there will be no end to it. In other words, you just have to get so strong that you don''t have a problem with surprise attacks." General Eulenberg told . I think that is a difficult thing to do. However, he is right. They are not just poor people, but people who have become criminals in the name of "survival". People who are serious about staying alive should be saved, but this world is not blessed with enough material and spiritual wealth to lend a hand to people who are not d have no morals. If the other side is trying to harm us for their own selfish desires, we will crush them with more force than they have. That kind of brutal response was needed from us. Conversely, if a person cannot do that, he is not qualified to join a special division . " Sergeant Hult, please be on the guard mainly in case of traps or deception. In order to gain experience, let''s let Sergeant Steinfeldt take the front here." "What?" ""Understood, sir. Iris, good luck. I''ll be right behind you. Keep your chin up. " Yeah, ." Iris looked nervous, but if she is as good as she seems to be, she will not be slowed down by a bunch of thugs. If she keeps her composure, she should have nothing to worry about If you see someone suspicious, let''s ask a few questions. If they resist, depending on the degree of resistance, we may arrest them for obstruction of justice. If the person is successfully evaded, we will assume he is guilty and focus on the target. "Roger that." "Then let''s get to work." Not all of the people in the slums are violent criminals. Of course, there are a fair number of violent criminals among them, but the most numerous are petty criminals such as muggings and assaults. These are the short-circuited types whose emotions immediately lead them to take action. And there is no way that these types of people would not take action when they see three well-dressed young children and an elderly man. ---- "Hey, do you know where you are?" The next thing I knew, We were surrounded by a group of people who looked like a nasty guys The first time I saw them, I thought, "Oh, there''s one of them who''s recently been in a slum. ''Ah, is there anyone here who has recently arrived here from the slums?'' I asked without any hesitation. It won''t have any effect, but it should at least provoke them. "If you want make it back safe and sound, give everything you have!"" "Ha-ha-ha-ha!¡¡You shouldn''t have come here.¡¡I''m sure you know that this is a dangerous place." ......Naturally, they are not listening to what I said. ...... Didn''t you learned to hear out what others have to say? "Can I play with her?¡¡I''ve had a lot on my plate lately. ......" "She''s just a kid.¡¡You have terrible taste." "Oh, I''m gonna take that kid. ......" "You''re a real hustler, ......." "Hey, what about the old man?" "What?¡¡Just Kill him." "If you can''t make mone in decent way y, you criminals ." There is a lot of world-weary language I don''t want to hear. ...... Is it safe to take this as sign to action ? "Sir Eulenberg?" ''They an criminals and need to get punishment ifor their doing , right? ''That''s right ,Iris. I pat her on the back and blast her. "Oh?¡¡You''re going to give away a girl and run away ?" "You''re all scumbags , aren''t you! The man who misunderstood her was saying something, but Iris didn''t care about that and concentrated on using her magic. I want to ask them some questions, so don''t kill me. " Don''t worry, I won''t kill them. "Sergeant Steinfeldt. I recommend you to aim at the lower part of the body. Aim at The upper body can be fatal " "Thank you very much for your advice." A few seconds passed, and just as the they were approaching to Iris, the man said, "I''m going to kill you. "No, don''t!" Iris''s right hand glowed, and a moment later, all the these people on the ground. ''Gaaaahhhh! "Oh, hurt......!" "Ouch!" "Hiiiiii......!" Apparently, the effect was so great that those who had been having forward such lowly desires atrophied beautifully, their faces were full of fear and pain. "You are under arrest." As a higher level of rank than a regular soldier, a special division member also has the right to arrest, thus being able to catch the wrongdoer. Besides, this was a current offense of attempted disturbance of public order, blackmail, and assault in the first place. The same is true for the Heiland Empire, where anyone can be arrested for crime. While the men lying around with ropes behind their backs, I interrogate the ones closest to me. "Hey, have you always lived here?" "No!" "Answer me truthfully, and I won''t go any further. Just tell me the truth." Oh, I''ve been here about six months." "What did you do here?" "...... Nothing." "What did you do?" I asked him again, and he shuddered and answered in a low voice. "I was selling potions." "What kind of potion ?" "I don''t know what kind of potions they were, but they were so expensive that I had to sell them to the merchants secretly ." "What kind of merchant?" I don''t know. Every time a different person came to buy them. I just took the potions I received to the agreed-upon time and place. He sounded like a drug dealer. It''s rather suspicious when you don''t know what kind of potion it is. Besides, it is forbidden to trade potions and medicines without an intermediary from an alchemy guild. Even if it was a legitimate , it must be from black market anyway. I feel like I''ve been poking around in the bushes and found a lot of snakes. General Eulenberg, who was listening to the conversation in the background, muttered to himself as he let out a sigh. "Is this kind of illegal business dealings still occurred ?'' "It has become the usual practice. No matter how many times we catch them, they keep popping up, so it''s very difficult for those who are trying to stop them.'' "Can''t you take some kind of countermeasure, such as having ...... patroal always on the ground ?" "It is difficult. It is very difficult. They will try to take advantage of opportunities when you are not watching . It is better to keep them in the dark and cut down the transaction routes to a certain extent, then they can be detected with certainty." "Drastic reform is needed." Yes. I agree ....., but it looks like you got lucky this time. "What?¡¡......!" As I finished tying up them I noticed some very strange people walking toward us from the other side of the road. The guys I''m tying up now are amateurs, but the ones approaching are something else. The actual dangerous is a abut to came . "I''m feel sorry about your comrades , " "Who are you?" "I control this slums ." "I doubt it." ''Hey, Iris." The tension in the air had been building up for a while, but it dissipated when Iris burst in without reading the atmosphere. Give me back my tension! , "I haven''t seen you here ....... Where are you came from?" "I grew up in east I don''t remember where I was born." "East, huh?" general dared to emphasize the "east" part. I could somehow guess where he was born after hearing that. East" does not necessarily mean within the Heiland Empire. It''s also means that it''s further east. " It will become clear soon ......By the way, he said you are in charge of this slum now, right?" "Yes." "Then, , you know about the illegal trade of potions and such thing ?" "No, I don''t know about that. I heard there are a lot of illegal traders around here these days. I wouldn''t be surprised if these newcomers are out of my control." He speak such clear lies This guy obviously know everything . "Then why did you come here?" "An?¡¡I told you before. I''m here because my people caused trouble ............, damn , you guys!" Well, if you guide them in this way, they''ll be inconsistent rags. You don''t refer to a newcomer who is out of your control as your own man, do you?" ...... Brigadier General Eulenberg is not so inexperienced as he seems to think he is. "Opponent it''s from Special Division. we will die if we underestimate him ." "In any case, they already figured it out. kill them !" "What, boss?¡¡Seriously?¡¡If you do that, you''ll won''t get away with it ". "They''re convinced we''re illegal traders . It''s too late to hide it now. If we want to be saved, we have to kill them !" They rustled around, went through their waist pouches and pockets, and all pulled out something that looked like a small bottle. "Is that the ''potion''?" "Perhaps." I have a bad feeling about the t the bottles s. It could be a potion, like stimulant, type or something else. "Both of you, get ready for battle." "Yes, sir." We prepared for battle by making up the magic in our bodies according to the instruction of General Eulenberg. Iris casted a magic spell "Clothing". Every time my heart beats, my vision clears and power surges from deep within my body. "Here i came" The men are gulping down their potions while we prepare for battle. "The men''s eyes seem to be bloodshot. they are ready to attack. If they take one more step, . The effect of that potions ...... are uncertain, so even a fatal attack is possible at this point." " Got it." For a few seconds was a silence The next moment, men with a strage atmosphere came running at us at once to attack us. CH 81 "Gaahhh!" With an animal-like yell, the man at the very front jumped at us. His movements were not refined in the least, instead they were quick and wild, as if he had turned to the nature of a wild animal. "...... ''blink-and-you''ll-get hurt -''!" "Gotcha ......!" But even if they are quick, they are still novices. It was an obvious moves, so it was easy to avoid. If I hit him with a counterattack like this, he would not even make a motion to avoid it, and he would fall down with his eyes peeled back. "Surround them!¡¡We have to overwhelm them with our numbers!" The leader of the group shouted and gave instructions, trying to get the advantage in numbers against us, of which there were only three of us. But that thought is naive. You are underestimating us . "Iris!" "I got it." Multiple magic circles deployed under Iris''s feet, and took us out of the way of attack . "We''re avoided it ". Iris took us through the gap to escape the attack But they ignored us as if they couldn''t see us, and as a result, we succeeded in passing right through them. "They can''t see us? Yes. They are under an illusion. That''s pretty amusing. It would be impossible to handle this if it were happening to me for the first time. The She has carefully reproduced even the smallest facial changes, so there is no sense of difference despite the fact that it is an illusion. "You''ve done an excellent job ,Sergeant Steinfeld" "Thank you very much." I could defeat Iris by myself by using "Absolute Realm Killing Zone" or something like that, but that would not be for real battle training for Iris. Besides, if she gain experience little by little like this, Iris should be able to work together with me as a good teammate without pulling me down. I think she has a lot of potential. "take that !¡¡......?" The enemy, who charged at the illusion and the attack struck out, looks dumbfounded. "Heat flux laser beam!" The man who looked stunned collapses to the ground when Iris''s "heat flux laser beam" reached him . The leader of the group warned, "...... be careful, there must be some kind of a trick!" But he was unable to come up with any particularly effective countermeasures. Now is our chance to take them all down. "Iris, let''s try a combined attack. Can we do it? Don''t worry, I''ll cover you ". "I''ll do my best." Iris converged the light in her palm. The amount of magic power that can contain several people seems to increase to a certain extent, and a very powerful light flooded out. "--''Heat ray luminous flux laser beam''! bum bum bum ! A heat-popping sound rang out, and the group of men fell to the ground in a flurry. It worked like a good thing that the guys were deflated because they couldn''t figure out what the attack was, a miracle that didn''t work. Thanks to this, Iris was able to hit all of the men with her attacks. "That''s good work!" "That''s a great attack." I and General Eulenberg did almost nothing, but Iris alone succeeded in subduing almost all of the thugs. It was quite a spectacular debut. I wonder what that "potion" was anyway? It is true that the men who took the potion became more aggressive, and their movements were wild and quick. But that''s all. They did not become particularly strong, and the effect was too weak to be doping. It was as if the effects had not worked. "Well, we just have to take it home and investigate." General Eulenberg seemed to have no idea what it was. I don''t understand why such an unknown drug was sold on the dark market. I think it must have some effect because it''s available on the dark market. ...... And was I wrong to think that way? The men who were supposed to have collapsed started to get up, shaking and swaying, as if their current thoughts were a flag. "everybody, be on the guard!" "Yes, sir!" ."..... is disgusting!" The eyes of the men who stood up were unfocused. It was as if they had been forcefully awakened by a drug,...... with such an ominous expression on their faces. That......" "What?" "The leader of the group says something. " "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh £¡£¡£¡£¡!" Gross! "Hee..." "...... this is yet another bizarre behavior." And if you watch closely , he''s not the only one. The men around him were beginning to scream and exert themselves as well. Theirs the wounds! The wounds of those who had been injured by Iris were healing rapidly. The sight of the wounds closing up with a puff of smoke was, to say the least, horrifying. ""Zombies? ......"" That drug is a "zombie drug". What a terrible thing they drunk . "Their magic is increasing." "What?¡¡...... Oh, it''s real." As General Eulenberg pointed out, their magic power had roughly doubled. Even I had that amount of magic power in the old days, and it took me several months to double it! The body also seems to have increased in strength, with blood vessels floating and muscles increasing in strength. ''Slow effect, huh, ......?'' ''Looks like ....... Sergeant Steinfeldt, you must make yourself invisible and try to remotely attack them from outside their sense of perception. Be in support, and do not try to be in the front. You can''t fight at close combat. "Yes, sir." Sergeant Hal. If we let them get away, it will be dangerous. Let''s take them down for real. With ...... their resilience, it won''t take more than a few minutes to kill them, and the questioning can wait until afterwards." "Understood." I jumped out of Iris''s "optical camouflage stealth" with my "cloak" activated, and with the speed and power of the Hokusho Bujinryu, I punched the guy closest to me. '' "Oraaaa!" "''Gahhhh............!" With a cracking ...... sound of broken ribs, a man with a white eye is blown several meters away. Hmph!" He then slammed a roundhouse kick into another man about three meters away, also blowing him several meters away. I heard a sound, a gurgling sound, and I think I might have broken his neck. I wonder if this will be my first killing ......, but since I''m in the middle of a battle, I switch my attention to another target so I don''t get too distracted . When I glanced at General Eulenberg, I saw that he seemed to be calmly and accurately striking the enemy. It was semi-intermediate magic, not very powerful, but the interval was almost nonexistent, so it didn''t catch the enemy off guard at all. It''s just as it should He is very steady. Next, I tried to look at Iris, but unfortunately her "optical camouflage stealth" was casted , so I couldn''t tell where she was. However, the fact that it is casted probably means that Iris has that much room to spare. I was curious, so I asked her if she was using "active sonar" (so-called "sonar") or "passive sonar" (so-called "passive sonar"). I decided to add "cast " to distinguish it from "passive sonar," which is also used. This time, it seemed to be conscious of " taking more damage," and each blow was solid and powerful. Just when I was about to start dealing with another enemy with a sense of relief, I felt an uncomfortable reaction caught on the edge of my "active sonar" that I had just used. "What was that?" It was the same uncomfortable feeling I felt when I first entered the slum, as if someone was looking at me from a distance. "Ah." The moment I become aware of his mana , the suspicious mana disappears. ----!" I felt as if my head, which had been heated up by the battle, was suddenly hit with a splash of cold water. --The reason for it, that we are fighting right now? It is because we have discovered an illegal drug that is causing a disturbance in the public order of the empire. --Where are these drugs coming from? We don''t know. These guys are experimental disposables. At least not the source of distribution. --I don''t know who is mastermind behind it but it is such a powerful and inhumane drug. I am sure that the current battle with them is a test for the drug. And as is usual in such experiments, there must be someone to monitor and report on the results. "''Active sonar''! I cast off a detection spell at maximum strength, determined not to let a single mouse escape. A powerful wave of magic, so powerful that it even felt a vibration wave, rushed through the Imperial City, exposing suspicious mana reactions. I found it. It seems that he had traveled quite a distance in the last moment, but it was still only about a hundred meters. " Sergeant Hult! General Eulenberg!¡¡I found a suspicious mana reaction. It''s probably master mind of that case n. I''m going after him. I''m counting on you!" Perhaps suspicious of the unusual magic power wave I emitted, Brigadier General Eulenberg, who was in the middle of a battle, looks back at me and said , "...... understands. I''ll leave it to you. We''ll take care of things here . "Thank you!" I used my "flying wings" and soared through the air. The suspicious response had already moved several hundred meters when I noticed it, but I chased after it at a speed even faster than before . After flying for a dozen seconds or so, I finally succeeded in catching the suspicious reaction visually. He was too fast to be human, but he didn''t disappear like Iris, nor did he escape by metamorphosis like Lily. It''s impossible for him to escape from a being like me who can fly and be detected. "---- ''Gusty Wind''!" In an instant, I casted the "Silver Armored Aegis" and converged it in my right hand, and attacked it as I fled from the sky above. The ground was gouged out with a "thud!¡¡ ...... "Did he evaded? ...... I landed about 10 meters ahead of him and faced him head-on. The suspicious-looking figure, covered all over with a hooded robe, straightened his posture and turned to face me as if nothing had happened. I was annoyed that the attack didn''t work, but it seemed that he had no intention of running away now. Now, let''s see who you really are. He puts his hand on the hood. The identity of the person who is to mastermind behind this incident was about to be revealed. CH 82 "Now, let''s see who you are." The robed man puts his hand on his hood. Is this the man who distributed the drugs? How many of his people are there? Where do they make it? There are so many questions I want to ask him, and I need him to tell me everything. ............" The guy pulls off his hood, revealing the rest of his body . "...... his has horns, and red eyes." The man''s eyes are red and the whites of his eyes are black, whereas a human''s would be white. He had a pair of distinctive horns on his forehead that were a few centimeters long. He was about six feet tall. He was small for a member of the Ogre Tribe. And the ogre tribe did not have red eyes. And as far as I know, there is only one race with red eyes and horns. It is ---- that my father defeated in a deadly fight more than ten years ago. ----: Demon." Hearing my words, the man raised his eyebrows, and then he replied to me. Yes," he said. I am what you call a demon. . But then again, you''ve only been alive for ten years or so basing your appearancet. How could you have known I was a demon? I had heard about them. Well, I thought the information on the demon was confidential. I just happened to have a chance to know about it. Are you really a demon ,right ......? What do you expect me to say? Even if I were to confirm it, there would be no basis for you to judge it to be true. Well, it looks like it''s true. ...... The quality of the magic power i felt from him is extraordinary. It''s as if he has forcibly deviated from the laws of the world, and I sense a very evil presence. It is alive and yet dead,----, such a twisted impression. ''But can humans fly these days? I was very surprised when you flew over. I''m the only one who can fly. ......Now, are you ready to get punishment?¡¡You''ve been making all kinds of schemes an was getting away with it . ......" "Well, you have first-rate capabilities," . You are very formidable foe. That''s my line. Even though the power of the attack was small because it was casted on the spot, he still managed to avoid a special attack that even the "Thunderbolt" Siegfried could not avoid: the "Gust of Wind. In other words, he is even faster than Siegfried. "I have no choice. ...... I''m not a big fan of bloodletting because it''s not my style." He acted as if he had no doubt in his mind that he was going to win. I don''t get why I did not tried to get away from him >. "I''m sorry, but now that you''ve learned that I am demon, I have no choice but to deal with you. , for the sake of my noble mission, you must understand." Apparently, the reason he was running away was because he wanted to keep his identity a secret. Since he couldn''t get away from me, he decided he had to keep his mouth shut. "Noble mission," I said, "do you intend to achieve world peace?" If you mean peace for the demon world, then yes, I would say that. ...... This is a bad thing. The "demon principles" or rather, they don''t consider anyone other than the demon people as worthy of survival in the first place. It is also against my rules not to pursue the possibility of not shedding blood, even though ...... " What the hell is this bastard trying to say? "- you are not interested in becoming a demon? "Hah ?" What did this guy just say?¡¡...... "become a demon"?¡¡But it''s possible for people of other races to be turned into a demon Basing on what he says it, it sounds as if that possible Humans can become demons as well ? ...... Maybe a demon is not a "race"? "When you become a demon, your magical power increases even more than when you was human, your becomes immortal, you will not die from disease, you won''t be tormented by vulgar emotions, .. A demon is the evolution of a human being, The demon is the ultimate form of life created by God, and it surpasses all other forms of life." My head was getting confused. Was this guy trying to say that he was a former human being? I, myself, was once a humble human being, but my evolution into a demon has made me release that the world is not for inferior beings like human . Demons deserve to be the rulers of the world. "Rulers of the ...... world, huh?" " You are qualified to become a demon. Let me take off your filthy skin and help you to be transformed into demon ." "How can i become a demon?" I asked him with a certain doubt in my mind. If this is a way , I must defeat him. It''s easy. All you needs is to be fed with a demon blood . How do I get a demin blood? Take the potion. The men you were fighting earlier had explosive physical abilities by taking a potion containing demon blood. "Is that how all demons are born?" "No. That was just a way to increase the population of demons further. Normally, a person who is given demon blood will die in nine out of ten cases. However, by passing that potion, the chance of being compatible with demon blood can be raised from a few hundredths to about one-tenth" I breathe out deeply to suppress the burning emotions that wells up from deep inside my body, and ask the demon in front of me again. "...... That means that nine out of every ten people will die?" You''re right. The lower creatures who are not qualified to be demons should be eliminated." "............ understands." "Oh, you get it . Then let''s start with the demon potion." " We, the human race, are incompatible with you demons!" The people in the slum were irredeemable criminals, but they still could not be allowed to die unconditionally. In the process of policing them, there might be fights , and they might die in them. Or they could be put on trial and, depending on the severity of their crimes, even be executed. However, there is no way that all of them should be deprived of their human dignity and die in cold blood. They had the right to be a trialed , and because they were human, they had the right to die like human beings. And yet, this demon deprived them of their rights. Just for their selfish desires . "............ I see. But I don''t understand. Why don''t you aim for higher position? The people who have just come before you harmed you. You will catch them and judge them. What difference is there between a man judging a man and a demon choosing a man and killing him? Both woll be end up dead. Don''t you think it is very nonsense that one is favored and the other is denied? Demons may have their own logic. However, it is nothing but a selfish and self-centered logic that ignores the rights of the human side. Such a logic that lacks a basic things can only lead to a wrong conclusion. "Well, it''s the same for us " We cannot lives with demons. Then we, the human race, can only survive by killing the demons. The same is true for the demons. The only way to rise species of demons is to kill us humans, extract those who are suitable from among them, and forcibly change them into demons. Otherwise, the few demons will eventually be eliminated by the human race. This is a battle for the survival of the species. If either side compromises, one of them will eventually came over the top . As a human, as a nobleman who protects the rights of human society, I must defeat him. Humans and demons. The battle to death was about to begin. CH 83 "Impact bullet!" The battle began suddenly, and as the level of S-rank, opennet victory and defeat is determined by the few tenths of a second. The opponent was a demon. There is a possibility that he is stronger than me. If so, I needed to attack first with the fastest skill I have. And speaking of me, I am known for my single [shock]. I managed to detect the slightest movement of muscles before the demon made a move, so I hit him with my number "shock bullet" "Mwah, this is quite a good skill." "Tsk." ......It was avoided naturally by him ......, but still succeeded in breaking his body posture. And although both "Gust Wind" and "Impact Bullet" were avoided, it can be paradoxically taken as "if it hits, it will cause damage that cannot be ignored". It would be frightening if it was a trick to mislead people into thinking that way, but I am also an high level mage . I. Objectively considering my fighting ability, I judged that there is no high probability that my opponent is strong enough to fight a with me . Well, in short, it is hard to believe that he is a real monster that cannot be attacked. Then all that remained was to go on the offensive! "I am not done yet!" I throw several special knives with traps from the pouch on my waist. I activated --''Binding Lasso Bakujou''!¡¡Followed by the ''Magic Thread Blade Wire Blade''! "Dammit, ......!" The knives were thrown at high speed, emitting a shockwave. The knife itself was avoided, but that was not my goal. The magic energy wire that came out of the knife entangles the demon and binds his movement in a split second. But the trick did not end there. I had mastered this "shibari nawa bakujou" several years ago. This technique has evolved even further. The magic rope wire itself is a weapon. "......!" The demon''s arms and legs are cut off, and he lies on the ground in a weakened state. Yes, it was this "Thread Blade Wire Blade" that evolved into the special technique always cut the bound opponent by releasing a minuscule shockwave from the magic wire and destroying the molecular structure of the target. The " Wire Blade" had evolved into the "Demon''s Wire Blade," a special technique that always cuts through the target it is bound to. "Gaaaahh!" The demon, who had seemed so intelligent until a moment ago, became enraged and began to scream. The "I''m poor state !¡¡Impact bullet! The Demon jumped back with terrible patience and reflexes, and managed to avoid it . "I never thought I would be attacked so one-sidedly." The demon was standing up and turning his shoulders and ankles as if to check the feel of his arms and legs. He regenerated in an instant. ...... The problem is the uncommonly fast recovery speed that this human does not have. But there is no such thing as groundless strength. There must be a reason and a cause for everything. Then, what exactly is the mechanism that holds this super recovery in motion? "The answer is: "Humans are not capable of such a tremendous recovery," he replied. Humans are pathetic creatures who die from injuries alone." "You'' re like a sea cucumber. It''s disgusting." Or a planarian. Either way, I have a feeling that the regenerative power of the lower life forms is higher. "Shut up!¡¡Don''t you human-like creatures mock me!" I just found out in a moment''s intersection with ---- that I''m stronger than him. Maybe he realizes this too. I can feel that he has lost the composure that he had earlier. If his super-healing ability is lost, his chance to win wil be lost at once I then pull out my magic sword, Raikiri, and take a middle stance. The law of mass preservation is in effect in this world as well. He had just had his limbs amputated, but he seemed to be recovering by forcibly expending his magical power. Even with his seemingly infinite super recovery, it must be quite a burden for him to keep losing parts of his body. The swordsmanship of the Hokusho Bujinryu and the cutting power of the Raikiri. I''''ll let you taste it for sure. "How dare you! The demon converges magic power in both hands and releases a magic bullet in the form of an energy projectile. It''s like my "shock bullet," but it''s a bad move. The "shock bullet" is my specialty. Naturally, I''ve researched how to counter it. That skill, which is similar in concept, will not work on me! "--''Running Water''." "It''s a skill in which you let nature take its natural course and slice through the attack like water flowing through the air. The magic bullets released by the demon slashed through the air without any resistance. "Hey, ......! Kamaitachi i!" Next is the "Kamaitachi," a medium-range strike that cloaks the blade in [impact] magic and releases a sharp blade-shaped and making shockwave as soon as it is swunged down f "What the " Lastly, the shockwave is emitted from the sole of the foot and moves at high speed, and the demon damaged by "Kamaitachi" is followed up by a wild slash with "Hanabi", which cuts his entire body into pieces! The demon man''s head, chin, shoulders, arms, wrists, chest, abdomen, waist, thighs, and legs - he is cut to pieces aand blown apart. His lungs and vocal cords are separated, so he can no longer scream. ''...... not yet!'' Even though he is in disarray, he could regenerate with super recovery as if he remains as he is. So I will screw them over with overwhelming force , with the vigor to leave no bones unturned. The "Convergence Shock Droplet" is a skill that increases power by converging in shockwaves that would normally spread out and narrowing the attack range. With this, I will crush his entire body! "Converging Shock Bullets!" -"-Gyuuooooooooooooooooooo!" Unlike ordinary shock bullet the "Converging Impact Bullets" explode with a roaring sound as if being sucked in. The impact on the surroundings, which is surprisingly small for its power, subsides, and the dust and smoke gradually clears as it flows into the wind. As if scooped up with a bowl, a sinkhole several meters in size opens up deep into the ground. ".....What the hell is that?" I descended to the bottom of the hole, wary. As I cautiously approached and picked it up, ready to strike at any moment, its true nature became clear. " Magic stone?" What had fallen instead of a demon man was a demon stone. I had not defeated a monster, so how could it be a magic stone? I was not sure if it was a demon or a human being. Maybe a demon is the form of a human turned into a demon? There are no more demons to answer me (and even if there were, I doubt they would have answered me!) ). But if I go back to the Special Division and ask it to investigate, I should be able to find out a lot of things. The magic stone glows faintly red, but it is no different from the magic stones of other monsters. I don''t feel any evil or vibrations, and it really seems that the demon from earlier is dead. It''s ...... beautiful when you look at it like this." I was such a jerk. I don''t blame myself for not thinking it''s beautiful. Anyway, I have to report quickly about the demon that I had flighted I rushed back to the slum, once again looking for any suspicious reactions around me . CH 84 Sergeant Halt. What about that suspicious guy back there?" Brigadier General Eulenberg. When I returned to the slum, Iris and General Eulenberg, who had taken control of the thugs as a matter of course, were waiting for me. It seemed that several people from the patrol had already arrived at the scene, and they were doing various things like inspecting the place, blocking the road, and other things similar to the typical police. "General, take this." "?" I knew that I had to show him the evidence before I could talk to him, so I handed the magic stone to the general. What is this? "It is a magic stone." I can see it when I look at it. But I have only seen a magic stone similar to this once in my life ....... Sergeant Hurt, you mean? Yes. , that''s a no way. It would be better to talk about it in detail when we get back to the garrison. We have a public hearing it here. "......, yes, that''s right. Should we talk about it in detail when we get back?" The general wipes away his cold sweat. ?? ""Demon !"" "......Yes, no doubt. It had the same characteristics and fighting ability as I had heard about. Especially that regenerative power is unthinkable for a human. You have to be taking elixirs all the time to recover like that. When we returned to the Special Division''s garrison, I was explaining the situation to Eulenberg, Jet, Captain Siegfried, and the other members of the division. "Show me that magic stone." "Yes, sir." Jet wanted to see the magic stone, so I handed it to him. Jet took it and looked at it for a while, but then he let out a big sigh and muttered to himself, "......, There''s no doubt about it. It''s a demon stone of a demon. ......, commander ......." A members of the group voiced concern. I saw that they were relatively young members of the corps. No wonder. The last time a demon appeared was a few years before I was born. That was about 16 years ago. And the one who defeated the demon was my father, Karlheinz, the famous Northern General. What a coincidence that the son of the hero who defeated the demon defeated the demon who appeared for the first time in 16 years! Well, all jokie aside, the fact that the demons appeared in this way was proof that an situation was developing in a bad way. "The method by which a human being is transformed into a demon is not clear. It is said that one day they suddenly awaken to their powers as demons, or that they are forced to change into demons by already existing demons. ......, but if this story is true, it would put an end to the demon outbreak ." "It''s a disgusting way to solve the problem, that the real thing shows up and tells you.'' "Totally agree. .....". Now that this has happened, it is no longer the time to talk about the mechanism of the genesis of the demons. How do we defeat the demons? That was the only thing that mattered. I defeated the demon by a ''shock bomb'' after cutting his entire body into pieces." General Eulenberg asks for confirmation, and I confirm that I am right. Yes. Strictly speaking, though, the skill is called "Converging Impact Bullets". ......Ha had an unbelievable regeneration speed, but apparently there is a certain amount of drainage on the regeneration. If you attack it with a power that exceeds the limit of its regenerative power, you can defeat it . "Demon fom 16 years ago had the same ability" "Yes." Jet, General Eulenberg, and the veterans who were probably in the division for 16 years looked at each other and nodded. I''m know about it about this from my dad, too,....... ''Only, I''m sorry Eberhard, but sixteen years ago, the demon was much stronger. Jet tells me this with an uneasy expression on his face. I, on the other hand, was not so surprised and thought, "Oh, I guessed so." "What, you''re not surprised?" It was a lot less challenging than I''d heard." That demon. Certainly, he was strong in his own way. However, his strength was only " moderate". I did not deploy the "armor of the general," and I was able to win without any problems using only the "cloak," and I was not in any particular trouble. Of course, I did my best to win, but if I fought seriously, my advantage would not be broken from beginning to end. I felt that I was in a tight spot since the founding of the Imperial Kingdom, or that the survival of the human race was at stake, but I felt that I was overreacting. To be honest, there are probably a lot of people who are stronger than that demon. Just me, Jet, and Captain Siegfried are definitely stronger than him. I can''t say anything about Brigadier General Eulenberg because I still don''t have a good idea of his abilities, but if several people were involved, even other members of the Special Division would have been able to win the battle without any problems. Perhaps in terms of rank, he is about A+ rank. He was about the same level of combat power as Felix the "wind slayer" from the past. When it comes to recovery speed, Eberhard''s skill is consistent with the former demons, isn''t it? ''Oh, all demons have that kind of recovery power,....... I''d hate to be even stronger than that one t." That''s why demons are so tricky." et scratches his square-cropped head and mumbles in annoyance. After exhaling, he looked up and said, Well, whatever it is, we have to report it to the General Staff Council of the Imperial Army. Also, we need to report to His Majesty and the Prime Minister, because even though the demons are weaker than they were 16 years ago, they are still demons. There''s no guarantee that there aren''t others, and Eberhard, the first one to discover it and the hero , and demon-hunting, gets the credit for it. "Oh, is that the way it''s turning out?" "Oh. Well, I'' ll definitely get a medal or something." I guess I have achieved a great achievement in my fight to protect the empire. Oh no, what if I get promoted to a higher rank or something! "Come to think of it, this is your first audience with His Majesty, isn''t it?" "What?" When I asked this without thought, the members of the special order looked at me as if asking me what I thought was so obvious. "You. know who''s giving you the medal?" "The emperor ......? "That''s right." "Really?" "Yes." Apparently, it''s almost a certainty that I''m going to be granted an audience with the Emperor. ......The Emperor''is someone as great asthat ones from my past life isn''t he? What should I do? I''ve learned manners so that I won''t be embarrassed as an aristocrat, but I don''t know the manners to have an audience with the Emperor! I am just former japanese! ¡¡Anyway, if I'' m in trouble, I''ll activate the last resort, "DO-GE-ZA"! I''m even more nervous than when I fought the demon . Having grown up as a military aristocrat, I''m good at fighting, but I''m not so confident in socializing and manners. I wish I was going to battle with the emperor. ..... CH 85 " For the discovery and quick defeat of the demon, and for preventing the damage from spreading, Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Fahrenheit is given position of imperial knight and title ''Comet'' " " I am deeply pleased to receive such honor." "I am very proud of our young hero, and I hope he will continue to serve the empire well" "Yes. My loyalty belong to Your Majesty and the Empire." A few days after the defeat of the demons, I was summoned to the court.rt and given an audience with the emperor. I was given the position of imperial knight and the title "Comet". What this meant was that I was recognized by the emperor as a "knight "who protects the country. This was a great honor in the empire of Hailand. Not many people are getting imperial knights rank . It is an honor to be part of the Special Division, but to be appointed as an imperial knight is an even greater honor. "Comet-dono. Take this. At a sign from His Majesty, the Prime Minister put out the insignia that indicates that I am a knight. "I accept it." This is the second insignia I possess. I''ve come a long way, to have two insignia at the age of 12. This is how I became an imperial knight. ??? "Halt is the best. Awesome" "Iris is doing very well for her first battle." Mmm, our generation is excellent." ''Yes, they are. Though there are only two of them!" Even after an incident like that, the mission is still a regular one. In the few days prior to today''s audience and the knighting ceremony, Iris and I were still working on various missions with General Eulenberg. And today was a holiday. The ceremony was held in conjunction with it, so once the ceremony was over, all I had to do was go home and relax and enjoy myself. "At your place so much fun " There was nothing to do when I returned home anyway. So, since I had some free time I invited Iris to my house for the first time. "Well, I''ve only lived here a few days." "Are you not local ?" "....., I guess you could say that." Heidburg is quite a city, but it is not as big as the biggest city in the Empire. It was a very delicate feeling that I could not deny clearly when I was told that I was no local. "...... Yes, this is the Fahrenheit family''s mansion in the capital city ." It"''s big." "I think it''s a big one," . I don''t want to say too much, because it might sound sarcastic, so I don''t mention it myself." "Halt, are you an aristocrat?: "What ?¡¡ I did not tell you that?" "No, I didn''t know that. ...... but it makes sense . I''ve seen things done by you that make you aristocrat " Is that so?¡¡Well, there is no reason to hide it within the division". Though The actual identity of the comet is a secret. Of course, it is only a matter of operating information to the extent that it can be traced in an instant if a person in that field seriously researches it, but in fact, there is nothing wrong with that. The reason I prefer to remain anonymous is because it would be troublesome if I were approached by a civilian on the street, not because there is any situation in which I would be in trouble if people knew about it. It''s like being a celebrity who doesn''t want to be the subject of roomers in a weekly magazine "Should I use honorifics?¡¡I don''t mind." "I don''t care . You should not addressing your peers with honorifics." Right , Hult is Hult. Nothing more, nothing less." What''s less than? "Huh?" I think I made a big announcement there, but Iris was Iris. It''s quite rare to have an friend who doesn''t change his or her attitude in this way. I''m home. ...... is awesome ......." ""Welcome back, master. Eberhard."" "Everyone." When I entered the mansion, I was greeted by a full house of servants. The stairs and walls were brightly decorated, transforming the interior into something more glamorous than ever before. It looked like a party hall. Master Eberhard," , "you have become an imperial knight. Congratulations on that All , we , servants extend their heartfelt congratulations. Hendrik, the head butler, congratulates me on behalf of all the servants. Normally, Hendrik is a mature man who does not show his true feelings, but this time, he could not hide his overflowing joy. I looked around and saw that the other servants were in the same boat. Although everyone had only gather , they were as happy to see me. Alice''s invisible tail was about to break into a thousand pieces. Maybe she should learn to control emotions a little better. ...... "Congratulations, son . As a father, I''m proud of you." Hal, you''re a rock!¡¡I think I''m going to pass out from joy! "Dad, Mom." The parents, the siblings, Alisa Anthony , her husband, the servants from Heitburg, Lily and Mei, were all there. Hal, you''re amazing! "You''re the best, brother!" You''re amazing!" "Anie, you''re amazing!" " anie,!" "Congratulations, Hal!" Congratulations, Master Eberhard. "Hal, you look great." "Hal, you''re so cool." Everyone is happy as if it were their own hapiness Thank you, guys. I''m glad you guys are happy too. .¡¡I''m sure you'' re all prepared for a party tonight, and everyone let''s have a blast all night long, even the servants!" "Yeah!" I, for one, would be glad to have a good time with everyone if they were to be so boisterous at a time like this. "I''m sure you''ll enjoy it too, Iris-dono." Hendrik calls out to Iris, who is standing next to me. "Is it all fine with you?" Of course I am. You are a teammate of master . Eberhard, so please join us." " then. Then I''ll join you." After washing my hands and changing my clothes , I went to the hall. In the usually empty space, there were several large tables set up and a mountain of party food. ."How did you prepare so much food?"" This is the cooks team''s efforts. The cooks who work exclusively at the imperial residence lined up in rows with proud expressions on their faces. "Thank you guys. I''m looking forward to trying it." When I told them so, they all looked happy. Now that everyone is here, I would like to begin the party to celebrate the knighting of our own master . Eberhard ." Hendrik, who had moved to the front of the hall before I knew it, was presiding over the party with his loudspeaker magical device. "Before we toast, Master . Eberhardt would like to say a few words, so please listen attentively." I''m going to speak!?¡¡I didn''t prepare anything ." I think usually the star of the party speaks ......." Iris unusually tweaked. ...... No, well, that''s, true , I guess so. I don''t have anything in particular to say, and I want to eat quickly. Let''s keep it simple. Eh, I''m Eberhardt, just as was said a bit earlier." The servants laughed and the place was filled with excitement when I said something I had heard before in my previous life. They all laugh with a look that says, "No need for introduction, , we know who are you !" It was a standard thing that had been used in my previous life, but it seemed to be new in this world, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive such a response. Thank you all for the celebration. I am very happy. ...... I was knighted as an Imperial Knight and it is a great responsibility. I will do my best so that I will not be ashamed to be the master of all these people who love me so much . When I said this, everyone applauded in unison. I never had so many people celebrate with me in my life, including my previous life, so it''s a strange feeling. I feel warm and embarrassed at the same time. I''ve never had so many people celebrate with me in my life, including in my previous life. Let''s have a toast!¡¡Everyone grab a glass. ......" Come on, people don''t like long speeches . Let''s have a quick toast!¡¡Everybody grab a glass." "Then, let''s have a ...... tost for my future success!" ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸Hooray ! ¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ It was quite embarrassing but I was the star of the party this time. so I don''t mind this much. ---- By the way, it was the first time when I drank in my life (including past life ) was very shocking. I drank until I was drunkenly crushed and had a hard time the next morning, but I had no way of knowing that at tiil then . CH 86 " aww........ ......" " nn nn nn nn ......" Next morning. Zombie-like voices were heard in the halls of the Fahrenheit family''s mansion. The dead and dying sounds are so numerous that it is hard to believe that this is an elegant aristocrat''s mansion, and it is a sight that no one from any other family could ever be seen . "Oh, ......, it''''s ...... so painful." "I was so stupid. I''ve never had a drink before." "I thought it would be a good ...... celebration. ......" "It''s not worth it if it''s going to ruin my day." Even though it was a holiday, one never knew when an unexpected emergency call might come for the Special Division member . A little laxity would not be a problem, but a big carelessness was not allowed. She''s quite a beautiful girl. ...... After the alcohol incident. We were having a friendly chat in the living room after breakfast . "She is working with me . Hee, hee, hee. You''re very cute." Thank you. "Oh, I didn''t tell you." Iris. ......!¡¡I''m sorry, but you can''t act so natural right now, ......! My legs are getting numb by now, though. I want to get off my seat. Why am I sitting on the floor like this when there is a sofa and it is my house?¡¡It''s strange. I''m not done anything to deserve such thing . "You''re the second girl after Mei, aren''t you? "Hey Hal, have you gotten engaged yet? " No. ". No. If you''re going to surround yourself with other girls , you have to do it right. The vagueness is the worst way to get caught out." Look, Lily. .haven''t made a move on anybody yet. T"hat''s not what i am talking about." "Oh, ". As one would expect from a proper bride, she seems to have a good handle on the situation. It''s so troublesome to be an aristocrat that you can''t get along with girls casually. "Well, fortunately, you''re a member of the Special Division, so you have a solid identity. That''s a factor that will reassure me in the future. It''s not like there are any strange bigwigs behind this. "No that''s troublesome " "Don''t talk about it like it''s somebody else''s business." "Yes!" There''s also the balance of power between the houses. This is a frontier family of counts and dukes, so they are no opponent for a family of that caliber, but that is still no reason not to pay attention to them. In particular, there are rival factions (although there is not such a big factional of warfare). In the Empire, the authority of the Imperial family is so strong that power struggles among nobles have been settled to some extent, even in the feudal system. Since they have a stable future, they have to be careful not to cause any trouble. , "Well, next time you want to be friends with a girl, make sure you lern about her background beforehand it. I can''t do it for you everytime , and you don''t want me to get into trouble ? ."I know you'' re saying that because you''re worried about me,"Besides, it''s kind of cute that you jealous of me." "It''s not like this " "What ? I am not right ? When I said this, including a bit of sarcasm, Lily, who had been lecturing me earlier, suddenly fell silent and shrank back. She was mumbling something, but I couldn''t quite hear her. "...... Is it ......, but ...... is .......... ...what the hell is going on ......?" "Hmm?" "Yah, nah, it''s nothing!" "Ha-ha-ha. Lily''s cute." The tsundere part that she sometimes shows me in this way gives me an indescribable pleasure. We met and got engaged because of our family connections, and I guess we are quite compatible with each other. I loved these casual talks . " I feel like I''m being left behind, and it''s boring. "Mei." I looked at Mei, who looked somewhat bored , and she was looking in the opposite direction with a sulky look on her face. And Lily, don''t make a smug face when she saw Mei like that. . "...... Well, I guess I''ll have to make it up to you later, won''t I?" I was thinking about this when Iris, dropped a huge bombshell. "Is everyone here Hurt''s girlfriends?" "Oh, my !" :I''m his bride!" I''m not going to let some random woman get the better of me!¡¡...... I''m in better position than you." I don''t really understand meaning of that Still, I didn''t expect Iris to have any interest in . I thought she said something like, "I don''t want a forced marriage." I don''t want to get involved in a political marriage. I know that. Halt is a good guy. I know that . Iris''s face was just a little red as she said this, perhaps embarrassed. I''ve been watching Iris very closely, too, I guess. And, well, On that note our talk came to end . By the way, my legs were so numb that I had lost all sensation. ...... "Detoxification" "Healing Promotion" With my head aching with pain, I used the recovery magic I had learned in my training with my mother a few years ago. After using "detoxifying" the toxin acetaldehyde in my body, I recover my aching head and stressed liver. After a minute or two of cycling the recovery magic, I finally regained my energy. I vowed to myself, "I''ll never drink again! I slowly get up, thinking like a drunk who has sworn not drink I slowly get up and see a scene on the floor of the hall that would make even a drunkard''s eyes widen in shock. The drinking populace of another world, so poor. ...... ...... Well, there are a few people who have suffered or plopped down in the tub, but no one seems to have sleep vomited. ...... There''s even a risk of suffocation if they do that. ...... Everyone, if you have drunk too much, you should lie down on your side and sleep. That''s a promise I made to myself . While I was thinking about that, a dwarf girl came up to me with a bottle of sake in her hand and a slightly reddish face, saying something like, "Oh no, I drank too much.'' ''Oh no, I drank too much.'' Sake tastes so good!¡¡I''ve discovered a whole new world! "Do you have any idea how much pain I''ve been through?" This drunken dwarf girl was, as is typical of dwarves, a heavy drinker. And not just a heavy drinker, but the kind of drinker who encourages others to drink. It''s really not a good idea to drinking. It is a culture that needs to be changed as much as the drinking call! "Don'' say like t this , Hal, you were having fun, too!" Don''t talk like a dirty old man. I''m not a fan of such thing . I''ll admit it ......, I certainly had fun!¡¡But I wouldn''t have drunk so much if I''d known the pain that awaited me! ",....... I can see why they put ''Dwarves are extra'' in the taverns." When I walk around the stores in the imperial capital, I sometimes find such a notice. I thought it might be a racist thing, but apparently that is not the case. It is probably like an all-you-can-eat restaurant that charges extra for wrestlers It would be unbearable for the restaurant to run out of stock. "Everyone is too weak for alcohol." If you say that again, I''m going to squeeze your tits. It''s Sexual harassment!" "You''re an drunk !" Drinking alcohol ruins people. I must be careful next time. ...... More than that, the biggest mistake I made this time was to let the woman, Mei Arendahl, get a taste of alcohol. It sent shivers down my spine to think about the future. Mai was a terrifying person, both technically and in regards to her liver. ??? "So, Hal. Who is this girl?" She''s quite a beautiful girl. ...... After the alcohol incident. We were having a friendly chat in the living room after breakfast . "She is working with me . Hee, hee, hee. You''re very cute." Thank you. "Oh, I didn''t tell you." Iris. ......!¡¡I''m sorry, but you can''t act so natural right now, ......! My legs are getting numb by now, though. I want to get off my seat. Why am I sitting on the floor like this when there is a sofa and it is my house?¡¡It''s strange. I''m not done anything to deserve such thing . "You''re the second girl after Mei, aren''t you? "Hey Hal, have you gotten engaged yet? " No. ". No. If you''re going to surround yourself with other girls , you have to do it right. The vagueness is the worst way to get caught out." Look, Lily. .haven''t made a move on anybody yet. T"hat''s not what i am talking about." "Oh, ". As one would expect from a proper bride, she seems to have a good handle on the situation. It''s so troublesome to be an aristocrat that you can''t get along with girls casually. "Well, fortunately, you''re a member of the Special Division, so you have a solid identity. That''s a factor that will reassure me in the future. It''s not like there are any strange bigwigs behind this. "No that''s troublesome " "Don''t talk about it like it''s somebody else''s business." "Yes!" There''s also the balance of power between the houses. This is a frontier family of counts and dukes, so they are no opponent for a family of that caliber, but that is still no reason not to pay attention to them. In particular, there are rival factions (although there is not such a big factional of warfare). In the Empire, the authority of the Imperial family is so strong that power struggles among nobles have been settled to some extent, even in the feudal system. Since they have a stable future, they have to be careful not to cause any trouble. , "Well, next time you want to be friends with a girl, make sure you lern about her background beforehand it. I can''t do it for you everytime , and you don''t want me to get into trouble ? ."I know you'' re saying that because you''re worried about me,"Besides, it''s kind of cute that you jealous of me." "It''s not like this " "What ? I am not right ? When I said this, including a bit of sarcasm, Lily, who had been lecturing me earlier, suddenly fell silent and shrank back. She was mumbling something, but I couldn''t quite hear her. "...... Is it ......, but ...... is .......... ...what the hell is going on ......?" "Hmm?" "Yah, nah, it''s nothing!" "Ha-ha-ha. Lily''s cute." The tsundere part that she sometimes shows me in this way gives me an indescribable pleasure. We met and got engaged because of our family connections, and I guess we are quite compatible with each other. I loved these casual talks . " I feel like I''m being left behind, and it''s boring. "Mei." I looked at Mei, who looked somewhat bored , and she was looking in the opposite direction with a sulky look on her face. And Lily, don''t make a smug face when she saw Mei like that. . "...... Well, I guess I''ll have to make it up to you later, won''t I?" I was thinking about this when Iris, dropped a huge bombshell. "Is everyone here Hurt''s girlfriends?" "Oh, my !" :I''m his bride!" I''m not going to let some random woman get the better of me!¡¡...... I''m in better position than you." I don''t really understand meaning of that Still, I didn''t expect Iris to have any interest in . I thought she said something like, "I don''t want a forced marriage." I don''t want to get involved in a political marriage. I know that. "Halt is a good guy. I know that ." Iris''s face was just a little red as she said this, perhaps embarrassed. I''ve been watching Iris very closely, too, I guess. And, well, On that note our talk came to end . By the way, my legs were so numb that I had lost all sensation. CH 87 Next day. Iris and I, who had enjoyed our day off, had come to the Special Division''s garrison. We had been so excited yesterday and the night before, but from this day on, things were back to normal. "Hey, our hero, the Imperial Knight, has arrived! "Good morning, Jet. Thanks for letting us take a day off yesterday." I also received a day off to celebrate my Knighting in the past. The most common reason for this is the fact that the our divisions have more decorated knights than any other divisions. There is nothing to worry about." "I see." That''s quite a cool thing to do. The special division is totally different from the other division . But from today on, you''ll be working hard!¡¡And you will be taking on a new mission right away." "What kind of mission?" A top-secret investigation of a certain territory. General Eulenberg will tell you the details. Just as Jet was saying this, General Eulenberg entered the room. He was not dressed in his usual , but was dressed like an adventurer who could be found anywhere General Eulenberg?¡¡What''s with your outfit?" Good morning. Second Lieutenant Halt, Sergeant Steinfeldt. This is related to our mission. The general said so with a friendly expression on his face. Incidentally, the general was now calling me "second lieutenant," but I had been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant after my recent appointment as a knight of the Imperial Guard. I was very lucky to have been get two ranks so soon after starting my duties. The mission this time is to make a field investigation in the Cassandra territory, which is under the direct control of the imperial family. We have received information that the local government officials there are under suspicion of illegal activities. This time, we are going undercover as an escort for the merchants who is heading to Cassandra. Illegal ,activities huh? Even though it is in a remote area, there should normally be some comings and goings of the territory''s citizens and adventurers who have gone out to work. ...... "Yes, there is definitely something fishy " "Even that elven territory has a little more comings and goings. It seems that the situation is more complicated than expected. Less people than the elves?¡¡That''s a surprise. Are all the people in that area are hermits or something? "Or is it some kind of new cult?" Iris says something quite black humorous. However, the founding legend of the empire is based on folk beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation and is a deification of historical facts that are said to have actually existed, so the reality is that most people living in the empire, regardless of race, or faith in the myth. It would not be an exaggeration to say that more than 90% of the people of the country believe in it. That''s how big the influence of the first hero, who played a leading role in the founding of the country, is. I''m sure they are strictly controlling people''s comings and goings. They don''t want people spreading rumors about their territory. "The territory is a like prison for the people who suffer from bad government." General Eulenberg continued. What is particularly suspicious is that despite the lack of proper management of the territory, there has been no change in the amount of trade on the books of the guilds of trade. Even in the tax reports submitted to the center, on the surface, the territory is perfectly fine. That''s why I didn''t notice it until it was too late." "That''s quite a trick." Yes. That''s where we, the Special Magic Division, come in. "The trade guilds didn''t say anything about it?" "It is possible that our own people were involved in illegal activities . Normally, I would think they would be trying to cover it up." "I think they didn''t want to make a negative impression on the center at any cost. They were willing to cooperate with us. They didn''t want to ruin the reputation of the guild because of their own personal problems, and they were as if they were saying that their organization had a self-cleansing function." "I see. So that''s why we were put in charge of the guards." "That''s right." I heard that the merchant did not hire adventurers, but rather contracted with an exclusive escort. This is probably because they didn''t want the public to see their illegal dealings as much as possible. The original escort is currently being held and questioned in a guild. "What about the merchant guild, the suspect?" "I heard that they are taking a dare and letting them escape. It is the central government''s policy to catch the people who are involved in illicit transactions in the act." I see." Well, it''s easier to arrest someone on the spot than to investigate and confront them with evidence. The Cassandra territory, which is the place of destination, is about 400 kilometers from north of the imperial capital. It is at the northern end of the territory directly under the imperial family. Since it is outside of the main roads, there are very few people coming in and going out from the location itself. Even so, the population is about 10,000 people in the entire territory, so we need consider the worst case scenario." "Understood." The worst-case scenario here is, in , the possibility of an all-out war. If there are 10,000 people, it would take several hundred to nearly 1,000 soldiers just to keep them under control. If they were taxed heavily and their forces were well prepared, they were sure to be a very troublesome enemy. , "At any rate, let us make as much preparation as possible before we head out. The people might be starving or injured, and we need to gather supplies such as recovery potions and food. We have a substantial budget from the division, so let''s talk to the Transportation Department and ask them to prepare it for us." After this, Jet gave his final instructions. The departure is planned for early tomorrow morning. We will spend tonight at the garrison, and tomorrow morning we will all head to the north gate where the meeting will take place. We have prepared some clothes that will make us look like adventurers, so please change into those. Please put your supplies in Second Lieutenant Halt''s inventory and prepare a bag to camouflage yourself so that the merchants will not question you. Any questions?" "No, no questions". "Me too." Then let''s get to work. "Roger ." After receiving the mission, we immediately headed to the Transportation Department''s facility in the garrison. CH 88 " You'' re late!¡¡You''re the new escorts assigned to me, aren''t you?¡¡What the hell do you think this job is?" " Ugh, ......, this is so early ......." . The next day early in the morning, we headed to the meeting place for more than half an hour earlier than the planned time, a middle-aged merchant with a small fat face and a nasty personality shouted at us. There were two others, a thin man who also looked like he had a nasty personality, and an older guy who looked like he was half a gangster and had a bad pattern. I''m tired. I''m not getting paid while waiting for escort, why are you so fucking stupid?" The older guy with the nasty look was scratching his ear and getting into a fight with us. He was definitely the tallest of all the people here, making him look quite threatening. ...... Well, the only thing that is awesome is intimidation. From the way he is covered with muscles and the way he walks, I would guess that he is not much of a fighter. Probably, he would not be able to beat Iris even in a melee combat. It''s just a image of "mere appearances". What the hell !?¡¡An old man and two kids escorting me is a waste of money. What the hell are they thinking? That''s why trating guilds are incompetent. "We can use magic.. We are D rank. adventures " General Eulenberg is talking to the Yankee guy as if he was a timid old adventurer. He looks exactly like an old adventurer who has no future in life. He is a very good at acting "Hey, let''s get the fucking going. We can turn them into a meat wall if we have to." ". ...... ah, you guys go on foot." With that, the nasty merchants got into their carriage. The only one who didn''t open his mouth was the slim man who was. .coachman "I''m stressed out." "I want to punch him. ....".. " You two, be patient. This is part of the mission." To be honest, if General Eulenberg wasn''t there, there''s a good chance I would have beaten the crap out of them. I''m not good at this kind of mission,......, and we young . We looked at each other and sighed. ?? "Hey guys, prepare the food! ""What?" "We prepared it .Please wait a moment." I can''t help but turn around when General Berg ( an alias) pulls on my sleeve. This part of mission . ." Roger" ...... of course I''ll return the favor. (On the menu, of course.)" "(...... of course they will return the favor..................on the food . )." I was so angry, and apparently the general was as well. I felt a little better. "How can I eat this?" A few minutes later. What was on table was a mysterious dried-out meat and crushed black bread. The drink was just plain water, which was not very good. General Eulenberg''s revenge was quite impressive. , "If you don''t eat , you''ll collapse." The escort that was before you ...... made better meal than you ! "We just need to escort you. We are not good at cooking " "......, damn it!" We have the same food as they are. The merchants reluctantly withdrew and went back into their carriage. ''...... that went well, didn''t it? "Yes." "Delicious." Iris is biting into the dried meat. ......This was not because Iris had a poor meals , but because we really were eating good food. ''It looks like what we served them, but what''s inside is like something else. Don''t underestimate military prepared food." The general was right, our portion of dried meat and dry bread was very tasty. It was the fruit of the hard work of the Transportation Department to make sure that we could eat good food during the mission. The meat we served them, by the way, was cheap meat for novice adventurers sold at a local street stall. "They will be prepare their meals themself from now on. And we will have even less contact with them." "Thank God." "That''s right." We are now mid-level adventurers. We needed to reduce our contact with them as much as possible so as not to blow our cover . After a very stressful week, we had finally arrived in Cassandra territory. We had only a few kilometers to go before we reached the gate. We had several battles with monsters on the way here, but we defeated them all using beginner-level magic and cheap weapons, and hidden our strength so that we would appear to be of D or C rank. Thanks to this, our reputation among them remained low, and we had successfully concealed our true identities. This kind of experience is quite important." ''Yes. ....... I learned that strength alone is not always necessary. ...... I''m starting to enjoy this whole play thing. Iris is a free spirited person. But that''s what makes her so appealing. I''d like to be as much carefree as I can be. "Well, I wonder what will happen next." "I think they'' re going to take the bribe and that will be the end of it, won''t it?" "I hope so." General Eulenberg''s reply was not so positive. With a look on his face that said, "I can''t help feeling there''s something wrong," he looked toward the gate. It was as if his long-standing intuition was telling him something was fishy. ?? ?? Hey, guys." "Yes, ?" Take this." "...... what''s this?" "Payment ." With these words, the burly middle-aged merchant handed over several gold coins. For the average D-rank adventurer, it was pretty much worth it." "Payment? ......" "Just shut up and take it. In return, don''t tell anyone about what you are about to see." The merchant replied in a casual manner, as if to say, "If you are a D-rank adventurer, it is only natural that you would listen to what I have to say if I give you this much money. The general also accepted the money in a manner that did not seem to cause him any discomfort. "I see, then I''ll take it gratefully. ......" Iris and I watched the scene, thinking, "He''s a good actor,"....... A dirty deal was going on there. After passing through the gate, the village came into view. Around the village, wheat fields were spreading out, and people who seemed to be the local residents were farming with hoes. They were all dressed in rags and looked like the serfs I had seen on a TV program about the Middle Ages. "They are all so skinny." Iris muttered to herself as she looked at the people. This is definitely something bad going on here. ...... General Eulenberg looks at the wheat fields around him. The wheat fields were full of wheat, and it was hard to believe that the land was so poor that its people had become so skinny. "The wheat grows better here than it does in my hometown," Iris said while looking at the wheat. The yield seems to be quite high. I wonder how much they are being abused. The Imperial Tax Law says that the standard is four public and six private sectors. That is not the case if there are special circumstances, but here in Cassandra Territory, that standard should apply. If this much wheat is growing so well and 60% of it remains to the people of the territory, then the people''s lives should be quite affluent. At least it is unlikely that they will become that skinny. "......When are we going to ...... start working ......?" The basic plan is that we will not initiate the attack. If we reveal ourselves, it will only be if the other side finds out who we are. As long as we have the results of the investigation, which we are carrying out under secret orders from the central office, we can mobilize the military without taking the risk of catching them in the act. If this goes well, there will be no need for us to do anything. Soon after, a convoy of merchants arrived at the fortified town of Cassandra. The walls surrounding the town are quite impressive for the territory''s population. and would likely stand up to an invasion by a monster or army of a certain size. "The size of the town is not in direct line with the solidity of the city walls." Muttered Brigadier General Eulenberg so that the merchants would not hear him. "This may require a change in course of action." The words of the general were placed on the shoulders of both Iris and me with considerable responsibility . CH 89 The walls of Cassandra, with a population of 10,000 people,---- are a little out of the standard for a town with a population of only 1,0000 within its walls. Inside the walls, we stepped inside the city. "It''s new." Normally, walls are built over a long period of time. Although it has been remodeled and reinforced many times, the oldest part of Heidburg''s walls is more than 500 years old, and parts of the imperial city''s walls have been in place since the time of the founding of the country. The walls of the imperial capital are still partly in existence from the time of the founding of the country, which was 1,500 years ago. In Japan, for example, it would be easier to understand if we say that it is older than the time of Prince Shotoku. In any case, these are historic sites that have been part of the city''s history for an immeasurable period of time. That is the general concept of a city wall. However, the walls of Cassandra are brand new. The white stone shone in the sunlight as if it had been constructed in the last few years. "...... are they trying to start a rebellion?" I don''t care if it''s on the frontier of the empire, but when one build a fortified city in a location close to the center of the empire, even if it''s in the rural area, I think it will end up surrounded on all sides and be attacked by soldiers. I don''t know . what that batards thinking ." "I agree." In any case, their plans will be crushed here. I don''t think we need to think about their motives. ?? Once inside the city walls, the poor streets of the city changed to an elegant new townscape, a complete change from the previous one. Even the people walking around, although armed, are dressed in much more respectable clothes than those outside the walls. Even those who are a bit sloppy, perhaps due to their luxurious lifestyle, are more outstanding. At a glance, one can see the gap between those inside and outside the walls, a stark contrast. It''s absolutely incomprehensible. "No, I see. They dare to do so." You are very perceptive, , Berhardt. "What do you mean?" General Eulenberg immediately picks up on the line that Oberhard (pseudonym) muttered, followed by Iris, who doesn''t understand and tilts her head with a doubtful look on her face. " By setting up a clear gap between inside and outside the wall like this, the people inside the wall will be given preferential treatment. This will awaken the people inside the walls to a sense of being the chosen ones. As a result, they will naturally cooperate actively with the suppression of those outside the wall in order to preserve their own interests. The bad guys will be able to acquire a private army of several hundred men at once without doing a thing." ".....What a terrible thing ...... ." "You think so, don''t you? ...... but the bad guy understands human beings very well. Even if they are as rich as they are qualitatively, they can tolerate not having it in the first place, but they can''t tolerate having it stolen from them once it has been given to them." "It''s just like how the Federation of the Principality of ...... does things." The Duchy Federation, a neighboring nation, is a hypothetical enemy of the Highland Empire. The actuality is that the actual country name claims to be a federation, but in reality, it is a dictatorship by a single nation in the center. "Well, the size is a few thousandths of that," "It is said that the power of the Confederation of Principality is comparable to that of the Heiland Empire. " "We can no longer call in the imperial army as support." General Eulenberg muttered with a face that looked as if he had chewed a number of very bitter bugs. A short distance away, a group of villainous merchants were engaged in dubious business dealings with a crew of evil officials. Normally, such transactions should be conducted fairly within the merchants'' guild in accordance with the imperial law, but they are in a building that has nothing to do with the merchants'' guild. And around us, private soldiers of the supposedly privileged deputies - residents within the walls - with weapons of different standards and armbands that read "vigilantes" on their arms were standing by at a distance, waiting for us, outsiders, to make our move. They are watching our every move as outsiders. Fortunately, there is some distance between us , so they are not listening to our conversation, but they treat us as if they would attack us immediately if we showed any suspicious attitude. "If we leave the situation like this, it will get worse, Even if we were to call for reinforcements, we have no choice but to judge that it would be extremely difficult to defeat an enemy that has such a large number of supporters and iron walls, and that is also expected to be carrying a large amount of rations." The brigadier general was trying to talk to us with an air of arrogance. I have a bad feeling about this. "The longer the conflict goes on, the more the innocent people in the territory will suffer. The forces on the side of the deputies will commandeer all the food supplies when they sense the army is about to be fielded." Ah, is that the way it is going to be? "In addition, if any of the citizens,......, especially women and children, who have no means of fighting back, are taken hostage, no matter how many imperial forces are involved, they will not be able to do anything about it." Brigadier General Eulenberg has stopped calling us by our pseudonyms. That means. "Go and get it over with, Hal and Iris!" Brigadier General Eulenberg said a line that I have heard somewhere on ...... (by accident, of course). Apparently, he had had a lo of this. "Yes sir!" Caught by surprise, the bad guys were falling to the ground one after another. Next to me, Iris, who casted "optical camouflage stealth" , was also striking the bad guys (mainly the lower half of their bodies) with her "heat flux laser beam" one after another. "What''s going on?" The officials who had just now noticed the uproar in the front came out of the building, but that did not change the situation in the slightest. They were the ones who, as a privileged class, had treated the people like serfs and had been living a life of self-indulgence. Naturally, they had no training and were completely unable to respond to any emergency situation. One after another, the " vigilante groups" fell. I''m feeling good~~!¡¡"" We members of the Special Division and must be "suppressed by overwhelming firepower". "Halt, you look like a villain." "Shut up!" I feel the stress that has been building up for the past week dissipating at once. I''m fully aware that I''m acting like a villain with my lines and facial expressions, but I guess that can''t be helped!¡¡I make excuses to myself. After all, even though it was for the sake of the mission, I had missed the wrongdoing and even been made to participate in it. As a man who is conscious of a aristocrat, I couldn''t stand it. "I think Halt is somewhat similar to the Commander and Captain Siegfried." "What?" I felt that Brigadier General Eulenberg was saying something very rude, but was it just my imagination?¡¡I don''t want to pay too much attention to it because I''m in the middle of a fight right now and it''s distracting. ...... ''Well, there are two groups in the Special Division, the undercover investigation group and the assault suppression group. Second Lieutenant Hult is in the assault and suppression group." It wasn''t just my imagination! The other side is now in the upper hand because of the surprise attack, but even though the battle is supposed to be quite fierce, the brigadier general doesn''t seem to be out of breath at all. In fact, he was calmly assessing me. He is skillfully toying with the enemy by shooting out fireballs of beginner to medium level magic. "Oh, and there are only three opponents!¡¡They are female, child, and an old man!¡¡We''re going to have to outnumber them!¡¡All the vigilantes in town, crush them!" The officer blasts off, turning the vigilantes who were just walking around the area against us. The central bell tower rings to announce a panic, and armed vigilantes come running out of their houses one after another to see what''s going on. There are so many of them when the whole city is against us. Even though only men of a certain age are involved in the battle, it is a city that was built for the convenience of domination in the first place. In terms of the percentage of residents, many of them are men of working age who are good at fighting. However, even so, they were still only a group of people who had not been trained well enough. It seems that they were not good enough to fight against us, the members of the special division , who are the best mages in the imperial kingdom. It must have taken about ten or so minutes. The vigilantes, who numbered more than several hundred, perhaps as much as 500, were all lying on the ground. Not a single one of them was dead, but not a single one of them seemed to be able to walk on their feet. They were either moaning in pain or passed out. ", who are you?" The merchants we had been using as our escort ...... before we got here were looking at us with fearful eyes. The man next to them, who looks like a government official, is too frightened to speak. "We are from Special Division," It''s a neat ----. I declared to the officers, wondering if this is what it feels like to be a righteous hero who delivers a defining line. CH 90 ''And you''re the special division ?'' a fat merchant shouted with a tremble in his voice when he was asked about our true identity. It seems that he was not so foolish as not to believe it after being shown such a big fish in front of his eyes. He is a merchant even if he is rotten. He must have realized that it would not be to his advantage to compete here,....... Unfortunately, there was about one person here who didn''t get it. "Oi!¡¡What is this?'' It was the yankee-like older guy who was one of the three villainous merchants. Well, young people tend to be overconfident, you know. He could not suppress his overflowing urge to anger with reason. His fist was trembling with anger. "You guys got the money!" ''Money?" ...... Oh, hee mean that damn money bribe? I had forgotten all about it because it was Brigadier General Eulenberg who accepted it. Come to think of it, I had just spotted the dirty money being exchanged. ''I am sure you took it." ''Then why are you doing this?¡¡If you received the money, aren''t you guys an accessory to that crime?'' ''Well, what are you talking about?'' "Old man!¡¡Don''t play dumb with me!'' ''That''s strange. I was only told ''hush money'' and handed it over, not that I shouldn''t be arrested.'' "What do you mean ......?'' No, I''m sure the yankee-like guy is right. It''s not the line of a normal bribe taking . General Eulenberg ....... "They indeed told me not to tell anyone else, though. But I was the only one who was asked to do so. I don''t think it applies to my subordinates." "Huh" He shouldn''t have done the bad thing in the first place, but I kind of feel sorry for the Yankee guy''. General Eulenberg, while we are having a war of words like this, he seems to be searching for something. .''....., shoot." The next moment, the last of the three villainous merchants, a skinny, quiet man, appeared in front of us with a young girl in his arms. " Leave , or I''ll kill her. '' The girl''s face is twitching with fear. She was dressed quite poorly, so she had probably been taken by force from out of town. She is , hostage? You''re nasty." "You say that?" The knife at the girl''s neck is slowly cutting into her skin while he''s talking to me. "I understand. Now then, Sergeant Steinfeldt. "Roger that." ----pasch ......! Iris, who was still under the effect of "optical camouflage stealth," sniped the man who took the girl hostage with a "heat laser beam" following the general''s instructions. This time, since the girl was there, he could not aim at the bottom half of the body. To ensure the girl''s rescue, Iris aimed at the head. ?........................" Without screaming, the skinny man who had gone rigid for a moment fell on his back. At the same time, I leaped out at once and rescued the girl, holding her in my arms. "Hey, !Miguel" The Yankee guy called out the skinny guy''s name, Miguel, but it was already too late , the scumbag had already died. ''You, bastards!" I didn''t know what the furious Yankee would do, so I shot him with an "impact bullet" to shut him up immediately. The Yankee was blown several meters and plunged into the wall of the building, and stopped moving. ''...... you''re still alive." Maybe because you''re young and bulky, you don''t seem to be dead. However, he would never be able to walk properly again. After rescuing the girl, I returned to General Eulenberg and lowered her to the ground. "Can you stand?" "Yes." The girl''s expression was hard, as if she was still nervous. I''ve got to get these people soon and reassure them. I''m going to go check out ...... and see if they''re still there.¡¡I think it would be easier if these guys were quietly roped off." General Eulenberg, who does not show it outwardly but seems to be looking for something, makes a proposal of surrender to the last remaining middle-aged, fat, and corrupt merchant. The merchant, after turning red, blue, and white, finally gave up and sat there in a state of collapse. ''Do as you please now, ......." Then I''ll take your word for it and ensure ......!" The general took out a thin special rope (wire is probably a better description) for restraints from his waist bag and tied up the merchant and, incidentally, the deputy who was still frozen in place. The brigadier then turned to me and said. ''I feel a nasty look on his face. I think there are enemies still hiding out there." ''Disgusting look. ....... What is it?" "Yes, I think it''s a demon. A demon here! I''m sure that there are always demons involved in the nasty cases. I can use detection magic, so I''m going to go look for the demon. With that signature twisted presence, I''m sure I''ll be able to find him soon. ''Be careful." I will use my "Active Sonar" to search for the presence of the demon. And since he is a demon, it would not be surprising if he is connected to the town''s government . "I found ......!" The sign that seemed to be a demon was soon found. The location was the government office built in the center of the town. It seems that he is alone with a human in a room in the building. "Ah!" The demon, perhaps realizing that I had been noticed, seemed to have taken a hold of a person who was in the same room with him. Of the two responses, the one that was not from the demon disappeared. ''He killed them. ......" "He must be destroying the evidence. The demon will escape if we don''t hurry." "Get out of the way!" I kicked out the guards and ran into the office. I run down the passageway, skip down the stairs, and run to the room where the demon is. "I got a glimpse of it!¡¡It''s that door. The demon is in that room!" But just as I was a few meters away from the room, the magical reaction inside the room suddenly increased. I felt a tremendous wave of magical power. The distorted magical power peculiar to demons was surging, undulating, and scattering to the surroundings. The next moment, the response suddenly vanished. ............! In a panic, I used my sensing magic, but it was not in the sensing range of "active sonar" or "passive sonar". When I opened the door where the demon had been sensed until just now, I found only the corpse of a dead man, who seemed to be a government official, lying inside, sinking in a pool of blood, and not a trace of the demon in sight. CH 91 After that, I put the dead man in my inventory (I didn''t want to put him in there, but it would be valuable thing later one ), and returned to General Eulenberg and Iris , storing everything in the room as I went. ...... Well, the other side is a demon. The last time I was dealing with a demon, it didn''t have any transfer magic, but instead had great resilience. The actuality that the actual fight is not really a great recovery power, but it seems that even the demons have their own strengths and weaknesses. ?? Now that we had missed the demons, the most immediate matter was the governance of the town of Cassandra, which no longer had a ruler. I was wondering what to do with the old privileged elite of the vigilantes, but the people outside the walls, who were treated like serfs and used to be abused, ran for the office. ."So this time, if possible, we want to protect this town with our own hands." "Do you want autonomy?" ''That''s it ". Autonomy of residence . Sounds like a medieval Japanese village. "General Eulenberg. What do you thik ? As far as I''m concerned, I think we can trust them to work hard, even if they''ve been pressed . Besides, it is practically impossible to govern the city without relying on them. While putting the bad guys in jail, they will rule the city until the army arrives. Even though we are members of the Special division , it was impossible for just three of us to do it. "The situation is like that . We will have to ask for your cooperation." "Because, you know." "I''m sorry. I owe you.'' "But I can''t guarantee that after the Imperial Army arrives a new deputy is will be not selected." " We will negotiate with them, so there is no problem. The central government can''t say anything too strong. "Since education is essential for rule over the city , I don''t know how well it will actually work. However, I think that if it''s just the autonomy of city , they might be allowed for it ....... The regime is surprisingly willing to make concessions to the extent that sovereignty is not threatened. But there are some rulers that will never step back. ...... I asked for their help in governing the town, thinking of a certain country or federation of principalities on earth." ?? A week or so later, two troops of the Imperial Army (about 250 people) dispatched from the Imperial Capital finally arrived in the city of Cassandra after receiving a call from the communication magic tool I have. The company commander, , who was leading the two companies, saluted General Eulenberg with a awe. ''I apologize for being so late!" "It''s fine The documents are here. Please get to work as soon as possible." Yes, sir! General Eulenberg hands the documents ts containing of -how to rule territory, materials, and various other things that he has learned from interrogating the vigilante group over the past week. With this, we are finally liberated. What was particularly out of the ordinary in this case, , was the high taxes. I had assumed that the tax rate would be at most 60% or so, but when I opened the document , I found that it was an ultra-black territory with a tax rate was over the roof . I wondered how this was able to prevent a revolt, but then I remembered that I had heard somewhere that in order for a revolt to began , there must be a certain amount of strength left on the side of the ruled. If there is no strong ideology to support ruler , if the power of t people is overwhelmingly strong, or if the power of the ruled is weakening, it is difficult for a revolt to take place. Incidentally, if there is a strong ideology, there will be no revolt, as in the past with the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, China, and North Korea (because all the people are ideological followers and cooperate with the ruler , and they will be erased before they can revolt in the first place Well, there can be no strong ideology in a small town like Cassandra. The point is that the bad governor was exploiting the people of his domain. It was a bad management of the domain, and the tax rate was particularly high. The new government who had been dispatched with two companies to the territory , who had been liberated from this evil government , presented following policy: "No taxation for one year, and no taxation after the second year. From the second year onward, they were to be tax exempt. From the fifth year, the tax will return to the normal rate of four kong and six kong. The amount that was not enough for the sound management of the fiefdom was to be raised by cutting into the pockets of the previous governor, and the amount that was still insufficient was to be made up from the national treasury. The country did not seem to want such a blunder to be made too public, and seemed to be struggling to recover. ?? Now that we were finished with that , our next task was to investigate the cause of this incident, which was our original task. This was the task of finding out who did it, for what purpose, it was done, who was behind it, and so on. We had been investigating with the help of the local people before the Imperial Army came , but now we were finally able to start a full-scale investigation. Incidentally, about a dozen people from the two companies that had been send to the area would be participating in this investigation, which was very helpful. A few days after we started the investigation in earnest. Ensign Tailman, who was conducting the investigation one the same team as me Ensign who had guided me through the Magic Division''s entrance examination - entered office with a tense expression on his face. He usually gives a calm impression, so I guessed it was something important. . Second Lieutenant Tailman, what''s going on?" ''Second Lieutenant Hurt. has arrived ". What he handed me was a document that contained information on the identity of the official who had been killed by the demon. "Allen Bazarov. Age and place of birth unknown. He is the head of the civil service here at ....... The deputy is a decorator and the real ruler, huh?" Apparently, the substitute was an incompetent top official. Apparently, he lived a reasonably rich life, but he was hardly involved in practical affairs. When we launched the operation, he was so flustered that he didn''t move an inch. If he can''t give orders at a moment''s notice, he must be disqualified as a person who stands at the top. It was only natural that he should be treated as incompetent. '' ....... This Allen Bazarov is a civil servant who is a close associate of the deputy, and yet his place of birth is unknown?" In Japan, he would be a city office employee at the director''s level, working just below the mayor. How is it possible that his place of birth is unknown? "I have inquired about it with former Cassandra staff members, colleagues, and the administrative officials of the Imperial City, and they all say they don''t know where he is from." "How is that possible?" I heard that the official recruitment was in the eastern part of the country, ....... He was hired as a temporary low-ranking government official, and since he was very good, he was officially hired as such. His career before that is unknown. He may have lived a nomadic life in the east, or he may have been born an orphan. Only he himself knows the exact truth." In short, he seems to have appeared out of nowhere. It was impossible to identify his place of birth. "But then again, he is from the East. ......" ''There are a lot of illegal immigrants from the East these days. " Ah. A problem unique to a country on the continent with borders with other countries: illegal immigration. That is illegal immigration. Legal immigrants, of which there are a fair number, are mostly well-managed and have legitimate jobs. Illegal immigrants, however, are often adventurers or daily laborers whose lives are unstable, and in the worst cases, they often become mobsters or bandits who threaten the security of the empire. The reason why they immigrate illegally is because they are people who would not be able to enter the country by legal means. Most of them are criminals or have political ambitions, and as far as they are concerned, that is not a good enough reason. In this case, the man is Allen Bazarov. He may or may not be an illegal immigrant or a child of an illegal immigrant. "I1s Second Lieutenant Hurt also stuck?" "Yes, I don''t know if he didn''t change his name or if he simply didn''t recognize it. ...... i don''t hear that name around here." The surname Bazarov is almost non-existent in the Empire of Hylant. There are some, but only a small number of people in the eastern part of the country, such as naturalized descendants of a former alien people, take the name. Rather, most of them are from the homeland of the different ethnic groups - the Principality Commonwealth. Allen Bazarov can definitely be considered a person associated with the Federation. ''''Could he have been a spy? ''"Maybe. Or an agent." Otherwise, he would not have managed his territory in such an absurd way. In addition, there were demons. It is reasonable to assume that the Principality Federation was in close contact with the demons and that the town of Cassandra was a base for their agents. The reason for the closed structure was to restrict the flow of people so that it would be difficult for them to sense anything unusual, and it makes sense to think that the reason for building more walls was to allow the demons to escape by using their transfer magic or to destroy evidence while the town was under siege ''I heard that it was quite naturally, but if you pay close attention, there was a slight Eastern influence in his accent". ."..... so there''s a good chance she was born and raised in the Commonwealth, rather than being a immigrant." "Commonwealth, be carefu"l "Yeah." What was supposed to be a simple task of investigating and conquering a local bad government turned into an epic war of war between countries. I wish it had been a little more peaceful,......, even though I joined the special division on my own volition,................. CH 92 After returning to the capital after the investigation, we were preparing a report to be submitted to the special =division. There are many things to write about, such as the health of the people, the actual state of power connections, the state of taxes and bribes, etc., as well as a discussion of the involvement of the Duchy Federation and the demons. All of these are important matters, but the section on the Duchy Federation and the demons is particularly difficult. We cannot openly investigate these matters because they are top-secret, and above all, the past data is too scarce. So, to be frank, we had no choice but to write about our own considerations. Even if I say "consideration," it is not something that difficult to write about. We just pointed out the possibility that the town of Cassandra was established as a base for spy activities even in the hinterland due to the existence of demons capable of shifting their location. Normally, spy activities would be based along the border or coastline, where it is relatively easy to sneak in and supply supplies. Inland areas, there is a high possibility of being detected while transporting supplies, and above all, since communication magic tools are not that widespread, it takes time to share information. However, with transfer spells, the situation would be different. As long as the transfer spells could bring in supplies from the outside regardless of the distance, it would be possible to siege the castle, destroy evidence while withstanding attacks in a siege, and escape with the transfer spells. In fact, this is how the demon himself was able to escape this time. Besides, the distance between the two cities makes it easy to spy on them. Perhaps the demon who appeared in the capital before and was defeated by me came from there. The town of Cassandra has been cleverly taken over by the demons, using the incompetent bad government officials as a cover. I submitted a report to Jet, the head of the Special Division, summarizing the situation ......, and we took a vacation and spent some time relaxing. It didn''t happen. "You must have gotten a high score on the written report." "Praise will get you nowhere." "It''s supposed to motivate you!" Well, it''s true that you''ll get more improvement if you praise. And it''s true that it''s difficult to praise and stretch the students, because it''s just naivety. ......Jet has been able to find the right balance between the two, so there have been no problems at all. "So ......, what do you want me to do by motivating me like that?" The fact that Jet says this means that there must be something behind it. We had only known each other for a short time, but I was learning by now. "Mm, there''s someone I''d like you to meet." "Me?" Someone who needs something from me? "Not that he has something for you, but that you have something for him." What''s that? I have no one in particular to whom I have an errand. "This is the policy of the division based on the results of discussions with His Majesty and the Prime Minister as well. ......" After prefacing his speech with this, Jet began to speak. He said that from now on, the Empire will be on the alert to detect illegal immigrants, local demons, and spies. Also, as a long-term policy, he said, they will seek means to counter the Principality , which is probably a base for the demons or is cooperating with them. In the meantime, the Imperial Kingdom is the more economically affluent nation, but their military power alone is said to be equal to each other. The image of the two countries is similar to that of the Cold War era, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at odds with each other. The Empire ofis strengthening its military while maintaining the affluent life of its people. On the other hand, the Confederation of Principality is expected to exploit its citizens to the limit, and to increase its military without regard for the lives of its citizens. The upper echelons of the Crown of Highland have decided to find and train high-ranked mages with tactical and strategic skills as a means of countering such a federation of principality. As a part of this policy, the expected newcomer "Comet," Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Fahrenheit, who had recently been appointed as an imperial knight, was given the opportunity to become a knight. I would like you to meet and become an apprentice as he is expected to be a key figure in the next generation of national defense. That person is the most powerful person in this country. The White Witch of the High Elves. The most powerful person ....... And the core o a future f national defense is ....... What the hell are you asking me to do ......? It seems that before long I was treated as a weapon to protect the country by the Emperor and the military chiefs. I''m not convinced ....... Then what about the jet?¡¡If it''s close-range combat, I think he'' s definitely one of the strongest in the world, not just in the Empire, but in the world! The core figures mentioned in the new national defense policy include not only me , but also the imperial knights, the three grand divisions, and adventurers of A-rank or higher. There is no need to feel so responsible. "Well, you can''t run a country so risky as to put a specific individual in charge of the nation''s life or death, can you? ......" "That''s what I''m saying. Several young mages from both the public and private sectors will be going there." "Heh. So, they are excellent mages of the same generation that I don''t know." It''s not exactly a manga, but it''s exciting. "You know some of them." "What?" Lady Henriette Lily von Bernstein. Your fianc¨¦e. Lily''s going too? She''s not a soldier or an officer, but she''s an expert in the use of space-time magic. The stakes are high." Lily is a wonderful person. The particular "White Witch" is where is she? "That''s a place you know very well." "Me?" There is no such thing as a High Elf habitat to my knowledge. First of all, I had never even met the elves myself, so I had no way of knowing where the high elves live, much less where the high elves are. "It''s the Demon Forest," . The White Witch is hiding in the deepest part of the Forest of Demon." The Demon Forest. The northeastern edge of the Farenheit frontier counties. It is located right on the border of our country''s territory, and is the same forest that I visited during the Wyvern Incident. "The Demon Forest ............ is in the territory of the Farenheit Frontier Count!'' "You knew that, didn''t you?"'' Jet replied with a smile like a child who has successfully pulled off a trick. "But why are they in such a remote place again? It''s the demon forest. Isn''t it dangerous?'' "I don''t know, it''s the " most dangerous" place in the world. The forest of demons is not a threat to you." The forest of demo is not a threat, or else it is not human. The actuality that the actual forest is not a threat, it is not a human being. Even I have never been there. "I''ve also been asked to speak to =Steinfeldt about this. Young people, go out there and compete with each other!" Jet slapped me on the back with a laugh. It hurts like hell!¡¡Without any training, Jet''s power is too much for a 12-year-old''s body to handle. "It hurts!¡¡......, is this a mission for the Special Division?" "I''m going to transfer you out of the Special Division. You can rest assured that your salary will be paid to you." "Oh, no, I wasn''t worried about that, but I''ll take what I can get." You will come back occasionally and work hard on your missions. "That''s a lot of work." "We don''t want to leave any of our valuable manpower unused". And so, here we are. The most powerful high elf in the empire, the "White Witch," whom I had not yet seen, was going to train me. T/n We had reached finale chapter of the 2nd arc ! I wanna thanks you for reading so far . I wanna apologies for irregular updates on that series . i will try posting more often . Since i had some other series that I am translating and my main focus is Arumaku ~ Kita no Ken, Minami no Tsue~ https://www.novelupdates.com/series/almark-northern-sword-southern-wand/ . If you had some time i hope you will check it out CH 93 "Okay, then. Are you ready?" "Yes." Iris and I, who had been ordered by the division to head to the "White Witch", were ready and met in front of the imperial mansion of the Fahrenheit family. ''What happened to the room in the apartment you had rented?" ''I''ve already cancelled it."'' "You''re acting fast." "Originally, I was going to cancel the contract as soon as I was accepted by the Special Division". "I see. So you were living in a cheap apartment until you passed the entrance exam.'' "Yes." If you are a member of the Special Division, you are guaranteed a very high salary. There is no need to go to the trouble of living in a cheap apartment . "So you can travel without any worries." "That''s right." I take Iris to my room. I''m not going to do anything **crazy* in the morning. I''m going to cut the trip to Heidburg short by using the transfer magic circle in my room. ''I''ve never done that before." I" think most people haven''t." In addition, I, who know a great deal about magic theory (although I am not as good as a first class researcher), supervised the project, so the probability of an error is about the same as the probability of a jumbo jet crashing. ("But if you think about the probability of being reincarnated in another world, it seems much higher. ......)" Since no one knows about the afterlife, perhaps all human beings have been reincarnated in other worlds after death, but there are not many otherworldly reincarnation related religions on earth, so perhaps a case like mine is quite rare. I think the idea of reincarnation in Buddhism is close in terms of image, but it is also not the same thing. I''m not sure if there are any other reincarnations in this world. Well, whether there are or not, as long as they don''t hostile me, I''m fine with it. Even if they are not Japanese, I think it would be fun if we could talk about Earthlings. Well, that''s just another idle talk. It''s not like I''m going to let Iris wait and get lost in my thoughts. ''Let''s go then. ......" ""Bye!"" The servants come to my room to see me off. Since I couldn''t fit everyone in there, Alice, my personal maid, and Hendrik, the head butler, as well as a few others, were standing in a tight group. ''I am grateful for your help, even if it was only for a short time. I will probably be back more often, depending on what the division requires of me, so please do me the favor of coming back then." "We, the servants, are always looking forward to your return, Master Eberhard." I''d be grateful if you''d say so. " I''m glad to hear that. ......, Iris." "Yes." It''s not going to be a long separation. It would be strange to be too gloomy, so I decided to say a quick goodbye and leave. We climbed on top of the transfer magic circle and poured our magic power into it to activate it. Lightly - for me, I should note - there was a feeling of magic being sucked out of me, and the next moment when the surrounding area glowed brightly, we were back in my room in Heidburg, which I hadn''t been to in a long time. ''Okay, here we are." This is Hurt''s house." "This is the first time you visited Heidburg, isn''t it?" "Not just Heidburg, but the first time I''ve been anywhere outside of Calvin''s and the Imperial City." "I see." Well, in this era ......, or rather the world, transportation infrastructure is not as well developed as it is in modern day Japan. Unless there is a big event such as a shrine visit to Ise or a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, the general public will not be able to travel far from home without much difficulty. Without trains, cars, or airplanes, the cost of travel is too high. It would be a different case if they were adventurers who earn their living by traveling around the country on their own feet, but they are not traveling by themselves. In most cases, "settling down" in the Hylant Empire means " to bury one''s bones in the land." "Well, then, let''s take it easy for at least one day before going to the Demon Forest. I''ll meet up with Lily tomorrow morning and have her take us there with her via transfer magic." "Your fianc¨¦e.'' "Yes, that''s right." Iris''s gaze on me is somewhat sharp. I''m not sure why. Well, that aside, tomorrow is the trip to the Demon Forest. I must take a good rest today and restore my energy. This time, we have to head to the "White Witch" by ourselves. I heard that the "White Witch" has some kind of information about how to get there, but at least we won''t be accompanied by an escort. In addition, if one cannot reach the "White Witch" by crossing the forest on their own, they will not be selected as a member of the imperial training program. The ranks required to go through the Demon Forest are A to A+ ranks, so there should be no problem at all with my current abilities, but there is also the matter of the demons, so it is better to be careful. "I''m going to prepare my equipment and personal belongings and spend the rest of the day at ease, okay?" ". I''m interested in the famous Arendahl workshop and the weapons shop in Heidburg. I would like you to show me around." "I''ll take care of it. Heitburg is my home". I'' m sure I know all about it, since it is my family''s territory. I have 90% hobby and 10% sense of responsibility, and I have traveled all over Heidburg since my childhood, so I have no hidden spot. "I''m reliable." And so, during the day, I visited Arendahl''s workshop and asked Mei to find me some good equipment, bought some recovery potions at the alchemy shop, and spent the rest of the day relaxing, putting surplus magic power into the magic tank, which had been out of action lately, to be ready for any emergency. ??? That night. At the Fahrenheit family mansion, a party was held to celebrate our return home after a few days and to send us off on our journey. Although there are "detoxification" and "healing promotion" to treat hangovers, deep drinking is still forbidden. Instead, we would talk about our stories in the Imperial Capital and the events in the Special Division, as long as we did not touch on classified information. My siblings'' eyes lit up when they heard what I was saying. My sister Noel seemed to be enjoying the conversation as well. My sister Noel also seemed to enjoy listening to me.¡¡I want to be strong as well. "Albert, you should first train your magic and learn it little by little. Besides, you are training with father in the Hokusho Bujinryu, right?" Yes, I am. I am currently training in the front side of the Hokusho Bujinryu." "Albert seems to have a particular aptitude for spear fighting. He is training in Bujinryu with an accent on spear and fighting techniques. If he could only master the spear, he might even be stronger than Eberhard." My father says with a grin and a glass of wine in his hand. He''s doing well. I''m looking forward to seeing his future. "The brothers are all great." Iris is also spoke up . "How is Rosetta?" I asked Rosetta, the youngest one who can talk ( her twin siblings can''t speak well yet). She is very enthusiastic about her culture training, so maybe she will make some progress. I have recently learned a new piano piece! "I see.¡¡I''d like to hear it later." "By all means!" She is a very cute little sister who is trying her best. "Come to think of it, it seems that sister is also taking on new studies these days." Albert mentioned something like that. "Sis?" Looking back at Noelle, I wonders if she didn''t expect the conversation to turn to her , but she starts to speak in a panic. "I just started studying the laws of the empire in order to acquire the education appropriate for a daughter of a noble family." "Imperial law, ......, does that mean you''re going to become a lawyer ?" "!¡¡I''m not! ...... maybe?¡¡I''ve only just started." My sister will be going to Bunri Academy in the Imperial Capital next year. When older brother was away, she was bragging about how she was going to take first place there. "First place , huh? Good luck, sis." "You''re the youngest person to be accepted into the special division, and that''s a lot of pressure for you. ......" For some reason, my sister looks at me reproachfully with a goofy expression on her face. But I know that Noelle is quite talented. She just doesn''t show much effort, but behind the scenes she is working hard on her studies and training. I feel that we really are siblings after all. "I can''t lose ." I must become even stronger in order to protect these happy times. The party is in full swang . Rubbing my swollen stomach , I think about my journey that starts tomorrow. CH 94 "Are you ready then?¡¡I can come back, but I don''t want to waste my magic, so I won''t come back unless it''s something important." "Don''t worry. I have everything I need in my inventory." "I''ve already transferred everything to my new inventory." "Okay. Well, then, let''s go." The next morning. Lily arrived just as the sun was rising and rushed us to make final preparations for our departure. However, I had already put everything I needed into my inventory, and Iris had an inventory that Mei had given me because she was a friend of mine, so I was practically empty-handed. The only preparations we had to make were washing our faces, eating breakfast, and changing into clothes for the trip. "Please be careful." Mei , who came to see me off, handed me something while saying so. ''What''s this?" "It is a shield still in the prototype phase. When it is activated, it deploys a sphere of hardened magic power that is as hard as steel. However, it is still a prototype that needs to be replenished each time it is used because it runs out of magic power after a single use." "You''ve made another useful thing, haven''t you?" ", since it is also a test, I am are it away for free. It seems there are three of us , enough for the number of people. "I''m off then." "Have a safe trip ". "Well, I''ll be returning from time to time, so don''t be sad and create more magic tools " "I''m off." The rest of the family had already seen us off, so all we had to do was fly away with Lily''s transfer magic. Lily kneads her magic and creates a large magic circle that covers the three of us . The magic distorts space-time. After a moment, we were transported to the demon forest. ?? "Hmmm, it''s still as dense as ever." "There seem to be a lot of insects." ''There are rather more monsters than insects. " "It''s cold." "I''m sorry, Hal. ......'' I feel the ladies are looking at me coldly. Lily''s eyes even made me feel pathetic. It''s sad. I''m not going to let you down. I''m the one you can count on when the moment comes." "That''s not fair." "Not very gentlemanly." "Ugh... ¡¡All right, damn it!¡¡I''m sorry I made that cold gag!" Looks like the majority''s violence won''t win me over. Guess where the rights of minorities ar:e....... "Let''s see, you two. Can we have a word?" "What?" "You two are from military, so you might be okay, but I''m just a human who can use magic, so I might cause you a lot of trouble along the way. I apologize in advance for that." Hearing those words, Iris and I couldn''t help but look at each other. , "Oh, no, you don''t. It''s okay. We''ll go at your pace, and since we''ve done a lot of preparation, I don''t think it will be that hard." "I don''t think so." "I''ll be fine. I''m not good at this either." To be ...... frank, Iris''s "not good at it" is only by the standards of the Special Division, not literally not good at it, but let''s keep that to herself for the sake of Lily''s pride. There are some things in this world that you don''t need to know. In the military, there are things that ordinary people, even the duchess of a ducal family, are required to know that would make them gasp in astonishment. Well, this time, I don''t intend to make the trip that hard. At the very least, I will limit it to a slightly difficult hike or trail run. The location is the Forest, a very dangerous area that can be entries at ....... "Well, let''s go." I say as I take out my magic sword, Raikiri, from my inventory and put it into my waistband. "Yes." "Let''s go." The two of them nodded heads and we stepped into the forest of demons. ??? "Iris, there''s a pack of wolves at your three o''clock. Use optical camouflage stealth and take them out one by one!¡¡Lily, fire a barrage of basic magic at the gangwolf pack as well, and keep them in check!¡¡I''ll take the orcs in front"! "Roger that." I''m on it!" The harshness of the demin Forest was experienced firsthand as soon as we entered the Demon Forest. The boundary between the outer edge of the Demon Forest and the normal forest is somewhat vague. Like a brackish area where fresh water and sea water mix, there are many monsters in the middle of the area, and the trees are of different sizes. In that area, there are slightly more monsters than in a normal forest, but it was relatively easy to get through without any particular difficulty in advancing. However, after entering the demon forest , the situation changed drastically. The atmosphere had clearly changed. The trees growing in the forest were all over 20 meters high. The number of monster had increased considerably, and their ranks were at least C rank or higher. It''s not as if it feared as one of the three most difficult places in the empire , along with the Great Mountain Range and the Great Labyrinth. "Be my dinner tonight!" I use my magical sword, Raikiri, to cut off the heads of the orcs. Orcs are of C- to B-rank , so when they come at in packs like this, it''s a little tough when without g Cloak". However, if I keep cast t it " against such small fry, no matter how much magic power I have even over 50,000, I will eventually run out of it. Gangwolf...... they are too many of them ! "Lily, do you need help!?" "I can fight ...... a little longer !" "I''ll do my best. " Gang wolves are also C-ranked , but there are so many of them. However, the durability of each and every one of them is not high, so if to keep them in check and take them out one by one, as we are doing now, we should be able to beat them. ......Okay, last one!" The fact is, a pack of gang wolves can be beaten in an instant if I am use the "Absolute Domain Killing Zone," but that would not be good training for Lily and Iris. . I wanted to train myself to cover my friends and turn to other enemies, so I did not dare to fight the gangwolves. And it seems that this intention was well understood by the two of them, who asked for my advice but did not want to directly ask my help , and seemed to be doing their best on their own. ''Bmoowwww ......'' The last of the orcs fell. At the same time, Lily and the others seemed to have finished defeating the gang wolf , and the demon forest, which had been filled with the sounds of battle earlier, became quiet at once. ''Ha ...... ha ....... That was a bit close. It''s hard to keep going." "I need to learn to hit the target a little more accurately, too. ......" They both seem to be well aware of the challenges they face. I can''t say that my coverage was perfect either, and above all, the biggest problem is that my close combat ability is not very high when I am not clad in "cloak ". I can handle it if it''s only an orc, but if it''s a high rank, like A rank, I won''t be safe. I don''t know if the unique skill of "practice make perfect that extend to physical strength, but for the time being, my immediate policy is to strengthen my fighting style . The description of the skill also says, "Hard work always pays off, and as long as you continue to work hard, your ability will continue to grow as well. "In whatever form it takes, there will be no growth at all. Up until now, I have focused on developing my magical power and spells , but from now on, I think it would be a good idea to develop in a well-balanced way. And yet, this is what happens the moment we set foot in the demon forest. I feel like I''ve been forced to confront exactly what I''m lacking at the moment. I''m not sure if this is a part of the training program that the "White Witch" has planned for us ? But it is not inconceivable. If one is not capable enough to break through the demon forest, one is not qualified to have training . Even if it is possible to break through, one should not just simply make it through the forest, but should break through while overcoming challenges . ......It is quite possible. It is rather appropriate considering the fact that the threat of demons and the Principality is increasing day by day, and there is no time to waste. "This ...... has a long way to go." Anyone who thinks it is just a forest will be in for a world of pain. The training of the "White Witch" has already begun. CH 95 It had been about 10 hours since we had entered the demon forest. It was gradually getting dark, and we decided to start preparing for the camping . We found a suitable location, installed several magical tools to ward off demons, and took out a simple house from the inventory. From my experience as an adventurer, I was convinced that camps in the demon forest would be fatal if we did not take measures against monsters, so I had prepared this secret magical artifact in advance. "As expected from Meo This is absolutely safe." "I think it would be difficult Even for the Imperial family''''s official artisans to prepare something like this in just a few days." "It''s very like her ." What I took out was a simple house of two and a half square meters in size. The materials used are different, and to begin with, this is a house, not a tent. First, the basic requirement for operating this simple house is the inventory. Without an inventory, the house is not even portable. It is no wonder. This simple house is made of extremely sturdy steel. It was an ultra-compact fortress built with the sole purpose of defensive strength and durability, without regard for portability or storage. It has a window for ventilation and surveillance, but the size of the window is very small because if it is too large, monsters will break through it. The entrances and exits are securely locked from the inside, and once locked out, it is impossible to enter unless someone is shocked enough to shoot it out with a cannon. In addition, the rooms are equipped with magical tools to control the temperature and air humidity, a small bathroom, a simple toilet, and a bed, so they can be used for long-term siege fighting. It is literally a fortress. Moreover, as long as supply can be ignored, it is a castle that virtually never falls. "The walls are made of 10-centimeter-thick steel plates, or is it a tank?" I whispered to myself and tapped on the outer wall. It sounds good. Of course, it is hard. It''s true that this will not affect your good sleep even if surrounded by a swarm of monsters all night long. ...... What about all the trouble I went through during the day? Iris complains. After all, in a matter of minutes we would be attacked by a swarm of demons or a high-ranking demon that exceeded the B rank. It was frightening to think about how many demons were living in the area. If a demon hunter were here, he or she would cry for joy. But I must add the caveat, "Only demon hunters who can afford to fight B-ranked demons in a series of battles. "Well, Iris,"is is part of training" "I know that But I''m not convinced." Iris. We need to take it seriously, at least for night ." "Yeah, I know. So this is just a complaint. I''m tired and depressed." Iris, thanks for all your hard work. And Lily, too. It must have been a tough job for you, not being used to going on a trip like this. ''No, I''m tired, but with your support, it wasn''t too hard . I''ll be fine even if I have to get up a little earlier tomorrow." "I see. I''m glad to hear that." During the day, we dared to go through the demon forest, which was overrun by vicious monsters. However, if it was a path that we had to take, it was not necessarily so. As a matter of fact, if the only thing we had to do was to get to the "White Witch," we didn''t have to take it as seriously as we did during the daytime. The way is simple. I use my "flying wings" to move at high speed and move to the center of the forest while avoiding the monsters. I would then activate the transfer magic circle and summon Lily and the others, and that would be the end of it. However, this would go against the principle of this training trip. Considering what this journey was designed for, I could not take that cheating way. That is the reason why I told Iris that she should at least take it seriously . "To be ...... honest, I feel like part of my training is how to make it through the night in this harsh environment. ...... But well, if you look at it from the perspective of understanding the importance of taking measures in advance, it''s just as stupid to attack at night in a foolishly straightforward manner." "I agree. The first-class fighters are required to have not only physical strength and combat ability, but also the ability to plan ahead and be tactful on the moment." "There are some who, like Jet, solve everything forcefully with physical strength and muscular power." ". That''s the exception, not the rule." "Ha-ha-ha, indeed." Lily tilted her head when she heard the unfamiliar name, so I simply told her about a man who was the head of a special division . "Is that man really a human being?" . "I don''t know, but his muscles are so amazing that he is not a human being.'' "The other day, he was smiling as he twisted and crushed a piece of iron armor with his bare hands. I don''t think he'' s a human being." "that''s ...... scary ......." Lily is pale and shaking. Jet, you son of a bitch, what are you trying to do, scaring my bride-to-be? I''ll have to give him a good hit next time I see him. ...... Well, it''''s not impossible for me to twist and crush iron armors. But in order to do that, I would need to activate "Clothing" or "General''s Armor". The scary thing about Jet was that he could do it without any strengthening. I really wonder who he is. I hope to find out more about him someday. But that aside, let''s continue with the preparations for the camp. Thanks to the simple house, we didn''t have to put up the tents, but we did have to prepare the food. It would be fine to just eat the food in our inventory, but it''s an opportunity to practice our survival skills. Therefore, I took out salt, pepper, herbs, spices, and other ingredients from my inventory and set them aside, while at the same time taking out one of the orcs I had hunted during the day. "It''s heavy. But the meat is firm and looks quite tasty." I wonder if it will survive in this demon forest if it''s too relaxed." "If you are lax, you will die in an instant." Yes, orcs usually have a strong image of weight, but all the orcs living in the forest were muscular and very lean. As for the reason for this, as Lily and the others had told me, if they were slack, they would soon lose their lives. Inevitably, the surviving Orcs were all muscular types of fighters. That''s why their whole body is considered a high quality filet mignon. It is rich in magical power, so it has a deep flavor. Iris tells me such trivia as she processes the orc meat. I see, there was a reason why even the most expensive stores in Heidburg had orc meat on their menu. I had wondered about this, since orc meat is generally a food for the general public. It was a scene that could only be seen in Heidburg, which is located close to the Demon''s Forest. It is said that in the imperial capital, there is a stable supply of high quality orc meat, thanks to the inventory and item box items that are brought in by the people. ''Lily, two Angry Hawks in the 5 o''clock direction behind you. Iris, one Poison Snake from your left side, at your nine o''clock." " Yes." ---- dodd...... ----push...... Even while preparing the food in this way, the monsters attacked unceasingly. The number of such encounters is lower than before, so it seems that the magical tools to repel monsters are working, but we cannot rest assured while we are still outside like this. "We''ll finish cooking early and go into the house as soon as possible. We can eat inside too." The two nodded at my instruction and moved their hands to proceed with their work a little faster. I expect that we have a lot of leeway because the decision-making process is so smooth. Perhaps it was because I had given them so many instructions during the trip , but before I knew it, I, who had the rank of second lieutenant and was an experienced adventurer, was conveniently acting as leader, and the two of them were following my orders . Both of them seemed to have no objection to this, and since I was not dictating to them, I had no problem as long as they were fine with it. "Now.e let''s get to grilling." " Good!" It was a delicious , and both of them seemed to be having a good time. I think it''s important to be refreshed while training ha CH 96 "It''s so comfortable that I doubt if we''re really in the middle of a demon forest ." Iris, who had showered and changed into a sleeping clothes, muttered something like that as she lay on her bed. She seemed to be ready to fight at a moment''s notice in case of emergency, but I couldn''t associate her appearance with the words "in the middle of a demon forrest ". "The "active sonar" is always casted , so there is no need to stay up all night." "I think that even when the dukes lead their armies on an expedition, they can''t relax this much. The duke and duchess are the only ones who can compete with the royal family." Lily, the daughter of the duke, calmly analyzed the situation. It is true that inside this steel house, the standard of living is about the same as that of a campervan on Earth. Even if a wild wyvern attacked us, we would be able to continue our sleep with no difficulty. "The orc we just ate was delicious, by the way." I couldn''t help but smile as I recalled the dinner I just had. I had eaten orc meat many times before, but I had never tasted such delicious orc meat. We hunted and cooked the orc meat ourselves, so it tasted even better. "Lily''s cooking was divine". "I''ve never had anything but good food to praise her on." "It''s good enough for me." After all, a embarrassed Lily is adorable. Combined with her relatively petite figure, she is so cute that I just want to hug her. What''s going on? "Grrr" ''Hyaaaaaaa......'' So I hugged her unintentionally. She''s my bride, so there''s nothing wrong with that. I breathe in the fresh soap after a bath and the slightly sweet scent of Lily herself, filling my nose and relaxing like an aromatherapy treatment. "What''s the matter?" "What, you want a hug too?" "Here, hug me." "Fluffy!" After releasing Lily, I approached Iris and gave her a hug, and the straight face of the case collapsed into a prodigal, awestruck, I don''t know, face. If Lily is vanilla, Iris is ...... citrus?¡¡That''s not so bad either ......." '' don''t smell it. I like the smell of Iris, too. "Ohhhhh ......." ?? All right, then, let''s get on with the day." "Right ......" "............ got it." The next morning, after breakfast and other preparations, we left the simple night house and were about to leave. .but both of them seemed somewhat uncertain or embarrassed in their replies. " You two?" "......, it''s nothing. Come on, let''s go." "Let''s go." "Seductress." Apparently, after looking at each other again, they were starting to feel embarrassed about last night''s hugging event. I half-heartedly made a sexual hug, thinking it would be normal in Western cultures, but I wondered if I was out of line in terms of the issue.¡¡As for Lily, I don''t think there is any problem because she is my bride, but as for Iris, it is completely sexual harassment against peers and colleague. "Did you not like it?" "I didn''t hate it!"¡¡.................. (because she''s my bride). "It wasn''t ............ bad." As for Lily, I''m just smiling because she''s always been a tsundere (big dere factor), but Iris is a surprising one. Apparently, hugs were a given. I was able to enjoy the girls'' soft bodies, which was a nice change of pace after a long, hard travels , and since it seemed to be the same for the girls, the result was all good. When the psychological state is heavy, it''s good to feel the warmth of human skin, isn''t it? I''m glad to hear that. So, I hope you''ll join me again tonight. ............ Now, let''s get going ." I wonder if ............ will really be all right. I''m sure my disturbed mind will calm down in soon Until then, there is no problem as long as I cover the cause. "...... As usual, there are so many monsters!" "But it''s a lot easier than yesterday." I think it''s because I''m getting used to it". We proceeded through the dense forest with Lily in charge of tracking, Iris as sniper, and me in the vanguard, both charging and defending. All of the monsters were quite strong, so we had to be on our guard, but we handled them calmly, so there was no problem. "At this rate, it will take a lot longer to get to the White Witch." Lily muttered to herself as she caught her breath after a break in the battle. It was true that the progress wasn''t fast because of all the fighting, but we were still moving forward at a steady pace. Hmmm, although I''d like to speed up the temp a little more." Lily, a citizen, is also a factor that is slowing down the speed of our progress, though not to the point that she is pulling us back, ''Then let''s try to make the magic a little more accurate." Accuracy? Yes," she said. Lily is in charge of checking and controlling now, right? Let''s change her to a destroyer. "I''m in charge of annihilation: ....... Wouldn''t I run out of magic with that?" ''That''s why we have to be more accurate . Let me show you example ". I aim at the tree branches around me and activate the "Absolute Killing Zone". The bullet-sized impact bullet hits the branch without missing by a second, and the shattered branches fall to the ground. ...... is amazing." "You have to hit the target with each shot. Aim for 100% if you can." Can i do it ......?" "Well, that''s al came l in practice." Easier said than done. I too had successfully mastered "active sonar," "shock bullets," and magic power control during the goblin fights in the past because I practiced hard and diligently with the force of blood and vomit. "This way, there will be no waste, and you will end up using less magic power than you do now. I''ll teach you the tips and tricks, and I hope you can master them by the time we get to the "White Witch". "I''ll do my best." Well, if I can do this as well as natural as I breathe, I''ll probably be accepted AS Court Magician''s , right?" Lily doesn''t have a problem when it comes to power. All that''s left is control. "For now, let''s learn ''active sonar. That''s a C rank, spell and it''s not that hard." "Yes." So, we suddenly decided to hold a magic lesson.however, was only for a moment and basically it was just a series of practical exercises against the monsters that were coming at us. ?? A week passed. We had gotten quite deep into the demon forest. The concentration of magical power in the atmosphere is also getting much higher. The center of the forest must be close soon. "...... ''Ice Gravel Icicle Gravel''!" ""Gaaaah!"" Lily''s magic has also become much more accurate. The hit rate is probably more than 90%. "Luminescent Lance Laser Lance" Iris, too, has increased the power of each blow considerably. The time it takes to accumulate has been reduced considerably, and the power output has increased considerably compared to the "heat ray flux laser beam" that had been used before. Now, even if a B+ rank monster appeared, it would be enough to defeat it with a single blow. And I. ---- "--''Hua Zan Arashi Mai Kazan Ranbu''!¡¡''New Moon''!" I was successful in improving my ability to fight in close quarters with my bare hands. Although a rapid improvement in physical strength cannot be achieved overnight, I have learned how to move my body, anticipate the enemy''s attacks, and decide how to counter. I have been fighting every day for the past week without " clothing," "general''s armor," or even the usual "body strengthening," and it seems to have had the effect of making me more powerful. The "practice makes perfect" is in full effect. The "Hana Zan Arashi Mai" is a cutting version of the "Arashi Mai," in which magic is channeled through the body''s nerves to boost reflexes and deliver a series of attacks like a storm dancing at a speed faster than the opponent''s reaction speed. The "Shingetsu" is a counter attack that is a deadly one-hit-kill attack that completely detects the opponent''s next move based on the magic power in the body, center of gravity, muscles, and eye movements. All of these skills are among the most difficult in the Hokusho Bujin Ryu, but I had certainly become adept at using them over the past week. "...... Now it''s just a matter of raising the level of physical strength. This is all a matter of time." Even Jet, the muscle man, was not born with such muscles and strength. He may have a certain amount of talent, but I am sure that he has achieved that strength through training. Then there was no reason why I couldn''t do it. Feeling the presence of the "White Witch" coming close , my heart was racing with anticipation CH 97 " ............ is this a monster?" ............ "............ uh, no, I guess not." "...... something ...... magical ......, right?" It has been about a week since we have been going through the demon forest. Just when we thought we were getting pretty close to the center, we came across a mysterious thing we didn''t really understand - an object?¡¡The object was floating in the air. The object was floating in the air, was white, and had a unique shape consisting of straight edges and sharp angles. ............In short, it was exactly like an arrow. "It''s an arrow no matter how you look at it." "Is it magic of the ''''White Witch''''?" "I don''t sense any evil intent,...... but I don''t understand how it works." "That''s the point, isn''t it? This looks like a simple spell, but it is very detailed, with some kind of perception blocking, and some kind of weird substance even though it seems to be an illusion. This kind of thing is only possible for a mage with unbelievable power." We can do something similar. However, it was quite difficult to copy such a sophisticated and futile technique like this arrow, which "materializes an illusion while at the same time imparting a sophisticated magic that interferes with the cognitive functions of the opponent by blocking recognition And there was no way that someone other than the person who was supposed to be our purpose to came here would go to the trouble of copying such an imitation in such a deserted area like the Demon''s Forest. "Well, it''s probably the White Witch." The probability that this arrow magic was created by the "White Witch" is very high. At any rate, it seems harmless, so let''s go in the direction the arrow points. "I guess so." "We must be on guard". I had heard that if you come to the Demon Forest, you will be guided, so there is no need to be so doubtful. This is a christening, so to speak. I guess this is a message from the "White Witch" saying, "Well, I live in the middle of this forest that you guys have gone through so much trouble to get here, and I can even take advantage of this kind of trickery." It is a hateful message, but I cannot refute it because it is a fact. Well, I guess she is telling us to be strong. If you are so stubborn and twisted at this point, I doubt we would have been invited to participate in this national project. "Let''s give it a shot, shall we?" I was suddenly burning up. I''m not the hero of a shounen manga, but I thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea to get a little passionate about it. ??? "House.'' " house." "There is a house." We followed the arrows for a few minutes. While we were still being attacked by monsters and fighting them off, the dense forest suddenly opened up to reveal a small, grassy field the size of a baseball field. In the center of the grassland, there was a rather splendid house. "This is the house of the "White Witch" ....... It''s huge." "Rich?" "Iris, you know. What''s the point of having money if you live in the middle of nowhere?" Maybe. It is curious that there is not a single tree or monster here, even though the area was so dense and full of monsters a bit earlier . Are there any barriers? I concentrated and tried to detect magic power. I tried to use the "passive sonar" to detect the magic power. As expected, I was able to detect a strong magic barrier at the outer edge of the grassland, right around the border with the Demon Forest. "There is a barrier ahead." "A barrier?¡¡............ Oh, it''s true." It''s so soft." Iris is playing with the barrier, poking it with her finger. What the hell is she doing? What if it''s a barrier that electrocutes anyone who touches it? "Be careful." "Okay, got it." After I warned Iris, I turned back to the barrier. Now, I am sure that the "White Witch" inside has been informed of our arrival. Well, I have a feeling she got the gist of it when we were guided by the arrow." "I wonder what kind of person she is. I wonder how she looks like. She''s a high elf, after all, tall, silver-haired, and extremely beautiful." I adore it." Generally speaking, the elves are tall, blond, and good-looking. I heard that there are various criteria for "good looks" according to the elves, but to be honest, we humans don''t see any difference between them. The High Elves are born every few hundred years or so and are the object of worship among the Elves. Unlike elves, high elves have a silver hair and excel in magic even more than the elves, who are highly skilled in magic, especially spirit magic, which they use as if they were their own hands and feet. Even ordinary elves are rarely seen in the Imperial Kingdom, and high elves are so rare that it is said that if you meet one, you will used up all your luck for the rest of your life. I can''t help but think that it''s a curse and not a blessing, but the people of the empire tend to value the virtue that they have accumulated over time, not just the luck that has just fallen from the sky . It must be such a mentality or national character. Now, let''s put such idle talk aside. It seems that the long-awaited "White Witch" has finally appeared . The door of a house, which could be called a mansion, opens and a person comes out from inside. White skin. Silver hair. And ......................... "Tall, silver hair, and ridiculously beauty? "Only the silver hair matches." ."................. is a lie!" She certainly had a beautiful face, very well-defined and enviable. However, it is a form that should be described as "pretty" and not "beautiful" at all. The high elf who came out of the mansion was a young girl. ?? ''No, it is not clear yet that she is the "White Witch"!¡¡She could possibly be his daughter, right?" "I heard that ''. White Witch'' is single living person. ......" "Then she must be a relative." "Are High Elves born that often?" "............, then, she is really a ''White Witch''?" I guess it was wrong that I had ignored the young high elf girl and talked to someone else, ., but I received a ridiculous rebuke in a cute voice. "You come to someone''s house and that''s the first words you say? I''ll strip you naked and throw you out into the demon forest!" "She is mad!" No wonder." Iris''s calm and bitter tone is hard to take. "I am happy to meet you . I am Henriette Lily von Bernstein, eldest daughter of the Duke of Bernstein. Thank you for your hospitality." "It''s too late to make up for it now, idiots." "Huh?" Lily rushed to greet her politely, but was cut down. "I''m Eberhard. I''m sorry I mistook you for a child." "It''s gracious. I can''t help but approve of your attitude. But I will not forgive you for the insult me , perverted !" No, it was not an insult. She''s very pretty. "Say "what"! "Huh ?" Well, to a perverted with special proclivities, a legal loli is as sexy as can be. In fact, she is quite cute. "I''m Iris. Nice to meet you." You are responsible for this, too. I will never forgive you. "......, um, just a little gift for you." Saying so, Iris offered a cake from a famous sweets store in the imperial capital. In this world, sugar is a valuable item, although not as much as it is in medieval Europe. Therefore, even if the sweet food is not a ---- that is, only royalty and nobility can eat it, it is a luxury item to the level that the common people cannot afford it. And what Iris offered was a very high-priced item from a very expensive store. It is a valuable sweet that is difficult to even carry without an inventory with a time stop feature. "It''s a cake!¡¡.................. Oh,. Hmmm. Well?¡¡Well, what is it? It can''t be helped. I''ll forgive you for the gift of your friend Iris." What a joke. She''s a really just little girl!¡¡I wonder if she''s really something .... ...... "A bribe in case of emergency. I''m glad I bought it." "Nice one, Iris." It''s a very black-hearted thing to do, but it''s not that strange when you think of it as a gift to someone you''re indebted to. I never thought that she will be a little girl, but she was . CH 98 After spending more than a week wading through the Demon Forest, we finally arrived at the center of the forest, where the "White Witch" was living, and she was a beautiful young girl. Her age is probably no older than 10 years . Her actual age was unknown because of her "loli like " tone of voice. "Ive lived longer than you did " "Sorry, I really don''t understand what you are saying." Didn''t you ever learn not to talk with food in your mouth? "I said, "I''ve lived longer than you. Listen carefully with ears of yours " I guess she''s a power-harassment master type. ...... I don''t like it. ...... And she looks younger than her actual age is. I''m not sure if it''s the way she would look with her actual age , but the atmosphere she has makes her look like a child. "How old she is , by the way?" "Probably about 200 years old. But that doesn''t matter, why don''t you tell us your name first?" Come to think of it, we hadn''t introduced ourselves to each other yet. It was such a shocking encounter that I had completely forgotten about it. "I am Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit. My military rank is second lieutenant. In case you''re wondering, I am S-rank adventurer" "Iris Steinfeldt. I am a sergeant in the same special division as Halt . I am is good at light-attribute magic. And I have no a adventurer rank." "Henriette Lily von Bernstein. I can use space-time magic." When the three of us gave our three-way introductions, the "White Witch" looked a little surprised and said, "Oh, you are a son of local lord from this land? How is Karlheinz?" "He is "fine." I felt uncomfortable using honorifics, so I switched to a casual tone. The "White Witch" didn''t seem to be bothered by it, and we spoke in a very casual tone even though we were meeting for the first time. "The last time I saw him was when he was eighteen. I haven''t seen him since he left with Theresia." "Do you know my mother?" "Theresa is my disciple". "Really?" Mom, I never heard that you were an disciple of the "White Witch. I am reminded that the world is a small place if the disciple of the " Green Witch" who has made a name for herself in the Imperial Kingdom is a disciple "White Witch." "So, from my point of view, Eberhard is my grandson''s apprentice?" She is the teacher o mother ,who is that great mage . There is no shortage of teachers. "I guess so. I don''t know exactly how long I''ll styay here , but I''ll be here under your mentoring for a while." "Mm." Mm. Thus, we officially become disciples of the "White Witch". ??? "Uh, "White Witch"? "My name is Anne Marie Elaine Jansson Igdrasil. It''s a bit long, but remember it well." "Well, Marie..." "You have given up trying to remember. Even though your names are long, too. ......" I really miss the three-letters full name I had when I was in Japan. Over here ......, the aristocrats have names so long that even I have trouble remembering mine. I think it should be more shorten Well, that''s aside. I finally reached "Marie the White Witch''s" house. I wanted to at least see what kind of training I would be doing here. "So, Marie, what kind of training are we going to do?" To put it bluntly, we have long passed the stage of "having someone teach us. That may have been fine when we were just starting to learn magic, but now that we are considered to be the future of the empire, mediocre instruction would have only stunted our growth. I am not saying that Marie''s coaching is not good. I can''t judge her because I haven''t received any training from her yet, and above all, there is no way that she is just an ordinary person since she is even said to be the strongest person in the empire. Just watching her use magic would be enough to give me some inspiration, and if she were to give me some practical training, I am sure that I would be able to grow by a great leap. In short, I asked out of hope. What kind of training will she give us? How far will she take us? I couldn''t stand still in front of the person who might be able to bring out my potential. "I was so nervous that I couldn''t stand still. I''ll tell you the details tomorrow. I have been living in the Demon Forest for a long time now. I will not run away." "Hal, when you take an interest in something, you become quite absorbed in it." "I think that''s one of your talents." "Indeed, I think it''s amazing that you keep on working until you get it perfect." I was somewhat embarrassed that both of them were giving me praise while they were giving me a hard time. "Well, in Eberhard''s case, it is true that training to "work hard until you get it right" suits his nature." Marie suddenly said that, so I asked her what made her think so. "Your magic power circuits expand in a way that is common among those who have trained thousands and thousands of times. When you will be of my age, you can understand this." It''s natural, but it''s not like you''re called the strongest in the Empire, for nothing ?" Right?¡¡I''m pretty amazing, aren''t I?¡¡So don''t underestimate me because of my appearance!" ??? "I''ve made it a fancy dinner tonight . Since we''ve come all this way, let''s give you a grand reception." That evening, what was served at the dining table was a magnificent meal, rich in colorful vegetables, meat, and fruits, which even aristocrats rarely see. If one looks closely at the food, one can see that it is all high in proteins and carbohydrates, which are easily used as a source of energy and are very tasty. "Tomorrow is the day of hard training, If you don''t have a good amount of energy today, you will be fall ill tomorrow ." As expected, this menu seemed to have been prepared intentionally. In other words, it is the reverse of the fact that the training starting tomorrow will be that much more difficult. "The details of the training will be announced at dawn tomorrow. Until then, rest and enjoy yourself at best." Dinner was delicious. And for that reason, Marie''s meaningful smile was scary. ............ CH 99 "Hey, it''s morning in the Demon Forest !¡¡Wake up!" --I feel a thud and am forcibly awakened from my pleasant sleep. " Oh, , ......" My stomach hurts a lot. It is as painful as when a child jumps on his father''s stomach when he wakes him up. It''s strange. I didn''t have a kid yet. "...... Marie, what are you doing?" I looked over with sleepy eyes and saw Marie standing on my stomach. She was standing on my stomach with both of her legs. "I came to wake you up because you wouldn''t wake up. You have a girl on either side of you in a house, you pervert." I twisted my head and looked to my left and right to see Lily on my right and Iris on my left, sleeping soundly. Yesterday, we had no choice but to sleep together in the guest room on blankets because our room was not ready yet due to our sudden arrival. "I remember you saying, something strange ? Well, it''s childish, isn''t it?" Incidentally, from this position, I could see Marie''s pants. The choice was quite cute, with polka dots. Even though I knew it is legal loli , it was still a very criminal scene. It was morning, and I, who was on the verge of fighting, was also pleased with this first sight in the morning. "Do you enjoy looking at my underwear?" The two hundred year old looked at me as if taken aback, but I couldn''t help it because it was instinct. I was in my teens. The lust in the midst of puberty is beyond the control of my reason, which can blow away at the drop of a hat. "Cheater." I felt a cold stare from my right side and turned around to see my bride, who was in a bad mood. Apparently, she had woken up and seen the current conversation. I wanted to apologize, but seeing Lily in all sorts of unsafe outfits after waking up from sleep, my instincts began to run wild even more. Ouch, ouch!" I rushed into the bathroom. I realized that the pain in my stomach from Marie''s stomping on me had long since vanished. ?? "Today, we will begin our training. First of all, we need to be aware of our tasks. Even though it''s ......, I''m sure you''ve all figured that out to some degree by the time you got here, haven''t you?" "''Ah, so this was part of your training after all." If one is not capable enough to break through the demon forest, one is not qualified to be trained. Even if it is possible to break through, one should not just go through the forest, but should break through while working to overcome challenges of one'' s own. I realized this while I was traversing the Demon Forest. And it was true. As it was a national project, time could not be wasted. "Let''s hear what you have to say one at a time, shall we?" Marie said, and we took it in turns to describe our own problems. I already have a high enough level of power, so I think I need to improve my understanding of the situation and covering when we are fighting as a team. As for me personally, I need to improve my strength with no magic. "I need to increase the power and accuracy of my magic." "For me, it''s about improving my ability to shoot and the accuracy of my offensive magic." Hearing this, Marie nodded her head and said, "Hmm." "I am sure that''s true. But you don''t have to come all the way here to do that, can''t you do it yourself?" ""Ah, ......."" That''s right. This level of challenge is only one that we can overcome in time if we work hard on our own self-improvement. In fact, we have already resolved this problem in the process of going through the Demon Forest, and the problem I just mentioned is just a matter of " further developing in the future". And Marie is not asking such a question. What Marie really wants to ask is: ............ "----I want to be able to master non-attribute magic so that I can deal with any situation." ............The ideal we''re aiming for. ............ It''s about saying what our future self will be after we''ve completed our training. It is only natural that I have challenges at the moment. Then, I guess she is asking us to describe our ultimate goal, which is to have no tasks. This was a message from the most powerful mage in the empire, saying that the training would be given to us so that we could surely reach that goal. "I want to become stronger. I want to use magic as powerful as Halt''s." "I want to master space-time magic even more!¡¡I think this magic has a lot of potential that no one knows about yet." The two girl , perhaps realizing the intent of the question, also describe their own ideal goals . "Ha-ha-ha, you know what I mean!¡¡Not many people have ever realized the purpose of this question." Marie smiled wickedly at me. "This is something worth training for, isn''t it?" Marie said, narrowing her eyes at me. ?? "By the way, Marie. No one else here but we ?" I had heard that other young mages with high potential would be gathered. "There will be others yet to come. But you were the first to arrive. The forest is not so easy that a young teenager can traverse it in a week." "Well, we came here in a week. ......" That''s why you''re not ordinary and have advantage over the rest of them . She praised us "How many people are participating?" Lily asked. "Hmmm, I think there were fifty or so," she said. "That''s a lot." Iris seemed to have the same impression. "But, well, I''d say less than a third of them make it here." "What does that mean, ......?" "Does that mean they are going to die?" "No, that''s not true. Even if they can''t reach the center of the Demon Forest, they are still a valuable force for the Empire. If they get into a pinch, I will extend a hand to them and send them out of the Demon Forest." "With that arrow magic thing?" That''s right. The whole area of the forest is within my control . I''m not going to give you any information you don''t need to know, but I know everything anything important. about that The most powerful mage in the imperial kingdom, as expected . I was proud to say that I was still over the top , but Marie was literally at the top o. Her small body emanated an overwhelming atmosphere of unrivaled dignity. Now, I may only be able to take a good look at your work until the other participants arrive. This is precious time. I will watch each of you and accompany you in your practice in a one-on-one way." "I look forward to working with you!" And so began the spartan training camp with unknown outcome and a goal above the cloud CH 100 to be trained by Marie on a one-on-one base until the other participants arrived. "First, Eberhard. " "Yes, by all means." I instructed Lily and Iris to wait and perform what they could do on their own, and Marie turned to me. "Now, Eberhard. Your goal is to master the attribute magic, isn''t it? "Fortunately, I have never been in a fatal situation in my battles, but there have been several times when I could have fought a little more comfortably if I had been able to use other magic. From now on, I'' m going to be fighting against many more opponents, such as demons and the Principality Federation, and I want to be able to handle any situation." you have a talent , no doubt about it , but despite it you have no ability to use other magics . Usually, no matter how weak, an attribute magic is never completely unusable. Most of the time, the magics are quite weak, only enough to create a spark of fire or moisten the fingertips, but even so, there have been few cases in past history where it was completely unable to be used. I say mostly because it was rare. People like me who could not use attribute magic at all. However, they all had their own unique magic without exceptions. They were cursed word users who could make their enemies die just by chanting, or they could manipulate the law of destiny to twist fate, and I heard that they used god-like magic that was far beyond the realm of human beings. However, all of these stories are from the time of the founding of the empire, or even before, so a tale more than 1,500 years old is half fictional, and in fact, is likely to include a great deal of overstatement. In short, I, who cannot use attribute magic, am quite doubtful from Marie''s point of view. "Hmmm. As the legend says, is it possible that the powerful inherent magic is suppressing the attribute magic?" "Well". To be honest, I''m not sure about that. but I don''t really know what it is. It could be said that it was thanks to my "practice makes perfect," but it''s still the result of my own hard work. If there is any doubt, it is probably the existence of the unique skill "practice makes perfect" or the memory of a previous life. It is clear that [practice makes perfect], which always rewards hard work and has no growth limit, is a powerful ability that is comparable to the unique magic that appears in myths and legends. However, I cannot tell Marie about these circumstances. I am not ready to let others know about the my memories from my previous life, let alone skill "Practice make perfect" My consciousness has always been linked to my previous life. I have an ego as Eberhard that has grown as I have matured, based on the image of me when I was Japanese. For me, the me I was when I was Japanese is me, and Eberhard is also me, not a stranger. The feeling is similar to the gap between my consciousness when I was a child and when I became an adult. Even if my personality and knowledge have changed to some degree, there is still some sense of continuity and identity, just as a person I am still the same person. Therefore, it is not as if I had taken over someone else''s body or was a different person from myself in a previous life, as is often the case in many fantasy novels. I am myself, and since I was born as a human being in this world, I do not feel that I am an aberration. In that sense, I am very comfortable in this world. However, that being said, I still don''t really want to talk about the fact that I have memories of a previous life. I don''t have a problem with it, .... That''s what people might say, "You''re an adult on the inside, but you''ve been fawning over children. "Even if they don''t say it directly because of my status, there is a good chance that they will have that kind of impression of me. Looking at Lily, Mei, and Iris, I don''t think there''s nearly as much chance of them thinking that way. I think they are very understanding of me, and I don''t think they would hate me for that level of confidentiality. Or rather, if the relationship is so tight that it can be cut off by something like that, I wouldn''t have allowed myself to be so open about it in the first place. So there is no problem. I know that, but I just can''t bring myself to tell the truth. I will have to tell them someday. I can''t keep it a secret for the rest of my life, and more than anything, I don''t want to keep it a secret. I want to be honest with people who care about me. "Well, you will understand the reason sooner or later. For now, put aside the reason why you can''t use attribute magic, and think about what you can do if you can''t use it." ". I understand." "Right, now is the time to train. We don''t have time to worry about the unanswerable questions. Let''s just turn it around." "If you can''t use attribute magic, you can use non-attribute magic to cover for it. I think this is not a wrong way of thinking. In fact, I can use all four attributes, but I am better at non-attribute magic." ...... "Well, then, Eberhard. I will ask you to take over all of the thousand non-attribute magic that I have at my disposal. So, Marie declared. .................. Whats? "What?¡¡A thousand?¡¡Not a hundred?" , "Yes, a thousand. spells , to me more correctly a thousand and twenty-one." "Oh, really? ......!" 1021. even if I learn three in a day, that''s 340 days. In other words, it would take almost a year. "Oh no, a thousand is tough on stone. ...... There''s also the assignment with the Special Division: ......." "Don''t worry. You can do it. There are not many people that can use that amount of magic and manipulate magic at your age. You are a rare kind of mage." "Oh, how embarrassing." "So you are going to start practicing right away." "I''ll do my best ......." Apparently, I'' m seriously going to be forced to learn a thousand magic spells. It sounds crazy tough, but I guess I''ll have to do it when I get here. ...... I'' m going to try ...... my hardest. "For now, you can manipulate your magic power and wait. I''m going to discuss training plan with the two other." "Yes, okay." After saying this, Marie headed toward Lily. I slapped my cheek as I stared at her back and got into the daily routine of practicing magic manipulating . CH 101 Pov : Henriette Lilly von Bernstein "Now, Lily is next. Your training program." "Yes, Master." Master. I remember that Eberhard had the best teachers, his parents, but Lilly doesn''t ?" Marie asked me as she looked at Hal. "Yes," I replied". My parents are far from being fighters. I had a few tutors through the Duke''s family, but none of them stayed with me long enough to be called masters." "You didn''t learn from Eberhard, did you?"" I had a few occasions to ask for advice from Hal, but I didn''t learn much from him. ...... I didn''t really learn much from him because of the distances between our houses and because I wanted to be beside him with my own power. "You don''t want to just be protected. " The master''s expression is somewhat joyful as she says so. "Yes." Hal, he'' s a great guy. He''s a little dirty and a little out of touch, but he has a strong sense of values and is able to work hard for the sake of what he protects. His magic and fighting skills are great, though I think that''s what''s really great about him. "I see. So that''s how you awakened to space-time magic." "That was by chance. The first thing I learned to use was the ice attribute." The ice attribute is a relatively rare attribute, although not as rare as space-time magic. It is said that people with a high affinity for the magic of the wind attribute and the water attribute tend to awaken to it. . Well, there are only a few people in history who can use the space-time magic . There is room for them to improvement it. "I would like to think so." "I can''t use space-time magic. However, I will give you my suggestions on what I know and what I notice, is that all right?" Yes, I do. Yes, please do so. "I understand. Then, while focusing on space-time magic, let''s also expand on the ice attribute and non-attribute . For now, you can focus on the space-time magic to be developed. If you notice anything, let me know." "I understand." Saying this, the master headed toward Iris. The master said he could not use space-time magic, but she was still the most powerful mage in the empire who had lived for 200 years. There must be something to gain for sure. With the joy of approaching a higher level in my heart, I began practicing to develop the of the space-time magic . Pov : Iris Steinfeld "And Iris. You are good at light magic, aren''t you?" "Yes." "I would think that the main thing about light magic is heal, but you have a rare type of spells that excels at offensive magic, aren''t you?" "I once saw a glass cup of water hit by the sun''s rays, and the wall became very bright. That''s when I learned to use offensive spells like I do now." "So you were using ordinary healing light sells before that?" "Yes, but only enough to heal a small injures . " I see. ....... Aren''t you satisfied with that?" Marie asks in a slightly agitated manner, but I have just learned that this is not a question she is asking actually . This is Marie''s way of drawing out her true question . It is a way that stimulates my rivalry and ambition, but I feel a little annoyed and frustrated. "I want to be more like Halt , who can defeat any opponent with a single blow, and use amazing spells ." "I see. You wanted to enhance your light spells , which is quite rare and useful, didn''t you?" "Yes." Marie grinned and continued. "It requires big amount of magic like Eberhard''s and a precise control over it. It''s like carrying dozens of kilograms of weight on your back and traversing a great mountain range. In addition, there is no guarantee that you will be able to makes it. It''s going to be a very hard training, will you be able to endure it?" "I was even able to get in the special division , which I had half thought to be impossible. If that is the case, I would like to go as far as I can." "It is wonderful to see a young people with ambition. Let''s start with the basic training. Fortunately, it seems that you have never received any proper instruction, and I think you will grow a lot if you start from the basics." "I will do my best." "Mm." I can go further. When I look at Marie and Halt, I feel such conviction. Something that cannot be explained by logic rises up from the depths of my heart and inspires me. Pov : Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg Fahrenheit While I was practicing magic circulation, Marie and Iris turned to me. It seemed that she had decided on a training plan for all of us. Marie comes back to me with the two of them. "Now that we decided on a general training plan for all of you, there are two more magic spells that you''ll need to learn." "Two more?" . We all have different specialties, but it''s unusual to learn in the same spell . "Master, what is this magic you want us to learn?" "Well, the first is the Divine Beast Contract." "Divine Beast Contract?" . I have heard of summoning monsters, but I have heard that monsters are generally violent, irrational, and difficult to deal with. I''ve also heard that some of them are rare, but I''ve heard that it''s not a unique trait of their race, so it''s completely left up to luck. If a monster bites your hand, it would probably cause more than just a injury. Because of this, there are not many people who use monsters as messengers. By the way, there are some ordinary animals that are not monsters (in other words, they do not have magic stones) and are kept as normal animals at all. Dogs, cats, and pigeons such animals. Cattle and sheep are also count in . ...... and that cow reminded me that, the Lumia cow is a monster . It is a rare creature that coexists with human beings. However, I doubt there are any other monsters that are as close to humans as the Lumia cow. "Aren''t they different from monsters ?"" Iris, who seems to have thought the same , asks Marie. Marie seemed to have expected that question and nodded her head and said, "A divine beast is a being that is half spirit and half animal. In other words, they are similar to demon . However, unlike them , they are not ferocious, but intelligent one ." Spirits, huh? I remember that Mei used spirit magic during her training. The Dwarves are loved by the spirits, so they are easy to contact them . "I have a few contracts with divine beasts. Let me show you an example. Peter, the white-haired rabbit of the forest, come here to accept the contract." The next moment, Marie clap her palms together as if she were clapping her hands together and chanted a spell at the same time. A huge magic circle several meters in length appeared , and something appeared from it with a dazzling light. When the light subsided, there was a huge white rabbit, perhaps three meters long and two meters high. "Wooooooo!" There was a huge rabbit right in front of us . Even though it was a herbivore, a rabbit nearly two meters in size would have scared me to death. It was cute, with dull eyes, but the glimpse we got of its mouth and its vicious front teeth, which are unique to the heavy-dentates, was horrifying. It is so powerful that it could probably even gnaw through a steel plate. ...... It seems that rabbits can''t talk in this world as well, and Peter the white-haired forest rabbit (Peter is a man''s name, right?) was being petted by Marie without making any sound. He''s so cute even if he''s big. I don''t feel like I would lose in a figh with him t, but it''s cute enough that I don''t think I would actively want to fight it. Compared to other animals, rabbits have no power, and I can''t help but think that their cuteness is the reason why they have survived in the natural world without being hunted . I WAS thinking about such escapism, but in any case, i was overwhelmed by the super large beast that was stand before us. CH 102 "Do you want to touch him?" Marie asked me while fluffing up Peter. The fluffy bunny and the little girl playing with each other looked like a divine picture of religion, to put it mildly.¡¡No, I was to be a wall to watch over this happy scene. "I don''t know what kind of nonsense you are thinking, but I am older than you." "Come to think of it, " The high elf''s clear white porcelain skin and dazzling silver hair give her a godlike appearance that is not of earth, but she is a human being of course. She is a High Elf who has lived for 200 years. Two hundred years would mean that she would have been born in the Edo period if she had lived on earth . It was not even the Meiji era. I wondered what had happened since my reincarnation. . I''ve heard that rabbits mistake your finger for a carrot and take a chunk out of it. "...... Oops." My palm unravels. The fur is so soft and warm that normally I would never touch it if I lived in a normal world. Is this a rabbit? ...... Peter''s eyes met mine. I thought he would not be very smart because he is a rabbit, but surprisingly, his eyes had a light of intelligence in them. "Peter, how old are you now?" I asked, and Peter stamped his foot seven times. ", ............7?" Then he stamped his foot again. A" girl?" --DUN-dun-dun. "Boy?" --Dun-dun. Well, it seems that one "dun" is an affirmative and two "duns" are negatives. I knew he understood me. "He''s smart." "Yes, Peter, you''re very clever." Marie-hugs Peter-kun with an innocent smile like a little girl. The four words "the strongest in the kingdom" do not come to mind when I look at her. "Master, "I could understand why Peter is so cute but how he will help in battle?" "Hmm?"¡¡The enemy won''t attack if there''s a cute little bunny, can they?" ""Huh?"" Don''t tell me you are serious? " Relax , it''s just a joke " "When you says it, it doesn''t sound like a joke. ......" "Does it fit the image?" "Master, ......, I''m sorry to tell you this. , but the feeling of discomfort is not doing the work at all. ...... that ......" "Yes, !¡¡You are all insulting me!¡¡I''m going to turn you into worms for dinner tonight!¡¡If you don''t finish it, I''ll change you into a caterpillar and leave you in front of a giant spider''s web!" ""Oooohhhh I I''m so sorry!"" Marie-could probably actually do it, and we are desperately sorry for our repentance. She must not be offended. Well, even when she''s angry, she''s cute, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. ?? Let''s leave the jokes for now, then. As for the advantages of the Divine Beast Contract, first of all, it simply doubles your strength. And by having a connection with a being similar to a spirit, the contractor''s own aptitude for magic will be increased. In addition, it is also possible for the contractor to use spells that one is not good at, or to have the contractor take care of the magical power consumption. The process that would normally be done by spirit magic is now done by a divine beast. This is called Divine Beast Magic, not Spirit Magic.a" "Oh." Hmmm..." Marie now in a serious mode, explains the process while stroking rabit . Peter''s eyes narrowed as if he was comfortable every time she stroked him, and Marie-san kept stroking him with her tiny hands, which was just adorable, but I had to focus and listen to her. "Can''t we just use spirit magic?'' Lily immediately asks a question. She is the talented daughter of the Duke of Bernstein. "Spirit magic is fine, but it depends greatly on your aptitude and is difficult to use in areas where there are few spirits. On the other hand, with a divine beast contract, the divine beast itself is like half a spirit, so you don''t have to choose the place at all." "I see. ......" Iris followed up with a question that went deeper into the previous answer. This is also a good point. " I am not. Strictly speaking, a compatible divine beast is summoned according to the aptitude of the individual." What if there is no single suitable divine beast?" . That''s a pretty good point , isn''t it? "The pre-born form of the beast will be summoned. In other words, the pure and innocent Divine Beast will be dyed in its own colors." "Wow." Sounds like something I''ve heard somewhere in the Tale of Genji. Is it an adult manga? "Especially in Eberhard''s case, he seems to have unique characteristics, so there might be some kind of oddity." Marie has raised the flag in a big way. This is going to be a bumpy ride. "There are many advantages , but are there any disadvantages?¡¡Like the cost of mana ?" Iris cut in from the other side. "Well, I don''t see any particular disadvantages. The food cost is also not a problem as long as you give it to them as a snack since magical power is their staple food. ...... In other words, there is no reason not of doing it. Oh, and there is also the advantage of being recognized by others just for having a divine beast with you." "But if it has so many advantages, why don''t people use it?" It''s the same with shady investment and whatnot solicitations. If you know you''re sure to make money, it''s not right that the entire nation''s occupation should be that of an Investor. When only the advantages are stressed, the simple question arises, "Then why doesn''t everyone else do it? ""It''s simply because it''s so damn hard to get a Divine Beast contract." A girl mustn''t use such bad word as "damn! "Are you her guardian? Well, Eberhard has a good point. Normally, people would be suspicious." The advantages were emphasized, but there was a flip side to those advantages. Not everyone can do it. When I think about it, that''s a fair point. Not everyone can be the president of GAFA. Most people probably won''t be able to acquire the association. "Well, that''s where I come in. I will do my best to help you to make sure that you will be able to get the Divine Beast Contract. The most important element for the Divine Beast Contract is magic power. I''m sure all of you can do it without any problems." Saying this, Marie stepped back and deployed a magic circle in the air. The magic circle is about two meters in diameter and is quite large. It is difficult to reproduce it with just a quick glance because of the complex magic formulas put into it. You will have to look at this magic circle and decipher the magic formula. It may take some time, but once you understand what magic formulas are woven together to make up this magic circle, you will be able to use it on your own . Marie pressed the magic circle onto the metal plate she had took from somewhere and burned the pattern on it. "Look, Here is the magic circle that i transferred. The three of you will work together to unravel it." As if to say so, Marie-san went inside the house on Peter. Well, it seems that the training is indeed quite tough. "I wonder if we can do it." Iris, who is not very good at writing, muttered anxiously, "Well, we''ll just have to give it a try. Maybe it will be easier than we thought." Well, we won''t know until we try." Lily is also motivated. And Iris is by no means stupid. She has passed the examination for the Special Division at the Imperial . In fact, the knowledge of magic among the people here is of a fairly high standard, even within the Imperial Kingdom. This is because we did not take advantage of our aristocratic background, but rather took full advantage of it to study hard,....... Well, anyway, let''s be as enthusiastic as "If we can''t solve it, who else can?" I took a table , a chair, a stack of papers, and a pen from my inventory. "Let''s do it. The goal is for each of us to create a magic circle on our own." "Yeah." "Let''s do it!" As the sun gradually rose, we sat around the table and quietly worked on analyzing the magic circle. CH 103 ''Iris, that part is different because it is inconsistent with the fundamental magic formula, isn''t it?'' "Oh, really. ...... Then how about this one?"" "...... It''s also compatible with the Attribute Based Magic Formula. It is properly compatible with the Attribute Recognition Magic Formula, and it is tied to the contractor." Several hours of work were spent analyzing the summoning magic circle. The sun had already set just above the horizon and was about to reach the time of day when the temperature was at its hottest. "Phew, we''re almost done. I guess we'' ll be done with the analysis in a little while." Lily stood tall as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I''m almost done," "I haven''t used my brain this much in a long time." The effects of the approach of summer from spring are gradually beginning to be seen, even in the cold regions of the northeast of the empire. Until recently, the nights were chilly, but nowadays it is no longer cold and freezing at night. The days were warm ...... or even hot, depending on the day, and spring was definitely coming to an end. "Hey, pupils! Your food is ready!" We heard a voice from the house and turned around to see Marie waving her hand and calling for us. "Let''s head back for now," "I know, I''m a little tired, let''s take a break." "Yes, let''s take a break". What''s for lunch today? The meals that Marie prepares are not only good for the health but also very tasty. It is so good that Marie can compete with Lily, who is a first-rate cook. "Today''s lunch is a steak sandwich with seven-colored pheasant." "Pheasant!" Pheasant The seven-colored pheasant is a kind of pheasant that is said to live only in the Demon Forest, and it is a mysterious pheasant that literally has seven different colors of plumage. It has a juicy and flavorful meat like the best thigh meat with abundant magical power, and is considered one of the luxury foods that are rarely served at the dinner table even in the imperial capital. I hear it''s quite rare in the world. If you live in the Demon Forest, seven-colored pheasants are an everyday occurrence. It is not that the seven-colored pheasant is an extinct species with a small population, only that it is hard to find in the market because it lives in the Demon Forest. Living in the forest is not only good for training, but also has other advantages. This food is also a benefit. Not only is the food rich in magical power tasty, but it is also digested and absorbed by the body, increasing its magical power. "I''ve never heard of that before." "Is there such an amazing result?" The ladies are closing in on Marie.. They say that more magic power is good for your beauty and keeps you young. I could understand why they were so desperate for a reason other than just "I want to be strong. I don''t really think it''s a problem since they are still young. ...... I mean, maybe. ''Marie looks so young because she lives in the demon Forest? ''No, that can''t be it!¡¡This is a racial trait of m trib , you idiot!¡¡High elves have an abnormally long life span and grow slowly!" The red, embarrassed and furious Marie was quite cute, like a child throwing a tantrum. I wonder if high elves have ears that wiggle up and down when they are emotional. It''s a new discovery. ?? "Well then, let''s get to the last part ." Oooh." We regain our spirits as we face the stack of papers spread out on the tab;e . We''ve already finished analyzing most of it, the summoning magic circle. All we had to do was make a final review, redesign the magic circle for our own use, and we were done. With the sun''s rays slightly tilting in the direction of our backs, we were absorbed in our work while chatting . ??? "And it''s done! "Now we''re all done!" "Our very own divine beast ....... I wonder what kind of beast will be summoned ?" Finally, the analysis and design work was finished, and we were able to stand at the starting line where we could try to make contract with Divine Beast. "Oh, it'' was sooner than I thought. Which one, let me see." Marie , who had suddenly come out to the front, went around checking the magic circle we had created one by one. All three of you have no particular problems. You understand the nature of the magic circle and are able to create your own magic formula. You have passed the test. "Yay!" Marie finally prised us . "Then, let''s start summoning. First, Iris. You first." "Yes." Iris is the least unusual of the three of us. Even though she has the peculiarity of being an attacker, she is nevertheless a light-attribute. And since other wizards have summoned light-attribute divine beasts, it seems that we can avoid any unexpected situations. Iris, under Marie''s order , draws a summoning magic circle of her own on the ground. When Iris finished drawing the huge formation, which was several meters in diameter, Marie gave a brief explanation. :Once you have kneaded the light-attribute magic power, you must transform it into the magic circle. There is no need for chanting or manipulating magic power. Just keep the ideal image of the divine beast you want in your mind and think about it.: "I understand." Iris nodded, closed her eyes, and began to knead the magic. The layers of light-attribute magic power weaved into Iris''s body swelled up, and she gradually began to glow. "Now, transform the magic into the magic circle." "Yes!" Iris changed magic power into the magic circle. The magic circle begins to glow from the edges, as if it has been brought to life. "Oh, ......" "It''s amazing, isn''t it?" And just as the glow reached its peak, the silhouette of something emerged from the center of the magic circle. ''That''s enough.'' At Marie''s instruction, Iris stopped injecting magic power. The glowing magic circle gradually fade and the surroundings returned to it''s original brightness. Indeed, the divine beast that appeared in response to the summons is ----. "Cuey!" "Chameleon?" Iris muttered. What appeared from the center of the magic circle was a cute yellow-green chameleon about 30 centimeters long. "Iris. You must give him a name.'' "I will name him. ............ your name is Leon. "Nice to meet you, Leon. Leon, the chameleon, stuck out his tongue and licked Iris''s hand. . It seemed that communication was possible. I don''t think the name Leon...... is a little too easy, but since it (or rather, the lizard) seems to be happy, I don''t mind. The chameleon is a protective color that can be manipulated at will. It would be the perfect beast for Iris, who can use the "optical camouflage stealth" of light attribute . Iris was patting Leon with a face that looked as if it was not full of joy (although it was as close to a straight face as ever). CH 104 "And yet with the camouflaged king of dragons, King Chameleon... ......" "Master?" Lily asked back to Marie who muttered in a whisper. "The camouflage king chameleon summoned by Iris is a very good one. The Lizard summoned by Iris is the King Chameleon of Camouflage, a higher dragon species that may eventually reach the S rank." "A higher dragon species?" There are a lot of different dragon species in this world. Or perhaps a middle-class dragon, such as a earth dragon. Adventurers and armies are rarely called upon to kill dragons up to this level, and although they are difficult enemies, they are not so difficult that humans cannot defeat them. However, the upper class dragons are a completely different matter. They are clearly of a different rank from dragons up to the intermediate level. First of all, they possess intelligence that did not reach the level of intermediate dragons. Their intelligence is said to be equal to or even greater than that of humans. Second, their lifespan is significantly longer than that of humans. There are some lower and middle class dragons that live longer than 100 years, but they rarely live longer than a few hundred years, and rarely longer than a thousand years. However, almost all of the higher class dragons live for more than 1,000 years, which clearly shows how long they live. The reason why "almost" and not "all" is that some of them are rarely killed at a young age after losing a battle among the higher dragon species. Such a case is said to be quite rare, but it is said that the raw materials picked up by humans at that time have become legendary weapons passed down from generation to generation in some countries or by some great noblemen. And finally. Unusually strong. It is said that a long time ago, a human in a certain town did something outrageous and incurred the wrath of a higher dragon species. Legend has it that not only the town, but the entire country was destroyed. This story was set a thousand or two thousand years ago, so the size of the country at that time was not so large. Nevertheless, the fact that they were able to take on a nation and fight it on equal terms, and even destroy it, should give you an idea of how out of the ordinary the higher dragon species are. Iris, who summoned a higher dragon type with the potential to grow into such a terrifying being, may or may not have understood this. The person in question was happily playing with the yellow-green Leon, who reached out his tongue and licked her finger with ? "Now, next is Lily. It''s you." Yes, master." Lily answers with a tense look on her face. ''Be aware of both the ice attribute and the space-time ability. If you are only aware of one or the other, you will only be able to call upon the divine beasts that are affected by either one or the other. "I''ll do my best." "Well, I''m sure you''ll be fine. Now, let''s summon it." "Let''s start with ......!" Lily closes her eyes and begins to cast her magic. The ice-cold magic and monochromatic magic gushed from the depths of Lily''s body and gradually became denser and denser. The magic power is then poured into the summoning magic circle, and the magic circle begins to glow, just as it did with Iris. The only difference from Iris is that the color of the magic circle that reacts to the magic power is light blue. Other aspects of the scene are quite different, such as the gushing black-and-white lightning bolts. The image is from "......." Lily continues to put her magic power into the line with a pained look on her face. The magic power kept pouring in for a while, and then a silhouette appeared in the center of the magic circle with a thunderous sound. The lightning stops, and this time a cold wind blows around the area. --Then the breeze subsided, and what appeared was a puppy ...... about 40 centimeters long, no, a baby wolf. The calf barks. Its voice was high-pitched, clearly asserting that it was still a child. Its fur was gray like the magic of Lily''s space-time attribute. A light blue lightning bolt pattern runs from her eyes down the middle of her body. , "Hello, ....... I am Lily. I am the one who summoned you." "......woof." The child wolf, perhaps a little shy, cautiously approaches Lily. "Oh, Fenrir the White Ice Wolf,....... It''s . quite ...... unusual, no, it''s far from unusual." "Is it?" "Fenrir the White Ice Wolf has been contracted in the past, but it''s still pretty rare. Fenrir But normally, Fenrir the White Ice Wolf has a light blue fur like ice. I''ve never heard of a gray one." "I wonder if the space-time attribute has something to do with it." "I guess so. ......" For now, let''s just name it. ...... Hey, Lily, ......!" "Yes, Master." "Give him a name. The wolf has no name because it has just been hatched". "I understand." Lily worries as she strokes Fenrir, the ice wolf calf. The wolf calf was getting used to it and was being petted around quietly, but after a while Lily stopped petting it and put her hand across its face, it looked up at her in surprise. ''I''ve decided. Your name is Ash. You have beautiful gray fur." ''..Woof '' After all, this little wolf can probably read minds rather than understand human language ....... He seemed to have a firm understanding of what he was named, and here he started wagging his tail for the first time. "woof woof!" ''Ha ha!¡¡That tickles, Ash." A puppy (not a dog) and a little girl playing. This is another one. Lily, in particular, is a beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of rare beauty, so her interaction with animals is very cute . Marie''s silver-haired little girl and Lily''s blonde-haired girl. Surrounded by gold and silver, my eyes are pleased . ............ Iris, perhaps sensing that I was looking at them with a wicked (?) eye, looked at me with a straight face and a grim stare and a jealous look. Iris---- her slightly quirky bob-cut hair is a deep blue-- --She''s also a pretty good-looking girl, but she''s not as good-looking as two of the religious mural class of the stone. So I guess she was a little jealous. "It was quite a harmonious sight when Iris was there." However, that does not mean that Iris is inferior to them. Lily and Marie have their own charm, and Iris has hers. If the two of them are like a religious mural, Iris is like a snapshot of a family. There is a life-size beauty in them. Well, in short, it''s nice to see a girl playing with animals! "...... Well, I forgive you." It seems that I have been forgiven. CH 105 "Well, I''m the last one." "Well, then. ......Eberhard. you are different, for some reason you have no aptitude for attribute magic. This is really a rare case and even I can''t predict how it will turn out. You must be very careful when summoning it." Marie-san warns me with a serious look on her face. It seems that she too will be on the guard so that she can deal with anything that may happen. "Yes, I will be careful." "Then begin the summoning.'' "Yeah." I used something like a white line marker to draw a summoning magic circle on the ground, just like the other two. In most cases, when using normal magic, the magic circle itself is created by magic power. This is because it is faster, and the magic circle can be created in any location - even underwater or in the air. However, when one want to use a big magic that cannot fail, it recommended to draw the magic circle directly on the ground, floor, wall, paper, and so on . ''...... Okay, you cannot make a mistake.'' ...... I drew a magic circle that was exactly the same as the one I had built and Marie had checked - although the size ratio was different - and after taking a breath, I began to work on the magic. The sensation of having the magic power of my whole body compressed in my tanden and circulating through my blood vessels. The magic power that was just there is being kneaded hotter and hotter. I start to knead it, even though it is non-attribute. I put the high-density magic power into the magic circle, which is non-attribute, but is kneaded into the magic circle. The white light, which is a little different from that of Iris, covers the magic circle with a white light that is almost infinitely transparent. "The magic power is amazing ......!" The magic power is so dense that it even influences the people watching around it, giving the illusion that the space is warped. "!" This is pretty tough for sure. I can understand why Lily and Iris were having a hard time. It is as if the magic power is being drained to the limit of one''s own magical power. And since I needed to work on kneading the magic for the entire time, I could understand how tough it was. It could be seconds, dozens of seconds, or even minutes. After enduring for a while, the glow of the magic circle reached its peak. All at once the intensity of the light increased, and I could no longer keep my eyes open. "Geez, it''s blinding!: "My eyes are glazed. ......" "Hal, you''d better take responsible !" A sort of three-way condemnation ...... is sent. I mean, it''s not my fault that last sparkle! As it happens, I, too, have had my eyes harmed by the glow of the magic, so my eyes will be flickering and my sight will not return for a while. I mean, if the divine beast summoned was a strong one, it would be quite dangerous, right?¡¡I don''t hear any sound for some time....... "............ Oh, my eyesight''s back." After a few dozen seconds or so, the eyesight''s finally returned. By that time, the light of the magic circle has already disappeared , and the silhouette gradually becomes clearer and clearer as my eyesight recovers. The divine beast of mine that came in response to my summons is ............. "............, an egg?" "An egg." "An egg. "An egg." While I was unable to take any action because my eyesight had not returned, I found out why I had not heard any sound. To my surprise, my summoned divine beast had not yet been born. ?? "What should I do with it?" I asked Marie while holding and warming the Divine Beast''s egg like a parent bird warming an egg. This egg is quite large. It is 30 centimeters high and about 20 centimeters across. It is quite heavy when I hold it like this. Marie looked at it and said with a puzzled look on her face, "Hmmm.......... I''ve never heard of a Divine Beast egg. ...... Usually, divine beasts are summoned in their BORN form. There is no record of a divine beast being summoned in the form of an egg in all time." "Oh, really?" "Hal, you ...... egg ...... pfft!" "Halt, you look like a mother bird." Lily and Iris are laughing at me holding warming the egg. The two of them are laughing as if they are the only one were able to summon beast in their born form,....... I''m going to have to punish you for this later. "But, even divine beasts are a subspecies of animals. I don''t think there is that much difference in their ecology. In fact, Peter, although he is small for his size, he drinks water and eats food." "I''m not sure what to expect. I thought that since it'' s a kind of a hybrid between a spirit and a child, all it needed was magical power." "No, that''s not true. Some spirits also eat food. But most of them do not do so out of necessity, but rather for pleasure." "Well, in short, I guess you can raise it as you would raise animals." "However, it is a divine beast, and I don''t think it is enough to simply rise it up. "That''s right." In the case of ordinary animals, almost all of their bodies are made up of ordinary substances, but not in the case of divine beasts. "I can''t wait to see what kind of divine beasts will be born from the egg that have been summoned by Eberhard''s enormous magical power." I see. The more magic power I pour into it, the more likely it is to become stronger. I"''m sure you can use magic to rise it up, right? "I''ll have to do that, otherwise I won''t be able to rise it . It can''t be helped." I imagined a quail egg hatching machine. "Eberhard. From now on, you must feed the egg with magic power every morning and evening. But for the time being, the magic power is probably low, so we can inject the magic power later." "Yes, all right." Thus began my life of rising the egg not ...... holding them. I''ll give it magic power, I''m not neglecting you, I told myself. .. CH 106 After we finished summoning the divine beasts without any problems other than the occurrence that the summoned divine beasts turned out to be an egg, the rest of Marie''s thankful talk began. Lily was holding Ash , the ash ice wolf Fenrir, Iris was holding Leon , the camouflaged king dragon King Chameleon, and I was holding the egg Tama-chan (a tentative nickname until it hatchet). We sat side by side holding egg, and listened to Marie talk. Now that we have completed the Divine Beast Contract, let''s move on. Do you remember that I told you at the beginning that there were two spells that you would have to learn?" Oh, that''s what she said. I had forgotten about it because the Divine Beast Contract was so significant. "I will explain the other one now." We subconsciously straightened our posture, thinking that we were going to be asked to do some more work, but Marie saw this and said with a wry smile . "You don''t have to be so tense . What I am about to tell you is not something you will be able to do in a day or two." We patted down our chests with a movement that sounded onomatopoeic. The synchronization rate is over 90%. Marie-san, who coughed deliberately, spoke with a tone of sarcasm. "Well. Have you ever wondered why you can use magic?" "Why can we use magic?" It''s a very basic but ...... difficult question. It''s a philosophical question. I can easily take the question because I know a different world from this one, but for the people in this pure world, where magic has been around since birth, the question must be meaningless. All we can say is, "Because ...... we have an aptitude for magic, isn''t that it?" A question like, "Why do people die?" Lily and Iris respond to Marie with expressions like, "On the contrary, why are you asking such a question?" The question is probably a fair one. "The question is a fair one. Then let''s switch to the question of how the magic is activated." "How ......" "I was taught that magic is cast by kneading the magic in the body and altering the world according to a magic formula ......." "Well, it''s not a mistake. What exactly is the magic power inside the body?¡¡And how exactly was the magic formula discovered?" "......, I don''t know." "Master, it is too difficult." It seemed that the question was a little too difficult for the two of them. But, well, it could not be helped. There was no way that the two young people, inexperienced in life, could answer in a few minutes what the ancient Greek philosophers must spent their entire lives trying to figure out. "What about you, Eberhard? You''ve been quiet for a while now. ......" "......I think there''s probably some kind of substance we call magic power. It must be so small that we can''t see it, and it''s in all kinds of things, like air, water, and food . We take it into our bodies through breathing and eating and manipulate it to use magic. Am I right?" This is just my own guess, but it is not far off the mark. Even electric power, which is a representative form of invisible energy, is a flow of tiny particles called electrons. It would not be surprising if magic power is also made up of similar particles. "I am surprised at this. How did you learned it?" "Well, I just kind of knew." The reason I was able to answer in this way is because I was able to guess it naturally with my knowledge from my previous life. It was a cheating , so to speak. As long as it is not a answer that I came to through my own hard work, it is not something I can be too proud of. "This is a hypothesis that has only recently been discovered by many years of research by the Court Magician''s lab and the professors of the Academy of Magical Arts. ...... Well, continue. The magic power we kneel when we use magic. Recent research has suggested that this magic power may be in the form of particles too small to be seen by the human eye. And some researchers call it magic element." "Magic Elements: ......" "In general, humans, animals, and other living creatures refine their magical power by taking in air, water, food, and other substances that contain magical elements. In the case of monsters , it is thought that magic power is generated either by rapid absorption of magical power or by gradual transformation over generations while taking in water and air rich in magical power." I had thought that the science of this world ......, or rather the Empire, was far behind that of the Earth, but surprisingly enough, it seems to have progressed quite a bit recently This may have something to do with the country''s political system and religion. Christianity, the great criminal who stalled the progress of science in the Middle Ages, does not exist in this world, and though the social institutions that believe in the myth of the founding of the Hylant may look like churches, they are similar to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in terms of the way things are. There are no ton of theories, such as the Heavenly Motion Theory, in the pursuit of science. Nor are they suppressed. In addition, it is one of the largest countries in the world, with abundant national power, and the reign of an excellent emperor and parliament has continued for several decades. This is a country that gave birth to an ancient magical civilization. The passion of learning seems to have been passed down from generation to generation. T"he idea of the magical element is an idea found in historical documents excavated from the ruins of ancient magical civilizations. It has been ignored until now, but as research has progressed, it has been rediscovered." "Wow, ......, the ancients are amazing." Just as the ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations contributed greatly to the development of learning, the ancient magical civilizations of this world also left behind great achievements that are still relevant today. "In ancient times, the magical element was called pneuma. ......Now, I''m getting ahead of myself, but the reason I bring this up is, of course, because it makes sense." Marie doesn''t talk much about things that don''t make sense. We had understood this well over the past couple of days, so we waited with bated breath for what she will say next. "The majority of the magical energy we consume when we use magic is taken in through our lungs by breathing. Then, the magical elements taken in are unconsciously converted and tuned to the wavelength that matches our constitution by the pineal gland, an organ believed to be located in the psyche. This converted and tuned magical element is the magical power." "I see, so there are differences in the wavelengths of each person''s magical power!" "That''s what it means." "It was a long time ago when Mei and I were working on a magic battery. I remember that it took us a long time to create it because the wavelength of magic power differed from person to person like a fingerprint. I had never thought about why the wavelength of magic power differed from person to person, but there was a reason behind it." "But there is one problem with this. Do you know what it is?" Marie asked, but there was no way we could figure it out without clues. All three of us were silent, our eyes filled with puzzlement. "Have you ever suffered from larking of magic power?" "Yes!" "Yes, I have." "I have. ......Maybe that''s the problem?" "Yes. The problem is that the recovery speed is very slow when you run out of magic power. Of course, you can recover it after a night or two of sleep, but if you''re in the middle of a battle, you''ll be collapsed due to it." That''s why we mages usually practice controlling our magic to save it and make efforts to improve our magic power itself so that we don''t run out of magic power. "Let''s call it the magic power capacity or the speed of magic conversion. The reason why there are individual differences in what is generally referred to as the amount of magical power is because there are differences in how well the body adapts to magical elements. This can be increased through training, but it is not common to reach a ridiculous amount of magical power like Eberhard''s." I am special, to say the least. I''ve been blessed with the skill of " practice makes perfect," and I''ve been training in magic every day since I was born. "I''m not sure what to expect. The second spell that you will learn in this training is the secret spell of the Elves called ''Dragon Vein Astral Connect''! Marie proudly proclaimed, pointing at us with her chest outstretche CH 107 "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect?" Mm." Marie-san nodded as she shouted out the name of the secret elven tribe''s spell. The Dragon Vein Connect Astral Connect is a spell that brings magic power outside the body under control by becoming one with the nature ....... Well, it''s rapid recovery magic, if you ask me." "Rapid Recovery Magic ......? "It''s kind of cunning." "Yes, it is. It''s not fair. But if you can use it, it will make all the difference in the battle." If you can recover magic power during a battle, you can exhaust the enemy by that amount. If you can recover magic power once more, you can attack the enemy one-sidedly when he is out of magic power. In addition, since you don''t have to save magic power, it allows to attack without worrying about consuming magic power, which gives the upper hand in terms of both power and number of rounds. It is truly a battle changer. Although it is possible to recover with potions, the speed of recovery with potions cannot keep up with the speed of recovery during battle. In other words, if we can use the Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect, the probability of survival ......, or more specifically, the probability of winning the battle, will increase significantly. That is why this secret spell of the elves had such high value that it was considered a secret. "The key to Dragon Vein Astral Connect lies in the fact that it does not distinguish between the magical element inside the body and the magical element of the ...... nature outside of the body. In a word, it is a subject-object separation. We deliberately break down the barriers of our unconscious consciousness and realize that we are part of the nature . By doing so, the range of the self that the pineal gland can affect is expanded beyond the limitations of the physical body, and tremendous power is gained." Marie explains it to us, but it is difficult to understand. I don''t know what she is talking about when he says something about an unconscious barrier of consciousness. "It is difficult." Iris also had a troubled look on her face. The same is true for Lily. It seems that training in magic also requires a lot of thinking. " Have you ever wondered how a spirit can handle such strong magical power?" "A spirit?¡¡Does that mean spirit magic?'' "It could be spirit magic, or it could be magic exercised by the spirits themselves. Either way, it would be more efficient and powerful than what human beings use," Yes, I have seen spirit magic a few times, and in each case it was clearly more powerful than the magic it expended." Lily said so, and if you ask me, it was indeed true. I have often had the opportunity to watch Mei use earth-based spirit magic, and it occurred to me that she was able to use magic of a very large scale with her not-quite-so-massive amount of magical power. "I was wondering why ...... spirits can use more powerful magic than humans?" "Because they have less ego. "Ego is thin? ''Yes. We humans have a clear barrier that separates us from the rest of the world. That wall is the body. Inside the physical body is the self. Outside is the other, and there is a clear wall, isn''t there?" "Indeed." That wall is something that every living being has from the moment of birth . I feel that it is something that we cannot help but have as long as we have weight. "But a spirit does not have a body. In addition, they have very little ego. From the moment they are born, they are united with the nature. That is why even the magical elements outside of oneself are under one''s influence, and as a result, they are able to use magic that is higher than one''s own rank." Marie says this casually, but I believe that this is only possible for spirits and not for humans in general. I don''t think it is possible for a human being to overcome the physical barrier. ''Um, ......, Master. Is that something humans can do?" "You can accomplished it , but it''s hard." Marie , while shortly replying, puts her palms together with a "bang" as if she were clapping oak hands, and closes her eyes as if meditating. "Watch me." I watched Marie for a few seconds, who had fallen silent as she was. The change came immediately. "......, the magic power!" The magic elements around are being drawn towards Marie. And at the same time, Marie''s magic power is rapidly increasing. "Well, I guess this is how it is." When Marie released her mind from meditation, the magical power that had been gathering quickly dissipated. At the same time, the tension in the air around them disappeared. "This is the Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect ......." "Amazing." After all, Marie is amazing. The most powerful of the empire'' has been demonstrated. "As you can see, there is nothing humans can''t do. But it is very hard to do. , because one must extinguish one''s own will with the will of one''s own self." The subject and the object are not divided. A state of harmony with nature, a state of unselfishness, where the self and the Other are not yet separated. There is nothing that we cannot do. Since "Practice makes perfect," I am sure I will be able to do it someday. But will I be able to use it by the time I finish this training? Would I be able to master it while I was being instructed by Marie? That was a slight factor that made me uneasy. ??? The next day. While working on our own curriculum, we began our training in Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect. For the time being, all three of us will be practicing Dragon Vein Connect in the morning and each of us will be practicing our own magic in the afternoon. "Hey, , you guys!¡¡Dragon veins flowing through the air, water, and ground!¡¡Be aware of every magical element that fills this world!" "Yes!" " Then draw them all at once!¡¡Receive them with your skin, lungs, and every fiber of your being!¡¡If you''re not careful, you''ll naturally lose all your magical energy!" "Yes!" Marie''s training is spartan. It is as strict as in the military, but it is better that there are no psychological attacks and physical scolding. In fact, I am relieved that I am in the Special Division because there is no such kind of black athletic atmosphere in the Special \Division. Because in the military, unless one is a member of the royal family, rank is everything, and it has nothing to do with family background or nobility. If the ranks are the same, they will give consideration, but if the rank is lower, it''s "yes or no" without question. It''s a truly horrifying social system. "Here, there!¡¡Don''t think about anything else!¡¡I''ll give you 20 more moves later!" "Geeeeeeeeeee!" Correction. Marie is a devil''. I don''t know her rank (or even if she''s a soldier to begin with)! ??? ''Impossible. Even if I could sense the magic element outside my body, I can''t meddle with it." "Yes, that''s where I''m having trouble. If it''s magic power, I can move it freely, but not the magical element. It is not under my control in the first place." "I can''t move it without putting it under my control, but to put it under my control, I need to move it ......?¡¡Huh, huh?" As we were crouching with our heads in our hands, Marie offered us some tea. "Delicious." "Cold tea. That''s unusual." "I see, Master uses all of the four great attributes, doesn''t she?" "Yes. If you apply the water and wind attributes, you can do something similar to the ice attribute." The ice attribute is a magic that interferes directly (in the direction of lowering) the temperature of an object. The ice attribute is a magic that directly interferes with the temperature of an object (in the lowering direction). However, if the water and wind attributes are used together, it is possible to create a similar result based on the principle of heat vaporization. The point is that if the process is the same as the result, it does not matter what the method is, there is no need to be concerned about a specific attribute. Or should I say that a skilled mage can achieve the same result even with a completely different attribute? In any case, Marie was the top mage. "You seem to be in a lot of trouble You see, in order to manipulate a magical element, you need to bring it under your control, but that doesn''t necessarily mean you have to move it. What I just showed you is merely the process of taking control of the magical element and then transferring it into the body and absorbing it. The process required is to put the magical element under your control. To do that, you need to extend the range of the self." "That''s the difficulty, that''s why we'' re in difficulty." a"That''s right. How can we expand the range of the self?" Marie-san heard that and smiled. "A spirit." "A spirit?" "If you are a spirit, this is an easy thing to do. Then, it would be better to ask a being close to a spirit to teach you how to do it." "A being close to a genie ............, perhaps!" Lily exclaimed. It seems that something had been noticed. "Is it a divine beast ......?" "Mm, that''s correct." Marie nodded in satisfaction. Apparently, we can ask our own divine beast that we summoned to give us a lecture on how to do it, or perhaps to connect our paths, or something of that sort. ...... Well, what should I do? My Divine Beast, the egg T/n It''s might be shameless of me , but if you had some fre time please rate that series novel update CH 108 As Marie says, it is difficult for us humans to learn the secret of "Dragon Vein Connecting Astral Connect". If this is the case, we should ask the divine beast with which we have made a contract to help us. Through the divine beast, we will experience the state of no-self, the state of subject-object unification. And during this period of training, we should slowly learn that feeling over time. ............ "Ash, please." "Leon, please." The best that was successfully summoned seemed to be able to get on with it without any problems. And I, ....... "Nice to see you, Tama." ............ There was no way the pre-born egg could talk. I was left alone and sad . "Well, in Eberhard''s case, until the egg hatches, I think he should focus on training in attribute magic for now. Once the eggs hatch, then he can take up the training in parallel." "I understand. ......" Apparently, it would be a while before I could try my luck at "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect". "Look, you have two more to learn , including this one, until your daily limit. Good luck." "Yea, ......, shrinkage!" You''re still not as sharp as you should be. Make sure the magic power spreads to the ground and to your feet. "Yes,!shrinkage" "It''s a now better. Now you just need to focus a little more on your left foot.'' "Yes!shrinkage !" "Well, that''s a passing grade. Now if you can do this ten times in a row witout falling , we''ll move on to the next one. " I''m tired, Marie. I''" What are you crying me for? You still have more than 70% of your magic power left, and you must work hard at shrinking spell until you magic power will be tbelow 50%." "Ugh" Lily and Iris were practicing "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect" and I was practicing the first five of 1021 Non-Attribute spells . If it were true, it would have taken a year at three a day, but we were on assignment from the Special Division to participate in training for reinforcement. Even though the number of days of training was less than normal, we still had to fulfill our duties properly. Marie told me the other day that the training period would be about one year, but I can''t devote the entire year to training. Therefore, Iris and I have to keep a tight schedule for our training. That is why it was 5 spell per day. Today, I have already learned three spells. The one I was working on now, "Shrinkage," was the fourth. This was a B+ ranked spell with a high degree of difficulty to learn, and compared to the previous three, it took a lot of time to master. "Do you think another hour or so of practice will be enough ?" ''Maybe. ......" Then perhaps you should take a break. As long as you take a break and drink enough water, you will be able to move more easily than you expect. Marie-san, who has a lot of life experience, offers me a glass of water with such knowledge and wisdom. The water is not very cold, but rather close to room temperature, yet comfortably cold. It is the best for a body that has just exercised. I''ve already had enough salt in my daily meals, so I''m fine now. I don''t seem to be sweating that much.: "That''s true. I am afraid of taking in too much salt, so I think water is enough for now." The actuality that the science of this world is behind Earth''s, it seems that everyone has this level of common sense. "Well, I think we''re done with our break now. Let''s resume our training." "Oooh, ......." As I was about to resume my training, Marie'' s movement stopped for a moment. She kept twitching her ears. "Marie?" It seems that the delayed participants of the training have arrived. "Oh, there are others!" I heard that dozens of young people are participating in this training program. Even though less than half of them will make it this far, a dozen or so should still make it here. I had forgotten about the program because it was so hard to get here. "I had forgotten that they were here". Two people? "How did you know?" "There''s a spell called passive sonar." "Oh, you can use that? Then, of course, you can use active sonar, too, right?¡¡The number of magic spells you can learn has been reduced from 1,021 to 1,019." "Oh, by any chance, is the ''Binding Rope'' included in the 1021? Yes, it is. ...... have you read the book "The Complete of Magic?" I''m sure I have. I''ve memorized all of the non-attribute spells up to the "Application" section for now." "Well, then you will have a lot less magic to learn. I''d say it''s about 800 at the very least." ''Oh, my God, is it much easier now?'' "Better than at the beginning There are still a lot of things to learn. Don''t relax." "I understand." After a few minutes of chatting like this, we finally arrived at the second round of training. Finally, the second group of participants in the program arrived. "You are too rigid. If you don''t relax your shoulders a little more, you'' re not going to be able to do it." Emelia says this with her hands clasped behind her head, looking like she is going through a lot of trouble. They are the very opposite of each other. "....... Hey, boy, what''s your name? " I''m sure he''s not much older than me, but he''s got a very high opinion of himself. Maybe he''s a little more aggressive than I thought? ". Johann and Emilia right ? You can call me what you want. But it seems that you have reached ...... more quickly than us Schneider siblings, and not just a few hours earlier. I look forward to learning more of your skills." Correction. Rather than being a brawler, he is more of a battle junkie. Also known as a war junkie. "I understand it''s ......, Marie?" "No problem. It''s a good opportunity to see what other people of your generation are capable of. Under my direction, I''ll allow you to do anything you want as long as it doesn''t result in injury or death to your opponent." I reluctantly stepped forward, thinking about the meaning of "battle after the first second of encountering ......," and other such unimportant thoughts came to me . Johan, who is said to be a magic swordsman, had a strange presence with the magic sword on his waist. CH 109 "Then both of you, take your positions." Following Marie''s instructions, we stand facing each other at a distance of about five meters. Both of us use swords - or in my case, katana - so we keep the distance we would normally keep at the start of a duel. If I am facing a mage who is not good at close combat, he may choose to fight at a longer distance, say seven meters or so. If it is a fight between long-distance type mages, the distance is 15 meters ....... It seems that there are various types of duel. Johan has not yet pulled out the magic sword at his waist, but his commanding presence is that of a swordsman who has fought many battles in his life. At least, I have never felt such pressure from a person of my generation. Well, the world is a small place, but the imperial city is bigger than I expected. Heidburg is also quite a big city, but it is no match for the capital, where amazing people gather from all over the empire. In Heidburg, the local capital, there were no chances at all to meet strong youth. Johann is probably the up-and-coming magic swordsman of the capital. It was a stroke of luck that I had the opportunity to cross swords with someone like him. "...... Are you really a boy ?" "Huh?" While I was thinking this, Johan looked at me with a wary eye and asked, "Do I look that old? Do I look that old?" I''m just a sprightly 12 years old, How old are you? "You think I''m younger than you?¡¡I''m 13." "One year younger?" "I''m 12, by the way. I''m the same age as you!" Emilia is smiling and waving at me. I feel like I''m going crazy. Although at thirteen, the way he talks like that is quite an old man." "What!"" He is rather sound like uncle then old man, "I''m just 13 years old." ''That'' s exactly what I''m saying." It seemed we both looked older than we were. I don''t understand. "By the way, why do I look older?" I don''t mind, but if there''s something that makes me look older, I have to fix it or Lily and the others won''t like me. I don''t really care about it. It''s just that it bothers me a little bit. "It''s the appearance." "Appearance?" "Yeah." Oh, he'' s talking in the abstract again. I wonder why old-fashioned characters like Johan and Marie don''t express themselves in a straightforward and concrete manner. I''m only 12 years old, so I can''t keep up with his style. "I can''t believe you'' re a 12 year old boy. What are you ...... really?" "My name is Eberhard." I''ve been training since I was born!¡¡Johann, as a family member who specializes in the martial arts, has probably trained to a certain degree, but I don''t think he has beaten me when it comes to the level of training. I don''t think there are many people in the Empire who have more training than me. I''m not going to tell anyone about it. ...... That'' s okay. Let me know when you''ve decided." "Well, I wonder if the purpose of the fight has somehow been switched. "I dunno." What a man to make a move on his own. I''m going to kill him. "Eberhard. Your eyes are getting a little scary. I say again, it is wrong to kil"l. "I understand." "You don''t understand." Well, let''s just joke about killing him. Johann, I think you can be pretty serious with . When you get to be my age, you don''t have many opportunities to give it your all against people. I will make the most of this valuable opportunity to train. --Shan! I pull out my magic sword, Raikiri, ........................ --Ston. Then, after taking the sword from the waist, I take off the raikiri from its scabbard and put it in my inventory. Then, as if in a flowing motion, I took out another short sword (made of mithril-containing magical steel, made by Mail) and put it on my waist. "..... I''m a mage myself. I will not be underestimated!¡¡I''m going to fight like a man!" It is still somewhat old-fashioned. The reason why I put away my magic sword Raikiri is because it is too powerful for me to show off my own abilities, not that I''m taking pity on Johan, but I don''t think he''d understand. "Are you two ready?'' "Yes." "All good." "Let''s start ......!'' At the same time as Marie shouted, Johann pulled out the magic sword from his waist. The slightly blackened blade of the sword is double-edged and emits a suspicious light. But if you don''t hit it, it''s useless!¡¡Ha-ha-ha!" I close the distance between us in an instant using "Shrinkage" that I just learned. Although I haven''t done anything to strengthen my body, I seem to be able to exert considerable power even in the raw, probably thanks to my training in the Demon Forest. ''Ugh!" The moment he realized it, I was right in front of him. Johan''s eyes widened in surprise and he froze. £¨I got him ) I thought so, but Johan was not a member of the reinforcement program for nothing . In a split-second, Johan raised his magic sword to catch my blade and then brought it into a swordfight. "Heh, you''re good, aren''t you?" Y"ou too, ......, but I won''t lose!" "Only because of the magic sword." "Hmmm." Johan pushes me away and the clash between us is broken. The distance between us widens again, but I know what''s going on. Johann, you were laughing at that chilly crap you just said. You seemed to be putting on a poker face, but your lips were twitching and contorting. I'' ve discovered an unexpected side of you. "Oh, come on, you little punk!¡¡It''s an ordinary match, don''t mess with me!" No, I''m sorry. It''s in my nature. I didn''t mean to catch him off guard by saying a cold joke. I just said it. It seems that I have the potential to become a cold man in the future. But that''s beside the point. "You''re pretty strong." Schneider''s school of magic swordsmanship, huh? That''s pretty strong. I''d say it''s completely on par with the "front" of Hokusho Bujin-ryu. ---- but there is a "back" to the Hokusho Bujinryu. "Well, let''s see. ...... then, I''m about to get serious." "What, you wasn''t serious yet?" Emilia, the outsider, said as if she was surprised. I''m embarrassed when she looks at me like that,....... One heartbeat. Two. With each beat of the heart, I feel my vision gradually become clearer. My five senses become sharp, and I feel a sense of complete control over my body. A thin layer of magical power that has been bubbling up from the core of my body covers the surface of my body, and my limbs gradually become full of strength. It was the first time in a long time that I had felt this sensation, which I had kept hidden for the past week or so due to my training. Keep your eyes open. This is my fighting technique, "Robe" "Hal, you''ll will be blind if you close your eyes!" The air in the place softens a bit when Lily butt in. That''s right. It would probably hurt like hell if I pulled out my eyes. "Oh, you know what? Rinse yr eyes ". I think everyone would at least rinse their eyes. Fortunately, this world has water magic, so there is no of water. "What are you really?" Johan, a battle junkie who was breaking out in a cold sweat but still could not hide his smirk, was looking at me. The second round of the deadly match was about to begin. CH 110 "There you go!" "Ugh. ..."... After activating the "cloak", I close the distance and blow Johan away in a moment using the "Shrinkage". The overwhelming power and speed of the "cloak" made it impossible for Johan to even react, and he was blown away. "Brother!" Emilia, who did not understand what had happened and only understood that her brother had been blown away, couldn''t help but call out to him. "Hou..." Marie looked at me with an expression as if she had seen something interesting. The difference between me and Johan was that much. "What the hell !?" I just did the same thing I did before, I closed the distance and hit him with a sword. "I didn''t saw it''s coming " Johan stood up, swung his magic sword, and muttered to himself as he brushed off the dirt. He too had a fine sword and was a first-rate magic swordsman, but he lacked the speed and weight to be a winning point, especially against the Hokushogun Bujinryu. "I can see I''m going to lose if I keep fighting you like this. ...... I didn''t want to use this if possible, but ...... I had no choice. I''d have little trouble with you." Johan looked at me with determined eyes and said, "I''m going to use my trump card now. You may be able to catch it, but be prepared to take some damage." "Wow. ....... So you have that much confidence, even though there''s such a big difference. That''s something to be excited about." What kind of trump card are you going to show me? It will be interesting to see if it is something so terrible that it does not break the Schneider family''s good name. "Oh, brother. Are you going to use that?" Emilia asked in a voice of concern for Johan . Oh. I''m not sure I can handle it perfectly yet, but I''ve been practicing ....... I joined this strengthening program in order to be able to handle it perfectly in the first place. Sooner or later I would have had to show it to Her Excellency Marie. It''s only now that I''m doing it. It''s not like I''m fighting to the death for my life, so there''s no problem." ''If that''s what my you ...... says, then I don''t mind ." The response suggests that this trump card is a very dangerous one. I have to take it seriously and with all my might. "Came forth . ---- "Feast on my magic power and awaken, O Diablo, the magic sword. The storm of tyranny, Indominus Tempestus!'' . The next moment, the sword Diablo in Johan''s hand pulsed with a thump. The blackness and darkness of the magic power that was covering the sword swelled up, and the jet-black sword transformed into a huge blade of two meters in length. "''Hey, what the heck is that ......?" What an ominous sword! Even from more than a few meters away, I could feel ominous waves that made it hard to get close to it. Marie-san is staring at the magic sword Diablo with a sullen expression on her face. "Eberhard. You must not catch that one." ''That''s right. ....... That is too dangerous." Yes, that magic sword is too dangerous. It is so dangerous that it can be compared to the Raikiri, a supernova sword that can cut anything. "Here i came " Johan announced that and rushed in. "Whoa!" I succeeded in evading it, but the speed of the slash was far faster than before. What a dangerous thing ! "Oh,!" Johan''s beautiful swordsmanship is maintained as he swings his sword at me with increased power and speed. "Damn, he''s strong!" It''s my turn to dodge. If I were to be hit by that sword, I would be sliced by it even if it was Mei''s characteristic short sword, no matter if it was a magic sword or a raikiri, and I would probably suffer serious injury if I had not already launched the "Silver Armored Aegis". it might also penetrate my defense just as it did Siegfried''s with " Lightning Thunder". That''s how powerful the Diablo sword is. "Damn it, I have no choice but to use this." I release a shockwave from the bottom of my foot and multiply it with "Shrinkage" in the opposite direction to forcefully distance myself from Johan. In doing so, I also remember to control him by releasing a shockwave. "What are you going to do this time?" I hear Johan''s muffled voice. But I''ve already gained a lot of distance. "Actually, I''m better at long range fights than at close combat ." Hokusho Bujinryu is a allrounder skill. He is not a like jack of all trade and master of noe The sword Diablo is certainly a serious threat. Now that I don''t have a Raikiri, I might be at a disadvantage if I''m in close range or even if I''m not. There are some types of enemies out there that won''t let you display your strength, even if you are ......." I kneaded up my magic and prepared to launch my best spell . The magic sword Diablo. Its attack power is immense. The distance is two meters, far longer than an ordinary sword. In addition, its physical aids are also a threat. Clearly, the user''s speed and power are enhanced by an magnitude. But if that is the case, I should make HIM unable to fully demonstrate HIS full power . Just as a spear that pierces everything is rendered useless once it is in range. No matter how good a fighter he is, if he is shot at from afar, he will miss without question. If one afraid of the offensive power of the magic sword Diablo, one can make its blade not reach out it''s target. "Take that!¡¡Shock barrage!" "Ugh ............!" The best defense is to attack!¡¡Numerous "impact bullets", each as powerful as a heavy machine gun, fly toward Johan''s magic sword Diablo. Johan has no choice but to catch them with the extraordinary offensive power of his Diablo. "...... Oh, shit, I can''t hold it any longer!" Johann screams. Yes, it is a tactical level magic sword that brings such a great enhancement. There was no way it could stay in use for such a long period of time. "Aghh!" The sword shrinks. At the same time, the pressure emitted from Johan''s sword also shrinks. The power of the "Bullet" is gradually lowered accordingly, and Johann is held back so that he does not suffer any major injuries . .''.....You''ve won a match," Marie announced. Marie told . At that moment, when Johan collapsed and fell to the ground. What kind of trump card are you going to show me? It will be interesting to see if it is something so terrible that it does not break the Schneider family''s good name. "Oh, brother. Are you going to use that?" Emilia asked in a voice of concern for Johan . Oh. I''m not sure I can handle it perfectly yet, but I''ve been practicing ....... I joined this strengthening program in order to be able to handle it perfectly in the first place. Sooner or later I would have had to show it to Her Excellency Marie. It''s only now that I''m doing it. It''s not like I''m fighting to the death for my life, so there''s no problem." ''If that''s what my you ...... says, then I don''t mind ." The response suggests that this trump card is a very dangerous one. I have to take it seriously and with all my might. "Came forth . ---- "Feast on my magic power and awaken, O Diablo, the magic sword. The storm of tyranny, Indominus Tempestus!'' . The next moment, the sword Diablo in Johan''s hand pulsed with a thump. The blackness and darkness of the magic power that was covering the sword swelled up, and the jet-black sword transformed into a huge blade of two meters in length. "''Hey, what the heck is that ......?" What an ominous sword! Even from more than a few meters away, I could feel ominous waves that made it hard to get close to it. "Eberhard. Don''t fall for that one." "Yes, you''re right. ....... It is too dangerous." Yes, that magic sword is too dangerous. It is so dangerous that it can be compared to the supernova sword Raikiri, which has nothing that cannot cut. "Here I go." Johan announced that and rushed in. "Whoa!" I almost managed to evade him, but the speed of the cut was far greater than before. What a threat! "Oh, !" Johann''s beautiful swordsmanship is intact as he swings his sword at me with increased power and speed. "Damn, he''s strong!" This time it is my turn to dodge. If I were to be caught by that sword, I would be cut down without a doubt even with Mei''s characteristic short sword, no matter if it was a magic sword, Raikiri, and I would not be able to escape serious injury if I had not deployed the "Silver Armored Aegis" as I am now it might penetrate my defense just as it did with Siegfried''s in "Thunderbolt. That''s how powerful the Diablo sword is. Damn it, I have no choice but to use this this." I released a shockwave from the under of my foot and combined it with a "Shrinkage" in the opposite direction to forcibly distance myself from Johan. I also remember to check on him by releasing a "Bullets". "What are you going to do this time?" I hear Johan''s muffled voice. But I''ve already gained a lot of distance. . Actually, I''m better at long range than at close combat . Hokusho Bujinryu is a allrounder skill . it''s i like jack of all trade and master of none "The sword Diablo is certainly a serious threat. Now that I don''t have a Raikiri, I might be at a disadvantage if I''m in close combat. There are some types of enemies out there that won''t let you display your strength, even if you are ......." I kneaded up my magic and prepared to launch my best spell . The magic sword Diablo. Its attack power is immense. The distance between two meters, far longer than an ordinary sword. In addition, its physical aids are also a threat. Clearly, the user''s speed and power are enhanced by magnitude. However, if that is the case, I should make him unable to fully demonstrate this power . Just as a spear that pierces everything is rendered useless once it is in range. No matter how good a fighter is, if he is shot from afar, he will die without question. If One is afraid of the offensive power of the magic sword Diablo, i it''s need to make its blade not a reach it''s target . ''Take that!¡¡Bullet barrage!" Ugh ............! The best defense is to attack!¡¡Numerous "impact bullets", each as powerful as a heavy machine gun, fly toward Johan''s magic sword Diablo. Johan has no choice but to catch them with the extraordinary offensive power of his sword . Johan screams, "...... Oh, shit, I can''t hold it any longer!" Johan screams. Yes, it is a tactical-class magic sword that brings such a great deal of strength. There was no way it could stay activated for a long period of time. "Aghh!" The sword blade of Diablo shrinks. At the same time, the pressure released from Johan''s sword also shrinks. The power of the " impact barrage" is reduced little by little accordingly, and Johann is forced to take it easy so that he does not suffer any further injuries. ......You''ve won a match," Marie announced. Marie told me . At that moment, Johan collapsed and fell on the ground. CH 111 "Brother!" Emilia rushed up to Johan, who collapsed on the spot. I can use recovery magic too, so I hurry up to help him to recover. "Is Johan okay?" "Yes but , he''s unconscious." "Excuse me." I checked Johan''s condition with the non-attribute recovery magic "Diagnosis", pushing away Emilia who was caring for Johan. No bruises ....... No damage to organs ....... No bone damage................ No brain damage....... Magic power...... is in a state of deficiency. Extreme exhaustion of physical strength....... ''It looks like he''s temporarily out of magic and physical strength. There seems to be nothing else wrong." "Really?" "Yes. I''m sorry about it , but I went a little easy on you in the end." ''Hmmm ....... It''s kind of complicated, but thanks for not hurting my brother." It''s kind of complicated, but thanks for not hurting my brother. "Well, it''s better not to get hurt for no reason at all." ''Hmmm ....... It''s kind of complicated, but thanks for not hurting my brother." "Tuning for magical tuning ......, and then replenishing the magical energy ......." As I did with Mei, who once lacked magical power, I will send my magical power to Johan in line with the wavelength of his magical power. At the same time, I will use the recovery magic "Rest" to accelerate the recovery of physical strength and speed up the recovery process. "Ugh............" After about ten minutes of resting, Johan''s consciousness returned. "I lost, didn''t I?" Johan took a breath after looking at the surrounding and muttered to himself. "Yes, that''s right. It was good that you increased your attack power with the magic sword Diablo, but Eberhard stopped your best attack, and the match was over when you were overwhelmed.: ''Well, ....... , I have lost completely." Johan told me this with a somewhat refreshed look on his face. He seemed to be quite a graceful man. "Johann is ......" "Johan is fine." "I understand. Johan was a tough fighter, ...... too. If you learn how to fight, I think you can become even stronger.'' In fact, Johan''s attacks in the second half of the match were tremendous. The actual battle is not enough, perhaps because of the lack of experience in the actual battle, the operation of the system is a little inexperienced, but if he could take full advantage of that firepower, he would be a very formidable opponent. It was not as if he had been asked to participate in the reinforcement program under Marie''s supervision for nothing . ''Well, I''m glad you said that. ...... But I didn''t expect it to be so complete ....... This is still an A- grade, though,......." Johan looks diagonally up and rubs his head, scratching his head, and blurts out something like that. Hearing this, Lily, who was standing beside me, said. "Oh my, that is indeed very impressive, but this time you had the wrong opponent. , Hal, it''''s an S rank." "Hah!" "What, S-rank?" Steiner siblings stare at me with wide eyes. I''m kind of being stared a lot today. ...... "Nah, just in case you''re wondering. It''s a guild card of the Adventurers'' Guild. ......" I takes the guild card out of MY inventory and shows it to them , and then snatch it from me . ''Ho, it''s real. ......" "I''ve heard of this before. The youngest S-ranked adventurer in the empire , Hurt the Comet,....... It''s you !" "What, ''comet''?¡¡I know who you are!¡¡You were recently knighted !" ''What?¡¡That means you''re a ...... nobleman!" The imperial knight is a little different from the normal nobility, but they treated as a full-fledged noble, and because it is only for one generation, they seen as a much more capable people than the fallen lower nobility. The knighthood is respected by other nobles regardless of rank, and because it is a path that is open to the ordinary people, it also attracts a great deal of attention. Harte''s real name is Ehrhardt, and his real name is Ehrlich. Harte''s real name is Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit. Lily there, by the way, is the eldest daughter of the Dukes of Bernstein. Iris, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up and made such an explanation. This caused the Steiner siblings to freeze up even more. "Heh, a frontier count , ......, aristocrat among aristocrats, a great aristocrat, ......!" "Oh no, brother!¡¡ we were talking to him in a very rude tone!¡¡Oh, so you''re noble ...... too?" "I''m from average samura family i. " "Good thing Ha......!" They let out a big sigh when they heard Iris'' answer. It''s kind of backwards and rude to go so far, isn''t it? ''Well, it doesn''t matter what your status is or what kind of nonsense you''re going through when you train here, so you can just use a casual, way of speaking'' "I don''t mind if you use a casual way of speaking either. As long as you keep your manners in a public place, people will forgive you." ". I''ve been a straight talker from the beginning. I have never been offended by it." I think in Iris''s case, it''s not so much the rudeness, but her character. I can''t imagine a situation where Iris is using honorifics. She seems to be able to speak polite speech normally, but I don''t have the image of her using honorific or humble language itself. Even so, Iris does not give the impression of being impolite, which is probably another of her skills. "Ho, I really don''t mind if you speak to me in a casual way, ......, is that okay?" I''m really not sure if I can talk to you that way , so I''ll just say ......, is that okay?" "Yes, I''m sure. Oh, and please be respectful when you''re talking to people in other places.; "Oh, yes, of course. Then the ...... is Eberhard just Eberhard.: ''Yes?" "I want you to be my friend." Johan looked at me like he wanted to be my friend, and he seemed to be very nervous. ¡¡I don''t have any friends, or if I do, they''re pretty few and far between. ......?¡¡, I know. In my previous life, I sacrificed my friendship to study hard. It''s very nerve-wracking when you''re trying to get into a deeper relationship with someone! "No, I can''t do that ." ''What?" Johan reacts as if startled. Oh, this seems to be a very serious case, even if it is not. I''ll have to reassure him as soon as possible. "We called each other by name earlier. Weren''t we already friends then?" "Yes, Eberhard ......!" We shook hands firmly. Johan''s gaze is somewhat hot and bothered. He seems to be more of a cool, solid character than the friendly type. ...... "Call me Emilia too!" "Oh, Emilia. Nice to meet you." "Yeah, nice to meet you!" I shake hands with Emilia and we make friends with each other. Lily and Iris seem to be looking at Emilia with a suspicious look in their eyes, but it is probably just my imagination. It is nothing to worry about. Anyway, I made two new friends. Especially Johan is my first male friend. There are other people of the males with whom I have been in contact, such as Jet, Siegfried, and genera Eulenberg, but they are not my friends. It''s hard to call them such , I can''t seem to contain my happy feelings. Friendship is a wonderful thing. I was slightly bothered by the fact that the legal loli with the age , matched that of old woman . She was shaking her head behind me. CH 112 The day was getting dark after the usual matches, so today''s training was over. I have not yet achieved one of the five required spells , but it was unavoidable because of the sudden happening of the match. I would have to work hard again tomorrow. I take a break in the living room of Marie''s mansion, remembering a classmate who never got his work done by the due date when he was in school and the amount of tasks he had to complete kept growing due to lack of interest. ...... I wonder if he was able to graduate safely. The teacher had announced that he wouldn''t give out credits if he didn''t do the work, but he had accumulated so much that he ended up with several volumes of notebooks worth of work. I definitely think that rate of interest is exorbitant. It was to the point where I was worried about getting tendonitis. While I was thinking about this and doing meditation on my magical training, Emilia came over and sat down next to me. The sofa sank lightly with a pop. ''Why do you want to be so strong, Eberhard?¡¡You are already strong enough at this point." Emilia asked curiously. Well, that''s a fair question. I am already one of a dozen or so S-rank adventures in the kingdom (several more have been added over the past few years), and even among the S-ranks, I am by no means a slouch. There are probably only a handful of people stronger than me at their peak power, and I am by no means a weak person by any means. In fact, I have a 100% win rate against demons so far. Well, one of them was no-win situation. "Hmmm... ....... I guess it''s just in case." ''In case?" "Yes, I know. There''s a lot of turmoil these days with all the demons and illegal immigrants, isn''t there?¡¡There is no guarantee that war will not happen. What if a one million soldiers attacked us?¡¡What if the Demon King revives?¡¡It may sound a bit surrealistic, but I don''t want to have any regrets if it does happen. That''s why I''m training for it." This unrealistic story of being reincarnated in another world actually existed in stories from my past life . There is no possibility of the Demon King''s resurrection, or the world vs. the Hylant Empire, or any of a ton of other unrealistic developments. If the non-zero probability comes true and I end up losing my family and those around me, I will be blinded. After coming to this world, my efforts will surely be pay off , and I will be able to protect those around me. I don''t want lose them . I don''t know if my words were conveyed, but Emilia nodded her head and didn''t laugh at my stories . I don''t know anything about it . But you are an amazing person " What?¡¡Why? "You looking very far ahead, working hard to achieve far away goals , and still enjoying the peace you has now, right?¡¡I don''t think ordinary people can do that." Emilia laughed after saying that normally, people would either be stoic in their training or they would skip it. I was convinced of it . It is true what Emilia says. Normally, one can either live a stoic life or be lazy. Life is not long enough to choose between the two, and people do not have a lot of energy and energy. Many people are lazy , and even if they are not lazy, they run alone to the point of being stoic without regard for those around them. A good example of this is myself in my previous life. When I was living in Japan, I never made any friends and devoted myself to my studies. Even so, I couldn''t compete with people with talent, and I was fed up with that. But now, looking back, I realize that my life was not as colorful as it could have been back then. My life back then was not colorful . It was devoted to study, and was gray and dull. But now I am so much happier, surrounded by my precious friends, and my life is shining in seven different colors. If you want to live a colorful life, you must have experiences. To do that, you need a wide range of relationships and a will to do anything. I have learned this in the 18 years of my previous life and in these short of 12 years. This may sound a bit a philosophy , but it''s not necessarily wrong. In fact, I am happy now. Then I must be stronger to keep it that way! I knelled the magic power I had just developed into Tama-chan, the egg I was holding in my arms. Egg is good it''s can absorb magic power one it''s own with a simple touching . So I am looking forweard what will came out of the egg :I can''t wait for it to be born." I muttered to myself as I stroked the faintly glowing surface of the egg. ?? The next day. Marie called us together as soon as she woke up, put her hands on her waist, and declared, "Although they are still some distance away, the other participants in the training are now approaching within a distance that should be reached within a few days. Because of the suddenness of the situation, there is not enough room for all of them to sleep in the mansion . Therefore, today''s training will be a little different, as we will be training to build a front line base, as well as to secure sleeping space for the trainees!" It''s really some kind of military-like training, isn''t it? Why don''t you just honestly say, " I need more rooms, so help me out." ...... I wonder if she could tell from the look on my face that I was thinking that. Johan, who was standing next to me, came up to me and quietly told me. Marie is not from the imperial family, but she is now a native of the empire, and has been given the rank of count emeritus and lieutenant general of the imperial army by His Majesty the Emperor.. It is no wonder that she is leading the construction of the base in the name of military training." "What?¡¡Lieutenant General!" I thought she was the most powerful person in the Imperial Army. , but I didn''t expect she was that great,....... I had thought that since she was a recluse, she had little connection with the secular world "Think about it. In such a faraway place, how difficult would it be to live a life of maintenance and self-sufficiency in such a magnificent mansion, no matter how powerful magic can be used at will? Of course there must be some kind of backup." Indeed, for unknown reasons, Marie is living a life that seems quite wealthy despite the fact that she is stuck in the middle of a demon forest. There are any number of questions that I had not been aware of until now, such as how she managed to build such a magnificent mansion in such a remote area in the first place, and where she gets the raw materials for her wonderful daily meals. "There, . Don''t talk nonsense in front of me. Don''t lick the High Elf''s ear." Marie stares at me with half-open eyes while twitching her long ears. It''s kind of cute, like a child in a bad mood puffing up. And I want to touch Marie''s ears. I''m curious to see her reaction. "As Johann suspected, there is plenty of support from the imperial government. I don''t live here in the forest just for fun. I am living in seclusion while also carrying out a top-secret mission." A top-secret mission in the Devil''s Forest: ....... The location of the forest may be used for monitoring the Principality Federation. I am sure that the time will come when you will learn about it. Tbut it is not now. Concentrate on your training now. ......You are strangely perceptive, you know. Sharpness may be right for an aristocrat in charge of government, but it is a nuisance for a soldier who fights under orders." "Yes,". The main reason for this is that the owner of the house is a very sharp person. In the past, the current territory of the Elves was not part of the Hylant Empire, and in fact, it was much larger than it is today. Most of that territory was lost in the Principality''s invasion 50 years ago. I have heard that so many elves lost their lives that I am afraid to even mention it. The Empire of the Highlands, in order to protect its national interests, entered the territory of the Elves and made an agreement with the driven Elves to make it a protectorate to counter the Principality of the Federation. The war is said to have been settled, with both the Empire and the Federation causing extensive damage on both sides. Marie is about 200 years old. Naturally, she must have been involved in the war at the time. What did she see, feel, think, and decide? Since she does not talk about it herself, I can only imagine . "What is the purpose of Marie''s staying in the Devil''s Forest and working on top-secret missions? It is not hard to guess." "Each of you must cut down as many straight trees as you can, and strive to procure enough wood for construction by noon!" "Yeas !" It''s going to be another hard day. CH 113 "look, we''re still short on lumber!¡¡We can only make a bunny hutch, Peter''s hutch!" Marie''s rebuke flies. Unlike ordinary trees, the trees that grow in the Demon Forest are grown with an ample supply of dense magical elements, so even the most ordinary trees are very tough and extremely hard. I never imagined that it would be so tiring just to cut down a tree. Also, Peter is a very large rabbit, even for a rabbit. If one can build a rabbit hutch that''s bigger than a human, then that''s already good enough for me! I can''t help but think, "....... ''Damn ......, how hard work ...... this is!'' "Ahhhh, this is tiring!" The Siblings cut down one tree after another with their own magic swords, but they seem to be using up a lot of magic power in the process. Emilia, in particular, has a rather short short sword with two blades, and since she has double the number of swords and thus twice the amount of magic power, she seems to be having a very hard time. However, they seem to be working hard to make up for it, and there were dozens of pieces of lumber around them. T''he work of getting the shapes just right is quite tiring, too. It takes a lot of nerve." ''The detail work is tiring.'' Lily and Iris are working on the wood cut down by the Schneider siblings to make it consistent in standard. They are using Mei''s special mithril knife, but even so, it is said to be a very hard job. However, the two of them are doing an excellent job of making the wood consistent in shape. Speaking of me, I was doing 2 works , cutting and shaping the wood with my magic sword, Raikiri. I was able to do this because I had more magic power than the others, but it was quite a hard job. Each task is not a heavy burden, but every little bit of work adds up to a mountain. I was already feeling tired after several hours of work. "All right, that''s it for this morning!¡¡After eating and resting, let''s get back to work!" At Marie''s order, everyone stopped working and gathered together. On a table in the garden in front of the mansion, there was cold water and delicious-looking grilled meat. "This is the meat of the seven colored pheasant, which is rich in magical power. If you eat it when your muscles are tired, it will help you increase the amount of magic power by supplying you with the right amount of magic power. Of course, it also tastes great." "Oh, ......" As I think about it every time, Marie''s cooking is perfectly balanced in terms of taste and nutrients. Of course, it may be a little below that of a chef who works at the court, but to put it another way, it is amazing to be able to taste quality food that can be matched by top chefs int in the middle of such a remote area. Training is tough, but it is rewards like this that keep me motivated. If human beings have proper rest, food, clothing, and shelter, they may be able to adapt to any enviro £ª In the afternoon, we started constructing the base using the lumber that we had cut and worked on in the morning. Thanks to our hard work, we were able to cut and machine an unexpectedly large amount of lumber , so they decided that there would be no problem with starting building work in the afternoon. Of course, this is not enough to cover all the necessary materials to build the lodging building, so more cutting and processing work will be required at a later time. " We have to start by understanding the design before we actually start building. First of all, there are several types of buildings that use wood. A typical example is ----" Marie''s lesson on high speed and high density architecture begins. By the way, the reason why this kind of training is not directly related to the training to become stronger is related to the military''s unique characteristics that distinguish it from other civilian organizations. That characteristic is complete self-sufficiency. Normally, the economy is based on the exchange of money and the division of labor, with each person in charge of a specialized area of work. This creates highly skilled professionals and raises the level of productivity and technology in society as a whole. However, the military must go out to achieve its missions even in the middle of enemy territory where it cannot expect support from allies or on the frontier where there are no production facilities. Therefore, they must be able to provide all the equipment and supplies they need to carry out their missions. This naturally includes the building of a frontline base for the soldiers to live in. This is why the base construction training and Marie''s lecture were so important. In addition to myself and Iris, who are already in the military, the people here are called to participate in the national project of the Imperial Government to strengthen military power and detention for the sake of the national defense. The chances of becoming a military officer or a member of the military in the future are quite high there. They are not red papers, but they are like reserve Self-Defense Force officers. In the case of an emergency, they will be called up without a doubt. So even if they are not in the military now, this training is not a waste of time. Especially since Lily and I will be traveling together as adventurers. Even if we have a simple encampment made of steel in our inventory, we may not be able to use it in some situations, so it would not be a waste to have survival knowledge. And most of all, it would be a great change of pace. It would be depressing to go through the same training every day. It is also very considerate of Marie to give us an occasional training session that has nothing to do with making us stronger. The main reason for this is that there are not enough places for the trainees to sleep! £ª "Iris, take that one." Yes." ''Lily, can you use your ice spell to get me a step stool?" "You got it." The fact that we are self-contained does not mean that we are making something on the same level as a professional craftsman, so after being taught only the typical and simple building construction, we immediately began to work. We don''t want to just learn something and then forget about it. We must practice what we have learned and put it into our bodies while we still remember it. "Johann." "Oh!" Iris and I inserted the wood for the beams into the columns that Emilia had fixed, and Johan, on a step ladder that Lily had made, used a hammer and nails to fix the beams firmly in place. As we performed similar tasks over and over again, we gradually built something that resembled a shack. The number of trainees in the training program meant that we only had to build a one-story building, which was a big relief. The difficulty level would have been much higher with a two-story building. ...... The lodging house we are going to build this time is a so-called row house-like building. There is no such thing as a south-facing building, so there are two rows of rooms with a corridor between them. According to Marie, the maximum number of people, including us, who would be able to safely get to this place after breaking through the first barrier, the Demon Forest, would be 18 people. Since the number of people who were initially called up was said to be about 50, this meant that more than 60% of the group had fallen out of the group at the Demon Forest. Thanks to Marie''s remote monitoring and support, no one was injured to the point of permanent injury, but in any case, it must have been a very tough gate. The three of us were able to get to this point while securing a good night''s sleep and rest by using a simple house in the inventory, a kind of cheating, but Schneider''s siblings said they managed to get here while taking turns sleeping for short periods of time, and the other participants were probably no different. Survival is actually quite hard. Anyway, there were only 13 more people to come. We had to complete the accommodation building by the time they arrived. Hey, hey, the beam is tilted! "Oh, sorry. Lily, help me!" "Okay!" ...... will take a while to complete. CH 114 Next day. Today is another day of cutting and machining in the morning, just as it was yesterday. In the afternoon, the construction work continues. The framework and a simple roof were completed yesterday, so today we will be building the floor, walls, and doors. If everything goes as planned, it should be completed by this evening, so I would say that things are going quite well. It''s not an all-night castle, but it''s pretty fast. This is the quality of the military, which has pursued efficiency to the limit. The building we are working on will have a total of 18 rooms, with nine rooms facing each other across the hallway when it is completed. The room layout is still to be decided, but it will probably be separated by male and female. There will be wooden locks and bolts on the inside of the doors, so there will be no need to worry about security. Even though we will be eating and sleeping together, we still need some privacy. Especially since a complete stranger of the opposite sex could not sleep together, a private room was a must. "Lily. You make the locks for the window frames and the door." Yes, master." At Marie''s order, Lily moves on to making small items. She is not as good as Mei, but she is quite handy, and she is good at machining such precision parts. I was still doing a lot of cutting and processing using my magic power and magic sword. I''m learning the tricks of the trade, so my pace of processing is much faster than it was yesterday. "All right, that''s enough wood for now. Let''s get to work on the floor boards and walls." I realized that we had a lot of wood. Since the pillars were no longer needed, there was a pile of wood that had been worked into a near-plank shape that could be used for the floor and walls. Unlike the simple ones of the present day, even the thin veneer-like pieces (not plywood, of course) that would make a proper roof were well made. Each member of the group took a share of the work, laying the floor, attaching the walls, and putting the roof over the top. After a lunch break (today''s lunch was also excellent), the accommodation building was finally completed in the evening. "It finally got completed " Even though it was a two-day rush job, everyone worked together to complete a very hard construction process. It was a very hard process, but we all worked together to complete it. "The result is quite excellent for a first time. I think you can make it as an engineer in the army." The day after the building was completed. We were given individual practice in by Marie. Now it was my turn. I''m not using any "robe " or "body enhancement" now, so I''m in my bare minimum state. But as the strongest in the Empire, Marie is also quite skilled in the art of kumite. Of course, if I and Jet were to give it our all, we would be stronger, but her fighting style was very skillful. No matter how many powerful attacks I launched, she was always able to get the better of me by making full use of her skills. In fact, I have just fallen down after being caught by my right leg. I can see her, but I can''t react to her. I guess my body is not used to fighting like Marie''s yet. Incidentally, the Hokusho Bujin style of fighting is to be both soft and hard. I must eventually reach that state of mind. My father is still much more skilled in this area than I am, and I am reminded that he is not yet a "Hokusho" master. Well, it is like a high dan in martial arts. In kendo, if an old man who is a 7th or 8th dan fighter fights with a young man who is a 5th or 6th dan fighter, the younger fighter will probably win because their physical specs are so different. However, if you ask which one is more skilled in the martial arts, 10 out of 10 people would answer that it is the 8-dan master. There is still such a wall between Marie and my father and me. If I could, I would like to preserve the overwhelming power of my rigidity and firepower while cultivating my skills as a judo practitioner. This kumite training reminded me that I am still a long way from where I wish to be. ".... My legs still hurt!" It was about two minutes later that my cramped leg recovered its energy. It seemed that I had not been hydrated enough. "Really?" The engineers are required to have different skills and specialties from ordinary soldiers. The fact that we are as good as that is quite a compliment. "Now that construction has been completed, you must immediately put in your belongings. From today on, you will be living here." "Yes, ." All of my, Lily''s, and Iris''s belongings are in our inventory, so we don''t have to move them, but the Schneider siblings had brought their backpacks with them. Even though they were only taking their bags with them, they would still need to move. The assignment of the rooms was decided by Marie . On the right side are the women and on the left side are the men. But Eberhard. You will go to the far right side. T"he women''s side?" "Yes. And Lily next to her. This is the way it has to be because of the male/female ratio. You are engaged to be married, so it won''t bother you if your rooms are next to each other." Yes, master. I don''t have a problem with it." "I''m fine with it too, as long as Lily is fine with I had already had the experience of living under the same roof with Lily many times before, and we had even taken a bath together. It''s just a little too much now that the rooms were next to each other. I''m sure I''''ve taken a bath with May too, come to think of it, ....... Lily''s was, well, modest, but Mei''s was the bomb. And the only one I didn''t bathe with was Iris. Hmmm... ...... "I''ll remind you that any dishonorable behavior is not allowed during training. If you are found out, you will be punished." "I wouldn''t do such a thing with other people around!" "Oh, Master!" Lily is cute when she turns bright red and is embarrassed, but I don''t have the guts to do such a thing in an atmosphere where strangers are also present. Even if we had privacy, it would be embarrassing and humiliating if someone got the wrong idea about us. "We will live a decent and moderate group life." To begin with, no matter if we are engaged It''s about the right age for both of us to be getting interested in such things (in my case, I''ve already been through it with Mei, ......), but we''re still underage. We are not old enough to be allowed to do such things under socially acceptable standards. It is not until one reaches the age of 15, the legal age of adulthood in this country, when such behavior becomes tacitly accepted. So I have three years to go. That''s short. I''m getting kind of excited at the thought of the ban on ( self-imposed)] behavior being accepted in three years. I''m not sure if the academy where I am enter in my 15th year is as lawless as the university in my previous life. ......¡¡The school is a noble school, though love marriages do exist. The basic rule is arranged marriages or political marriages. In other words, it is difficult to be a non-rare person unless you have a very good reason to do so. ..... Oh, damn it!" "What?¡¡What happened to you?" Don''t worry, Master. Hal, you know, sometimes he gets a little weird." "Only sometimes, really." The outside world is making a lot of noise, but this is a fight with the inner self. The former me, who ended my life as a person who was not satisfied with life, leaned over and whispered to me as Eberhard, "Explode your rear end! Explode! But in this life, I''m surrounded by girls and am making steady progress on the road to becoming a "Rear Enrichment" person. I think it''s safe to say that I''ve conquered my former self. It''s Eberhard. Spring is just around the corner. ...... "Look, look, your right leg is getting loose!" "I have a cramp in my leg! CH 115 It was the day after the accommodation building was completed. About a week after Lily, Iris, and I arrived, the other participants finally began to gather around. Three in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one in the evening. . Then four in the evening. On that day alone, nine people gathered. There were fo the remaining four people, but Marie estimated that those four would arrive tomorrow. The building was completed at the very last minute. If it had not been finished, 14 people would have had to stay in the open air . It is not that I do not feel that it is too late, since we had been staying in the field until we got here, but we would have lost our motivation if we had to stay in the field again just when we thought we had finally reached the goal. It is the hardest thing for a human being to rise up and be dropped again. At last, the remaining four people arrived, and all the people who had been expected to make the trip were now present. The ones who couldn''t make it here are probably being taken care of by the military personnel who have come to the village near the Demon Forest, so I guess we''re all here for now. Marie looked around at the group of people who had lined up in a circle and nodded. There were ten men and eight women, with a male to female ratio of about 1:1. The difference between men and women in terms of fighting ability is smaller in this world than it was in the world of my previous life on earth, perhaps due to the presence of magic. Women have made comparative progress in society, and about one-third of the military and adventurers are women and in this training program, the ratio of women to men was 45%, which is quite high. Now, we are going to spend a long time together. We need to get to know each other and deepen our relationship in order to live together. So let''s start with self-introductions. The four of you here today may be tired, but it''s not like you''re going to be training right away . Please be patient. ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸ yes ¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ "Let''s begin by introducing ourselves in the order in which you arrived. Name, hometown, magic specialties, and a few brief words?" Some people may not like it if I go into too much depth. You can talk about such things after you become familiar with each other as we train together from now on. "Then Eberhard will go first." "Yes." I looked around lightly at all the faces that turned toward me at once, and then began to introduce myself. "Well, . I am Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit. I am from the northern city of Heidburg. Well, in a way, I am an aristocrat. ......, but I don''t need honorifics here, even in public, so be friendly with me. I am good at ...... [Impact] spells. My weak point is attribute magic. To be honest, I can''t use it at all. I am also an adventurer for fun. I''m sure everyone will have a hard training with Marie, but let''s work together. I''m looking forward to working with you." When I mentioned my name, everyone started to get nervous. Apparently, they reacted to Fahrenheit''s name. Well, my family is the "Northern General" family, which is in charge of protecting the northeastern part of the empire. We must be very well known. And I have a title equivalent to that of a marquis. The introductions ended without incident, and there was a round of applause. "Then, let''s move on. Lily." ''Yes." This time it was the turn of Lily, my bride-to-be. "My name is Henriette Lilly von Bernstein. I am the eldest daughter of the Duke Bernstein. , and I am engaged to Eberhard . My specialty is ice magic and space-time magic. My weakness is fire magic. Please work with me from now on." This time, when the "duke''s family" was mentioned, the conversation started up again, but it was settled after the mention of her being my fianc¨¦e. But what is it about the remaining six women, excluding Iris, who blush when they see me and Lily? Please don''t do this, it''s embarrassing. Then, when Lily said "space-time magic" as her specialty magic, the throbbing around us exploded. ''Space-time magic?" Some of them shouted unintentionally. Johan and the others, who were already familiar with each other, seemed surprised by this. They had thought that the inventory was bought by the nobility with their money. They didn''t think it was a self-made one. ......Well, that''s what people usually think, isn''t it? I would have reacted that way too if I didn''t know. Anyway, Lily''s self-introduction ended with even more shock and groans than mine. Lily, who has not changed her facial expression at all, has a lot of nerve. "Next, Iris." "My name is Iris Steinfeldt. My family is a warrior type family and I come from Calvin, a town in the north of the empire. I''m from the Special Division. My rank is sergeant, and I am a colleague of Second Lieutenant Halt who is also part of the Special Division." When they heard this, they all looked at me and Iris with wide eyes. "Oh, I forgot to tell you." "My specialty is light magic. but not at recovery or spirit elimination Everyone looked at Iris with a question mark in their heads, wondering what the value of the light attribute is if it is not good at recovery and spirit elimination. Iris is a member of the Special Division, she has too much social credibility. Next. "My name is Johann Schneider, the second son of the Schneider family, a master swordsman. I am good at swordsmanship and not so good at other things. I am looking forward to friendly competition with everyone. " The Schneider family also seems to be quite famous among the people from the imperial capital, and several people responded. Next. "I am Emilia Schneider. I am the younger sister of Johann Schneider. I''m good at two-fisted swordsmanship. I''m not good at anything else!¡¡Let''s work together from now on!" That''s a very rough self-introduction, but it''s very typical of Emilia. This is all the people I know so far. The rest are people who have been here from yesterday so today we''ve only met briefly. We haven''t exchanged full-fledged greetings yet. I wondered what kind of people would become my fellow trainees. With a faint hope in my heart, I decided to listen to the self-introductions of the remaining people. CH 116 After Emilia''s introduction, everyone''s attention turned to the next person. The next person was a rather large young man who appeared to be in his late teens. "I am Gilbert Hagendorf, 16 years old, and my family lives in the Steinfeldt area. My family, like Steinfeldt''s, is a samurai family, and we have been in the service of the Viscount Zweig family for three generations now. My specialty is "physical strengthening" magic. I have been trained in swordsmanship and martial arts since I was a child, so I am confident in close combat. That''s all I have to say about myself. I look forward to working with you." There was a round of applause. But he is 16 years old, isn''t he? He seems much older than the 12- or 13-year-olds who had been making self-introductions up to this point. He is taller than 180, and his muscles are well developed and he has a strong physique. I can tell that he has been working out a lot. He seems to be a serious person. I am Hemrut Gertner, 14 years old. I was born in the port city of Hafen, and even though I am the son of a merchant, for some reason I am better at magic than at accounting, which is why I was called here. I prefer desk work. ...... My specialty is non-attribute appraisal spell. I think I''m better suited for scouts and investigative missions than for combat. I think I have a good eye when it comes to shopping, so if you want, we can go shopping together sometime. I look forward to working with you." Hemrut, huh? He looks two years older than me, but at a quick look, he looks about the same age or younger. He is so thin that I doubt if he can really fight. However, since he has successfully made it through the highly dangerous Demon Forest and is here safe and sound, he is probably more than capable, despite appearances. "My name is Claudia Kallenberg. I am from the ancient city of Cremona and I am 15 years old. My specialties are water and earth magic, and I am especially good at "earth golem" magic. I look forward to working with you." Next, Claudia is 15 years old. She is very polite and ladylike. The ancient city of Cremona, where she is from, is said to be the origin of the ancient magical civilization, and it is a historic city with more history than the capital of the empire. It is said that there are many refined people in Cremona, and Ms. Claudia seems to be no exception. I feel that it is somewhat similar to Kyoto, but what is it really like?¡¡It is one of the cities I would like to visit someday. As for Claudia herself, she can use an "earthen golem," which must be very useful as a practice target for magic practice and for training in the form of drills. She can also practice her own "clay golem" spell, killing two birds with one stone. "Leon Hoffmeister 17 years old. My family runs a blacksmith workshop in the northernmost town of Hagen. My specialty is steel spells. I can also do simple blacksmithing work as an intern, so if you want to take care of your weapons, feel free to let me know. If it''s okay with me, I''ll be happy to help you. with that" Leon, the next one, also has a sturdy physique like the first one, Gilbert, and at 17 years old, he is probably the oldest of the group. His birthplace, the northernmost town of Hagen, is the name of the northern port town out of several that exist in the northern and southern parts of the empire. The Hailant Empire is a country the size of Germany, France, Italy, and Benelux plus Switzerland, so it has ports on both the north and south sides of the country. Incidentally, since the distance between Hagen and the country of the dwarves is quite close, it is said that forging is as active in the empire as in the imperial capital. The fact that he takes care of everyone''s weapons gives me the feeling that he is a reliable . "I am Marcus Cornelius, 12 years old. I come from a village called Fore near the Grand Labyrinth. Before coming here, I was a local adventurer who worked as a thief, but I''m not very strong myself. I was only able to get here by setting traps, sleeping in a tree, and sneaking around and hiding from the monsters. So I''d appreciate it if you don''t expect too much from me. Anyway, I''m looking forward to working with you." Markus is a little short for a 12-year-old, and he looks a little younger than his age. I don''t feel much magical power, and I don''t feel his own strength. The fact that he is still able to safely make his way through the demon forest means that he is a skilled thief. In other words, he is a ninja. I would love to see what kind of traps he uses. "I''m Nadia Langenbach, 12 years old, from the southern city of Marsberg. My grandfather was an immigrant from the Beast Kingdom Union, and my race is Ketsey, the Cat People. I''m good at dark magic, and I''m not good at non-attribute magic. Um, I often make mistakes, so I''m sure I''ll be a nuisance to you all, but please take care of me!" ......, Nekomimi is here!¡¡So she is called Nadia. I''ve seen chemomimi beastmen before, but I''ve never had the chance to get to know them well. However, I am very excited to think that I can finally get to know a cat-ear girl!¡¡As a former Japanese who had a certain longing for the chemomimi, I was thrilled. But still, Nadia, I wonder if she''s a naughty, clumsy girl. She even chewed her own name just now. ...... A clumsy girl with cat ears. I guess she''s a pretty ditzy, clumsy girl. CH 117 "I am Oscar Dangermeier, 13 years old. I''m born in the count territory of Luisen, which is right next to the capital. I am good at fire and wind magic. I can also use spirit magic. I can use fire magic to burn down my enemies. Take care of everyone!" The new guy looks pretty light, and for a 13-year-old, he''s quite tall, maybe 170 centimeters already. He''s not muscular, but he''s got a good amount of muscle, and he''s not too long and skinny. "I am Helene Eilenberg and I am 12 years old. My specialties are poison and non-attribute magic, and I can kill and stun my enemies with a bow or a dagger. My weakness is communicating. That''s all." This time Helene- is a rather feisty-looking girl. I have never heard of poison spells, so I am sure it must be a unique spells. If she could master the poison she envisioned, she would have a considerable advantage in assassinations and the like, and would surely be a wanted manpower by the military and the royalty or nobility. She''s a little scary, but she''s reassuring when she''s an ally. "I am Lieselotte von Fermat, 14 years old, second daughter of the Baroness Fermat. My specialty is illusionary spells. I am good at hypnosis, fascination, compulsion, delusion, illusion, and guiding thoughts ....... I can do basically anything that involves lure. I''m looking forward to working with you." ......What a scary person Lieselotte is . She is mysterious or fascinating,...... and she is only 14 years old. I''m looking foward to the possibilities, but I''m also afraid of them. I''m not sure how much I''m going to be able to take in, but I''m going to try not to get my head caught in the sand. "I am Werner Engelhard!¡¡I am 12 years old. My father is a member of the court magician''s division , and I came here because I want to join the court magician''s division in the future. My specialty is lightning magic!¡¡I''m as faster then anyone else!" Wow, he''s super energetic. Here comes the super energetic guy. He''s a different kind of good-natured guy from the lightweight Oscar Dangermeier from earlier, or maybe it''s more in keeping with his age. When I think of lightning magic, Captain Siegfried "Thunderbolt" comes to mind, but I wonder if he s related to him .¡¡I''ll ask him later. "My name is Hans Bergen. Like Werner, my father is a member of the court magician''s division, and we have been friends for a long time. My specialty is telekinetic magic, which is unique to me. I can also use the water attribute, but I''m not very good at that. So, I guess I use telekinesis to control the water mass created by the magic of the water attribute in order to fight. I''m looking forward to working with you." Now Hans. He looks about the same age as Werner, and since they are friends, I guess they are close in age. But what is "telekinesis" anyway? The actualization of magic power can be applied to do something similar, but it is significantly less efficient and is not the kind of thing that can be used in large numbers. Water has quite a lot of striking power if it has a certain amount of mass, and when you think about it, Hans, despite his calm atmosphere, is probably a very talented mage. "Eleonora von Huber!¡¡Twelve years old!¡¡I was born in Estwiese, the eastern city. I am the third daughter of the Huber frontier family. I am good at fire and earth magic.¡¡My weakness is water. magic ...... I will eventually become the strongest. So for now, I''m going to be the best of the best" "The girl with a lot of bluster has arrived. However, for all her bluster, she''s quite petite or ....... It''s something akin to the pink-haired heroines of the zero to ten-years era of novels. ...... However, the Hoover family. This is the first time I''ve met someone who is from the frontier count family as me. Eleonora herself seems to have a lot of ability, and it seems that "becoming the best" is not such a big word." Well, last one," Marie urged. Marie urged. , and the last person began to introduce himself. "Christophe von Blanche, age 12, the eldest son of Count Blanche. I am able to use all four basic attributes fire, water, wind, and earth, as well as the dark attribute. I am ...... not going to get along with you guys. That''s all." He ended with a very simple greeting ....... He seems to be in a bad mood. He has a lot of potential, but because of his personality and behavior, he doesn''t fit in with the people around at all and doesn''t grow. I was thinking about how I had seen this kind of guy in junior high school, when Marie growled and said, "Mmmm." ''It''s Christophe. There is certainly a difference between getting along and friendly competition, but did you mean it that way?" Christophe answered without even a glance in Marie''s direction. "No," I don''t intend to get used to you literally. I can be strong on my own. I came here because my father wanted me to go and because I was interested in the Demon Forest. I didn''t come here to practice." You''re so twisted!¡¡What kind of food makes you so twisted? It must be hard for your father to raise a child like that. Well, I guess there must be a reason why he grows up like this, so I can''t say I''m defending him in general. ...... But he seems like a pain in the ass. That Marie is a bit exclamatory. I thought he would never get upset, but I''ve never seen Marie like this before. "I don''t know what makes you think that way, but you''re good at all four attributes. Why don''t you learn more magic from me who can also use the four attributes as well?" "Why not read about it in a book?'' ''It is true that there are many excellent books such as the "Compendium of Magic," but there are limits to what can be learned from books. Eberhardt there is not suitable for all the attributes. You are very fortunate, considering that. Don''t you think it''s a waste?" Wow, a stray bullet just flew this way. Marie, don''t casually disrespect me. I''ll lick your ears. "Don''t be such incompetence. I have talent." "What?¡¡You ......" I snapped! ''No, I mean, I''m really sorry. I didn''t expect you to have such a twisted personality. I''ll give you a special roasted seven-colored pheasant later, so please forgive me." "Forgiven." The effect of the gourmet food was enormous. It calmed my anger. I was relieved to see Marie''s ears twitching when she heard reply, and my mood became even calmer. ."You certainly have talent, but you definitely lack experience and the ability to look at things honestly based on that experience. You need to be given a good hard shake up." "Don''t evaluate me from above. My value is determined by me." "That''s a great spirit,. You can say such things only when you have the ability to do that. ......Eberhard" "Oh, no!¡¡This is happening again!'' Marie called me forward reluctantly. "Why incompetent ......" "Can I push this guy ......?" "No, Hal!¡¡If you''re going to do it, you have to do it in a duel!" Lily immediately stops me. She''s the perfect wife (candidate). She immediately judges and tells me the path that will not hurt my reputation as the next head of the Farenheit family. Incidentally, a duel is the only legal way to beat an innocent person in the empire , and is used when a nobleman, who values his face, wants to settle a dispute with his opponent. Normally, murder is not permitted in the empire unless it is against a criminal or in self-defense. But there is a nobleman whose honor is more important than his life. Once, he approached the Emperor . , "Your Majesty, get out of my way!¡¡I can'' t kill him. The Emperor of the time was so desperate that he issued a decree that a duel would be permitted only if both sides were willing to fight and the reason for the duel was explained to the court and approved by the Emperor. More than several hundred years have passed since then, up to the present day. "Dueling is nonsense. It''s nothing but a joke for people who want to be knights". "Hal, let''s kill him!" "Yes!" "Of course you can''t !¡¡You''re turning my place into criminal place !'' Of course no one wants someone to die in front of their house. I''m sorry. "But you see, Christoph. Eberhard is stronger than you." "Don''t talk nonsense to me, ....... " If you think so, why don''t you actually fight him? I can roughly estimate your strength, but Eberhard is much stronger." Not at all, Marie, you are very good at stirring people up. Christophe must be very prideful. I didn''t think he would keep quiet after being told such a thing. "...... fine. I''ll show you my power and stalk you. Hey, you." "Call me by my name, will you?" "I''ll take you down in a minute." My name is Eberhard." And so, without a conversation, we were left to fight. I''m not a good-natured person who can let go of the blame after being ridiculed so much, and more than anything else, the atmosphere in the training will get worse if things continue like this. In order to overcome this atmosphere, I must win over Christophe and change his mind about everyone else." I understand the feelings of the protagonist, and I step forward with a firm, but inevitable, resolve to fight. Now, let''s have a legal murder match display time, shall we? CH 118 This is a story I remember from when I was still in Japan. It was about half a year before I got into an car accident and was reincarnated into this world. ''Hey Kazuki, why did you quit your position as a school trip attendant just now? You said we would do it together." It was after school, when I was about to enter the classroom in the bright western sunlight after finishing my work of organizing the school trip according to my homeroom teacher''s instructions. I heard a sweet, glamorous, unpleasant voice that seemed to be charmed by a man. "I didn''t think he was going to run for election," ''What?¡¡That scrawny guy?¡¡Ignore him.¡¡The majority vote will be on Kazuki anyway. He doesn''t have any friends." At that time, my reputation among female students was extremely low. The reason for this is that they are not aware of me as a member of the opposite gender. I was neither ugly nor fat, but at the same time I was not good-looking either. I was not the popular type, and although I was never bullied, I was never the leading or even the supporting role in class, and had established a position in the class as a "C" or "D" among the mob. "Hmmm, but, well, he''s not very talented. I thought I should at least give him a chore position. "That''s why you gave it to him?¡¡You are too kind, Kazuki." "Well, maybe I should run for the student council in the next election. ''I''ll be the speaker.¡¡" "Kya!¡¡I love Kazuki! And while I''m frantically studying and working, these guys are milking each other. The sound of mucous membranes making contact with each other, watery and raw, can be heard from inside the classroom all I could do was run to the bathroom at the end of the hallway and watch the two of them. I think I stayed like that for a while. I realized that it was pitch black in the bathroom and I could no longer hear the wind band playing, which I had heard from the music room in the old school building. , "Let''s go back ......." I''m sure those guys have already left. But still, why am I hiding? Why didn''t I just go into the classroom and take my bag without hesitation? They were the ones who were being blamed, not me. Even if i think so, it is difficult to change way of thinking . I put the reference books from my desk into my bag, put the earphones in my ears, and headed for the entrance to the elevator while listening to English lesson . As I headed for the entrance, I found a life guidance teacher standing there. He had his arms crossed and looked very angry . He must have been upset because he had been given a lottery ticket to be dismissed from school. For teachers, it is a necessary part of school duties, but it is better to avoid doing it. "Hey, no earphones in campus," he said. Take them off. "This is English listening. ......" School rules are school rules. If you don''t follow them, we will confiscate them. I bought some expensive earphones in order to listen to pronunciation which was hard to understand, but it was a bad luck for me. I was confiscated without giving a chance to said something , and I left the school feeling like I''d been stepped on or kicked. ."...I''ll skip school for today at least. Normally at this hour I would be desperately chewing on my desk at the library, coffee shop, or at home, but I''ve had too many bad things happen to me today. It''s good to have a day to comfort myself once in a while. I head to the bookstore to buy a book to read for pleasure. It is only a few stops away from my high school. There are several fine bookstores around the train station on my way home. "I wonder if there''s a new book ......." I''m not so keen on ...... all kinds of books, but I still read a fairly wide range of genres. Pure literature as culture, non-fiction, new books, history books, manga for hobbies, light novels, military, motorcycle, outdoor and other mook books ....... Since I have no friends, I can spend almost all of my allowance on these things, which is one of the few advantages of having no friends. I buy a new book I''m interested in and a couple of new novels, and leave the bookstore. It''s Friday. It''s a day when I can stay up late. Which book shall I read first when I get home? As I was walking along the road to the station with a little bit of tension in my heart. "...... Oh!" The other side didn''t notice me. But I stopped without even realizing it. The hotel area in front of the station. I wonder what''s up here......." I don''t think Sugawara is not doing his best. He is probably working hard in his own way, and I don''t want to deny that. But I am sure that I am working much harder than he is. And yet this is how he treats me. If there is a God, he is very cruel. I walked slowly to the station, feeling the happiness I had felt earlier sink to the depths. Perhaps I had begun to lose my mind from this point on. I think it was right around this time that I began to study harder than ever before, with no regard for my environment, and focusing solely on getting the results I wanted. Then I fell into a state of distraction due to exhaustion and a narrowed field of vision, failed to notice that a car was approaching, and was run over with all speed. I was reincarnated in another world. ??. " ....... It reminds me of that time." His personality is completely different. Kazuki Sugawara never looked down on others so openly. The guy pretended to be a good guy, but in fact, behind the scenes, he said and did things that didn''t have a shred of ethics. In that sense, he was sociable. For Christophe, there is no such thing as front and back. He never hid what he thought, but told it as it was. And because what he thinks is always the worst, it results in discord in human relationships. That is who Christophe is. However, even though they have such opposite personalities, I felt something in common between them. They are both drowning in their own talents, placing no value on their efforts, and looking down on others without a shred of ethics. It is difficult for those who are looked down upon to bear it. Why should one''s own efforts be laughed at by someone who has not even tried? Why is it that those who are born with nothing can never achieve anything that those who are born with nothing can ever achieve? It must be so frustrating and unbearable to think that way. So this is an irrational revenge based on my personal grudge. It is not Christophe personally who is to blame. If I had to say so, it is the world structure. I want to prove that even people without talent can defeat talented people through hard work. Some people may think, "How can a person born with talent say that ''is practice make perfect''? However, just because I have these unique skill does not necessarily mean that I can become the person I am today. The reason I have become this strong is because I have worked hard and trained hard. By being reborn in another world, I was finally able to be transformed inside as well. I will not be defeated by talented people . I will show the world that hard work cannot betray me. That''s why I went to the trouble of entering this non-productive match. I sympathize with the feelings of the hero, who is caught up in all sorts of turmoil, but I firmly raise my fighting spirit and step forward. I am already ready to fight. --Let''s have a legal killing show match! CH 119 "The rules are that you must not seriously injure your opponent and you must not kill him." "Yes!" " Are you a villain?" When I heard that I couldn''t kill the cheeky boy Christophe, I couldn''t help but boo. It''s a devilish reaction that you wouldn''t expect from a righteous aristocrat who believes in "being a true gentleman and a true warrior." ''Don''t worry, you are the one who will be killed." ...... I wonder why this kind of big talk with no basis in fact doesn''t go away. I think I''ll probably died of embarrassment when I get to look back at the past objectively a few years later. ...... Well, it''s because he can'' t look at his own abilities objectively, and because he can''t properly assess the abilities of his opponents, that leads him to make these kinds of statements. This is due to lack of experience, and if that is the case, he should be given a good experience. It is the environment that is to blame, not him. I''m . I''ll just accept the fact that he''s probably in the middle of a period of black history now. Now, I have to change his mind. "Christophe," "What an incompetent." "I''ll give you a big advantage:. "What?" I''m going to draw a circle around where I''m standing, about two meters in diameter, with my heels. "I''m not going to step out of this circle for the rest of the match. If I do, I lose." I know it''s a bit of a conventional development, but it''s the least I can do to punish him for his over-confidence. I''m not going to let him beat me up. "You fool!" Christophe''s face turned red and he was staring at me. He seems to be totally angry. "Aren''t you having a little too much fun?" When Marie looked at me as if she felt dumbfounded, but I wasn''t doing this just for fun either. This is the best way to show them the difference in our abilities. That''s all. ''Well, well, Marie. This is just what I have to do." "I know what you want to do,...... but. I think it would be very counterproductive. ...... Well, whatever will happen, will happen. Besides, you''ve been ridiculed a lot. If you want to get back at him, I won''t stop you." Even though we are only 12 years old, inside I'' m a grown-up. I don''t do anything adult like really getting back at a child. I don''t deny that there is a little bit of that side to ....... Well, it''s okay because it''s just a little bit!¡¡It''s just a little bit. The other trainees were surprised to see that I had set up a considerable advantage over Christophe, who had managed to get through the Demon Forest on his own and could be called a genius who could use all four main attributes and the dark attribute, and that Marie did not stop me from setting up a serious advantage for him. Christophe was the last to arrive here, but it was not because of his lack of ability. It is simply because he does not see the value in this training. If Christophe had been serious, he would have arrived second, ahead of even the Schneider siblings. He has that much ability, and I and Marie can sense it. Even for everyone else, they understand how tremendous it is to be able to use five attributes, so they are probably wondering about my unusual concession. ......, but from my point of view, that''s all it is. I''ve been training for 12 years and it doesn''t matter to me at all. "So are you ready guys?" "Yeah, I'' m ready to start." "No problem. I''m ready." Christophe and I took our starting positions about five meters away from each other. Everyone is watching with bated breath. Lily, Iris, Johan, and Emilia, who know my abilities, are the only four people looking at me with absolutely no worry in their eyes. Iris''s eyes were shining with anticipation. "Then, let''s begin!" "Haaaaah!¡¡Fire Javelin! As soon as Marie gives the signal, Christophe''s spell comes flying. The "Fire Javelin" is powerful despite its magical power, but it takes a long time to cast. It is a fire-attribute medium-level spell that is (apparently) difficult to master, but Christophe performed it with ease. ...... but that won''t work on me.. "Silver Armored Aegis." "Hey!" Christophe''s "Fire Javelin" was instantly blocked by my "silver armor," which spread out in an instant and dissipated like a candle being extinguished by the wind. Christophe was quite surprised and froze, as if he had a certain amount of self-confidence in the blow he had just delivered. Well, if it had been an enemy until now, this one blow would have ended it all. It is not easy to use "Fire Javelin" this well. However, the speed of unfolding my "Silver Armor," which is a derivative of "Shogun''s Armor," is less than one second. No matter how high his skill level is, he cannot hit me with "Fire Javelin," which requires some time to build up before it can be used. It would be difficult to reach me before the deployment of the "silver armor" unless using a faster bow and arrow or lightning attribute magic. However, even with a bow and arrow or lightning attribute, it may not always be able to reach me. If he wants to penetrate my defense, he needs to be as fast as Siegfried "Thunderbolt". "Can you just stand there in a daze?¡¡The enemy will exploit that opening." I went to the trouble of giving him the warning, and fired a strong "impact bullet". The power is exactly the same as the "Fire Javelin" and the speed of the projectile is about three times faster than the "Fire Javelin." ''Agh!" It seemed that he could barely react, but the C-rank non-attribute magic "Shield " that he was able to deploy was not very good, and he seemed to have taken a certain amount of damage. He had used his favorite attack pattern at the first sight, and was repaid with more advanced skills than that. From Christophe''s point of view, it was a complete loss of face. It was hard to imagine his pride being hurt any more than it was. "Damn you, you son of a bitch!" Christophe cries out as he unfolds multiple magic circles. The fact that he is able to create this many magic circles at the same time is a talent, but perhaps because of his personality, he doesn''t seem to have a high level of skill. "What a waste of time" " Rock Barrett!¡¡Water lance!¡¡Wind Cutter!¡¡Flame Storm!" There are a number of different attribute magic - all of which are intermediate or higher level, with the fire attribute being A-rank and advanced magic. However, all of them are blocked by my "silver armor" and disappear. "Damn, why!¡¡Why can''t my magic get through!" Then a number of medium to high level spells are shot at me, but I catch all of them head on. Every time Christophe would fire a spell and it would hit me, the look on his face would turn grim and fearful. I wonder how many minutes he had been doing that. After a few minutes of this, Christophe stopped shooting spells, as if he had already shot all of his spells. He was sweating like a waterfall all over and breathing on his shoulders. I, on the other hand, was not sweating at all, and I was still in a comfortable posture. "Is it over?" , "......." Christophe shivered. The crowd around him was also in a state of shock. "If that''s the case, I''m going to go for it," I held out my right hand and gathered magic power in my palm, transforming it into the shape that I am most good at. The "shock bullet," which gradually grew larger and larger until it was the size of a basket ball, appeared in front of me filled with an enormous amount of energy. This is the result of the efforts of the powerless. Taste it! "D''oh!"" ---.....! A "shock bullet," about five times faster than the "Fire Javelin" of a moment ago and as powerful as a field gun, flies toward Christophe. Exhausted, Christophe was unable to take any avoiding action. It seems that the reaction speed of the scene of the fire somehow made the "shield " better than before, but the power of the "impact bullet" is even more powerful than that. A large cloud of dust rises. No shouts are heard. ''It is over." Marie''s calm judgment echoes. Thus, the match between me and Christophe ended with my one-sided victory, which could not even be called a m CH 120 "Damn, is Christoph going to be all right?'' One of the people in the crowd - Werner, I think - whispered . Christoph had been hit with a pretty heavy blow, so he was probably worried that there might be a chance of being killed. But, at the end of the fight, I managed to make adjustments so that the wound was not fatal, so he should not be dead. I wouldn''t commit a murder just because I was in a fight with someone. Although death during training is a real possibility, it would be a problem of responsibility for Marie, who was in charge of training, if I were to die so easily. Besides, the other party was a noble, even if rotten, and a count and a big-name noble in its own right. Although he is not comparable to a frontier count or a duke in terms of family status, he is on the same level as Marie, who is an honorary count, and the emperor would probably not want to interfere in any unnecessary disputes. In short, killing him here would only have a great deal of downside and only a little bit of upside. I''m going to kill him! I was just going with the flow. I didn''t really want to kill him. I was just trying to get a sense of what it would be like to be a victim of a serial killer. Liquid nitrogen or something? " his right arm is broken, but other than that, he doesn''t seem to be in any particular danger". Rather, he is still a talented guy, since he has been hit so many times and only suffered a fracture of his right arm. Well, Felix himself has already become a fountainhead. "Well, I won''t use healing magic on him." That''s how much punishment he needs. I don''t need to be merciful to him. ''The ...... was amazing." Werner said . "It''s hard to believe he''s the same age as us, isn''t it?" Hans, whose father is a member of the court magician''s division like Werner, is also giving a few words of support. The others'' reactions also varied from person to person. Oscar, who looks lighter, is whistling a whistle often seen in movies, and Gilbert, who looks more serious, is looking at me with an admiring expression. Eleonora, who declared herself " as the best," was staring at me with challenging eyes as if she recognized me as her rival, as if she was about to make a "giggly ......" sound. It was a little scary. "Well, you guys. This is the fight of the imperial knight "Comet. Some of you will be knighted in the future. Make sure you have a clear picture in your mind''s eye of what you are aiming for." When Marie said this, everyone was in an uproar. "Imperial knight?" "My father told me about this ''comet'' ......!¡¡He''s the youngest knight ever to be knighted, isn''t that amazing!" "Wow, ....... I didn''t know there was such an amazing man among us. ......" "I don''t know ....... I''m not sure I can handle it in this group. ......" "Don''t worry. Me neither." It seems that the impact of my seriousness was affecting more than just Christophe. "Well, that''s enough of the entertainment for now!¡¡We''ll go over your specific targets and training plans, so come to me one at a time. Gilbert will go first." " Yes,! At Marie''s order, everyone switched to their own training. After ............, does anyone think about waking up Christophe? I''m starting to feel sorry for him lying on the ground unconscious all the time. I don''t think he would want to be merciful to the person who rolled him, and I can''t do it. I think that Marie, who is teacher , should wake him up here. ...... Well, Marie is busy, too. I guess it can''t be helped. I''ll leave him alone. £ª Pov: Anne-Marie Elaine Jansson Yggdrasill "You''re awake." "Ugh. ......, ouch." Your right arm is broken. You''ll only make it worse if you try to move it. .".... I''m defeated, aren''t I?" "Yes. It could not have been more completely". After deciding on a training plan with all the other participants, I went to see Christophe'', who had been sleeping. When Christophe finally awoke, he did not seem to understand the situation for a while, but the pain in his right hand seemed to help him remember what had happened. "You are the only one who hasn''t decided on a training plan. What are you going to do?¡¡Are you going to defy the government''s policy and refuse to participate in the training even after all this?" "I told you that I can be strong on my own!" "That means that you are going to bring disgrace to your family, the Count family, right?" "No!¡¡Why would I do that?" "Don''t you understand unless I tell you? This is a national project of the Empire. To refuse to comply with it is to defy the Emperor''s will." ......! If it had been Eberhard, he would have understood immediately. Well, he would have understood the significance of the training when he decided to participate in it in the first place and would not have gone against it for no good reason. ...... Christophe is not a stupid person, but he is a little bit too much of a visionary and egocentric. It seems that he is not able to see when he is going in the wrong direction. He doesn''t seem to listen to other people''s opinions, either. ...... In that sense, Christophe is a fool. "This is your last chance. Are you willing to participate in the training?" "Yes, I am ............." After more than ten seconds of hesitation, he answered . He doesn''t seem to have the slightest intention to do so, but, frankly speaking, it doesn''t matter what he really feels when he expresses his intention like this. Since he has talent, I have to start by smashing his stretched-out nose. That is not my specialty. ...... I wonder if I can get an extra bonus this time. ...... I''ll ask the prime minister next time. If he thinks I''''m an important person, he won''''t be so mean to me, will he? I thought about that as I looked down at Christophe, who was clenching his fists and staring down at me with a sullen look on his face. CH 121 It has been about three months since we started training under the guidance of Marie. The weather has become much warmer, even in the Demon Forest located in the northern part of the empire, so hot that it is difficult to endure without light clothing. We had already settled our initial differences, with the exception of a few things, and were engaged in friendly rivalry, aware of each other''s differences in ability, specialties, and weaknesses. I am learning non-attribute spells at a faster pace than I had planned, and I have already learned a little over 500 new non-attribute spells. I think that''s a pretty good pace for me. Marie seemed to be having a hard time watching 18 people at the same time, but she seemed to be enjoying teaching me spells at least when it was my time. Everyone else was also improving their abilities in their own way, and about a third of the people had also succeeded in making a contract with a divine beast. First is Ash, Lily''s divine beast, "Fenrir the White Ice Wolf. He has grown a lot in the past three months, and his body, which was only the size of a puppy, is already as big as an adult dog, . His body fur is still gray with a beautiful blue-white lightning bolt pattern, and his fur is fluffy. His vital abilities have also grown stronger than would be possible for an ordinary animal, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for him. Leon, the "Camouflage King Dragon King Chameleon," the divine beast of Iris, has also grown quite a bit and is about the same size as the Komodo Dragon, a giant lizard that used to live on Earth. From head to tail, he is 2 meters long and weighs 50 kilograms, making him even bigger than his master, Iris, and therefore more powerful. The reptile''s cool skin was quite comfortable, and Iris often leaned on Leon to rest. As for his strength, he has recently become able to mimic the surrounding scenery completely, so it looks like he is going to become quite a strong animal from now on. Incidentally, to avoid confusion with Leon Hofmeister, one of the participants in the training, whose family is a blacksmith, the human Leon is called by his family name, Hofmeister, but this is not so important, so I will only mention it lightly. In addition, Oskar Dangermeier, who seemed to be a lighter character, summoned and contracted "Fire Dragon Salamander," Helene, a poison user, summoned and contracted "Venomous Serpent Ouroboros," and Christoph, a detestable man, summoned and contracted "Dark Lion Manticore. Marie is also a woman, so she must have a lot on her mind. If there are minimum accommodation facilities, there will be no problem, but if it is a complete camp, unmarried men and women spending time together is something to be avoided as much as possible. Especially for the nobility, who are expected to be virtuous. I"f we ever do a one-day exercise, we may try to divide the team up into teams of both men and women." "This is the first exercise. It''s best to keep as many unnecessary worries out of your mind as possible." Looking at it this way, there seems to be a bias toward herps, but is there a reason for this?¡¡It''s not very nice to have only two mammal animals in the list. And lastly, the egg of the divine beast I summoned is still lying dormant inside the eggshell. I''m sure it''s not dead because it absorbs magic power when I give it magic power, but I''d like to tell it to stop being a sleepyhead. I was worried and asked Marie about it, and she said, "It should be born soon. According to her, the slight glow of the egg was becoming pulsating and regular, which was a sign that the egg was about to be hatched. I still don''t know what kind of egg it is, but at least it''s absorbing so much of my magic power that I''m sure it''s going to be a very non-standard one. Hopefully, it will be fluffy. A--human! ?? As I was reflecting on the fact that I had prayed to God even though I am not a Christian, and also regretting that I had reflected on the law when I realized that there is no God Yahweh in this world in the first place, Marie came to us in training and asked us to gather together. Apparently, she wanted to talk to us. "What''s the matter?¡¡It''s unusual to gather all of us together." Hemrut, the merchant''s son who can use magic to make an appraisal, asked Marie politely. He was right. We had been gathered several times for the same training, but most of the time it was just one person or a few people working on a given task. It was quite unusual for the whole group to be called together in this way. "You have been here for about three months. You may not realize it yourselves, but you have grown quite competent. Today, we are going to do an exercise to help you become aware of this and learn how to use it." "Exercises?" When I think of exercises, I imagine the military or some other group holed up in the mountains practicing operational maneuvers in a real-life situation. Or solving questions from previous years'' center examinations. In any case, it means to do something in a realistic situation. "You are now to form teams with the people I have designated for you and go to a specified place in the Demon Forest. All teams will be given the same task, and the team that successfully completes the task will pass. The team that fails to do so will have a week of hellish training ahead of them. Prepare yourself." ""What?"" I, Oscar, and Werner all raise our voices in protest. It''s not that we have decided that we can''t do it, but I''m worried about my internal organs and bones. I don''t want to break my bones at my age. Gilbert, who is aiming to become a knight, is the vanguard and leader of the first team, and he cuts into the enemy. The first team is led by Werner''s lightning magic and Christophe''s four-attribute + dark magic to support and eliminate the enemy, making them a team with considerably high level of power. For this reason, they are a three-man team while the other teams except for Team 3 are four-man teams. Team 2, led by the oldest person, Leon, a steel wizard, was the vanguard and leader of the team, and he fought with an emphasis on defensive capabilities. Johan, a magician, attacked the weak point of the enemy, which Hans''s water and telekinetic magic and Hemrut''s archery attacked. It was quite a steady battle strategy. Team 4''s strategy was for Iris to scout with "optical camouflage stealth" and give instructions as the middle guard, while Claudia''s " earth golem" kept the enemy at bay, while Nadia and Eleonora attacked from the rear with high power attack. The fifth team would make up for Lieselotte''s lack of firepower in the rear guard with Lily, while Emilia''s power of attack and Helene''s poison would function well with Lieselotte''s disruption. And then there''s the third team I''m in. ..... ''Um, Marie. I know what a vanguard is, but a full guard is ......" It''s exactly what it sounds like. You can be in the vanguard, the middle or the rear guard. "Yes, I can." "Well, it''s Eberhard." " Eberhard, " Oscar and Werner were nodding at each other with a look like, "That makes sense! I''m glad they approve of me, but I''m not sure why I''m not happy about it. ...... CH 122 "And now, I give you the task of taking down Jabberwock!" "The Jabberwock?" "It''s a name we don''t hear very often. What kind of monster is it?" "The Jabberwock is the final form of the ...... monster". "The final form ?" "Mm-hmm. The particular Jabberwock is a very good example of this. The Jabberwock is neither of these. Or perhaps I should say that he is either one or the other." I''m not quite getting the point. The content of the talk is abstract or ...... somewhat old-fashioned. "Hey, Eberhard, "you''ve got something on your mind. Did you just think of something incredibly rude?: "No, nothing." I don''t know why, but Marie has a very keen intuition. When a person becomes as strong as Marie, they may pay attention to a lot of things on a regular basis. It is said that professionals notice things that amateurs don''t notice, and I guess Marie''s ability to observe people is no joke. "Let''s get back to the topic at hand. But in rare instances, a small percentage of them may undergo further transformation and evolve into a superior species." "A superior species." "Mm." Lily said so as if to confirm, and Marie nodded. Lily nodded in agreement, and Marie continued. "However, the trend of evolution is not always in a positive direction. Just as in the case of biological evolution, there are times when the state of a creature is transformed into a state that is better expressed as degeneration." After that, Marie continued to tell us various things about the Jabberwock. We listened attentively Let me summarize what Marie told us in my view. Evolution happens because natural selection takes place among creatures that have changed little by little in various ways, and those individuals that happen to be suited to their environments survive. Among the creatures that have changed little by little, there are naturally a certain number of individuals that cannot adjust to the surrounding environment. It is not known whether the speed of evolution is related to their strong magical power, but in general, monsters evolve much faster than ordinary animals. Jabberwock is a general term for such degenerate monsters. It does not seem to refer to any specific race. The appearance of the Jabberwock naturally varies depending on the type of the original monster. The strength of the Jabberwock also varies greatly from one species to another, with some being sickly and weak, while others are just as stubborn and strong. And they generally have a short life span. However, the Jabberwocks have a fierce temperament and high level of aggression that burns away their short life span, and they are said to have a habit of attacking any creature they see other than themselves. They are said to have a bizarre and brutal nature, slaughtering their prey in amounts they can never finish eating for pleasure or fatally wounding them for no reason at all. They are apparently harmful to the local ecosystem and to the people living around the area, so it is recommended that adventurers take them down as much as possible when they come across them. Requests are constantly sent out from the government through the Adventurers'' Guild. When I heard this, I felt a little depressed. What a sad creature the Jabberwock are. They must instinctively realize that they will not live long. And so, in order to live frantically in the present, to feel alive, they may dare to commit brutal acts. It is pitiful that they can only confirm themselves by toying with the lives of others. But even so, if they still bring harm to those around them, we have no choice but to eliminate them by force. This is a line that cannot be compromised as a soldier defending his country, as an adventurer hunting monsters, and above all, as a human being. :If they come in all different shapes and sizes, how can we tell them apart?" Claudia, tilting her head, asks. She is ladylike and elegant, but she seems to have a clear and strong heart. She has a kindness to sympathize with others, but at the same time, she seems ready to fight to protect others. "The Jabberwock has a horribly disfigured appearance that goes against the rules of life. It is obviously out of the ordinary.: "Disfigured ......" Are they chimaeras, forcibly synthesized by scientists, or something like that? It is a pity that they were not born in such a deformed form by choice. "They attack living creatures without regard. They do not do it to eat or to protect themselves. They are made that way. It''s the only way they can survive." A somber air drifted around them. But this was true of monsters in general. Even though not as bad as the Jabberwock, most monsters that have had their will distorted by negative magic have an aggressive streak that can be extremely harsh. The same is true of demons. There is no scientific basis for this, but perhaps demons are also the end form of humans who have been distorted by the evil negative magic power. I"''m not going to say anything about that. What is the point of such talk after all? Are you trying to evoke sympathy or pity for them?¡¡They have no will of their own. Then just kill them without worrying about it.:" "Hey, Christophe! Werner, a fellow member of the group, admonished Christophe as he spat out the words. But Christophe would not listen to him. "What if you say something like that and then when the time comes your resolve to kill the monster weakens? It is a mistake to try to understand them. Rather than sympathizing with them, we have a better chance of surviving if we incite hostility." Everyone was silent in response to this line. Christophe is certainly right. If you can have a certain degree of communication with your opponent, it is necessary to put yourself in their shoes and show your understanding. However, the other party is a monster without reason. Dialogue is impossible. If this is the case, it is better not to try to understand them from the beginning, but to incite hostility toward them as enemies who kill humans and animals, so that they are less likely to hesitate to kill them when the time comes. In a sense, Christoph is right when he says: "...... If we are weak-minded people, then we should do what we do. "Then why?" "But is it a weak man here?" "Oh, ......." Marie says sternly. "The people here are strong enough to carry the country on your shoulders in the future. If you are here, you must be able to understand your opponents, think for yourself, and choose to fight to protect your fellow humans. They must be able to do so. If you just decide that they are the enemy and go out to kill them, you are no better than a monster". I think I understand why Marie is called the "strongest in the Empire". It is not only physically strong. She is the "strongest in the empire" because she also possesses mental strength. It is because Marie is a person whom everyone looks up to, relies on, and wants to entrust with their backs that she is allowed to bear the name of "the strongest". If evil is only strong, it is no different from the worst. "Christophe. You are indeed strong. You may not be as strong as Eberhard, but you have more talent. If you don''t change, you will never be as good as Eberhard. The time to change is now. If you don''t change now, you have no future." ............" Christophe''s expression became blank. I don''t know what he is thinking in his mind. Maybe he is struggling to change his mind, maybe he is growing in hatred. That''s all that even Marie, who is an excellent observer, didn''t seem to be able to get a read on. "Well, both of you are still young, just twelve years old. Even Eberhard has no chance of becoming an evil person in the future. If he does turn evil, it is doubtful that even I will be able to stop him. ......" "Hey, Marie. You were just now exuding a nice air of authority, and now you''re saying that you don''t think that''s a good idea?¡¡There''s no way ...... I''m going to turn evil, right? I looked back at Lily and Iris, who were looking at me with a glazed look. Why are you looking at me like that ......?" "I don''t know, Hal, you get along so well with girls so easily. You may become a womanizer that will go down in history." "I don''t know, Hal. He might even seduce Marie someday." "No, !It''s can''t be ¡¡Marie is a great teacher!¡¡I can''t even get her to talk to me right now.'' "Iris, did you hear that?¡¡"¡¡"I don''t deny the possibility of that in the future, Hult This is a tricky one."¡¡Marie is a great teacher!¡¡I can''t even get her to talk to me right now. "Iris, did you hear that?¡¡Not yet. "I don''t deny the possibility of the future, Hurt. This is a tricky one. "......, I have good defence . I have not been beaten it for 200 years." "Wow. ....... Marie, you were a 200 year old . ...... Well, Marie, that might make sense. ......" "...... Eberhard? I''m sorry." Apparently, she knew about what I was thinking of . Oh , I''m scared, ! Anyway, this is how we were given the task of defeating the Jabberwock from Marie. I hope it will end without incident, but I really wonder what the outcome will be. With a slightly disturbing atmosphere, we started our first exercise. By the way, people call this a flag! CH 123 "Christophe, you son of a bitch!¡¡I''ll beat the shit out of you!" "Hey, Eberhard. What''s the matter ? You''ve been emotionally shaky for a while now." The only reason we''re in this situation is because of that misguided bastard who set the flag on us!¡¡Damn him, he retrieved the flag right at the start of the exercise!" "Hey, what''s a flag?" "I don''t know. Eberhard is a bit out of his mind." "That''s true. All the guys who are crazy are a little bit strange." "You guys!¡¡¡¡¡¡And I could hear what you just said!¡¡You''ll have to prepare yourself later." "I know, I " "I''m not very good at hand-to-hand combat. . Muttering this, Oscar and Markus reluctantly join the fight. Oscar is using his special fire magic, while Markus seems to be using his wire and knife to set various traps to keep the monsters stuck in place. "There are so many of them." "Isn''t this normal for a demon forest?" "I''m getting so tired of it." We were killing the monsters one by one without any complaints. The species of the monsters that attacked us varied greatly, but there seemed to be no Jabberwock amongst them. "I wonder if I should learn to use a bow?" Marcus, who has been setting up quite vicious traps all over the place with invisible wires reinforced with magic power to cut to shreds any demons that pass through them, muttered to himself while in the midst of the fight. In his case, setting traps and attacking from the background are his main means of attack, so he doesn''t get too out of breath. "No, you are strong enough as it is. Besides, a crossbow requires a lot of power, doesn''t it?¡¡It''s not very effective for you, is it?" "Oscar, I''m strong enough to go through the Demon Forest by myself Well, it''s not thanks to my physical strength. ......" Well, I guess you could say that Marcus has the best of both ways. I think Markus would be stronger if he mastered the thief profession as he is. "Eberhardt''s words have a different persuasive power." Well, I''m more of a specialist than a generalist, so I don''t know if I''m allowed to call it "mastering one thing". But since I''ve experienced many times to get to the top of something through hard work, I should be at least allowed to praise and encourage my fellows''. "How about my fire spell?¡¡I''m sure my combination with Efreet is quite good, isn''t it?" Efreet" is the name of Oscar''s contracted divine beast, "Flaming Dragon Salamander. It is quite a cool name. If in the future it grows to be as strong as the original Efreet, the Great Spirit of Fire, we will be very reassured. "Oscar''s magic is very powerful, and I think his coordination with Efreet is good enough. However, if he could control his magic a little more precisely, it would save a lot of magic power. Oscar''s direction tends to be a little too flashy." "Wow, that''s harsh. But I am not harmed . I''m the future great mage!" "I''d like to see you share a little more of that confidence with Marcus ," . As we were fighting, the number of monsters was decreasing considerably, so it was getting much easier. I could even talk with them as I fought the monsters. "The "active sonar" doesn''t catch any more monsters. Maybe we can take a break for a while after defeating the ones we have now." "Yay!¡¡Let''s burn ''em down!" "Oscar better do a little of what Eberhard told him to do." "...... oh." As Oscar nodded (albeit reluctantly), he properly suppressed his magic and released fire spells within the minimum range necessary to destroy the enemy. Since he is participating in this training program, he has a considerable amount of talent, so he is quick to learn. The efficiency of his spells has improved significantly, and he is now a fighter not to be underestimated. Marcus too, is making a move on Oscar, casually preparing a pit (not a very large one, just enough for monsters to catch a foot and lose their balance) and a needle like a long, thin skewer at the end of the pit, and seems to be reducing the number of monsters precisely. It''s a bit grotesque there. I felt sorry for the monster that got caught in the trap and fell down, and as a result, the stick got stuck in its eye, and it was literally skewered and trembling, dripping with brain marrow. And I myself have hunted the most monsters with my magic sword, Raikiri. I must have slain a few dozen of them. "Oooooh, this is the end!" Oscar''s "fireball" and Efreet''s fireball hit the last monster at the same time. ''Ughaaaaa......!'' The gorilla-shaped monster, which had been unbelievably muscular, falls down, its entire body reduced to a pile of fire. The last time I saw him, he was a big, strong, muscular man, but he couldn''t escape death. "Phew.......... I can take a breather now." "All right, let''s eat while we''re at it." ''I''m hungry. I''m starving." I took out the special spices I had bought in Heidburg from my inventory and showed them to everyone. ''It tastes so good on meat with this on it." "Oh, really?¡¡Then let''s eat it right away." Oscar has roasted meat all over the place. The exercise will take place over several days, so ensuring food supplies like this is an important part of the training. The forest of demons is a paradise for monsters compared to the normal forest, so as long as one is strong enough, there is no need to worry about securing food. In this forest, the absolute rule is "the weak are the strong, and the strong are the weak. I" wonder when we will find the Jabberwock. ......" "Even mutations are rare, and the Jabberwock is even rarer among them, right?¡¡Will we ever find it?'' "I don''t know about all that." Avoiding the humanoid monsters, we eat the meat of the herbivorous-looking monsters as much as possible. The fresh meat, cooked through to the inside, is delicious, partly because it contains an abundance of magical power. Also, the spices are the best. ''..No, this spice is too good, isn''t it?" "I''m surprised at all the good food I''ve had here. I''ve never had such good food in my village. ......" They looked at the jars of spices and were impressed. It seems that my spice recommendation met their tastes as well. "Right?¡¡Isn''t it delicious?¡¡Ha-ha-ha!" "By the way, how much does this ...... cost?" "Oh, ......, that''s right. It''s so tasty, it must be quite expensive, right?" " Well, it is more expensive than salt. A bottle costs about 10,000 " "10,000?''¡¡The two were astonished. Even a rich person would be surprised if a bottle of shichimi sold in the supermarket cost 10,000 .¡¡It''s not something you can just casually spend like that. "Well, it''s only 10,000 ." " . Even though it''s a price I can earn, I don''t think I''d buy a spice that costs as much as a day''s wage for a commoner. ......" "Oh, my God, you spent so much ......" "It''s okay, I don''t care. I can buy this much as much as I need ." "Damn!¡¡As expected from the wealth of the aristocracy!" "You have no idea how we commoners feel!" "I''m telling you, I bought this with the money I earned as an adventurer. I''ve been saving the allowance my parents give me for years without spending a single elle." "...... sorry about that." "......, that''s you Comet, isn''t it?" We were spending our precious break time talking and eating up our precious time. It is necessary in a long-term fight to take a break like this to relax and refresh ourselves. After all, the exercise to defeat the Jabberwock has only just begun. CH 124 ''...... Okay, it''s time to get ready for camp......." I agree. It''s a very dangerous in demon forest, and we need to do it while it''s still light." "As the leader of the group, I gave the order to set up camp, and Markus agreed. He is not very self-confident and is very cautious." Oscar came alone, didn''t he?¡¡Have you do, camp or something? "?¡¡I can use the ''seed fire ward,'' so I didn''t have much trouble." "Seed fire warding?" Unfortunately, I''m not very good with attribute magic, so I''ve got the famous ones down, but I don''t know all the fire attribute spells. "It''s a spell that scatters small seed fires around, and if there are monsters or intruders, they will all burn up at once. It''s B rank, a little hard, and has the disadvantage that it uses magic power all the time, so you don''t get much time off, but you can''t turn your back on i "Heh. There''s some useful Magic in that. What about Markus?" "I usually take a short nap on a tree or dig a hole in the ground. I couldn''t sleep very well, because if I did, I would die. " "You''re right. ......" The two of them had a tough trip after all. "What about Eberhard? You were with Lily and Iris, weren''t you? Taking turns sleeping?" I"''m curious too. I''d love to know how the first arrivals made it through this forest." "Well, I don''t think my strategy will be of much use to you, to be honest. It''s quite a feat of strength." With that said, I took out a simple steel campsite from my inventory. The two were completely shocked when they saw a silver-gray metallic luster dome suddenly appear in front of them that looked large enough to accommodate a hundred people. "What''s ............?" ''............ what''s this?'' ''...... so I told you. I have an inventory, so we can take precautions like this. Thanks to that, we get a good night''s sleep every night. We even have a bath." Is this what I mean when I say I can''t keep my mouth shut? they looks more stunned than surprised. "I really envy you, ......." "I feel ...... some kind of disparity. ......" "By the way, I only used the one I have when I came here, but Lily and Iris have the same one, so all the girl teams should be spending time with it on this exercise." "What? The other two teams of boys were not so lucky. Well, that''s the way camping is supposed to be. That''s the way it should be. It'' s just crazy. "All right, then, let''s get started on the meal preparations. We have some herbs and edible plants from the march, and I think they would be good on bread with this sauce and some of the meat we got for lunch." "Your inventory really does produce anything and everything. Maybe you should be a merchant." "Eberhard would be successful in anything." "Well, if my family falls, maybe I''ll become a merchant." "No, unless he rebelled against the imperial family, the frontier count''s family will not fall." "Sometimes I think Eberhard forgets that he is a major nobleman." Well, the starting point of my personality is modern Japanese. In the first place, ordinary aristocrats don''t do savage things like becoming adventurers. Aristocrats who are in the military sometimes go on expeditions as soldiers, so they are probably more used to it than you might think. While they were having such an idle conversation, the food was ready. "I think it would be delicious if you bake it," Oscar says. Oscar said something like that. It is true that baked bread tastes good. And if it were sandwiched with meat and vegetables, it would be a must. "Good idea, let''s bake it." ''We''re going to need a campfire anyway." "All right, then, I''ll do the cooking for you, , "Well, I''ll do it myself," and I wait for him." "Wait a minute.'' "What?" I want to try something. Up until now, I had always used a fire flint when I camped as an adventurer. However, there was always the possibility that I might lose my fire stone, and there was nothing better than being able to make a fire with just my own power. I am particularly unable to use the "seed fire," a life magic that many people can use, due to my inability to use attribute magic. "The thing you want to try is to make fire?¡¡...... Oh, well, you can''t use attribute magic, can you?" "Yes, I know. So I just wanted to try something on an opportunity like this." "I''m not good with fire either, but I can at least use "seed fire". . ...... I''m curious to see what Eberhard will do." Oscar and Markus seem to be interested in my method of fire ignition. Well, what I''m about to try is probably something only I can do, and I don''t think I''m going to boring with it. "First of all, you know I can use a unique magic called [Impact], right?" "Yeah." "Yes, I do." "This time, I''d like to try igniting a fire using that [shock]." ''...... how?'' Both of them look doubtful. Well, I''ve never actually tried it myself, so I don''t know if I''ll actually succeed. I prepared a few dry looking sticks that I found lying around and shaved them thin like dried bonito flakes with a knife. Then I took some of them in my hand, and I wrapped the bonito shavings in the manner of a ''convergent impact bullet'' and activated [the impact]. ---- bob! "Whoa!" In an instant, the shavings are ignited and a spark is created as if a paper cigarette is burning. "Transferring this to the rest of the shavings,...... whoosh, whoosh." The fire was easily transferred to the shavings, and a fire was created. I put in a few branches and watched for a while, and the fire spread to the branches and eventually stabilized. "Okay, it''s done," The campfire burned with a crackling, bursting sound. If we put thicker branches around the fire, we would have a real bonfire that would last for several hours. "What was that?" "I thought Eberhard could only use the non-attribute?" The two looked at me surprised, but I didn''t use any fire attribute magic. The actuality is, it''s a simple application of science. :"Air has the property of getting hotter when it is compressed." "Compression makes it hotter?" "Yes." Have they ever heard of a fire piston? It is an ignition tool used in outdoor activities such as camping and barbecues. When you put flammable materials such as sawdust or straw in a metal cylinder and push a metal rod into the cylinder at once, the straw burns due to the heat produced when the air is compressed. A similar principle is used in diesel engines. In a diesel engine, the heat of compression when the air in the cylinders is compressed ignites the atomized fuel, causing it to explode. And that is what I applied in this case. Using the principle of "explosive compression," in which the fuel is blown up evenly from all directions and the center is compressed by the shock wave, the air and the shavings inside were compressed by the [shock] spell. Thanks to this, the shavings were safely set on fire. "Is that part of the aristocrat''s culture?" "Ah, well, it''s not quite like that, but maybe there are some researchers who know about it." The fire pith was a tool used in Southeast Asia for a long time on earth. The origin of the fire piston is not so clear, so it may be that there may have been reincarnated people in ancient Southeast Asia with modern knowledge. "Now that the fire is safely prepared, let''s bake some bread." "Oh, yes." "Let''s hope it turns out well." We put a large stone right next to the campfire, cleaned it up, and put the meat sandwiches on it. After a while, the smell of the meat started to stimulate our appetites. "Can we get ready for this? Thank God for nature! "Thank nature!" As for the flavor, let''s just say that the combination of crispy bread, juicy meat, and herbs was fantastic. But why is it that food eaten outdoor tastes so good? It is truly a mystery. CH 125 Next day. We were able to greet the morning without being interrupted even once by monsters as we were confined in a simple camp house with my "Active Sonar Alarm" and Oscar''s "Seed Fire Warding" doubly applied. Thanks to the showers and beds provided, we slept so well that it was hard to believe we were in the middle of a campout, so we were in good physical condition from the morning. "Mmm, I feel great!" "I can''t believe we''re in the middle of a field camp. ......" "It''s hard to believe, isn''t it? ......" But who doesn''t like a good night''s sleep? It is true that it is necessary to acquire knowledge of the hardships of camping out in case of emergency, but it is also true that the quality of operational activities will definitely improve if you don''t waste time and money on unnecessary exhaustion. It is absolutely not acceptable to force the people on the ground to endure and neglect equipment and supply! Now that we had both finished our breakfast and Tama-chan'' as well, it was time to get going. "Well, let''s get going." "Oh, yeah. I''m feeling great today." "I''m feeling well enough rested to stay awake. and I''m ready for danger and scouting." Oscar''s finger shoots fire like a gas burner, and Markus holds up his utility knife. They both look prepared. "All right, then, let''s get going." We put the simple camp house and other camp things in inventory, and we'' re off. Today is the day we will find the Jabberwock. "Somehow there are fewer monsters than there were yesterday?" It is true that the number of monsters caught by "passive sonar" today is about 30% less than yesterday " I"''m going to go out for a little scouting . Maybe they hiding somewhere " "Oh, yes, please." "Oh, Markus. Take this." "What''s this?" "This is a communication device with "communication" magic. It''s a cheaper version of the one I always use, but it can communicate for dozens of kilometers with no problem, so if there'' s something wrong, just report it to me right away. You can also rely on the ring to pinpoint your location, so if you see any suspicious activity, just report it to us and we''ll head there." "T . The communication magic tool is a valuable item even in the imperial army''s reconnaissance unit. I''ve heard about it because my uncle is in the reconnaissance unit. ...... Oh, this is private information, so please don''t tell anyone." ''You tell that to me, who im a special division ?¡¡...... Also, it was me and Mei ...... my childhood friend who made it. The actual cost is only a couple of thousand els for one, if you disregard the labor cost." "What the hell!¡¡You Singularity! The true singularity is Mei Arendahl, a super-genius blacksmith who perheps would astonish even Leonardo da Vinci. The problem is that I don''t feel like she is staying in the realm of blacksmithing any longer, but in terms of status alone, Mei is a blacksmith. She is an artisan in the samurai, farmer, artisan, and merchant class. "I''m off then." "Oh, be careful." "I''m counting on you." '' Well, I''ll do my best not to push myself ." Markus''s ability as a scout is greater than any of us here. This has been proven by his previous training and yesterday''s day. I am sure that Markus will achieve something. Another point that I can appreciate is his ability to act with a clear view of his own limit, without being overawed by the expectations of his comrades. We see him off, and Markus disappears behind a bushes. Oscar and I are left to wait behind for the time being. "While Markus is out scouting, we''ll get some rest. We don''t know what''s out there." "I agree. Even though there are fewer monsters than yesterday, it doesn''t mean that we are not tired." We waited for about 30 minutes, sitting down on the root of a tree or a fallen tree. My magic tool for communication reacted. "Markus?" "Oh my God, Eberhard!" "Markus, what''s wrong? What happened?" "The monsters are attacking ...... monsters!'' Unexpectedly, Oscar and I look at each other. The reason is not because it is rare for monsters to attack monsters. The reason is that we see such scenes quite often. Demons are a sub-species of animals. Even though half of them are like monsters, in other words, the other half are animals. If they were animals, it would be difficult for them to survive except by eating other creatures other than themselves. That''s why Oscar and I wondered. Even Markus was a local adventurer before coming here. It would be strange if he did not have such knowledge as a natural part of his life. In other words, the scene that he is seeing is far from the usual ....... And there are not that many possibilities to be considered as a scene of unusual monsters attacking monsters. Namely. "--Jabberwock!" The Jabberwock has a crazy impulse to destroy and a hunger for killing in its body. In other words, it is not a prey activity as seen in other monsters, but a raid for the sole purpose of complete killing is now taking place right in front of Markus'' eyes. "Marcus!¡¡We are on my way. With the target''s force uncertain, anything can happen. You''re going to have to hide and wait it out until we get there!'' "Okay, ." With Marx''s skill, he would never be discovered. But at the same time, it means that the Jabberwock could escape at any moment. If it''s a ground or aerial type monster in its original form, good. Even we can ...... track them in the air, at worst I can track them by myself. But if the original Jabberwock is an underground or underwater type, we have no way to track it. "Let''s hurry!" "Yeah!" I cast "Robe " and Oscar cast "Body Enhancement" as we ran through the forest of demons. While using "Active Sonar," we kept running to reach the destination in the shortest possible time , avoiding unnecessary fighting. It took about five minutes of running. After running across the distance that Markus had carefully advanced, we were confronted with pieces of meat and organs scattered all over the place. The red puddles that were spreading in large quantities and the screams of the agonized demons that could be heard in the present state. The neck unnaturally elongated and the long, slender limbs. The hideous scales covering its entire body and the tail that is unusually long and disproportionate to its body. And two eyes that shine brightly and glare at us. "----GURRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" A ghastly, unpleasant, glass-scratching cry that is so horrifying that it makes the hairs on my back stand up on end. It was the ---- Jabberwock. CH 126 The slender limbs and unnatural neck. The hideous scales that cover its entire body and the tail that is unusually long and disproportionate to its body. Two eyes that glare at us, shining brightly. From its huge, crocodile-like jaws hangs the poor monster, which has just died. "...... Marcus, ......!" "Oh, I''m here!" When I called out to Markus, who was out of sight, I could hear his voice coming from the shadows. Thank God, Markus is safe "Markus, you stay in hiding. Me and Oscar will keep him occupied while you set the traps." Okay." "Oscar, let''s go." " let''s go. I''m ready". Oscar, who focused his fire-attribute spell in his right hand, replies with a wry smile. Even so,......, this is the Jabberwock''s urge to kill. It is a horrific scene. I haven''t seen many of these movies because I don''t like to watch splatter movies, but I''m sure that zombie movies are full of scenes like this. I''m sorry if you like that kind of thing, but it''s not something I''d want to see on my own. "Oscar, we have to strike first. On my signal, we''ll attack at the same time: three, two, one...... shot!" My ''Impact Bullet'' and Oscar''s ''Flame Lance'' are launched at the same time. The "Flame Lance" is a higher level magic than the " Fire Javelin". It consumes a lot of magic power and has a very high difficulty level of A-. However, it is Oscar who is specialized in the fire attribute. ---- ZDD! Two shots of advanced level spells landed on the Jabberwock. The two shots were both quite powerful, so they must have caused a fair amount of damage. "Did we ....... ...... do it?" Hey!¡¡Oscar, you son of a bitch!¡¡I told you that was a flag!" "What?¡¡What''s been going on since yesterday?¡¡Explain to me what you mean by flag!'' "You know, the guy who says, ''I''m ...... going to get married after this war'' is always dying, right?¡¡That''s it!" "Oh, that." Apparently, the concept of flags exists in this nation as well. The flag deity, who controls the law of karma, is the god of flags. The concept of the flag seems to be valid across the world, just like the laws of physics. "----Gyuooaaaaaaaah! "See, I knew he was alive. ......" ''Sorry, ......." No, well, the direct reason is that our spells weren''t powerful enough, but even so, the flag deity is a hard working man for foreshadowing us so well. The smoke cleared to reveal the Jabberwock. Although he had been severely injured, I could clearly see that his wounds were gradually being healed even as I watched. It seems that this individual has a strong ability to heal itself. "But if that attack doesn''t work,......, it''s at least an A+ rank. Worst case scenario, ......." "S-rank, huh?" "Oh." The " Robe " is already functioning at 100%. In addition to this, if I also deploy the "Silver Armored Aegis", I will be able to create my ultimate fighting style, which is both offensive and defensive. "---- Deploy "Silver Armored Aegis" A thick silvery-white magical armour, imbued with the magic of [shock], appears and wraps around my entire body. The fast moving turret with a defensive strength no less than the armor of the third generation tanks on the earth. That is an exact description of my current strength. "Oscar. I''ll attack at close distance and create an opening while I charge, so aim there and shoot the most powerful spells." "I''m in charge." Oscar''s spells are powerful enough to be considered foolproof. I''m going to show you the power of an S rank magician. "Let''s go!" I close the distance with the Jabberwock at once by releasing a shockwave from my foot and using "Shrinking Ground" in combination. I was not sure if he had never fought an enemy stronger than him, but the Jabberwock was not able to react. ''Ta-da! ----Zdong! I hit the Jabberwock with a fist full of shockwave!s Guooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ......!" The Jabberwock attempted to catch the unavoidable but was unable to endure my all-out blows, and he was blown several dozen meters away, knocking down trees. The trees in the forest of demons, which are supposed to be very sturdy and rich in magical power, were snapped off with ease, and I found myself slightly taken back by the power of my own strike. "I''m sure I could never have done this without magic. ...... But this probably isn''t enough." I must have certainly done a lot of serious damage. The moment I hit him, I could feel the Jabberwock bones and internal organs crushed. But that was not enough. The Jabberwock''s body regenerates itself very quickly, although it is not as unreasonably resilient as the demon I fought before. To defeat him, we would either have to attack him one-sidedly, to the point where his regeneration could not keep up, or we would have to keep dealing damage until his regeneration was exhausted. Which will go down first, our attack power or his recovery power? That is the point that will determine the outcome. "GUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Jabberwock, with an ominous roar, rushes toward us from behind the broken trees. It was quite quick. It looks to be at least the size of a car. I looked at him and saw that he had already recovered from the damage I had done to him, and his eyes had turned the color of anger. "Flying Wings!" I activated my flying wings and rose several dozen meters into the air. "Gah!" The Jabberwock, perhaps not expecting me to fly, was momentarily stunned. But I was not the one to miss that opportunity. I kneaded up my magic faster than I could blink my eyes, and launched my 18th Ohako [Impact]. "Shock Retsuden"! Each shot is as powerful as a mortgage, and a barrage of more than 10 rounds per second pounces on the Jabberwock, sewing him to the ground. Unlike in a fight against a human opponent, there was no need to go easy on him, so it was a good thing I didn''t have to focus on the power of the bullets. If I had been worried about control, I might not have been able to keep him from flying away. Oscar!¡¡Now!" ''Oh!¡¡Here I go. Dragoon Breathfire!" Oscar shouted, and at the same time, a jet of flame shot from his hand, which could be described as a wall of fire. The huge amount of heat from the spell hit the Jabberwock with such force that the Jabberwock let out a cry of exclamation. ''Oscar, nice!" The Jabberwock seems to have suffered considerable damage, and all the scales on its body are falling off, and the exposed skin is burning. It''s working. I guess I thought so, but it was a mistake. The next moment, the Jabberwock, with wounds still healing, leaps toward Oscar and strikes him with its unnaturally long tail. -"---!" Unable to scream, Oscar is blown away. He disappeared behind a bush, so there was no way to check on his safety. "Oscar!" Oh, no. , , !¡¡Oscar didn''t look like he was putting up any defensive spells. Maybe I should assume the worst. "Oh, , no!" Here comes the loss of our advantage. It seems that the Jabberwock was far stronger and more ferocious than we had ever imagined CH 127 Oscar was blown behind a bush, so I had to deal with the Jabberwock all alone. He is a tough opponent. His power and the strength of his attacks were within expectations, but his fighting style was insane. To be honest, if I can''t get used to it before my magic runs out, victory might be hard to come by. I''m also worried about Oscar''s safety. Now we''ll see how effective Markus''s trap will be. ...... No, let''s stop. It would be a complete disaster if he died from pushing himself too hard here. What was the purpose of this training program? It is to strengthen us talented young people and to improve the military power and capability of the imperial government. If we die or suffer irreparable injuries here, it could rather weaken that military deterrent. "''...... Marcus!¡¡You heard me. We''re retreating. Find Oscar and get him out. I''ll hold monster back in the meantime. ''Okay, .''" I give Markus the order to retreat with the communication tool. ".. I guess we''ll have to wait and fight another time." I tell the Jabberwock. I know he won''t understand, but it''s just a matter of how I feel. I take out several throwing knives from my waist pouch (different from the inventory), add [shock] to the handles, and throw them. The knives fly at high speed like missiles while emitting a shockwave, and pierce the Jabberwock and its surrounding area. The Jabberwock looks like he is in pain. But my goal is not to hurt him. "Just stay there for a while!¡¡--Bind the lasso!" Wires of magical power shoot out from all the knives and entangle the Jabberwock. The magic wires could be turned into "magic blades" and cut through his entire body, but this time they will not. The goal is to keep him at a halt. If he runs away after being regeneration, there is no way to get rid of him. ''Grrr!" The Jabberwock is screaming, his whole body in a frenzy. I''m driven by the desire to finish him off as he is, but I''ve put so much magical power into the "Binding rope" that he can never get out, and I don''t think I have enough power right now to break through his regeneration. I''m sorry, but I can''t do anything about it. "''Marx!¡¡Was there Oscar?" "''Yes, he was. He''s wounded, but he seems to be alive". "''Okay, I''m on the way." After cutting off the communication, I hurried to Markus and Oscar''s location, relying on the response of the magic tools. They were not that far away from each other, but it was a considerable distance considering Oscar had been blew off this distance. ''Oscar!¡¡Are you okay?" "Eberhard!¡¡...... Oh, you'' re alive. I''m sorry, I''m dragging you down." "What are you talking about? I''m just glad you''re ...... alive." "I''m not going to die like this!¡¡......" "Take it easy. It''s hard to be fully recovered, but I''ll give you some first aid and take a look at your injuries." "Yes, please." I walked up to Oscar and used my "diagnostic" magic on him. Oscar had multiple broken bones in his arm and ribs, but fortunately his internal organs and head did not seem to have been damaged. "...... Only multiple broken bones............. Good for you, you won''t die." :I''m not going to die. ...... hurts!: The bones are joined together by "gluing" and the recovery process is accelerated by "accelerating healing. The process of " gluing" moves the bones to their original position in the body, so the pain is great unless you shut off the pain sense. This time, there was no time for pain blocking, so I asked him to endure the pain. "bear with it." "I know, but ...... it still hurts!'' The pain of a broken bones is something you don''t get used to. . I can''t stand that sharp pain. I broke a bone once a few years ago, and I learned the hard way that it''''s not something you can get used to. I guess if you are excited and have an adrenaline rush, you may not feel the pain so much, but that''s just a matter of biology, you know? "Oscar, can you walk?"" "Yes...... Thanks to you, I''m doing fine." "Then we''ll go a little further. We''re still close to the Jabberwock." I haven''t checked, but the Jabberwock may have a good sense of smell, and it may also have good ears. Or, in addition to the five senses, he might be good at sensing magic. Considering this possibility, I wanted to gain some distance from him. I didn''t know when my "lanyard" might run out. We proceeded little by little through the forest of demons. I activate my "passive sonar" because I might be attacked by other demons on the way. Active sonar" has a more accurate detection radius, but the Jabberwock might notice us if we use it. You can''t use "active sonar," which leaks out magic waves. "Sorry you two I can''t ...... be of help." "Marcus?" As we were walking, Markus apologized to us with a sad look on his face. ''If I had set the trap properly, Oscar might not have been injured . ......" "What are you talking about? You did your job as a scout, didn''t you?" It''s just first aid only, so the injury will still hurt, but Oscar is acting cool -hearted and encouraging Markus. I thought he was a lightweight, but he seems to have a lot of manly spirit. Well, I don''t deny that he is a lightweight. "Oscar, ....... But..." ''Then be stronger. Be more cunning and mean-spirited!¡¡That''s all right." "Oscar is right. If you''re frustrated, use it as a push for further training." "I understand. I''ll get stronger. I''ll become a more vicious thief , capable of setting even more dangerous traps." ''That''s the spirit." We encouraged each other and walked for a while to make up the distance. After about two kilometers, we decided to take a short break. "We''ll leave after we''ve rested for five minutes. Until then, we''ll take a break.'' "Oh." During this time we''ll get our gear and condition in order. Markus prepared to set up a trap at any time, Oscar used his recovery magic, and I drank a magic potion to accelerate the recovery of my magic. "All right, let''s go." We still have more than 10 kilometers to go to Marie''s location . The speed of the walk is slower than usual, but at this pace, we should be there by nightfall. We were ready to get going. ---- But our progress was interrupted by a single step. We were about to leave when I heard the following words: "........... "Wait a minute, you''re kidding!" ".......................... What the." "...... Damn!'' How can it be so strong, so regenerative, and not be caught in a "passive sonar"?¡¡That would be cheating. When was the last time i felt a shiver? I look up at it , shaken by a feeling I haven''t felt in more than a few years. The "passive sonar" and "ligature lasso" had been on the lookout for him, but he was standing right in front of us with a ferocious smile on his face. "---- Jabberwock. ...... what a monster !" On one side, a mad beast with full-blown murderous intent. On one side, three exhausted humans with their wounded comrade. A desperate battle was about to begin. CH 128 "Grrr!!'' ---- found his prey. The Jabberwock is not hiding his joyful gaze from us. He has been through so much pain himself, but he doesn''t seem to have learned his lesson at all. It seems that his desire to torture us to death is greater than the pain he feels when we fight him back. It is as if he is an alcoholic who cannot stop drinking even though he suffers from a hangover every time. There was nothing we could do to fix it. "Why?" Marx, with a face like he was about to cry, said weakly, No wonder. It was the first time he had ever faced such a powerful and unbeatable enemy. However, if you are despairing and feeling weak at this point, you will not be able to survive. If he cannot evade, he has no choice but to fight. I don''t know if Marie was expecting this or not, but in any case, if she decides that we are too much for him, she will rush over to us. It may sound naive, but Marie is not a psychotic like a black supervisor who pushes people into a corner for no reason. Marie, who is probably monitoring the situation closely, will surely come to the rescue. She is ...... but she is not able to use transition magic like Lily. Even if she had been aware of the situation from the time we started fighting the Jabberwock, it would have taken her a while to get here. In other words, we had to survive this crisis by stalling for time on our own until Marie arrived. "Marcus!¡¡You said yourself just now that you wanted to be strong!¡¡If you don''t stand strong now, when will you stand strong?¡¡We will survive!¡¡We''re all will come home!" I scold him loudly, out of character. I might not be able to spare myself in the biggest crisis of my life. "That''s right, Markus!¡¡My body hurts, but I still have some magic power left. I can at least stall for time!" Oscar is not giving up. Maybe this could be a way out. "Markus, this is a task that only you can do. . Listen to me." "What?" I tell him in slow, punctuated sentences, trying to build his confidence. The Jabberwock, perhaps pleased with itself for putting us on the spot, doesn''t attack yet. Oscar and I attack in a similar fashion to earlier. Oscar will be out if he gets attacked again, so this time we''re going to shoot from a great distance and focus on hitting the enemy. I don''t care if the power is a little less at this point. I will continue to deal damage to him from the front with my magic sword, Raikiri. Marcus, you''re going to have to get around all of our attacks and the Jabberwock''s attacks and set a vicious trap that will be the decisive factor in the fight. I''ll leave the traps to you." ''Oh, no!¡¡I can''t handle such a big job"! "If you can''''t do it, we''''ll all die. Then we have to take a chance on the possibility that you can do it." If I''m going to die, I want to die with my last breath. You can die gracefully only when you are old and have no regrets. ''It may be true, but ......" "Either way, it''s just live or die. If we die from lack of strength, we are all equally guilty. It''s not just Marcus''s fault. ...... and I''m sure he''ll be fine. I''m sure of it, having watched him train for the past three months." The Jabberwock didn''t fall for the trap set by Marx earlier, and that''s why he struggled so much. If all those traps were in working condition,......, I am sure it would not be impossible to beat him. "Okay, let''s go!¡¡Patience until Marie gets here!" "Okay!" "All right!" I deployed " Cloak " with all my remaining magical power. I decided not to deploy the "Silver Armored Aegis". If I were to use that skill, which requires a lot of magical power and is ridiculously inefficient, I am sure I would run out of magical power in a matter of minutes. If that is the case, then the only thing to do is to fully utilize "Shrinkage," ",Cloak " and "Impact" to attack the Jabberwock with all possible strength. "!¡¡Activate the magic Sword Raikiri!" I took out the magic sword Raikiri from my inventory and put magic power into it. "Raikiri" is a super weapon that contains Orihalcon and requires a non-negligible amount of magic power to use it , but it is better than the "silver armor. The raikiri is the most powerful weapon among all the means of attack I currently have . The attack range is relatively narrow, limited to the blade plus an alpha, but in terms of using its destructive power on target , it is nearly invincible. There is no way to avoid using it. And even the Jabberwock that it will danger if it repeatedly recovers. Even that magician, who seems to be a a lot of regenerative abilities, was forced to use up a considerable amount of magic in recovering his lost limbs. "---- kiiii ......!" The raikiri absorbs my magical power and rumbles high in the air. The air around me trembles, and the dust that dances in the area cuts off those things just by touching the blade. "Oscar!¡¡Take over support!" Ow!" Oscar, who had moved away from the area, fires a large number of medium fire spell jabs . All of them hit the Jabberwock as they flew over my head, scorching the scales on his body surface. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" As I thought, the battle was indeed not in vain. He is clearly slowing down. If the Jabberwock had just met me, it would have easily avoided the magic I just used. "---- ''Instantaneous Flutter''!¡¡The "Running Water"!¡¡Hana-hi Hanabi!" I took advantage of the gap Oscar had created and proceeded to wield the swordsmanship of the Hokusho Bujin-ryu. Cutting mainly at the Jabberwock''s unusually long tail, Ken of the legs, and other parts. The Jabberwock''s movement slows down even more, and the powerful weapon of its great massed tail is lost, albeit temporarily. And that momentary reprieve was enough for Markus. Marcus, who had already finished setting up several traps around , succeeds in setting the first trap on the Jabberwock''s body in order to catch it in all the traps in succession. ''...... Eberhard!¡¡Get away from him!¡¡The traps are activating!" "Roger!" It seems that Marx has finally done it. I use "Shrink" and "Impact" together to distance myself from the Jabberwock in one fell swoop. "Ah!" I unintentionally let out a cheer. The first of Marx''s traps had been activated. The Jabberwock''s right leg, which had finally regained a healthy tail and leg, shifted and came off. It is a super-hard magic steel wire that cuts through the iron that Marx had put up. The Jabberwock, which had lost its balance, fell into a trap, and was pierced through one eye and its neck by a poisoned spear that had been placed at the bottom of the trap, and was trembling. Then, poisoned arrows and knives fly from the branches of the surrounding trees, piercing the Jabberwock''s back, wings, and arms one after another. It''s unbelievable. The Jabberwock sprawled with the loudest scream ever. He was ---- but his stubbornness was beyond our imagination. The Jabberwock stood up even as it took on all of Markus''s traps. It''s a joke. ....... How many times do I have to pull you up and drop you ......?" Eberhard ....... I don''t have any more tools left to set traps,I'' ve used up all my poison and it will take me at least a few dozen minutes to procure a new one." ''...... I, too, have no more magic power.''" My magic power had finally run out after the previous series of attacks. It was probably the first time in my life that I had run out of magic in a fight. I felt like I was about to pass out. Even during the fight against Felix in "Wind Slayer," I had a little more magic left in my tank. I''m not sure I can even use magic as far as I''m concerned right now. We gave it our all. We had cornered the Jabberwock to this point. However, we were unable to defeat the Jabberwock, an insane beast that attacked unpredictably due to its distorted body structure, extraordinary regenerative ability, and aggressive instincts. Marie has not gotten there yet, either. --------This could be the end. That was the next moment it''s happened "What?" An unusually bright light leaks from the inventory bag on my waist. "What, Eberhard?" Markus asks, forgetting the fear of being on the verge of death. The Jabberwock is also dazzled, standing there with his face turned away, Whoa!" Something comes flying out of the inventory. It was glowing brightly, and while floating, it landed right in front of our eyes. "Is this a ...... egg?" "Tama-chan!" The glowing object that flew out of my inventory was my divine beast, the egg Tama, which had been sucking in my magical power for the past several months and showed no sign of hatching. The egg, which had been gradually losing its light, cracked with a "snap. "No way!" What will be be born now? I don''t know if the timing was good or bad, but I just understood that it was impossible. ----piccicciccicciccic The fissure grew bigger and bigger. And then, when I thought the egg shook for a few seconds,....... A small dragon hatchling with silver scales was born from inside. "Wow £¡£¡£¡£¡£¡£¡£¡¡¡Tama-chan£¡£¡£¡£¡ "Such a touching birth scene at a time like this,....... Eh, it''s very Eberhardt-like, kind of . ......" I can feel Oscar''s stunned gaze from a distance. Perhaps the Jabberwock''s gaze was also a little dismayed, as if it were from ....... The Jabberwock, however, may have quickly regained his composure, or perhaps he was happy to have one more prey, and although he still has wounds all over his body, he began to lick his tongue. "Pyu?"" ''Tama-chan?" A beautiful - it shines like my "white silver armor" - silver-colored juvenile dragon looks up at me. Even at a time like this, I can''t help but be comforted by its dull eyes. I''m sad that Tama will die too,......, but I''m glad that this was the last sight I got to see. It would have been too bad if the fight with the Jabberwock was the last. I don''t know if Tama-chan sensed that thought, but ...... "Pyu!" Tama-chan turns toward the Jabberwock and begins to glare at him with a grim look in eyes. It seems that she has recognized my enemy as her enemy as well. Cute fellow. Then Tama-chan takes a deep breath, turns head back and ---- "Pyyy!!" He shot a beam of destruction with a ridiculous amount of heat at the Jabberwock. "What happened ...........................?" It was no wonder that Marx and I couldn''t help but hum. CH 129 "Py£¡£¡" "What the ...........................?" A long, narrow, and ridiculously heated ray of light of destruction is shot at the Jabberwock, which was already fully wounded. It was more than a "fire-breathing" ray. It is literally a beam of heat from another dimension, filled with destructive fire. The ray, which contained so much energy that it glowed with a purple-white light, was like that of the giant monster in the monster movies that were popular when I was in Japan, when the cabinet was (physically) forced to resign. Fortunately, when it released its ray, ! and his mouth doesn''t crack vertically. Tama-chan, being the cute little Tama-chan that she was, did her best to open her mouth wide and release her destructive beam of light. "GOU!!!" The Jabberwock, on the other hand, was in pain as Tama-chan''s super destructive beam of light smashed through his torso. "What a waste of time!" Marx, who had been in despair until a few minutes ago, was now in a state of shock. The reason being, just a few minutes ago, Markus was tormenting the Jabberwock with such a nasty trap. How can you talk about others? But this is the chance Tama-chan gave us! The Jabberwock is screaming in its flesh, with no "physical reinforcement" performed on it, and I slashed at its neck "Ooooooh ----......" The Jabberwock''s head finally separates from his torso. It''s a good thing I trained myself up to fight in the raw state . ...... "Deryaaaah! And with that force, he kicked his neck like a ball and separated it from his torso. I was afraid that if I put the severed part back together, it might not regenerate as it was. But if the body and neck are left in this state of separation, it would be impossible for the body to regenerate with such a large amount of damage. Even the Jabberwock is a living creature. Death is inevitable. "......!¡¡......----......" The Jabberwock is separated from its main body and lungs, so it can''t even make a sound and rolls around with only its head. The eyes are firmly focused on us, so it seems that he is not yet dead. It''s a life force that is ...... totally different from the life force of the grass. Its life force ...... is like a grass blowfish. ...... I keep my distance from the Jabberwock, remembering the time I once fished in the Seto Inland Sea, ready to run away at any moment. Like its head, its torso is still bouncing around, so I can''t bypass it and get close to it. ''Eberhard!¡¡Markus!" Oscar, who had been focused on shooting from a distance, came back. Just in time. Since neither Markus nor I have any more power left to fight, let''s have Oscar put a finish to it. "Oscar, burn him." "Okay." Oscar burns the Jabberwock''s head with low-level fire spell. The Jabberwock survived for a while, but after a few minutes of burning, it finally became dead and no longer reacted. The body of the Jabberwock has already stopped moving, and after a long time, there is silence in the Demon Forest. ----We won. We are saved. The body has already died. And then Marie arrived, out of air. She must have come quite fast. Marie looked tense and had sweat drops on the forehead. "Marie, you''re a little late. I''ve already beaten it." "What, ......, really,....... You seem to be all right. ......" After that, Marie was dazed for a while, but when she had caught her breath and calmed down, she turned to us and bowed her head. "I''m sorry about ....... I had not expected such a strong Jabberwock. The Jabberwock is deadly, but even so, it''s usually ranked from B to A. I think it''s more common for such an entity to occur once every few hundred years. I have lived for 200 years and have never seen or heard of such a strong Jabberwock. Apparently, this was an extraordinary situation that even Marie could not have anticipated. "What about the other teams?" No problem. The rest of the teams seem to be generally B+ rank or so. All the teams were able to defeat them without any problems. "So it''s just us?'' "Yes, that''s right. Maybe we should seriously investigate this. ...... By the way, Eberhard." "What?'' "What is that little dragon?" "What is that little dragon?" Marie looks at Tama-chan with a look that says, "I just saw something impossible!"! Tama-chan was probably tired from the destructive beam she had just released , and was sleepily dozing off. Well, it can''t be helped. She was just born. I''m amazed she made it this far in just a few dozen seconds after being born. I have to take good care of her. "What''?¡¡This is Tama-chan. She''s my summoned beast." "As I thought. " Marie-lets out a very loud sigh and rubs her forehead. You''re acting as if there''s something wrong with it . "Is something wrong?" "I have an idea about the race is from ...... juvenile dragon. I''m just puzzled by it." "Huh. I''ll be damn." Marie pauses for a moment here, and then, without missing a beat, she tells us, "The young dragon is the legendary elemental dragon from mythology.'''' £ª "Elemental Dragon ......?" ''Yes." Marie''s explanation was as follows. The legendary elemental dragon is a legendary dragon that appears in the legendary mythology of the empire, which is crowned by the first emperor, the founder of the empire, who was a brave warrior. That partner is the first hero''s contracted divine beast, the original dragon. It is said to be a higher species of dragon than all other species that exist in this world, and the first ancestor of all dragon types. The original dragon is as intelligent as a human or more, is well-versed in all kinds of special skills, and is the most powerful race in the world, ruling the sky with its mighty power. To follow the primordial dragons is to rule the sky, and for this world, where airspace control is even more important than it is for the modern earth, it is the same as controlling the world. "No, . Even wyverns will listen to half of what you say if you tame them, right?¡¡Isn''t ruling the world a bit much?" I''m saying that they are a serious threat because they have the power to easily kill a wyvern swarm. They are literally the top of all dragon species " I didn''t know he was such a great creature . You weren''t always such a gluttonous eater, were you?'' Tama-chan, such a legendary being, is now sleeping on my lap. Despite its odd-temperature animal-like appearance, Tama-chan''s knees are slightly warm, as if it is constant-temperature. I wonder if even a thermostatic animal can become practically constant temperature if it has so much heat inside its body. "Well, in any case, there will be a big fuss in the capital again, I hope it is only a big fuss over a promotion.'' ''I don''t like the idea of another audience.¡¡I''m so nervous. ......" "Well, I''m sure you''ll get an audience." "Noooo!" One problem after another. I wonder if the time come when I can relax. I let out a sigh and stroked Tama-chan''s warm neck. CH 130 A few days later . Before going to bed, I was relaxing in the living room of Marie'' s mansion, petting and caressing Tama-chan, while a few of us were having a relaxing time. In the spacious living room, there are three sofas that can fit a number of people, surrounded by a short desk, where several people in the training group, including myself, and Marie sit and enjoy our leisurely time together. The main topics of conversation included serious topics such as a recap of the day, the Imperial Academy of Magic, where Iris, Johan, Oscar and the other children of my generation are preparing to take the entrance exam next year, and my summoned divine beast, the original dragon Elemental Dragon Tama-chan, which finally hatched the few days ago. Incidentally, all the groups had succeeded in defeating the Jabberwock. It seems that the third group I was in was the only one that was abnormal, and the others succeeded in defeating the Jabberwock without any problems. Marie told me that many of the groups were able to take down the enemy much more easily than expected, thanks to the results of their training and the increased strength of their teamwork. Everyone seems to be gradually improving their abilities. I couldn''t keep my eyes on them. But that aside, we are now talking about Tama-chan. I have to make a decision soon. "By the way, guys, about Tama-chan''s name," Since she''s hatched from an egg, it would be strange to call her Tama-chan forever, wouldn''t it?" Since Tama-chan was the temporary name for the egg until it hatched, it would be strange to call it "Tama-chan" after it hatched out of the egg. On the other hand, if we were to name her Dora-chan because she is a dragon, there is no way to deny the possibility that some blue devil might bring out a planet-destroying weapon. Since neither Tama-chan nor I are strong enough to fight against a planet-destroyer, we should avoid such an appropriate naming. "Hmmm, it bothers me." "Eberhard." "What?" Claudia, the earth golem user, calls out to me. "When I think of the original elemental dragon, the first thing that comes to mind is the legendary dragon Lindwurm, the partner of the first emperor. How about taking its name?" "The dragon of the brave." It is a suggestion from a native of the ancient city of Cremona, which is related to the first emperor, a very heroic man. "Hmmm. The original dragon, the elemental dragon, has been a legend since the time of the first emperor. Isn''t it not a bad idea to honor the memory of the previous generation?" Marie nodded in agreement. I looked around and saw that the other people in the room were nodding their heads in agreement. "Not bad, huh?¡¡Hal, I''m sure he will be as good as legendary one ". Lily''s hopes were heavy. ''You''re a hero, aren''t you? ...... Halt, you''re amazing!" Nadia, the cat-eared girl, looks at me with sparkling eyes. "You may be present at the historic moment when a future hero''s partner is named.'' It is Gilbert who says so. I think he is overreacting, but he seems quite serious. "Well, it''s Eberhard. If he is that good, the people at the Court will probably give him the benefit of the doubt and say, ''Respect! Werner, whose parents were court mages, is well versed in the affairs of the conservative court officials. If he says so, then criticisms such as, "It''s disrespectful to use the name of the first emperor''s partner as an excuse! If he says so, it seems safe to assume that there won''t be much criticism for "cheating on the name of the first emperor''s partner! I"n the first place, Eberhard is the most famous imperial knight, the Comet, and the son of the Farenheit frontier count family, one of the most powerful nobles in the empire, right? There aren''t that many people who can criticize him openly, let alone behind his back." ''Come to think of it, I am a nobleman." "I have been so busy with my training recently that I have lost the sense of being an aristocrat. At this rate, I''m starting to wonder if I''ll be able to take over the family headship in the future." "Hey, Hal!¡¡ Pull yourself together. " "Oh, hey his bride is getting angry with him " "This is quite a unusual scene." ''Hmmm... ....... I''m glad to see you two are getting along so well. "Yeas they are " They all say whatever they want. ...... I''m going to bully you through your training. Don''t you dare underestimate the imperial knight! "''Eberhard is giving me the evil look again ....... Don''t be evil a hero in the future" "You say I''m a future hero, but I''m not such a great guy". I just want to protect the people around me and the home I grew up in. Whatever if people in other countries are unhappy, I can only think of them as "too bad for you. I am not a saint who can save everyone." "If it saves even one more person, it''s a good thing." It''s kind of embarrassing, isn''t it? I drank down the warm herbal tea to calm myself. I''m sure we'' ll name Tama-chan ''Lindwurm'' then, right?z"" Nadia, a cat-ear girl who can''t read the air in a good way, broke the ice with me, so I just had to give Nadia a pat on the back for her good deed. I was so proud of myself that I just had to give Nadia a pat on the back. "What''s wrong !"?" Cats are best petted. Tama-chan is also warm and cute, but because it is a dragon, its scales are still comfortable to the touch. "Well, Tama-chan." "What?¡¡You ignored me just now, didn''t you?¡¡I was ignored, wasn''t I?" She''s a fussy cat that needs to be petted every single time. I''ll make you some catnip next time. With Nadia''s tail wagging in the air, I woke up Tama-chan, who was sleeping on my lap, and called out to her. "Pyui?" I''m annoyed by the fact that Tama-chan has saved my life, but I can''t say anything too strongly considering that she saved my life. How dare you eat so much food just because my magic power has been restored? Well, I forgive you because you''re cute. "Your name is ''Lindwurm." "Pyuuuh!" Lindvurm, aka Tama-chan, looks happy because she finally got an official name. The actual name of the dragon is not really a very good name for a dragon, regardless of gender it is. It seems that the dragon itself is happy with the name, so there is no problem. "Lindwurm, so it''s Lin-chan!" ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸ Eh? ¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ The cat girl Nadia, who gave a loose and fluffy nickname with no sense of dignity at all, caused everyone present to turn around. ......, though. "I like that." "Eberhard!" "You don''t have to force yourself to take it!" I''m sure you''ll be able to find a good fit for this girl. It''s perfect for her. In Japan, "Rin" was a common name, and it could be used for either a man or a woman. Lindvulm" is usually a very cute name, but when it comes down to it, even though she was weak, she has the super strength to defeat the Jabberwock with a single blow. The day may come when the name " Lindwurm" will suit her. "Good luck, Lin-chan." "Pew!" A silver-scaled original elemental dragon. I recall the memory of being fascinated by the sight of a dragon flying leisurely along the magnificent ridges of a mountain range when I was traveling alone in the foot of a great mountain range many years ago. At that time, I dreamed of becoming a great adventurer and fighting, following, or becoming friends with legendary beasts like dragons. Lin-chan is not a monster but a divine beast, but in terms of rarity and value, it is the more valuable of the two. I have fulfilled my dream of a few years ago. She is still a small dragon now, but I am looking forward to seeing how she will grow up in the future CH 131 "Eberhard. Get ready to leave." It was another morning a few days after Lin-chan''s name had been decided. I was still in the process of getting some people to stay in the dining room when I suddenly . I was told this by Marie while there were still some people left in the cafeteria. "Marie?¡¡What''s the matter , so suddenly ?" "Have you already forgotten that you made a contract with Lin-chan, the original dragon?" ''So for that matter I will need to vist imperial capital again and have audince with the emperor " "That''s right." "Nooo" To be granted a direct audience by His Majesty the Emperor and to be recognized for my achievements is a great honor for me as an imperial citizen and an nobleman, but as I was a minor citizen in Japan in my previous life, it is difficult for me to suppress my tension. I had even consciously forgotten about it because being too self-conscious about it would have hindered my training at a degree that I could not ignore, but Marie was very mean to bring it up again at this point. "I didn''t tell you until the very last minute,. I had already received the notice two days ago. I kept it a secret until the very last minute because I knew you would be upset again." Marie, you were very considerate. "Well, if you could just pretend you didn''t hear it, I''d appreciate it if you would. ......" "No way. The other party is the emperor of the most powerful country on the continent. If you are an aristocrat, you know very well that excuse won''t work." " I do understand!¡¡That''s why I'' m trying so hard to escape reality like this!" I''m sorry Lily, but I''m going to have to ask you to use your transfer magic to take me there. as my future wife. Please accompany me." "I will be happy to accompany you, . Hal, you should be smart too. I want to see you in fine form." "Yes. I''ll do my best." However, if I had to choose between an audience with the emperor or a battle with the monsters, I would definitely choose a battle with the monsters. It is such a nerve-wracking experience to be granted an audience with a very high ranking person while surrounded by a large number of important members of the government. Moreover, I am not from a commoner background, so I have to be careful about my manners and etiquette so as not to embarrass myself as the next head of a great noble family. It was really a heavy burden. Lily handles this perfectly, which makes me realize that she is a duchess of a higher rank than a frontier count. Well, although I say "superior," there is only one rank difference. "The audience is at six o''clock this evening. We''ll stop by the Farenheit residence in the imperial capital to make preparations, so let''s get there early." "Don''t tell me that on the morning of the meeting." If she had asked me to go out with her on the morning of the exam, we would have laughed about it. I was fed up with the abruptness of the conversation, as if to say, "I''m taking an exam today," and started to get ready to leave £ª -. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you ......." "You bit me." "Please don''t tease me~!'' She seemed to still have the same screw-up factor and immediately chewed on her welcome greeting. We entered the mansion, feeling that she was somewhat similar to Nadia. "Welcome home." Inside the mansion, the servants were waiting in line. This time, they were all present, perhaps happy to see their master''s success, especially since they were granted an audience once again. "The "White Witch" and " Lady Lily" . Please make yourselves at home." The chief butler said to the two who had come with me. Both of them responded with a smile. We have prepared the most elegant and comfortable clothes for this season and this time of the day," . Especially this time, since Master Hal is the star of the audience, we have decided to go for a rather splendid line!¡¡It was a rare occasion for me not to be rude in the presence of His Majesty, so I had to show off my skills!" Alice rolled up her arms and made a strong fist with her soft arms. When I gave her a cute poke, she puffed out her cheeks and got angry. When I pushed her puffy cheeks, her cheeks made a pouting sound and squashed. Alice started to get teary-eyed, so I decided to stop playing with her and started praising her. "Alice chose all of these? That''s amazing. I''m so proud of you as a master." ''Yeas " Alice replies in an unfamiliar and difficult language. Although she is still a clumsy girl, she also seems to have grown up well as a maid while I was training under Marie. * ''Shall we go to the court then?" Two hours before the audience, Marie said to me as she saw me dressed in the formal dress that Alice had prepared for me, and in full ceremonial style. "Hal, you look splendid!" "Thank you. I feel a little embarrassed." "There''s no need to be so embarrassed. You should be more proud of yourself. You are a knight of the empire." "Yes, that''s right. You have to look proud." Otherwise, it would be bad for Alice, who had chosen a nice dress for me. A messenger from the court has arrived. A servant comes into the room and informs us. ''I understand. Tell him I''m on my way." ''Yes, master". When I went out, two messengers, who appeared to be members of the Guard of Honor, were waiting for me with a carriage. " Fahrenheit,". I am here to pic you. up " ''Thank you for your service." O bowed to the knights who saluted me, and got into the carriage. This time, my fianc¨¦e Lily and Marie, who was the reason I summoned Lin-chan during my training, were invited, so both of them were dressed up nicely, though not as nicely as I was. Lily, as usual, was dressed in a dress that was both beautiful and dainty, and surprisingly, Marie was also dressed in a dress that was designed to look mature and relaxed. It is a secret that I was a little nervous about her unexpected adult appeal because my usual impression of her was that of a cute little girl, . "I must warn you, I am one of the oldest and most senior members of the empire." "I know that." Of course, this excludes the Elven Autonomous Region. The average life expectancy there is easily one order of magnitude different from the rest of the world. I''ve heard that Marie is one of the youngest among the elves. But for her, as a high elf, the concept of longevity is extremely rare. As a human, I envy her. Even the King of the Space, Mr. Refrigerator, could not attain immortality, but I am sure she is a fantasy race from another world. While I was saying this, we arrived at the court. Now, the audience is coming. "Please wait here." The knight led us to the waiting room. "Please wait here with your companions." It seems that we will be waiting in a separate room. "Good luck." "The basics will be the same as before. I''m looking forward to seeing you in all your glory." "Yeah." I left them and meditated for a while. I was most nervous during this waiting period. I think it would be better to have a chance to have a sudden audience with him. I think it''s better to be given time to be nervous s. It''s much better to be random. As I was taking deep breaths to calm my heartbeat, the knight entered the waiting room and said, " "Everything is ready . Please come this way." CH 132 "Everything is ready oThis way, please." "Yes" I unintentionally reply in a strange voice. The knight was also looking at me with eyes as if to say, "I understand. "Then, go ahead." "Yes, ." I am taken to the audience room. The audience room, which I hadn''t been to in several months, was filled with government ministers, bureaucrats, and other important members of the Imperial Council. The first time I''ve been here in a few months, I''ve seen all the ministers, bureaucrats, and other heavy weights of the Imperial Council. (Another decoration in just a few months. The son of the Northern General.) ("The future of the empire is in good hands with him.") "(Hmm. I hear that His Majesty also remembers him well. l. It might be a good idea to get him on board while he still can.:") I could feel the gazes of everyone in the room looking at me. I could also hear some kind of nasty conversation. This is exactly why the old raccoon dogs of the Congress are ....... I wonder if I will be one of those people in the future. Thinking about it makes me not want to be an adult anymore. The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your money is to make sure that you are getting the most out of your money. ...... healed. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have a good understanding of what you are doing and how to do it. I suddenly felt a gaze of a very different hair color from the others, so I turned my head that direction and saw Lily and Marie looking at me with soft smiles on their faces. ...... healed. I guess that helped me relax a little. "The Emperor has came !" At the Prime Minister''s signal, which sounded like something out of a drama, everyone in the audience room kneeled down. The curtains opened with a bang, and the sound of shoes stamping on the floor echoed through the audience room. "Raise your heads." I slowly raised my head so as not to be rude, and my eyes met those of His Majesty the Emperor, who was seated on a throne a little distance away in front of him. " It''s been a long time, Eberhard." " It is a great honor to see you again." Compared to the last time, the emperor spoke to me in a much more frank manner. Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the event changed from solemn to somewhat soft. Perhaps this is also a reflection of His Majesty''s consideration. I''m sorry ......! "I think it has been 1,500 years since my ancestor, the first emperor, took the throne. It''s been a long time." "What?" I wondered what he was suddenly talking about. "I heard that until the time of the first and second emperors, the royal family was a martial fighter, but after that, there were not so many strong men." "I am sure you are aware that there have been many emperors in the past who have made a name for themselves through their achivments . Your modesty is unbecoming of the ruler of the greatest empire on the continent." "Ha-ha-ha, now you''re talking like one too." "Forgive me, Your Majesty." ''That was just a joke. Don''t worry about it. The first time in the long history of the Empire, you achieved the feat of summoning the original dragon, elemental dragon. I wonder?" His Majesty the Emperor chuckles and mutters to himself. What should I do? I had not expected such a gesture at all. I don''t know how to respond to this. ......! "I''ve already given you a knighthood. Even if I wanted to upgrade you to a permanent nobility, Eberhard is already a frontier Count.''son There are not many such examples in history, so I don''t know what to do." "I am very sorry. ......" The title of " frontier count " is the same as that of a marquis. The actuality that the actual duke is a duchess is a fact that only a descendant of a vassal is eligible for the duke title. The Fahrenheit family is, in fact, the highest rank among the nobility who are not part of the royal family. In addition, even if I wanted to start a new family, there is no point in starting a new family since I myself am the eldest son who will take over the family. I could see why His Majesty the Emperor was bothered by this. " Don''t apologize. You have done a good thing. ing, and you should be praised for it, rather than criticized for it." I" am very grateful to you, " I am glad that the emperor is a man of good character. If he had been a tyrant, I don''t know what I would have done. The worst that could happen is that he might even go into self-imposed exile. The emperor''s frank attitude may be the reason why the raccoon dog in the council are becoming more casual. This way, they would not complain or hate me behind my back. But not all of them, I suppose. There are always a certain number of people who make things difficult. It is best to ignore them. There''s no end to the number of people you have to deal with. "I remember the last time I knighted you, I gave you a silver knight''s sword." "That is correct. "'' The emperor is confirming this with the prime minister who is standing next to him. The silver knight''s sword insignia is one of the several orders that exist in the empire. The most important thing to remember is that the silver knight''s holy sword is not only a symbol of the emperor''s power, but also a symbol of the emperor''s power to protect the people of his country from the threats of evil. There is also the highest order, the Order of the Sacred Sword of the Knight of the Golden God, but this is a very special order that only the first emperor, who was a hero, and a few others have ever received, so it is virtually non-existent. The order is given to those who have solved or greatly contributed to solving a national problem that could have resulted in the destruction of the empire. Since the last time it was bestowed was more than 300 years ago, it is said that only a handful of people in the court have actually seen it. But that is not the point. The question is, what is His Majesty going to propose? "I heard that the name of the original dragon was chosen to be ''Lindwurm'' in honor of its predecessor." I am in awe of His Majesty the First. I am afraid to say that I named it so out of admiration for His Majesty the First. "It is very good that it conveys the loyalty to the Empire. ...... hmm, yes." His Majesty seems to have decided on something. The sound of gulping and swallowing saliva echoes through the audience hall / " In honor of your achievement of summoning the original dragon and contracting the divine beast, which is the greatest accomplishment since the first emperor, we, in the name of the 75th Emperor Orleans of the Empire of the Highlands, grant you the Silver Knight''s Sword and the rank of Imperial Officer of the Armed Forces. Any who have any objection..." The hall fell silent. ''The audience fell silent. I look forward to your future service to the Empire". "Oh, yes. My loyalty is to you and to the Empire." At that moment, the audience hall was filled with applause. It seemed that this audience had ended without incident. £ª "I was so nervous!¡¡" "Hahahaha HaL!¡¡That''s great!¡¡In addition to the Knight of the Sacred Sword of the Magic Silver Knight, you have the rank of an imperial military officer!¡¡It''s unbelievable!" "I''m not sure what an official military officer is. I''m not really getting a sense of how great it is. ......" Eberhard. To put it simply, the rank of imperial officer allows you to declare to the world that the Emperor is behind you. Only the emperor, the person who gave you the rank, can change it. In terms of power, it is the same level as the commanders of the several Knight Orders in the Empire. "What the hell is ...........?'' Apparently, I was given an incredible position by the emperor. CH 133 "Well, as a result of your successful summoning of the origin dragon, Second Lieutenant Eberhard has been promoted two ranks to the Captain''s rank!" "Second Lieutenant Eberhard, I acknowledge your promotion!" The day after the ceremony to install me as an imperial military officer was held at the Imperial Palace. I received the promotion order from Lieutenant General Jet Braveheart, Commander of the Special Division at the Imperial Garrison of the Special Division. This was the same ceremony that was held when I was promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant for defeating the demon . It was not a very large scale ceremony, but it was held in the commander''s room surrounded by the commander, Jet, and several other officers, among them Brigadier General Eulenberg and Captain Siegfried, so it was quite a tense atmosphere. "But Eberhard. You''ve been moved up the ladder pretty fast." Jet said with a relaxed tone, after the formal and customary transfer of the letter of resignation had been completed. The dignity of the former commander has vanished into thin air, and there he is, just a muscular,man. "Just luck," "How can you get this far just by luck?" Jet shouted, but he was in his mid-thirties and was a lieutenant general and commander of one of the three major imperial divisions, so it was hard to say anything about him since he too was on the fast track to promotion at an alarmingly fast pace. Normally, a general like General Eulenberg would only make it to the rank of general in his late fifties. But Captain Siegfried. The new officer who fought in the entrance examination has now found himself in the same rank as myself. The name of "Thunderbolt" cries out. " "Shut up, ...... !:=" "Don''t use honorifics like that." As usual, Siegfried''s guy seems to have a big mouth. The fact that he is not punished for such behavior by his superiors is probably a sign that he is both competent and strong. If he were in the Earth''s military, he would be out in a shot. "It''s a pain, but Eberhard is strong. That''s all there is to it. ......" ''I can''t lose." Siegfried is fast. He is much faster than me, a master of the Hokusho Bujinryu. "If I''m not careful, he might overtake me too." Jet muttered to myself and laughed. But, as a matter of course, Jet himself is also an officer of the Imperial Army. He is in a much better position than I am. "He was a very good man. I''m going to ask for a few light assignments on my way back to the capital. Don''t worry, you''ll be done in no time. I''m just going to knock out a few mafiosos." "I don''t think that''s the level of ...... errand running." ''This is a superior officer''s order. I''m not letting a force as strong as your get away ...... something like that. ...... , but we can''t afford not to make use of you in any case. I''ll give you a generous allowance for that, so go for it." "I understand. I''m a rough commander of the "Imperial Knights." I received a document with the details of the mission and left the commander''s office with a shrug of the shoulders. £ª A few months after I became an imperial military officer and then a captain. I was in the Demon Forest again. Whenever I received an order for a mission via Marie (although she is not a member of the Special Division, she is also a military officer with the rank of lieutenant general, so military-related orders are often sent via her ), I would go from the Demon Forest to the mission site several times, and after completing the mission there, I would go sightseeing briefly and then return to the Demon Forest to continue my training. It had been almost a year since I started training under Marie. I had managed to successfully accomplish my tasks of "learning a thousand magic spells" and "acquiring the ''Dragon Vein Astral Connect'' through linking up with divine beast. It had been a very hard year, but my strength had improved considerably compared to what it had been before I started training. This is my current status. ----------------------- Eberhard Karlheinz Von Flensburg-Farenheit Vitality : 1132/1251 ( formerly 536) Magic Power : 75,301/75,330 1 ( formerly 51,692 ) Physical Ability : 2115 ( formerly 693 ) Intelligence : 141 ( Formerly 138 ) Magical attribute : - Magical skill : [Impact] Special Skills : [ Practice makes perfect ]. Proficiency: [Divine Beast Contract] "Lindwurm the First Dragon Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect ----------------------- As you can see, all stats have improved overwhelmingly. Among them, categories directly related to the strength of the bare body, such as "Physical Ability" and "Vitality," have been greatly increased. It seems that this is the result of training to raise the level of basic physical abilities in order to be able to use magic even when magic power runs out, or in case magic becomes useless due to some other reason. The average values for an average adult male are "Physical Ability: 150" and "Life Force: 150," while the average soldier has "Physical Ability: 200" and "Life Force: 200. My body is several to ten times stronger than that of an ordinary person, even in its bare state without magical enhancement. In addition, the amount of magic power has also increased considerably. The average mage''s magic power is about 300-400, which means that my magic power is about 200 times that of a normal person. Furthermore, I have obtained a means to recover magic power in an instant through "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect," which is limited to when I join forces with Lin-chan, which means that my magic power is practically inexhaustible. It is like a human magic energy tank (----) or a human magic oil field. However, this is only an idealistic view, as too much use of magic power can cause mental exhaustion. In reality, there are certain limitations. However, the fact that I possess this much magic power and can recover it in an instant makes me a great danger to anyone who is against me. I have become an even stronger mage, including in the aspect of deterrence. And finally, although it is not shown in my status, I have a thousand (1021 to be exact) spells that Marie taught me directly. Although its'' limited to non-attribute spelsl , non-attribute magic is the most basic of all magic. The basics are the basics because they are fundamental. The wide range of non-attribute magic means that it can be used in most of the situations that can be envisioned. In other words, I am closer than ever to being allrounder . As a soldier and adventurer, I never know what might happen, and the wider range of situations i can handle means a higher chance of survival and the ability to protect those who I care about. The past year of training under Marie has brought me great results than I had initially expected . CH 134 "Young people, gather up!" As we were looking back on our achievements of the past year like that, Marie- gave the order. We, who had been in training, gathered at her side. "Now, I have something important to talk to you about here today." She began to speak with an air of air of importance. "Today is one year since you started your training. One year ago on this very day, Eberhard, Lily, and Iris came here after crossing through the Demon Forest." "I can''t believe that much time has already passed." "It was an exciting time. That means I am already 14 years old." "Yes. And a person of Iris''s age will celebrate their 15th birthday in a few months." When Marie said this, Oscar muttered ''That means you''re taking an exam." ''That''s how it is." I see, now I understand why Marie called out to me at this point in my life. The people who are one generation older than me. Incidentally, Hemrut and Lieselotte, who are two years older than me, Claudia, who is three years older, Gilbert, who is four years older, and Leon, who is five years older than me, are already students at the four graduate academies in the imperial capital. They had come here for training as special exchange students. The reason for this is that the government has ordered them to come here and do their training. And Leon, who was a third-year student at the Imperial Academy of Magic when he began his training, is a fourth-year student this year. He will graduate at the same time as Iris and the other students enter the academy. I felt a little sorry that he would not be able to spend his last year at the academy, but for Leon, who came from a family of blacksmiths and had no connections or contacts among the elites of the Imperial Army, this training was like a piece of good luck that just fell from the sky. He was not at all disappointed; in fact, he seemed happy about it. But that aside. The fact that Marie started this conversation with us here means that this long training session is coming to an end. And I am referring to Marie-san. I am sure she will give us some kind of challenge, although it is not a final examination. "Now, as I''m sure you''ve guessed by now, ...... I''m going to ask you to put your best effort in this year''s training and fight in a winner-takes-all tournament!¡¡In doing so, I''ll be placing a "spiritual holy area" boundary, which is one of the most taxing types of technology available to me. You will fight with people of similar abilities, learn how well you can fight now, and learn the skills of your peers. That is the final challenge that I will give you." "A real fight. ......" The place was abuzz. But that is nothing strange. We are still in the process of training. If something goes wrong, no matter it we are under Marie''s supervision, our lives will be in danger. If there is a difference in ability between us, as there was when Johan and I and Christophe and I fought, there is not much danger of such a thing happening, but if our abilities are very close, there is a very high possibility of a mistake happening. The "spiritual sanctuary" of non-attribute boundary spell is a hard burden even for Marie. Within that barrier , any kind of physical damage is converted into mental damage, so there is no need to worry about killing the opponent unless there is a great deal of damage. It is often said that "raw tactics can result in serious injury," but within the boundaries of this spell , we can fight with genuine seriousness. Naturally, I can use all of the non-attribute spells that I can use, having inherited it. However, that spell is unusually difficult and requires a great deal of preparation. It is not a spell that can be used easily. It is only when there is great significance in the final ordeal, as in this case, that it is the right time to use it. "The groupings are totally random. You have to be able to deal with any enemy that comes along .. Oh, and Eberhad. ...... Oh, and Eberhard. Can you help me with the boundary preparations?'' ''What?¡¡It takes up a lot of magic power!" It will recover soon anyway, so help me out. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me alone to keep up the boundaries for the entire tournament. "Well, I feel that something is not quite right. ......" It''s not fair that I''m the only one who has to bear the burden before the match. But if I think that Marie values me that much, I can''t help but agree to it. Thus, we decided to have a tournament to put the results of our training to the test. CH 135 As a result of the lottery amidst Marie''s creation, the tournament was as follows. 1st match. Gilbert vs. Hans. 2nd match. Claudia vs. Hemrut. 3rd match. Lily vs Lieselotte. Match 4. Werner vs Eleonora. 5th match. Eberhard vs. Nadia. 6th match. Helene vs Leon. Match 7. Markus vs Iris. Match 8. Oscar vs Emilia. Match 9. Johan vs.Christophe "Oh, my opponent is Emilia. I''m good!" My opponent is Gilbert ....... This is a little tough. "Wow, my opponent is Eberhard? I''m sure.¡¡Nadia, you''re done. "Hey!¡¡You''re not supposed to talk to me that way!" " You''re right, Claudia. I don''t think you''ve got the guts!" "I''m sorry. ......" It seems that everyone is both happy and sad about the outcome of this lottery. ...... No, no one seems to be happy or sad,. Everyone here has their own unique strengths. You can''t let your guard down no matter who you are dealing with. " if you are not good enough, you will lose. That much is certain." Eleonora of the East House said so. The first round of the tournament will be held on the first day of the month, so we have to be on our guard today. "Well, we have time to finish the first match today. Well, I think we both want to give it our all, so let''s limit it to one match a day after tomorrow. ......Let''s start with the first match. Gilbert and Hans. Get ready." ''Yes, !" "Eberhard. You will help me "0. "Yes, . All right, you''re a real handful, you know that?" "Don''t complain. I''ll reduce your dinner." ''I don''t think that''s fair!" In doing so, one must draw a complex pattern of magic circle while pouring highly precise and dense magic power around the perimeter, so it requires a lot of nerves. If I make even the slightest mistake, I have to redo the work from the beginning. Even the slightest deviation is not allowed. It is even necessary to level the ground before drawing the magic circle, because it is impossible to know if the magic circle will work properly on rough ground. I wonder how people used to make such a complicated spell. Well, thanks to this spell, the number of people injured or killed in military or academy simulations has decreased dramatically, so it is an important spell with a very high value. "Okay, then, let''s activate the magic circle. Eberhard, are you ready?" ". I''m ready." I kneaded up magic power at Marie''s signal, and we both simultaneously poured magic power into the magic circle that spread across the field in front of the mansion A large amount of magical power is lost all at once, but thanks to this, the "spiritual sanctuary" is safely constructed. "The magic circle is now in place. This is the ''spiritual sanctuary'' I have heard so much about. ......" I can feel a tremendous pressure. "The difficulty level is S rank if you are exercising alone. " "The first match will be enough for the time being. After tomorrow''s second match , we''ll have to redevelop it each time." "We''re going to do this again tomorrow? "Come here , Lin-chan!" I summoned Divine Beast and went to the Divine Beast Realm (?). I summoned Lin-chan, who was sleeping in a place called Divine Beast Realm (?). Lin-chan cannot speak, but she seems to somehow understand the meaning of what i am say. I can somehow understand her feelings and what she wants to say just by looking at her and listening to her cries, even if she don''t use words. And through daily communication using my sixth sense super-senses, I somehow recognized the existence of the divine beast world, which is the home of Rin-chan''s heart. However, it seems that just because I stayed in the human world for an extended period of time did not mean that I would get sick or that one I would have a limited amount of time to stay in this world like the Titans of Light do. However, it seems that Lin and the other divine beasts are somewhat more comfortable in the divine beast world than in the human world. So, when there was nothing to do, or when she had enough fun with me during the day and was not that lonely, she would often go to the beast world. Well, I kind of know how you feel. No matter how close one was to friends, by the end of the day, one would want to go home. At least it''s worked that way in my previous life, I didn''t have that many friends, but in this life, I live happily surrounded by friends like Lily and Mei, so I understand the feeling. " Let''s go for the ''Dragon Vein Astral Connect''! "Pyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" I put my hand on her back (it is getting harder and harder for me to hold her anymore, she has grown so much in the past 9 months or so and is now about 1 meter long. She has grown so much and I ask her to perform the "Dragon Vein Connection" for me. I''ve also become quite good with it over the past year, but it still takes a few hours to recover all the magic power, and it was no match for Lin-chan, the divine beast that she is. . She is a divine beast that is said to be similar to a spirit. Incidentally, Marie is a human (High Elf race ), but she is a skilled mage who has lived for 200 years, so she can recover all her magic power in a few minutes, though not as fast as a divine beast. If a small amount of recovery time is taken between battles, it will be impossible to reduce Marie''s magical power forever. I am probably more powerful than Marie when it comes to the maximum instantaneous firepower of my attacks, but in other fields, I am still not at Marie''s level. She is my third master. "Now, Gilbert and Hans. Step forward." "Yes." Marie instructed them to come forward. "The defeat does not mean that the training has not been effective. But you must learn how well you can fight now and what you can do now compared to a year ago." "Yes!" On the one hand, Gilbert, a third-year student at the Knight Academy, is skilled in swordsmanship and proud of his invincible offensive ability at close range. On the other hand, Hans, who uses a somewhat rare non-attribute magic called "telekinesis" and is good at using water and other fluid weapons to physically attack and keep enemies at a mid-range distance at bay. I learned telekinesis from Marie and can use it, but I am no match for Hans in terms of the mass and speed at which I can move. Gilbert''s swordsmanship is so strong that even though I have the Hokusho Bujinryu, I don''t think I can win at all if I don''t have my " robe" deployed. Which of the two will really win? If I can get close enough to Hans to get around his defenses and attacks, Gilberto will win. Conversely, Hans would win if he could keep Gilbert at bay. "Then, both of you, take your positions and ...... begin!" The final trial , in which the culmination of a year''s hard work would be put to the test, had just begun. CH 136 "Then take your positions, both of you, and begin ......!" Marie called out, and the battle began. First, Gilbert, a skilled melee fighter, drew his sword, cast "Body Enhancement" on his body, and charged at Hans. Hans, on the other hand, calmly cast a water-attribute spell, making about one ton of water float in the air. Hans then made the mass of water surround him, spinning it around his own body. The water mass with considerable weight orbits around Hans at a very high speed. "A water shield!¡¡But I''ll cut through even that!"" "How about that!" Gilbert-closes the distance at once with his graceful step and swings his two-handed sword at Hans. Hans, however, did not lose his fearless smile. "What?" We had thought that Gilbert''s cut would slice through Hans'' water shield and knock him off his feet. But to our surprise, Gilbert''s two-handed sword did not cut through the water shield, but was simply brushed aside. "Oh well, it was the water flow!" Hans was not just sending a mass of water floating around him. He was creating a water flow in a certain direction and at a considerable speed. Moreover, the mass of the water was lightly one ton. Gilbert''s sword fight, no matter how sharp it was, was only as heavy as a person could wield. "This is where I really come into play!¡¡---- ''Suio-ken''!" Hans split the water around him into several pieces and shot them all at Gilbert at once. "Damn!" But it was Gilbert. Even though there are several water lumps the size of a basketball flying toward him at a tremendous speed, he manages to avoid being hit by even a single one of them. "He can catch this?" "Nuh-uh!¡¡Sweet!" Gilbert , who has cut off all the water lumps, then strike at Hans with the same momentum. Hans, who already had nothing to protect himself, was unable to avoid or prevent himself , and was slashed with all his might. "Aaaaah!" "It''s over!¡¡The winner, Gilbert!" Hans, who had been striked in the torso, falls to the ground. "Hans!" I rushed over to see that Hans was not injured at all, and that he had only fainted with a slightly pained look on his face. "I see, come to think of it, you can''t get hurt inside this boundary, right? Something doesn''t feel quite right. ....".. "It''s counter-intuitive." Claudia, who came next to me, muttered. ''You''re next, aren''t you, Claudia?" ''Yes. I don''t know if I can win." "Well, you''ll get it whether you win or lose." I''ll take it easy. I''m not the only one who feels that the tone of voice doesn''t seem to match the words. £ª "That''s match number two, then. Are you ready?" "Ready." "No problem". ''Let''s take positions ...... and get started!" In the second match, the battle between Claudia and Hemrut began. Claudia is a user of the earth attribute "earth golem". It requires a lot of endurance to deal with the "Earth Golem," which keeps attacking you no matter how many times you defeat it. Hemrut, on the other hand, is an unusual user of "Appraisal," which is not a fighting skill. At first, I wondered how he would fight with this. The fact that I learned that "appraisal" is actually a very useful magic is the result of the learning that we have gained through our long training together. "Here I go!¡¡Get up, my earth golems!" As Claudia kneads earth-based spell the ground around her rises up and four " earth golems" are created. The rather large " earth golems," measuring two meters in length, had been seen many times in past training sessions, but they were still quite powerful when seen in front of the eyes. Hemrut, on the other hand, does not look like he is doing anything. But we know. Hemrut, when he is quietly looking at the enemy like this, is using his "appraisal" to find out the weak spot of the opponent. I still can''t get used to that all-seeing gaze. I''ve been surprised by him once, but I''ll put that aside for now. "I found ......." ".!¡¡I won''t let you!" Hemrut muttered calmly. It was a terrifying word, especially for Claudia, who fights with " earth golems . Every object has a weak spot somewhere. It is no different with magic. Depending on training, it is possible to reduce the number of weaknesses to as few as possible, but it is nearly impossible to reduce them to zero. The magic of fighting by moving objects inevitably creates weaknesses that can be called flaws in the structure. And Hemrut exploits that weakness. He attacks those weak points in a nasty way. There was a good reason why he, a non-combatant type called " Appraisal," had been able to pass through the Demon Forest and endure training like this for a whole year. "Magic Arrow." "Solemn Golem, dance!" Claudia''s golem attacks Hemrut with unpredictable and erratic movements. Hemrut, however, reacts firmly to each movement, and the weapon in his hand - he never sticks to a specific weapon. This time it seems to be a spear. After about ten minutes of this beautiful dance, three of the them had already fallen. , and all that remained was a single one with wounds all over its body. Claudia seemed to have used up a lot of magic, perhaps because she kept moving the four Earthen golems at the same time. When she first came here, she was limited to operating two of them at the same time, so she too has grown considerably stronger over the past year. And then there is Hemrut, ....... ''Hah ...... hah ......, , I surrender." Hemrut''s surrender is accepted. Therefore, the winner is Claudia! He was still breathing on his shoulders, affected by the fact that he had not always been a fighting type, although he had grown stronger through training. He was sweating all over and could not even adequately stand up. Hemrut''s body, which collapsed as soon as the fight was over, was without a scratch on it (no wonder, since he was in a "spiritual sanctuary"). but his physical strength was at its limit. "I''m not satisfied. ......'' Claudia barely won, but she is somewhat frustrated because it was not a pleasant victory. She was also exhausted, but not as much as Hemrut. If she had continued, it would have been her who would have won after all "Hmm, as a result, Claudia couldn''t get a single blow into the hemlock way." "She needs training!" "Well, you''ll have to work on that yourself when you get back to the academy." I and Marie carried Hemrut, who was breathing hard and repeatedly, out of the barrier . The match between Claudia and Hemrut became an endurance battle, and ended in victory for Claudia, who kept on the offensive until the very end. T/N Take a part in poll that installed in chapter 135 CH 137 The third match is Lily vs Lieselotte. Lily, who makes full use of space-time magic and ice magic, has improved her magic control over the past year, and has also learned how to fight against other people. Unlike before, when she had the ability but lacked experience in actual combat, Lily has grown into a skilled mage who can fully demonstrate her abilities. It would be extremely difficult to defeat Lily, who has become stronger than her extended magical power. Lieselotte, on the other hand, is still an awkward person who is not quite sure what she is thinking. I have spent time with her over the past year and my honest impression is that she is not a bad person, just a little unique in her sensitivities and speech. She is good at illusion spells, which do not have direct offensive abilities, but depending on how she uses them, they can have more terrifying effects than any other high-fire spells, and are quite a terrible kind of spell. Illusion and confucsion are just the beginning, but it is possible to hypnotize an opponent, or to induce him to think through fascination, so that before you know when you have been attacked, your allies may have been dam Lily, whose attributes are rare but whose style is to crush her enemies head-on with high-firepower spells that are orthodox for a mage, and Lieselotte, whose firepower is not as high but who uses deft leno moves to drag her opponents into her own game. Lily would never have expected that the blizzard would disappear only around Lieselotte without even realizing it. ---- Lieselotte walks through the blizzard with a calm face. The only place where the blizzard doesn''t impact Lieselotte is the no-wind zone around her. ......." Lily, on the other hand, to her dismay, had no prepared windless area around her. Despite the spell she was casting, Lily was taking continuous damage from the blizzard. ''Lily......, you''re hypnotized!" ''Probably so. Lily is unaware that her body is shrieking from the cold." Iris pointed out as she looked at Lily, who was thinly visible behind the blizzard. The blizzard is certainly making Lily shiver, but she doesn''t seem to realize it or she doesn''t stop the blizzard. In fact, she is making the snowstorm even stronger. "Lily ......" "She'' s going to lose if she doesn''t stop." What a mess. I didn''t realize that the lure was so troublesome and unbeatable. Of course there were hallucinogenic non-attribute magic of suggestion and hypnosis among the 1021 spells I had learned, but nothing as powerful and irresistible as this had ever existed. But none of them were as powerful and irresistible as this one. All of them could be released on their own if they felt a sense of discomfort and used their magical power and energy. "Lieselotte is a master of hallucinogenic spells. You know a thing or two about illusionary magic. ......" Unfortunately, Lilly will lose if she stays the same. But this is Lily. She has mastered space-time magic and ice magic on her own with the single-minded desire to walk beside me, not behind me. I want to believe that there is no way she will end up like this. At least, I, her fianc¨¦, want to believe so. I wonder if my feelings were conveyed to her. Lieselotte was approaching the center of the blizzard, and with only a few dozen meters left to Lily, the situation changed. However, Lieselotte was not going to be beaten for nothing. If she had been beaten by that much, she would not have been able to keep up with this severe training. " I''ll show you that there are people in this world who cannot be overpowered by simple force." Lieselotte rushes into the snowstorm with an eerie laugh. She is dressed in a thin, rough summer dress and does not look like she would be able to stand the cold weather in minus temperatures. ...... "Wow!¡¡What is that?" ''What''s going on?" "It''s bizarre." "What the hell is this? Is it blocking Lily''s perception?" No, rather than inhibiting her, she is actively manipulating her consciousness. Hemrut, who has recovered somewhat from the exhaustion caused by the battle earlier, calmly watches the match and considers it. Yes, as he predicted, this scene would not have been possible with cognitive inhibition. The reason is that Lily selected a ranged attack without daring to target with exhaustion so that the damage would always reach her opponent even if she was recognition inhibited. ...... this match is going to be interesting. Of course I''m rooting for my fianc¨¦e, Lily! "Lily, do you think you can win?" I don''t think my Lily would have any problem, but after all, her opponent is a rare unique type of leno. It''s not that it won''t be possible. It''s that it won''t be. "Don''t worry, Hal." "Lily.'' ''I have a secret trick up my sleeve." Lily enters the "spiritual sanctuary" confidently saying that. If that'' s what she says, then I''ll just trust her. "Then let''s begin!" "Let''s get to it. "Blizzard Prison, the Prison of Ice and Snow." Lily''s special ranged attack spell exploded immediately. The first move is the A rank ice spell "Ice and Snow Prison Blizzard Prison" which can kill the opponent. It is a range attack that covers several dozen to several hundred meters around the opponent with a blizzard of snow, leaving the opponent stranded and driving him or her into hypothermia. This time, due to the size of the arena, it seemed to be contained within a radius of a few dozen meters. Incidentally, a warm veil of air is provided around Lily, the magic wielder, so there is no need to worry about her self-destruction. The opponent must always enter the blizzard zone of the great cold wave if she tries to attack Lily, so it is a terrifying spell that is absolutely impossible to evade. "Ummmmm... ....... You''re so blue." ""...... Nah!!!!"" The spectator audience makes a commotion. Even Marie''s eyes widened for a moment, and then the corner of her mouth twisted into a grin. ''...... too bad. The blue one is you, Lieselotte." Lily, who had been chilled by the cold until then, licked her lips, which had turned completely purplish, and smiled wryly. I thought that if I did that, my tongue and lips would freeze in the cold,----, but strangely enough, no sign of freezing on the lips. On the contrary, Lily''s face, which had been so pale just a few moments earlier, was getting bloodier and bloodier! "Lily!" Can''t I make my future husband Hal look any worse than he already does? "......, ......, what''s this all about?"" She has grown even more glamorous and adulteress-like over the past year, and has an air of charm about her that is not quite right for an adult. She is surrounded by a cold air with a snowstorm that didn''t exist until a few minutes ago. "I''m so glad you fell for it," . If I wasn''t a duchess, I might have been a stage actor." Lily ...... is a strong woman indeed. I can''t help but fall in love with you all over again. "What had you done ? Lieselotte asks Lily, shivering, as if the cold has made her lose her voice. Lily looks at her and reveals the truth. "I have been able to see into the future recently," . I can only see a few minutes into the future, though." "Future Vision ......?" Future vision. It is one of the dreams of mankind that could shake the world. The ability to see into the future can make a huge difference in people''s lives and their chances of winning or losing. It''s a dream that could shake the world and change people''s lives and the odds. "I will definitely be guided by your ''hypnosis. This was something I could never have prevented." "Yes, it was. It was supposed to be that way. ...... But why?" "So I accepted it on a leap of faith. To catch you off guard." "Caught off guard, ......?" Yes. To lure you into the blizzard. I cast a timed awakening spell on myself to break the hypnosis just in time for you to relax. I also raised the temperature around you secretly before your body reached its limits. As usual, I left the blizzard around you turned off." I went ...... and got hit." "It was hard work. I''ve never been so cold by my own magic." "You''re going to be a good women". " I''m already a good woman. Only for you, Hal." Then Lieselotte collapsed, unable to stand the cold. "It''s a over !" Marie''s judgment came down, and the winner was decided. CH 138 Pov : Henriette Lilli von Bernstein "What is it, Lilli? It is unusual for you to ask for advice." One day a few months ago, after a day of training, everyone was relaxed in the living room before going to bed. I visited Master who was relaxing in her room and asked him for advice. ''It''s about my time-space attribute. ......" "Space-time attributes, huh? I can only use the four main attributes. I don''t know if it will be of any use to you." "I don''t care. I am sure that your wealth of knowledge will not go to waste." The master herself is not able to use the space-time attribute, but she is the most powerful mage in the empire who has lived for 200 years. She could give me advice common to many spells, and could make me aware of new perspectives. ''Well, if you say so, I don''t mind. So, what is the nature of your question? Is there something wrong with space-time magic?" I bowed to the master who invited me into the room, sat down on the sofa, and began to talk. "In fact, my space-time space can be used relatively freely for things related to ''space'' such as transfer and storage in different dimensions, but almost nothing related to ''time'' can be done with it. Exceptionally, I can use the ''time'' element, such as stopping or speeding up time, only in the different space that I have created. ......" "I see." The master crossed her arms and groaned, then sat cross-legged on the sofa and gazed at the ceiling. The master remained in this position for a dozen seconds or so before turning to me and saying, in a few words, That is simply because the element of ''time'' is more difficult than the element of ''space." "Time is more complicated? "Yes. Think about it. Space is just what is already there. If you observe the state of the world in detail and grasp it precisely, it would be easy to grasp space. Time, on the other hand, is like an invisible idea that has no substance and simply flows. Visible space and unseen time. It is not necessary to think too deeply to understand which is more difficult to understand". "I see." It is true, as it is said. Space is the world itself. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and feel with our body in order to understand what is going on in the world. We can perceive the state of the world through our sense organs. Time, on the other hand, is not something that can be sensed by any of our sense organs. A picture painted by a painter is nothing more than a moment in time, and there is no time flowing through it. Time, to put it another way, is something that exists only in our psyche. Space, which has such substance, and time, which is merely a concept without substance. When it comes to manipulating them at will through magic that changes the world, even the average person who is not familiar with magic can easily determine which is easier. Even if we talk about space-time magic in one word, "time" and "space" are two very different things. "But, Master, , "there is one question that needs to be answered. " "What is it?" "I can manipulate the flow of time at will as long as it is within the different space I have created. I can make time flow faster, slower, or even stop it completely. Why is this possible within the realm of my own magic, but impossible in the outside world?" ''Why is it possible within the realm of one''s own magic, but not in the outside world? If it was done by your magic, you would have full knowledge of what kind of space it is. Or are you that one, that one who casts magic without understanding anything about your own magic?'' "No, no. It is only natural that you know your magic better than anyone else. ...... Oh, ts, I mean!" I feel a shock as if a lightning bolt had struck me from my head to my back. Was this a sign of revelation? If so, the master who gave me that flash of inspiration is a terrifying person. "If I were to take complete control of this world, even if it were only for a moment, ......" "I would be able to see the future with near absolute certainty, even if it were only a moment in the future. With skill, I could even manipulate the flow of time." "Master!'' I jumped up in excitement. I immediately realized that this was an abomination, even for a duchess, so I coughed and sat down again, but it was the Master herself. I am sure that the master knows that my cheeks and ears are turning red, so she dares to ignore it. "First of all, you should start by understanding the time that flows in your consciousness. That way you will get a sense of it more quickly." "Yes, I understand. I will try my best!" "There is a similar spell called "possession by the thunder emperor. The details of the spell are a secret, so I can only guess, but I am sure it is a skill that accelerates consciousness and physical reaction speed by dozens of times by channeling lightning-attribute spell power throughout the body. Werner is probably good with the lightning attribute, so I suggest you ask him for advice." I will try my best! "Yes. I''m sure I can see the path that I should be on." "Time is something that flows only in my consciousness. So, for the time being, if I start by accelerating the time that flows through me, I may be able to get something out of it." I am glad that my advice has been helpful. "As expected from master ! ¡¡Thank you!" I leave the master''s room in high spirits, even though it is late at night. "If my magic grows even more, I will be able to stay next to Hal , who is getting stronger and stronger. Then I will be happy and I am sure he will be happy too." In order to refine myself, I rethink of my training plan for tomorrow. Driven by the exciting feelings that raised up from the bottom of my heart, I continued to move my pen on a blank sheet of paper. CH 139 After the match between Lilly and Lieselotte, the next match is Werner vs. Eleonora. Werner has the lightning attribute like Siegfried. Eleonora is the daughter of a frontier count like me, and her family is the "Eastern General. The "Eastern Generals" are a famous family whose prowess in the empire is comparable to that of the "Northern Generals," and they are especially famous for their use of fire based magic. Of course, not all members of the family have the fire attribute, but even so, it is said that many people are born with relatively fire-based magic. Eleonora, who was born into such a family, is no exception, specializing in fire elemental magic, and from early on was hailed in social circles as a promising young lady with the future of the empire in her hands. She has mastered many of the secret spells handed down in the Hoover family, and although she is already an S-ranked girl, at the same age as me (13), she is a formidable newcomer, with a rank of A+ or even higher. I have no doubt that she will reach the S rank in the future. I am looking forward to her future. "Now then, let''s see where both of you stand." "I won''t take it easy on you. Are you ready?" "I''m ready!¡¡I don''t care if you can''t keep up with my speed!" Both seem to be ready for a fight, as they both have a competitive streak in them. "Let''s get started!" After receiving Marie''s signal, Werner was the first to make his move. He is not proud of his speed. It was a great dash. But Eleonora was not to be defeated. She is the shortest of the 18 trainee members, but her magical power is vast and dense, unlike her slender physique. He performed "Electric Lightning"!¡¡Followed by ''lightning strike''! Werner''s attack explodes. The "lightning lightning" is a skill that buffs you by constantly preparing lightning-attribute spell so that it is possible to activate lightning-attribute magic with no time delay. It also has the advantage of increasing the speed of lightening reflection several times faster than normal, although not as fast as the "Lightning Empire Possession. The "Thunderbolt" is a small lightning attack aimed at Eleonora with no motion at all. The power of the attack is relatively low-powered, but because it is a lightning strike, the speed of the attack is such that it is quite difficult to avoid. "That'' is pretty sweet!¡¡Fire Wall!"" In response, Eleonora launched the "Fire Wall," a magic spell that creates a wall of flames that covers several meters around her. The name sounds familiar from some security measure software, but while that one is a fire wall, this one creates a wall with flames themselves. The coincidence of the names is probably a complete coincidence. Werner''s "lightning strike" was blocked by the "firewall" and scraped away, as if to say that she is the gifted daughter of the Hoover family. And Eleonora did not miss that opportunity. ''Take a hit!¡¡Bomb Flame Blast!"" Eleonora created a number of fist-sized black spheres, which were ejected like baseballs. Werner easily avoided them, thanks in part to the effect of "Electric Lightning," but he had a bad feeling about this. "Huh." The next moment Eleonora''s fearless smile fills the air, and her hunch is proven correct, as the ball explodes in a spectacular manner. "Ooooooh!" Werner did not take a direct hit, but it seems that he was lightly struck and received damage that could not be ignored. He seemed to be doing his best to avoid the " firebombs" that were being shot out one after another. And that was exactly what Eleonora was after. Werner found himself surrounded by a large number of " flame bombs," and he was unable to move. " I''m trapped!¡¡But this is not the end!¡¡Special ''Lightning Burst''!" Werner released a desperate blow with all his magical power. It is a "special kill," and is of such a tremendous size that it cannot be compared to the "lightning storm" that was just launched.Countless bolts of lightning, which could be described as a "barrage," were shot out from Werner, all of which were directed at Eleonora. The "Bakufire Dragon Hellfire" was a powerful one. "The "Hellfire Dragoon!" The next moment Eleonora shouted out, her magical power expanded rapidly and revealed itself to the world in the form of a huge, flaming dragon. The flaming dragon opened its wide jaws and charged at Werner, spreading an enormous amount of heat. ''Nah, you''ve got to be kidding me!" ----bari-bari-bari-bariiii............! Super high pressure lightning and super high heat blasts collided in mid-air. The two sides seemed to be in competition for a while, but it was the "Bakufire Dragon Hellfire Dragoon" that won the fight. --------." Werner was caught in a wave of flames so intense that it was difficult to look directly at him. The area is enveloped in a flash of light and white smoke. How long had it been ......? When the smoke finally cleared after several tens of seconds or even minutes, the only person standing there was Eleonora, as expected. ''The winner, Eleonora!¡¡''" Looking at the area where Werner was located, the ground had been gouged out as if it had been blown up, and in some places it had been melted into a glass-like shape. "..What can I say, it was a great battle." It was truly a spectacular match in the sense that we saw an exchange of large-scale, high-powered magic. The clash of high power magic is still worth watching. ...... Whatever it is, it''s clear once again that "spiritual sanctuary" is a great spell. If a person were to be directly hit by such magic, a human being would be easily wiped out. ...... Thus, the match between Werner vs. Eleonora ended with Eleonora''s victory. ?? "Good job. You are strong after all." "I''m somewhat annoyed when you say that. I''m not going to be beaten forever. Wait for me in the final of this tournament. I''m going to win." I''ve had many hand-to-hand combat with Eleonora during my training, as our abilities are comparatively close. I almost always win, but there are rare occasions when I would lose. If I set a limit or a disadvantage, it often becomes 50-50. But at the moment, I have won eight times in a row. "I''ve got a secret plan to beat you. You''ll have to wait and see." Eleonora turns back to Marie with a challenging smile on her face. I know it was not a battle junkie, but I couldn''t help but feel a little excited. By the way, Christophe is also a bit more competent than the other members, but he has a personality problem to begin with, and above all, his compatibility with me is devastating, so we have never fought since that incident when we first started training together. Furthermore, Christophe never matched up with Johan, Oscar, or any of the other members of the group. He was always alone. I don''t know if that makes him strong, but it would be a problem if he rebelled against the empire even if he were to become strong like that. It''s best not to worry about it. "Next up are Eberhard and Nadia." Marie told me to hurry up and get ready for the fifth match, so I headed to the "spiritual sanctuary." "Nadia, good luck." "I''ll do my best. ......¡¡Ugh, I bite ......." Nadia, cheered on by Iris, comes into the "spiritual sanctuary" biting her tongue and looking sore. The actuality is that she''s a cat-like beastman. The double teeth are also quite sharp and pointed like a cat''s. I wonder if she bites her tongue with them and doesn''t hurt herself?¡¡I wondered what a real cat''s teeth would be like, and I turned to face Nadia, wondering what she would do. "Just so you know, I''m not going to go easy on you." Holding back is an act of belittling your opponent and disrespecting a serious match. The first thing to do is to make sure that you are not going to be able to get away with it. Nadia is a cat-ear girl with a lot of screwed-up qualities, but she has a lot of talent. The mystery of dark attribute magic has not yet been fully solved, and there are still many uncertainties. Nadia, who uses it, is perhaps the most unexpected of all the members of this group. Dark horse. The big eater. Only in "Dark Dark," you never know what will happen. Nadia has such unpredictable potential. "Of course, ¡¡I''ll do my best to match you!" "I''m looking forward to it." The unpredictable "Nadia, the Mage of Darkness," versus the "Comet Eberhard," who has pursued the non-attribute. The unpredictable battle was about to begin. CH 140 "Let''s begin!" As usual, Marie''s call starts the match, and Nadia and I begin our battle. "Robe"! The physical capabilities of a beastmen cannot be underestimated. Nadia is a relatively tiny girl, but her physical strength is a little higher than my human body. In fact, Nadia, who is blessed with a strong body from a race standpoint, has probably grown more than I have. In short, it is a fool''s task to challenge a beastmen to a battle in the flesh. And I have the most powerful strengthening skill, " Robe". "Eberhard, you are still of a different level. ......" Nadia looked at me directly in the face as she said this, but despite the words , there was a strong light in her eyes. ''----. Come, Noir, evil creature of the abyss that haunts Purgatory, defy reason and manifest yourself.'' As Nadia chanted the mysterious spell, an undefined darkness like a black smoke rose up from the ground to surround her. Eventually, the smoke that filled the area around her gathered into a single, black cat-like shape and settled down. "I haven''t seen you in a while, Noir-chan". Noir-chan. The name of the black cat-like summoned beast that Nadia uses. The reason I use the term "black cat-like" here is that Noir is clearly not a cat. First of all, its silhouette certainly looks like a cat, but there is not a single face part on its head that a cat normally should have. It could be described as a cat''s version of a "flat cat. Secondly, the meow was difficult to hear. I sometimes get the sense that the cat must be sending out some meaningful information, but it is not a sound.. In addition, it is not a wave of magical power. It is more like a transmission of information that is not clear, but somehow it is transmitted, although we do not know the logic behind it. Finally, conscious awareness is difficult. You find yourself there, and when you think it was right in front of you a moment ago, it is no longer there. No matter how hard I stare at it, I cannot tell if it is really there. I am not even sure if it is in the shape of a cat, even though it is called a cat. Noir, with such an almost otherworldly presence, could not possibly be an ordinary feline. "Let''s get to it, Noir! "Then I''ll counter with Lin-chan." Noir''s attack was also quite troublesome. As I mentioned earlier, the most obvious thing to do, "be careful not to be attacked," is not possible because the cat can take advantage of your backside. When noir is summoned, the opponent can only prepare to fight and take damage. Luckily, Noir''s own attack power is not that high, so it is possible to attack if Nadia is defeated before she is cut down. ...... Well, it''s not a pleasant way to win, is it? Lin-chan!" "Poo!" Lin-chan, who flew from the divine beast realm in response to the summons, rushes toward Noir with her entire body glowing silver. The sight of the large reptile-sized Linn-chan attacking the normal cat-sized Noir was just like a hunt. But Noir was no average cat, after all. "No, big!" In the blink of an eye, Noir grew to a size that easily surpassed Lin-chan, who was more than one meter tall, as if to say, "Where did the law of conservation of mass go? Frankly, it was a little creepy, like a monster. Pyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" But Lin-chan was not to be defeated, and the silver glow she wore over her body increased even more, and she launched a body blow attack in the manner of a self-destruct. ----Zdoooooooong......! Although expressed as a self-destruction, of course, Lin-chan is not really blowing herself up. I am not such a devil master that I would force such a cruel attack, and most of all, I don''t want the lovely Lin-chan to suffer such a terrible fate. What Lin-chan did was to explode a burst of [shock] magic power around her own body and blow away the surrounding area. Since the shockwave is sent outward, Lin-chan will not be harmed in any way. It is a safe and secure self-destructive magic. Now, with the current attack, Noir seemed to have been blown away without a trace. ...... "Haaaaah! "No time to check up on it, huh?" Nadia attacked without a pause, and I was forced to respond. It''s heavy as a rock. Nadia, making full use of her physical superiority as a beastman, launches a series of attacks. Each attack is small in size, but the weight of each shot is incomparably heavy. In addition, all attacks are combined in a series, so that if one avoids a right eye strike, a left fist will follow, and if one avoids a left fist, a foot strike will follow, and if one deals with a foot strike, a stranglehold from behind will be waiting. It is a highly developed fighting skill that makes one wonder if he has studied assassination fighting, but it is frightening because it is based solely on a sense of self. However, especially for a race like the beastmen, whose physical ability and sense are infinitely high, it seems that an instinctive fighting style based on wild experience is usually more effective than learning a poorly formulated martial art. Therefore, the strength of beastmen is feared by other races because their fighting styles differ greatly from person to person and are difficult to counteract. "But there are many ways to fight them!"'' "Wha?" I deployed the "Silver Armored Aegis" and hugged Nadia as it was. The silver armor, which is charged with the magic power of [shock] and reflects silver light, restrains the petite beast girl in its embrace and does not let go. "Aaaaah!!!!!!!''" Burr, burr, burr, burr £¡£¡£¡ Nadia screams in pain, unable to escape the continuous shockwaves. Her physical strength is being steadily reduced. But before I could get to the end, I suddenly felt a bad presence, and I released Nadia. At that moment, Nadia''s figure wakes up and a dark haze forms in front of my eyes. "It was the ..... noir. Well, I didn''t think I could beat it with that thing." Lin-chan seemed to have blown Noir away, but it was standing there with no damage, as if it were a natural thing. I didn''t realize that an undefined summoned beast (which may or may not be a demon or a divine beast) could be so nasty. "Ugh. ....... Thank you, Noir-chan." Nadia looked severely damaged, but she did not appear to have given up in the slightest. I was so sure that I could win that I couldn''t help but feel a strong sense of resolve in her gaze that made me tense up as well. "Lin-chan, let''s go! "Pew!" Lin-chan, who failed to defeat Noir, comes down to my side with a look of revenge on his face. I''m sure I''ll get him this time! "Noir, we''re going too!" Nadia cried out and launched a magic circle before Lin-chan and I could even start our attack. "...... ''Counterfactual Virtual Anti-Realize''!" In response to the glow of the magic circle, Noir also began to glow strangely I thought to myself, (¡¡What the hell?) I looked down and saw, to my surprise, what appeared to be Noir''s split body entangled in my right ankle!¡¡Again, it''s Noir''s "attack before I know it," but this time I feel an atmosphere that''s somewhat unusual. This is not good! Soon the glow of the Noir splitting body at my ankle and the main body of Noir wrapping Nadia reached its peak. ''''The ''superscription correction trade''! "Aaaaagh!" The next moment, I felt a shock like a lightning bolt throughout my body, and I rapidly lost all my strength. "Status open !" ----------------------- Eberhard Karlheinz Von Flensburg-Farenheit Life force : 115/1251 Magic Power : 63,085/75,330 1 Physical Ability £º 2115 Intelligence £º141 Magical Attribute £º- Magical Ability : [Impact Proficiency £º¡¾Practice makes perfect ¡¿and Proficiency : [Divine Beast Contract] "Lindwurm the First Dragon Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect ----------------------- My life force has been reduced ....... How horrifying, his life force had been drastically reduced. What does this mean?¡¡Is it the curse of Nadia''s dark magic? ". now Eberhard''s life force value ...... is exactly the same as my life force value." Confused, Nadia spoke to me. She still looked a wreck, but she seemed to have a little more breathing space than before. "Nadia''s life force value is the same as mine?" Yes, I knew this was the only way to defeat . Eberhard." ''So, that''s why you deliberately took my attack earlier ......? "I really tried to run away from that one!¡¡I ended up getting hit by it. ......" It seems that Nadia had not planned that far ahead. "Either way, if I fought Mr. Eberhard, I would surely be severely damaged. So this was a kind of wager. Would I fall first or would I cast a spell on . Eberhard?" "Nadia won the bet, didn''t she?" "Yes. . ...... but it doesn''t mean that I have won the battle yet. Let''s move on ......!" "I''m sorry, but the win is still close." I deployed the "Silver Armored Aegis" again, which had been canceled by the current spell attack, and then I kneaded together an enormous amount of magical power to activate the non-attribute recovery magic "Healing Accelerate". "It''s the power of amount!" I was forced to recover my life force with the power of my magical energy. The magic value is rapidly decreasing, but fortunately, I do not have to worry about running out of magic power because I have the level of magic power of an oil-producing nation''s oil fields. "Oh, no, it''s not good!¡¡Hey, I''cat punch''! Despite the cute name of the move, Nadia releases a brain-muscle attack that fully demonstrates the beastman''s crazy physical strength. When she catches it, she makes a "thud! The ground cracked and caved in at feet, but it did not penetrate my "Silver Armored Aegis. "Continue ---- ''Gale''!" "??????!!!" Nadia, who has used up 99% of her magic power and is fully injured, is unable to take avoiding action. The noir, which is the only thing that can be relied upon, is also unable to keep up with the current situation and has been repatriated. "A storm blows into the "spiritual sanctuary." When the wind and the smoke subsided, Nadia was still fallen. "Winner, Eberhard!" Thus ended the match between me and Nadia. CH 141 After the match between me and Nadia, the next match is Helene vs Leon, the sixth match. Helene is a mage who uses poison spells, a rare attribute, and her specialty is to slowly drive the enemy into an abnormal state by combining it with non-attribute magic and weapons such as bows and daggers. In contrast, Leon, the oldest of the two, is a knight and a mage who uses steel spells, an attribute derived from the earth attribute, to fortify an iron-clad defense, and fights in a pleasing manner to smash the enemy head-on. "Helene Eilenberg, I push for it. "..... Leon Hoffmeister, I accept." The match began, and Helene moved first. She used her advantage of not requiring a magic circle, rune characters, or chanting due to her unique magic to generate a fog containing some kind of poison around her. This made it difficult for Leon to get close to her within a few meters radius. First, she has to fortify her defenses, huh? That''s quite interesting. "It''s rare. Iris has such a high level of magic." "I mean ......, did Iris have this much magical power?" Even though we were co-workers in the special division and had trained together for a year, I had no idea that Iris had such a high level of magical power. Iris was not a high-powered mage, although she was good at magic specialties and skills. ?? The seventh match was Markus vs. Iris. However, Markus, a trap-handling type of scout and engineer, is at a serious disadvantage if he fights Iris, a mage, in person, so by special exception, Markus was given 10 minutes to set up his trap. If Iris is caught in the trap, she loses. If he could get through the trap and defeat Markus, Iris would win. Although the edge of the "spiritual sanctuary" included a part of the demon forest, the rest of the forest was just grass, so Iris still had an overwhelming advantage even though she had 10 minutes to prepare. In this battle, Iris could not afford to lose. "Iris, you need to calm down. Remember the training you received in the Special Division and the training you''ve been receiving for the past year. They are top-notch engineers, but Iris will be able to see right through him.'' "I''m sure Iris will be able to spot him. she has trained a lot for this. Now is the time to show the results of sensing-type light magic." "That''s a very reliable statement." Even as we speak, Markus is setting traps. Many of his traps are so clever and so devious that even I don''t want to get caught in them, so even if he only have 10 minutes to prepare, I wouldn''t feel at all comfortable. "It''s time!¡¡Let''s start match 7!" Helene then took out her bow and shot an arrow toward Leon. The arrows and the shafts are probably covered with a deadly poison. It must be impossible to continue fighting properly after being hit by one of those. ...... "Ironclad!" However, it was not Leon who sat and waited. He literally created an iron wall from the ground and held it up to block all bow and arrow attacks. The arrows fell to the earth with a light cracking sound. "Iron sword, iron shield." Leon separated the "iron wall" into two parts, creating an iron sword and an iron shield. He then held them up again and charged at Helene. "Leon, you haven''t forgotten about the fog, have you?" Leon charged at Helene with great vigor, but there was still a poisonous mist floating around her as usual. If he rushed in as he was, he would fall helplessly. ...... "Winds of Death" Helene manipulated the poisonous fog and tried to hit Leon. In reaction, Leon transformed his shield, which he was holding up, to create a large fan-like object. ''''The ''Death Wind Breaker''! The steel fan spins with a loud "boooooooo ......" sound. A tremendous gust of wind came from the fan and blew away the poisonous mist. "......!"" Oh, oh, oh! Leon''s sword fight strikes Helene, who goes rigid at the unexpected turn of events. "It''s over!" The battle between Helene and Leon ended with Leon''s victory. The time for Markus to set his traps was over, and the match began. There must be a number of traps set by Markus in this "spiritual sanctuary," an area the size of an elementary school playground. Iris had to avoid or disarm them, find Markus hiding somewhere, and destroy him. ---- "Eye of the Bug" Iris immediately launches a new skill she learned during her training period. The scheme is quite simple. By expanding the light-sensing area with magic, it detects the infrared rays that would normally be invisible to humans. This allows her to detect enemies who are either optically mimicking or lurking in the shadows as a heat source. "Found him ....... ......." Iris immediately found Markus''s position . It is nothing short of amazing that Iris was able to find the enemy in a matter of seconds, but here comes the issue. No matter how many times Iris found Markus in his hiding place, she had to approach him at a fixed distance in order to defeat him. But along the way, there must be a lot of wicked traps set up. If Iris can fly like me (and even then, there will be anti-aircraft traps), but she can only move forward by walking on the ground and either dodging or breaking through these traps. So, what will Iris do ......? "This is not the only result of my training." Iris mutters and starts to focus her magical power. The magic power that has been kneaded becomes invisible pressure and is transferred to us who are in the exercise area. :A Special Killing. The Sun Cannon." Iris muttered and thrust her hand forward. The next moment, although it only lasted a few seconds, the area suddenly became as dark as the setting sun." "What is it?" It was a sudden change in lightness, as if a total solar eclipse had occurred. However, the darkness is only a few dozen meters around us, and the edge of the area is bright as usual. Despite this, when we looked up at the sky, there were no clouds. Rather, it is a glorious blue sky without a single cloud. Iris''s spell ......?¡¡Ah! ---- cuiiiiiiiiiiinnnggg! From Iris''s outstretched hand, a ray of light with an enormous amount of heat, which would have converged sunlight, is released. The light-speed attack, which could not be avoided, struck the root of a tree nearly 100 meters away and blew up the entire tree and its surroundings. "The tree was blown to pieces.¡¡Winner, Iris!" Marie announced, and the match was over. The match ended with Marie announcing, "Well, no way, ....... Passive Sonar ...... Marcus!" Apparently, Markus was hiding at the base of the tree that Iris had just blown up. Indeed, if you looked closely, I could see that a large number of traps had been set before heading over there. However, Iris did not make a single move and defeated Markus. ...... "I''m not sure how long she''''s been able to use her skills like that. When did you learn to use such a technique?" "I think it was about a month ago. I wanted to surprise Hart, so I kept it a secret." I was pleasantly surprised. I''m looking forward to her mission when she return to the Special Division. "I''ll watch your back." ''I am in good hands now." A year ago, Iris was a beginner, and although she wasn''t a burden, she was often supported by me. But now Iris has grown to the point where she is not just following me, she is actually supporting me. I have a few new tricks of my own that I have yet to demonstrate, but Iris also seems to be showing the results of her training "Markus!¡¡Are you safe?" He was in a "spiritual sanctuary," so of course he must be okay, but still, it was inevitable that I was worried about him because he was my friend. The sun''s rays had burned his entire body. He must be anxious. "?" The person who had unleashed a magic that could have wiped out my friend, even beyond sunburn, simply stared back at me with a puzzled look on her face. Oh, damn it!¡¡She''s a so natural ......! I ran to the edge of the area, preparing to cast a recovery spell. CH 142 The next match, match 8, was Oscar vs. Emilia. Oscar is also a high power mage who uses the same fire attribute magic as Eleonora, but if Eleonora is described as an "explosive flame," then he is best described as a "ferocious flame." The same fire attribute is a completely different thing, depending on whether it is an explosion of combustion or a combustion that destroys everything and anything. Emilia, on the other hand, is a magic swordsman like her brother Johan. She is a speedy type of fighter who uses her two blades of the daggerknife to run in all directions and attack in succession. In this match, Emilia would win if she could dodge Oscar''s powerful flames and turn the tables with her magic sword fights. Oscar will win if he can keep Emilia at bay and seal her off with his powerful flames. It will be interesting to see who will win. "Begin!" ''Let''s do it!¡¡Aaahhh!" Emilia runs out as soon as the match starts. She immediately channels magic power into her magic sword to strengthen her physical abilities. Yes, Emilia''s magic sword has the same characteristics as Johan''s Diablo. The two characteristics are ¡¾Enhance Speed¡¿and ¡¾Strengthen¡¿. Each of these two characteristics is rare enough to place it in the top A or B of the four grades of weapons, but two of them have been given to the sword. There was no doubt that it was especially powerful and rare among the A class, which is said to be the highest class. Incidentally, Johan''s sword Diablo is even higher than the top level of the Kou class and is called a special level, which is a pronoun for out of the ordinary. My own sword, Raikiri, is in that same category. So, Emilia''s magic sword is a semi-special class. In any case, it is a terrifying weapon. Now, seeing Emilia, who had strengthened her physical capabilities with such a powerful weapon, coming at him, Oscar also began to take action. "Haha,......, I''m a very cautious person in spite of what I look like ......!¡¡" Oscar deployed the "seed fire boundary" that he showed in the battle against the Jabberwock some time ago. As soon as Emilia, who had rushed into the battle, entered the area where the boundary was formed, a huge pillar of fire, incomparably larger than the usual "Seed Fire Warding," rose up. "Whoa!¡¡It''s so hot!" It looked as if it was easily five meters high, but who in the world is Emilia, who can just say "hot " and put it away?" I may have to revise my opinion of her as a slightly foolish girl with a magic sword. Oraaaaaaah!¡¡Flaming whirlwind!¡¡Flame Lance!" Flame Lance! Oscar''s fire spells and Emilia''s sword fights collide at a tremendous density, scattering sparks of fire all around the area. "Amazing Battle!" Emilia ....... Can he slay magic?" Oscar''s magic is excellent. In addition to its power, Oscar''s magic is so powerful that he shoots his attacks in such a way as to destroy blind spots so that he cannot be avoided as much as possible. However, Emilia used her blinding speed to avoid most of the attacks, and when she saw that she could not avoid them, she would aim for the spells that caused the least damage and cut them with her magic sword to reduce the power of the attack. Thanks to this, Emilia was hit by as few shots as possible, even though Oscar was launching a large number of attacks. I honestly did not expect the battle between swords and magic to be so heated. "...... huh, ha!¡¡...... ah!" "I''m going for it!¡¡Flare Breath,......!" Oscar breathes fire from his mouth as if it were a dragon''s breath. The range of the fire exceeded 10 meters and hit Emilia, who had been keeping her distance to regulate her breathing. "Whoa!" Oscar''s magic was less powerful than it had been at the start of the match, and Emilia would have had no problem coping with it if she had been in good physical shape. However, it was difficult for Emilia to deal with this attack now that she was exhausted. "It''s over!¡¡Winner, Oscar!" Both fighters fought hard, and although it was a very close contest, Oscar won the match due to a slight difference in their stamina and strategy. The ninth match was Johan vs. Christophe, who is not on good terms with everyone else, was in the match, and the atmosphere in the arena was somewhat heavy. "I''m going to go for it.: ''......" "Are you ready?¡¡...... then let the match begin!" Christophe still seems to be in a bad mood. He must be under a lot of pressure from his family and his position as an aristocrat, as he cannot go against Marie in this way. I understand how he feels. I don''t feel sorry for him in the slightest. As soon as the match started, Johan prepared his magic sword, Diablo, and immediately shouted the name of his great move. "I''m not the same person I was before,". ---- "Diablo, the magic sword, feed on my magic power and awaken. The storm of tyranny, Indominus Tempestus!" Johan had not been able to use the "Tyrannical Storm Indominus Tempestus" a year ago when we had our first match, but through his training over the past year, he had been able to handle it with some degree of ease. "Oh!" ...... "Fu-Rin-Kazan" Johan slashes at him with explosive acceleration. The moment he hears the name of the skill Christophe chanted in a whisper, he avoids the front and takes evasive maneuvers to the side. ----Zuaaaaahhhh......!¡¡The ground is being chipped away with a sound centered on Christophe. The claw-like wounds that run in a criss-cross pattern are frozen or red-hot by the magical power of the fire, water, wind, and earth attributes of each of them. If there were someone there, they would probably not survive,----. It didn''t take much time to feel that way. "I believe that skill is an S rank skill that can only be used by those who can handle all four major attributes,......?" "I''ve heard that there are only about a dozen people in the Court Magic Division who can use it. . ......?¡¡How can he use such a skill? ......" I heard the revived Werner, Oscar and the others talking, I approached Marie, who was refereeing, and asked her not to get in the way. "Marie , did you ever teach that skill to Christophe?" "I showed him the skill about six months ago, but only once. I don''t remember showing him how to use it. Don''t tell me ...... that that bastard learned it just by looking at it once?'' It''s not impossible. Christophe has the worst personality, but when it comes to talent, he''s the best of the best. If it were limited to magic, he would probably surpass even Eleonora, the brilliant daughter of the Huber frontier family. The best thing is that I''m still better than him thanks to my unique ability to be rewarded for my efforts, but if he gets serious about his training, there''s a good chance that I might have to drink a bitter cup one day. "This could be a little tough on ...... Johan.'' "I think Johan has gotten a lot stronger ....... I still don''t think he can do it." "I am sorry for Johan, but it seems that he has also been training hard without my knowing about it. That is what it means to be able to use "Fu-Rin-Kazan". In this demon forest, which can be said to be Marie''s yard, he is training in a place she doesn''t know? It''s a somewhat creepy story. I don''t know what he''s thinking, but she'' s not all-powerful either. When she has a bird At such times, it is difficult for even a her to keep an eye on everyone. "Even Marie-had her limits, didn''t she?" "I am a human being, too!¡¡What in the world do you think I am?" "Now, ......, you loli goddess?" "I''m going to kick your ass later. You''d better be ready." Oh, you'' re mad! "Of course I am!" While talking like this, the match was going forward. At first glance, Johan seemed to have the upper hand, but in reality, he was being forced to attack. It is obvious that he is in a rush. Even with a time limit due to his magical power and physical strength, he was being forced by Christophe to use his skills over and over again. Compared to a year ago, Johan has become much stronger, but Christophe''s growth was honestly unexpected. "Purgatory.'' "Ah!" I couldn''t help but shout out the moment Christophe chanted the name of the spell. I thought he was just firing a barrage of high-powered spells, but to my surprise, he had done the calculations necessary to use this spell. On the ground of the training ground, a huge magic circle was drawn without my noticing. The pattern, created little by little by high-powered magic and Johann''s sword fights, was about to be completed when all that was left was for Christophe to channel his magic power. This is the end," . Bow down!" The magic circle glowed suspiciously, and black flames spread across the training ground. Surrounded on all sides by black flames, Johan had nowhere to run. "Ughhhhhh ............!!!!" The whole area is covered in black. From the outside, it is impossible for us to see what is going on inside the "spiritual sanctuary." "It''s over!¡¡The winner, Christophe!¡¡...... Hey, Christophe, put out the fire! Put out this fire quickly!" "...." Marie stops him with her amazing swordsmanship, and Christophe removes the "Purgatory Boundary" with great reluctance. The black flames had disappeared and Johan was lying helplessly on the ground in the area. CH 143 In the end, Johan did not suffer a wound thanks to the excellence of the "mental sanctuary," but he seemed to have suffered considerable deep damage and has not yet awakened from his faintness after about ten minutes had passed. It was an awkward match, but the next match was still to take place. The second round was to be played by the eight winners of the first round of the tournament, excluding me. Match 1: Gilbert vs. Claudia. Match 2: Lily vs. Eleonora. Match 3: Leon vs. Iris. Match 4: Oscar vs. Christophe. Marie marked the tournament table in red and explained that it would be done in the above order. By the way, you can see what happened to me ....... "Eberhard is going to be seeded. There''s no need to have more people drop out along the way for no good reason." That''s what she said. I am grateful that she appreciates me, but I feel that she is treating me in a very appropriate manner. ?? In the meantime, the first match started. The first match was Gilbert vs. Claudia. As soon as the match started, Claudia generated an "earthen golem. She attacked Gilbert with it. However, for Claudia, this was not a good fit this time. Gilbert, a knightly type who uses his double-handed sword to cleave his opponents, showed off his swordsmanship and power to smash Claudia''s " earth golems" without regret. "I give up." ''It''s over!¡¡Gilbert wins!" With her golem destroyed, Claudia had no way to fight. She admitted defeat herself, and the match ended with Gilbert''s victory. "If you are going to fight against a knight type, you need a stronger Golem." "And you need to strengthen your own fighting strength" " Yes, I will do my best." Claudia''s weakness is that she would be completely defenseless if her " earth golem," which is her strong point, is defeated. She may be good at magic, but it should not be her only means of combat. From now on, she herself will need to acquire the ability to combat. ??? The second match followed. It is Lily who wields ice magic vs. Eleonora who unleashes fire magic. These two perform magic at polar opposites, but they may be similar in that they both hate to lose. Will Lily win this match, with her unusual magic of ice and time-space attribute? Or will Eleonora, who has a strong knowledge of magic, win the match? As for me, I want Lily to win, but to be honest, I think Eleonora, who is more experienced in combat, has the advantage. Lily has grown considerably over the past year, but even so, it is not easy to overturn a gap of years. I am looking forward to seeing who will win. "Here it comes. Are you ready?" "I''m ready, !¡¡Get ready to rinse the sand you just chewed on!" The two of them dared each other to do it. Lily said it elegantly, but Eleonora responded with a very provocative remark. What can I say, it shows her personality, doesn''t it? She''s not a bad girl. ...... Eleonora is very competitive, as if her thoughts are directly connected to combat. She''s a bullfighter, so to speak. Her burning magic and will are like a fighting bull whose only thought is to blow away the enemy in front of her. She is so small that she can'' t even be compared to a bull. ''Lily, go for it!'' "!" Lily turns around and smiles at me as I cheer her on in the arena. And then, with a brave smile not unlike a young lady''s, she gave a big thumbs-up. ...... "Well, Lily was also a tomboy." Although she usually keeps her perfect manners as a duchess behind the scenes, I, who have known Lily for a long time from childhood until now, know her as a tomboy. Whenever I catch a glimpse of her true nature that comes to the surface at a moment''s notice, I am immersed in a feeling of nostalgia, which is one of the privileges of being a permitted spouse. Childhood friends are great, aren''t they? "Begin!" "Aaaaah!¡¡"Spirit of the frozen silver ice, Ash, obey your contract and manifest yourself to me!"" "A summoned beast. Then I too ...... ''Efreet the Spirit of Fire''! Fenrir, the gray-haired ice wolf with a bluish-white lightning pattern, and Efreet, the flaming spirit of fire, are summoned into the "spiritual sanctuary" of the field . It seems that Eleonora also summoned her own divine beast in response to Lily, who summoned out a summoned divine beast. The flame spirit Efreet. It is a powerful divine beast that is regarded as the top-ranked divine beast of the fire attribute. "Become a storm of crystal clear icicles and ravage my enemies. Icicle Storm!" "I will not be outdone!¡¡Burning Fire!" Lily cooperates with Ash to create a rain of numerous icicles, while Eleonora transfers her magical power to the flame spirit Efreet to create a huge, blazing fireball. The two then collided, and a bomb blast blasted through the area, mixing the extreme cold and burning atmosphere of the ground. ''......, isn''t this the most heated battle since the beginning of the entire tournament ?" "...., it''s nothing short of amazing to be able to handle magic of this magnitude of power." The two of us were watching the match and exchanging our thoughts about it. "....., Eleonora has the upper hand." Seems like." It seems that they have been shooting at each other for a while, but now the battle is leaning towards Eleonora''s dominance as Iris said. The actuality that the two are not that much different in terms of strength, but it seems that the difference in experience and sense came into play. Eleonora has been familiar with combat since she was a child as the daughter of the "Eastern General" family. Her fighting sense was nothing short of superb. "Blasting Hot Wind!" Ugh......! Aiming for a timing that can neither be avoided nor intercepted, Eleonora''s spell strikes Lily directly. And the power of that magic was far beyond the level that a defenseless human could withstand. "That''s enough!¡¡The winner, Eleonora!" "Lily!'' I ran over to Lily, who was lying on the ground. I knew she was okay, but I still couldn''t calmly watch her. ''r. I''m safe. I''m fine. ...... I''m sorry for showing you such an unpleasant fight. ......" "You fought so well against Eleonora. The actuality that you can get a lot of experience is a good thing. You should be proud of yourself." "Well ......, I''m glad to hear that " "Well, good job anyway. I will avenge you." "I''m not dead. ......" I''m going to have to make sure that as her future husband, I''m going to have avenge her . Well, before that, I will have to fight either Iris or Leon, and either Oscar or Christophe. ...... "All of them are not going to relax. I''ll be ready for anything." CH 144 Now, next up is the third match of the second round, Leon vs. Iris. Leon, being the oldest, is a tough opponent who attacks with his strong and steady offensive power, solid defense, and flexible response based on his experience. Iris, on the other hand, is stealthy and aggressive, but has no defense at all. Leon is a well-balanced fighter (but more of a defensive type) versus Iris, who specializes in strategic stealth attacks. In this match, if all goes well, Leon, who has both defensive and offensive abilities, will likely have the upper hand. "Let''s begin!" Marie called out to the two as they began the battle. Iris immediately activates her light attribute spells and hides somewhere in this large, open area. Normally, this is where Iris'' monopoly would begin. ............ "Iris is not going to be able to use that move on me." The Steel spell is used to create a sphere of steel like a torchka, which is then locked away inside. The surface of the tochka shines as if it were polished to a smooth surface, reflecting sunlight like a mirror. "What that !?" Iris''s attack hits the tochka and, as ...... expected, it is deflected and deflected in the wrong direction. It is a mirror reflection. The next moment, a lot of spines grew out of the tochka and shot out to the surrounding area. 20 meters of flying spines stuck into the ground, but if such a thing sticks, it is impossible to avoid serious damage. ''This is terrible, At this rate, she will be beaten one way or the other." Lily, who had somewhat recovered from the previous match, sat down on a chair and spoke to me. As she said, Leon may be a serious enemy for Iris. For Iris, who handles light, a mirror is the ultimate protection. Even if he tried to do something about the mirror, he would not be able to shoot through the iron wall behind him without a considerable amount of heat. In addition, the attack from the other side is also nasty. If iris does not know where it is, it is enough to attack it equally in all directions around it. Although inefficient, it is certainly the most effective attack. There is just not enough offensive power to break through the defenses, and there is no way on Iris''s side to block an attack from the other side. ............ This may be a dead end. Now, Iris. How do you fight back? Leon moves with the tochka and attacks the area. At this rate, it''s only a matter of time before Iris gets hit. Leon''s one-sided attack continued for a while. The change came when there were almost no places left that had not already been hit. The "solar cannon." " Iris''s special skill, which had blown Markus away, hit Leon''s mirror tochka. The strike was thought to be quite powerful, but the lasers were bounced off the thick armor and shiny surface, and the laser beam dissipated into thin air. "I''ll take this match!" Leon, who had gained confidence by completely blocking Iris''s special attack, declared. But Iris'' attack did not stop there. "---- ''Convergent Solar Cannon Penetrate''" As usual, the surroundings become dim for a moment, and a laser beam is fired from Iris, who is probably hiding in a small area that has not yet been attacked by Leon. ......, but this time the attack is a little different from the previous attacks. The laser beam fired from Iris was nearly invisible. The next moment, Leon''s steel tochka collapsed. "......, it''s a victory!¡¡Winner, Iris." Marie was surprised, but she was the judge. As she moves closer to Leon, she sees that the piece of the tochka has a tiny hole in it. "Iris...... this?" I asked Iris, who had come to check on Leon, and she answered me matter-of-factly and without change of expression. "The power output of the "solar beam " cannot be increased from that level. So I kept the output the same and reduced the irradiated area to 1/1000." "Iris,......, are you serious,......? Did she know that the impact of a handgun bullet is only equivalent to being hit by a bicycle? Normally, you would not think that an impact of that level would penetrate a human body. However, if all of that impact were concentrated on a single point with an area of just the tip of a finger, ......? The rest, as you can imagine, is the power of that bullet. It''s that simple. If you can''t change the output, then narrow the area of effect. Iris did the same thing with the "solar beam " spell. In this way, the heat per area was amplified 1,000 times, and Iris penetrated the thick armor of that steel plate with a mirrored surface. The "Iris" was thought to be in trouble against Leon, who had perfected his countermeasures against Iris, but he won a tactful come-from-behind victory. "......Iris may have a good sense of fighting," "I am embarrassed." Iris, with a slight blush on her cheeks, looked pleased with her victory. ??. After the match between Iris and Leon , which ended with such a surprise turn of events, came the final match of the second round, Oscar vs. Christophe. Christophe''s unexpected strength and brutal fighting style were already known in the first round, and Oscar was not happy to face him. "I don''t intend to lose, but ...... I don''t want to fight him. ". "I don''t think I can have a good match with him." "I don''t want to fight him, . I''m glad I lost to Iris, ." "I was burned to a crisp, though." "Don''t say that!" Well, there is a big difference between being burnt to a crisp by an ugly bastard and being burnt to a crisp by a beautiful girl, even if she is not very expressive. I don''t want to be made to suffer by a bastard for the rest of my life. "I''ll at least put some flowers on it " "I''ll pick up your bones." "Don''t you talk like that!¡¡Listen, I''m going to win!¡¡............ Even if I don''t win, I''m going to fight hard!¡¡Don''t you dare mess with Oscar here, the local king of the Dangermeier Flame!" "Well, you know, you can get a local praise." "I was a famous thief in my local guild. ......" "Damn!¡¡You guys better remember that!" The frog in the well knows the sea. In that regard, I think this training program is a very good plan that brings together young men and women of great skill from all over the country. Well, it seems that there is one person who doesn''t understand the meaning of this program at all. ...... "All right, then." The match between Oscar and Christophe begins. "...... don''t be on the receiving end of it,. I''m going to fight and fight and fight so I don''t look like a fool!¡¡Salamander Breath!" A huge breath, several meters in diameter, is emitted from Oscar. It was a human pyrotechnic attack, the kind of attack that firemen would look up to. However, Christophe is completely unmoved and counteracts it with water-based spell. "I can''t see anything!¡¡" If it had been magic of a normal scale, the fire would have been drowned out by the water, and Christophe''s fierce onslaught would have begun. But Oscar''s spell was too powerful to be described as mere fire. A vapor of intense heat rose up all around the area, blocking the vision of Oscar and the others. "I''m sure that''s what Christophe was aiming for!¡¡But if he can'' t see it, he''s going to have to burn it all down! "Hellfire burst!'' An out-of-standard flame, as if the "Salamander Breath" from earlier had been directed in all directions, blasted out. The amount of magic power expended by Oscar must have been more than half, but he did not slow down his attack. I''m sure ...... he realizes it too. He knows that there is a wall of talent separating him and Christophe. That is why he continues to choose to fight with reckless abandon. Only by doing so, he can find a way to make the most of his advantage over the superior Christophe. However. "...... is nothing more ....... You guys are so naive." The next moment I thought I heard a voice from somewhere. "Gu,...... ghd ......," The figure of Oscar, who is falling down after being pierced through the ---- stomach,----, and the figure of Christophe, who is sticking out his right arm with a black thorn-like thing on it, came into view from the other side of the white cloudy vapor. CH 145 "Yes, it''s a winning situation!¡¡...... Christophe, you''ve done it every time!¡¡Pull your hand out of your sleeve soon, you blundering idiot!" "If he doesn''t die, it doesn''t matter. The best way to do this is to use a good friend to help you out. overprotective elf. ......" Indeed, Christophe was right: the attack that appeared to have pierced Oscar''s stomach did not actually cut through his stomach. Of course, it did penetrate, and it did take some damage, but it did not actually puncture his stomach. The physical damage can be converted into psychological damage, which is a characteristic of this ward. "You idiot! Even if it is mental, if the damage is too strong, it can still lead to death. Do you want to become a murderer?" "What is the use of showing mercy to one or two people who would die at this point?" "Christophe! That calm Marie is enraged. Fortunately, Oscar doesn''t seem to have been fatally wounded, and seems to have just been knocked out normally,......, but now that I''ve seen it, I''m mad at it too. A cold, inexpressible feeling took over my head, and my thoughts sharpened all at once. "Marie." I put my hand on Marie''s shoulder, who is angry for Oscar''s sake, and turn around. "What is it? If you don''t teach him now, who will teach him then?" I shook my head slowly and then told Marie. "Marie, he''s not going to learn it" "What, Eberhard?" "There is a saying, ''The soul of a triplet lasts until the hundredth day. Human nature does not change so easily." You mean, "The spirit of a human is not cured until death"?¡¡It is true that there was a similar saying in the elven forest where I grew up,......, but I am an teacher . Heh. I didn''t realize there were similar lines in other worlds. But, well, I''m sorry Marie, but it would be impossible for anyone to correct Christophe''s personality. Marie is an excellent teacher , but he had not changed even after a year of training under her. No, he had refused even Marie''s teaching in the first place. He is a very irredeemable person. "Marie''s enthusiasm for teaching should be used elsewhere. He is already out of Marie''s control ." "Yes, Eberhard ......" I guess Marie is aware of this. That she can''t handle that guy anymore. But her position as an instructor won''t allow her to express it clearly in words. So I get to be the one to put it into words. And I''m going to clear up the problem. "I''ll beat him. I''m going to beat him, no sweat. I''m not going to say anything stupid like ''I''m going to knock him back in the face. I''m going to smash Christophe." .............. Marie''s eyes were shaken as she heard those words. The sense of duty as an teacher is to raise every one of students up to be great, and the relief that they might be saved from their inescapable situation as a human being. Marie says nothing. I can''t say anything. too ---- It''s not that I''m going to kill him. I would, however, at least give him a second chance. No matter how much I hate him, no matter how evil he is, if I am going to commit an act that will significantly affect the life of another person, I need to carefully examine the meaning of that act before I do it. So, this is my self-interest. Marie is suffering, everyone else is fed up, and most of all, I can''t forgive myself. So I want to solve that problem forcefully by using my power as I see fit. As a result, it may happen to be easier for everyone, or Marie may happen to be saved, but it is never for them. I use my power for the sake of my own selfishness. Therefore, I will have to take responsibility for whatever the result will be. I need to make that decision now. Otherwise, I will be just like that Irresponsible man there. In the name and on the responsibility at hand, :Captain Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Fahrenheit, commander of the 201st Special Division. Christoph von Brunsch. You have put the lives of young men and women in danger by playing with them, and you have shown no signs of regret for your actions. In light of the above, I has determined that Christophe is a dangerous individual who is likely to cause similar dangers in the future. Therefore, in accordance with Article 9 of the Imperial Military Code, "Responsibility for Dealing with State Traitors," you are hereby removed for the sake of the Empire''s future." "What?¡¡You''re going to eliminate me?" "Yes. , I''m going to get rid of you." The air was tense "You''re funny, ....... You can try if you want!" ''I am an imperial military officer. If you resist, you will immediately be considered to be in open rebellion against the Empire.¡¡If you turn back, this will be the last chance". But it''s probably useless to say that. :I don''t know. The ...... empire is the empire, you know. I don''t care about my family or my country anymore. I''m going to live my life the way I want " "Christophe...... you......!" Werner shouts in front of Christophe''s rebellious statement. He was the only one who cared about Christophe, while everyone else avoided him. He can''t abandon him. But Christophe seemed to take no notice of Werner. "Fuck this!¡¡The world that doesn''t approve of me is trash!¡¡I will burn it to the ground. I am free!" Christophe cries out, his whole body filled with magical power. His expression was more radiant than ever, as if he had just been blown out of the water. The sight of Christophe smiling and showing his true colors as if he had been freed from a burden seemed a little too shocking to the other trainees. ''...... Christophe wanted this to happen"? Werner, seeing Christoph, who was enjoying himself despite the fact that he could no longer stand back, couldn''t help but say so himself. "If he had been a mere child with no power, he wouldn''t have been so twisted IT maybe things wouldn''t have gotten so twisted.'' Well, that''s just a story of what might have been. As long as the reality is as it is, there was no way things could have turned out any other way. "Ha ha ha ha!¡¡I''ll kill some of you for the beginning !¡¡I was fed up with you guys. Especially Marie, Eberhard and Werner. You were too much of an eyesore for me!" "......!"" ,''That''s not right for two people who cared about you. Don''t you know the word ''morality''?"" ....''".. morality?¡¡Don''t impose your conventional wisdom on me. I am not like you." I''m not like you." Is this how warped a person is who does not have the norms that should be equipped in a person, internalized in him "Werner." "What?¡¡Eberhard." It just means that sometimes relationships don''t go well. Now it''s better to try to let it go as quickly as possible." ''...... I agree. Eberhard is right. It''s not so easy to get involved with people." Although Werner was concerned about Christophe, he was not that close to him. He was the only one who tried to lend a helping hand to Christoph as a fellow trainee. Werner, who has somehow accepted the reality of the situation, looks at Christophe with a serious expression on his face. Werner is known for his playful personality, but I was thinking that he might be the one with the kindest heart among the group. "Christoph." "What, an incompetent man with no attributes?" "You''"You''re going to take on Marie and me, and then kill a few more people?¡¡Are you serious about that, ............?"" "Yes!¡¡I''m not afraid of being treated as a criminal by the government anymore now that I''ve given up my position. I''m going to torture you to death after I beat you especially hard". "I''m asking you if you really think you can do such a thing. did you become so strong?¡¡You."" Do any of us think that Christophe, who has been hanging on to his talent, no matter how talented he is, can spare the time to attack another human being with me and Marie as his opponents? There is no such thing ----. ''......, I''ll kill you!¡¡First of all, Eberhard, you first!" "I''m a higher ranking noble than you, and an imperial military officer. That''s enough to blackmail, disrespect, and ...... betrayal ....... I don''t like ............ this kind of thing because it feels like I''m using my power as a shield, but I have no choice." Thus, the matches were suspended and the actual battle to kill between me and Christophe was to begin. Marie, in her position as lieutenant general, must have realized that she could not let Christophe continue his acts of treachery any longer. She did not seem to stop me. "Die, you blind, incompetent bastard." "Your unfounded confidence will be the cause of your falling off your feet, rebel Christophe." This match was supposed to be a test of the results of a year of training, but it turned out to be like this. I''m sorry to hear that, but for some reason, the first battle I''ve had against a person in a long time started without me knowing what to expect. CH 146 In the competition hosted by Marie , I had one skill that I had kept secret. Why did I keep that one secret? ......It was because, simply put, it was too powerful. The "Silver Armor Aegis," which is the upper level compatible with the " Robe" and "General''s Armor," which I have used in the past when fighting strong opponents, is a Buff skill that strengthens me. On the other hand, the [shock] spell that are synonymous with me and many of the more than 1,000 spells I have mastered during my training are offensive spells that directly damage opponents. The new skill I had kept secret is literally a special attack that has been mastered to the highest level. It is the most powerful and powerful attack in my record, with the power and destructive force to kill the opponent if it hits the target cleanly. The idea for the attack itself had been in the works for quite some time. However, the amount of magic power required was not a factor, and I overwhelmingly lacked the control to manipulate the magic power and the combat experience to catch the timing of the launch, so it remained a mere concept. However, after a year of training diligently under Marie, learning various types of spells and fine control of magic, and successfully improving my ability through mock battles with Marie and many other trainees, I finally succeeded in developing a new skill that had been only an idea. This is a special move that only I, who can use [shock] spell, can use, and it is only for me. The time has come for me to release this spell, which I had been restraining myself from using because it was too dangerous. ''Marie. Just in case something happens, I want you to stay behind me, I''ll take care of this." Marie probably doesn''t think I will lose at all, but she still seems to be worried that I might get hurt at least. As usual, she is a very patient and kind person in spite of her tiny figure. However, even such a kind . Marie is already not worried about Christophe. He should think about the meaning of that a little more. "It''s all right," Because I am Marie''s disciple." ''Yes, Eberhard ......" I thought I told her to build like master like a disciple, but for some reason, Marie just turned red cheeks and mumbled my name. ...... That''s not the reaction I was expecting. ''Hal,...... I''ll let it slide for now because it''s something you have to do, but we''ll talk about it at length later." "What? Why?" " we''ll talk about it later, including the questions I have about it." "Yes." I''m strangely curious about my fianc¨¦e Lily''s prickly dialogue, but I don''t have time for that right now, either. I feel like I''ve set off some flags again, but for the time being, I can''t move forward unless I get the messy Christophe out of the way. "Well, Christophe, let''s get down to business. Let''s be serious." "Well, I''ll show you that talent is no match for incompetence,". I did not go easy on him in the match we had just had. I didn''t cut corners because it would have been rude to my opponent, and the trainees are not weak enough to win by cutting corners. But at the same time, I was not giving it my all. One reason. If I give it my all, the fight will be over in an instant, and it will not be good for any of us. We have to fight and survive against various enemies in the future. To do so, I have to fight against a wide variety of personalities in order to gain the ability to respond flexibly to any enemy. There is no point if I kill them in the blink of an eye. However, when it came to this fight with Christophe, it was a different story. Rather, I was required to give it my all and get rid of him him as quickly as possible. If he were to cut corners and cause damage to the other trainees, we would be blindsided. They are important assets for the future of the empire. And since Christophe is stronger than them, such a tragedy could actually happen. I should be careful. "Fuck you!¡¡Defective human being with no attributes!" "Don''t call me .. defective it''s such a horrible thing!" There are certainly many people who cannot use attribute magic if it means that they are not at a practical level. Considering that there are only a handful of people who can become mages, most people would fall under that category . However, it is far too rare to be literally unable to use attribute magic at all. So I was actually quite concerned about the fact that I could only use non-attribute magic. His heartless comment stung me and made me go crazy . "Hal clam dow : ......" "It''s Christopher fault for provoking one of the complexes , Halt, who is one of the strongest in the empire." I could hear Lilly and Iris talking about something, but I was shaking with anger toward Christophe and didn''t care what was going on around me. I prepared for battle by activating the "Silver Armored Aegis" on my " Robe" and faced Christophe head-on. "Haaaaah!¡¡Black Flame, Black Mist, Rock Avalanche, Rock Avalanche, Rock Avalanche, Rock Avalanche." ''I knew you had talent after all. ......" It would be impossible for any other trainee to perform such a difficult spell in an instant, not to mention the power of the spell. It would be difficult even for Eleonora, the brilliant daughter of the Huber frontier family, or Lily, who has developed the space-time element. If both of them have an attribute, they may be able to cast magic of the same difficulty level, but even so, it would be difficult for them to cast magic of different attributes in succession. It was a hateful thing, but Christophe was a man blessed with that much talent for magic. If I had as much talent, I would have united the world by now. I can''t help but regret that he became so twisted at the young age of 13. It is a loss to humanity. "But it won''t work on me." I poured my ample magical power into the "Silver Armored Aegis" and made its silvery white magical armor grow to a huge size. The thick armor becomes even thicker, and a silvery-white Titan that far exceeds my height appears. "Tch!" Christophe''s spell is blocked by the silvery armor, and it sweeps away without doing any damage. "Wind Forest Volcano!"¡¡...... ''Purgatory ward''!" The next thing I know, he''s hitting me with the same big attack he used when he defeated Johan and Oscar, but it still doesn''t manage to penetrate my armored body. I can''t say it myself, but in front of the substandard magic armor, Christophe only consumed his magic power in vain. "...... Haaah, haaah, damn it!¡¡Why!¡¡Why doesn''t your magic fall apart?" Christophe has the best amount of magic among the trainees, but he has no more than a third of his magic power left. In contrast, I still had eighty percent of my magic power left. ''The amount of hard work I'' ve put in is different." "What ......?"" Christophe breathed on his shoulder and asked a question. ''I was still 80% comfortable with the amount of hard work I''ve put into it. But if you don''t polish it, it will rust." You have to keep refining and refining and refining, and only then will the skill tp show its true potential. Christophe''s skill has been so strong that his skill have lost their original luster and have become completely rusty. "Christophe''s skill has lost its original luster and has become rusty. I''m not going to whine about it. I''m done with you."'' I release the "silver armor" and apply only the "cloak" to concentrate my consciousness. I only put magic power into my right fist. The only magic that is activated is one type of [impact]. Concentrating all of my energy on my right hand and Christophe, I kneaded the magic power. The right fist shakes softly, and the dust in the air that touches the fist is blown away with a crackling sound. ---- "Thunder Rapture" I run toward Christophe with the explosive physical power of my " robe ". The "silver armor" was released, and he must have seen it as a good opportunity. Christophe also activates his dark spell in an instant and runs toward me. The magic that Christophe cast was, coincidentally, the same magic that he used when he defeated Oscar. It seems that this is his favorite spell. "Die, incompetent!: ---- Christophe and I crossed each other'' s fists. Fist to fist they collide in the manner of a boxing cross counter, and the magic of both sides is all-out collision. The result that seemed to be a mutual battle, however, was turned inside out as my fist smashed Christophe''s fist. Christophe''s fist, covered in a black haze of energy, breaks, shatters, and pops off. At the same time, the black haze was blown away, exposing Christophe''s body. :Gosh ......!" ----Doh! A popping sound echoed, and at the same time, Christophe was blown backwards. Because he was still in the of the "spiritual sanctuary," Christophe suffered no physical damage that could be converted into mental damage. He was blown several tens of meters and hit a tree trunk, and stopped moving . ............ "It''s over " I turn to everyone who has been looking at me in amazement and tell Marie this. Marie just looked back at me with a somewhat relieved expression on her face CH 147 In the silent atmosphere, with no one saying a word, I move closer to Christophe. He had hit a thick tree and was lying there, covered in blood. "I''ll never be able to fight as a mage again with my body like this." After being hit by my "lightning bolt," Christophe had lost his right arm from the shoulder and his leg from the knee down. His ribs, hip bone, pelvis, and other parts of his body were also crushed, and he will probably never be able to walk properly again. "Well, you should be thankful I didn''t kill you." Even though he is a rebel, he cannot be immediately put to death. If possible, I will incapacitate him, bring him back home, hold a trial, and punish him. For the officials of the imperial government, which calls itself a civilized country, this seemed to be the preferred way to go about it. The Count Blanche was either to be exiled or sent to prison. Even if they disowned Christophe, they would still be responsible for the rebels from their own family. Marie approached and looked at the broken Christophe and said, " "I am sorry. I forced you to do the dirty work." I did it because I wanted to.,"and you don''t have to worry about it. Marie stood there with her long white hair tied loosely in half, her face looking as if she had been possessed. The face was somewhat peaceful, as if the possession had vanished. ?? After casting a recovery spell on only the vital parts so as not to at least get not dead, and rolling Christophe, who we decided to restrain and leave alone for the rest of the day, into an iron cage that Leon (who is good at steel spells) had prepared in a hurry, we called it a day. Our spirits are not strong enough to hold a match right after an incident like this. In a slightly gloomy atmosphere, we prepared for dinner. While we were eating the meal that Marie and Lily had prepared so skillfully, Hans asked me, breaking the silence. "Um, ...... Eberhard. I don''t know if this is the right thing to ask in this kind of situation, but ......, can I talk to you for a minute?" "Hans? - Sure, what''s up?" "The "lightning bolt" skill ...... that Eberhard used to defeat Christoph just now. It looked meek or ...... not that strong, but why did it have such great power?" "Ah, "lightning."" I looked around and saw that everyone around the table was looking at me and paying attention to our conversation. "I was wondering about that, too!¡¡Wasn''t it powerful?"" "I''m curious, too. I have no idea how they can make it so powerful." Me too. How complicated is this magic formula?" "I want to know too. ......!'' Some of them leaned forward to ask. The intensity of the question was so great that I was a little taken aback. I''m so curious about ......?" The trainees nodded in unison. I had no choice but to reveal the seeds of the "lightning." In addition, since we are all trusted friends in training, I thought it would be a good idea if my skill could be used as a reference for something. . First of all, there are three elements necessary for this skill. The first is the power of magic to create an explosive force. Second, the ability to control that magic with great precision. The third is the instantaneous power to make them work. I explained the concept and background of developing "Thunderbolt. "The ''lightning bolt'' is more than just a powerful shockwave, It is an advanced spell that requires extremely precise manipulation of magic power. First, in order to increase its power, the magic power is developed at the maximum speed that can be achieved by the magician. Finally, based on the structural information obtained, adjust the speed of the shockwave to the maximum speed you can generate to increase its power. Finally, based on the structural information obtained, the magic power is adjusted to the optimal waveform and speed for destroying the target, and then struck. ...... requires very precise manipulation of magic power, and if you don''t have contact with the target directly, you can''t understand the structure in the first place, so if there is any distance between you and the target during the attack, the effectiveness of the attack will be significantly reduced. The worst that can happen is that it becomes less effective than a regular "shock bullet". If it misses the target, it''s a "ska," but if it hits the target, it''s an absolute destroyer, literally a special attack." In addition, the time between the moment the fist touches the enemy for observation and the moment it adjusts to the optimal shock wave for destruction and releases it is just a moment. In that split second between the time the fist contacts the enemy and the time it swings out, it requires a control of magic power that is infinitely more difficult than any other magic I have ever learned. I hope everyone understood how difficult this skill was to perform. I saw that the trainees were all looking at me in amazement. Even Marie was staring at me, without blinking an eye. "What''s going on? Say something!¡¡When I said that, everyone finally rebooted and started talking about what they thought of this . " such a sophisticated thing was done in that split second." ''It''s impossible,....... No, it''s not that I don''t believe it,...... but it''s just unbelievable ." I''m ...... sorry to say, but you''re way ahead of us in magic skill. "Even I would need years of training to do something like that. you had done ..... you are seriously starting to resign from the human ...... race. ......" ''Huh?¡¡I''m not sure how I feel about that.'' I thought Marie would be able to do just as well, if not better than the me . ...... In the end, we ended up just bragging about how great my spell was, and dinner was over. T/n next chapter in raw toc numbered 147 as well , wht should i do ? CH 148 Next day. Although the wounds themselves were healed to the point that they did not cause vital signs to cease, the match was to be resumed, leaving Christophe, who showed no sign of awakening at all. At that time, in order to prevent him from getting out of control or escaping in case he woke up, Marie had applied an anomaly spell that disrupted the magic in her body. Thanks to that, Christophe is now unable to even knead magic power, the most necessary element for using magic, which he was so good at. With broken bones all over his body and the loss of his right hand and right leg, it would be difficult for him to stand up properly, let alone break through the iron cage. The only thing I am worried about is whether or not he will kill himself in despair when he wakes up, but since no one will be bothered by his death, there is no point in worrying about it. I can''t take care of him that much either. So, since Christophe had to leave the tournament, the matchups were changed somewhat. The remaining matches were the semifinals and the final. The first match of the semifinals is Iris vs. me, and the second match is Eleonora vs. Gilbert. Although I was the one who had performed so well yesterday, the match was to be held as usual, in accordance with Iris''s wishes. "I was so excited to be able to fight Hurt at full strength without getting hurt. It would be a shame to turn it away" Iris said. "Well, then, let''s start the match. The "spiritual sanctuary" is in full operation, and Eberhard has no problem using the "lightning bolt" he used yesterday.'' ''The fact is, it''s actually quite hard to do because it uses a lot of magic power. ......" "I''m just saying that I should work so hard that Harte would have to use that skill. If he doesn''t have to use it, I''m just not good enough." "Well, Iris, you''re quite determined, aren''t you " I''m not going to lose to her ,......, . I have to go to the finals and fight Eleonora to avenge Lily''s loss. Iris. There are certain skills that are suited to certain people. Just because it''s a s"pecial attack doesn''t mean it''s effective anytime, anywhere.'' ''Mmm." "I''ve already thought of a strategy for Iris. Get him!" ''He won''t be easy to defeat." We stand at a certain distance from each other on the ground. This time, the distance between us was set relatively far because both of us can use medium and long range spells. "Then let''s begin!" "Silver Armored Aegis!" "What was casted by Iris being able to evade the attack of the ''White Silver Fortress'' just now?" I am still no match for Hult in long-range combat. I still can''t penetrate that "silver armor". So I approached you with a gleam of hope. I thought I could catch you by surprise if I did. "...... You''re a clever , aren''t you? I was taken in by him." I asked Iris, looking back at the earlier match, and she replied, snapping out of her farce mode. "Hurt said that the move earlier was omni-directional, but there is actually only one blind spot." ''...... No way." "The only blind spot was at your feet, from the knees down, within a one-meter radius." "You''ve been hiding there the whole time?" She nodded "Optical camouflage stealth!" Iris and I both cast spells in accordance with each other''s battle strategies. Iris is not impossible to fight with meat bullets, but she basically takes the route of medium and long-range combat, taking advantage of the properties of the light attribute. If this is the case, I also do not need to be prepared for close-range combat, so I do not have to waste my magical power applying a " robe ". The "silver armor" will also improve the reflectivity of the "silver armor" and increase its resistance to light attacks. As the name suggests, the "silver armor" shines in a silvery-white color because light is diffusely reflected by shock waves emitted in the opposite vector of external attacks. To nullify light-attribute magic, Leon, a steel-attribute user, countered by creating a mirror. I chose to use a similar concept to reflect light. ''I''m sure you can''t see me from there either," Iris, who has disappeared with her "optical camouflage stealth," tells me this. The "silver armor" has the flaw that if the reflectivity is increased, it is impossible to see what is going on outside from the inside as well. In short, all directional energy from the outer world is blocked, so the inside of the silver armor is completely dark. But as far as I''m concerned, that''s not a problem. Why is it possible for a submarine to sail through the ocean without running into any obstructions? It is because they are armed with sonar, a high-precision acoustic radar. It is the same logic as the dolphins'' and bats'' echolocation. If you can''t see it, just listen!¡¡That''s what I''m thinking. And I have the power to substitute it with magic power. That''s right, the spell of "active sonar. "Disappearing won''t do you any good!¡¡I can see you from here!"" It''s impossible to see due to "optical camouflage" anyway. Then I should not rely on sight from the beginning, but only on the reaction of magic power to detect the target! "Impact bullet!" ---- Several "shock bullets" are fired at the location of the magical reaction that seems to be Iris. The optical disguise may have been well hidden, but my sonar vision clearly shows the main body of Iris and the reactions of the phantom created by the spell. "Iris is broken!" The next moment I thought that Iris had passed through the phantom and landed on the real body ----. The next moment, contrary to my expectations, the "impact bullet" passed through the magical reaction of the main body. "What the he;; ?!" Did Iris, by no means, take advantage of the fact that I was going to use "active sonar" to prepare a decoy?¡¡When had he mastered such advanced spell ? She had never used it in any of the many mock battles we had in the past,....... "I had never used it in any of the many mock battles we had , and yet ---- it had worked. It was worth all the training I had done in secret for this day" "Iris!¡¡I didn''t even know you were there.¡¡" "Just like Hurt''s special attack. I worked hard behind the scenes." I was surprised by this. The current strategy is not going to get us anywhere. The most important thing to remember is that you can''t just take a chance on a new player and expect him or her to do the same thing. "If it is ......, it is not a very pretty way to fight, but I guess I'' ll have to use a barrage of bullets to push through." I can''t see it from here and can''t hit it with my attacks. From the other side, sher can''t push through my defense, and can'' t cut me down because she keeps evading my attacks. This created what is called a "thousand-day hand" situation. In order to break through this and move on, a new step is needed. I decided to push with sheer force o....... When a strategy is ineffective, it is better to abandon thinking too hard and push with force. "---- If you don''t know where the enemy is, why don''t you just attack everything?¡¡I call it the ''White Silver Fortress Fortress''!'' buh!!! It''s a 360-degree version of the " shock barrage" while activating the "silver armor". This would create no blind spots at all, so no matter where they were hiding on the ground, she would be able to blow them away. It is not very pretty, but it is the only way to win. The battle is in the numbers. ...... However, despite all these attacks, I didn''t hear Marie say, "It''s a victory". The same is true for Marie, who is not supposed to be able to see Iris, but she is in a position to manage the "spiritual sanctuary," so she has a bird''s eye view of what is going on inside the boundary. In other words, there is no possibility of misinterpretation. This means that Iris has not yet collapsed. "Did you just endure that?¡¡How?" No. I have no idea. It''s very regrettable that I seem to have lost the battle, but if I keep on the "silver armor" like this, the amount of magic power consumed will not be worth it. I think I should release the "silver armor" and see what''s going on outside. So, I thought, and while activating the "robe ", I released the "silver armor". ...... "Hurt right , here .'' "What?" The moment I thought I heard Iris''s voice coming from right below me, Iris''s fist with all her might punched me in the stomach. "Ugh!'' The fist that entered the pigeon tail so spectacularly inflicted damage on me that I couldn''t ignore. I clenched my teeth and endured it, and succeeded in catching Iris''s fist. Oryaaaaaah!" I felt a little sorry for her, but I punched her in the stomach with my arm strength reinforced by "robe " to get back at her for the Dove Tail Punch. "Gfuh! "It''s a over !" I won the match against Iris by punching her in the stomach with my strengthened fist, a devilish act that would make even a domestic violence boyfriend wince. "Hal, you''re the worst.'' "It was a serious fight!¡¡I was in pain too!¡¡It was my tail¡¡I just being nice by not aiming for the vital point:! "Hurt hurt me. I want you to take responsibility." "You say that like that!¡¡No, I''ll take responsibility! it was inside the "spiritual sanctuary", there shouldn''t be any physical damage, but it seems to have been hard on the psyche. Iris, who had been punched in the stomach by me, protested with a bloated face. "What a farce. ...... Compared to Oscar, who was punched in the stomach, this is a gentle way to go." "Master, this is not about that!" ''This is about dignity". "If you say so, Oscar''s is worse." "Ugh, I can''t say it any other way." "I can''t say it back." ...... I think the exchange between the two of them is a travesty. :I really wanted to shoot a spell from there, but I didn''t have time. It was difficult to do damage through Hurt''s robe.: "It hurt a lot, though." Although Iris uses light spells, a medium- to long-range type of spell, her physical abilities are not low. In fact, as her status as a member of the Special Division shows, she is much stronger than most ordinary adventurers and soldiers. Iris''s physical prowess in melee combat is something I tend to forget because I can''t imagine her as being good at it at all. As a fellow member of the Special Division''s 201st squadron, I am very proud to be able to rely on her. I enjoyed chatting with my partner after the match, happy for her growth and the fact that we would be able to work together more easily in the future. CH 149 Now that the match between me and Iris is over, there is only one semi-final left. The winner of that match will face me in the final. And the next match will be Gilbert, who is good at fighting like an authentic knight, vs. Eleonora, who is an upright mage. It is truly a battle of swords and magic. Gilbert, still fully equipped with knight''s armor and a two-handed sword, and Eleonora, wearing a robe like a mage, entered the ground and faced each other at a distance. Gilberto has a serious expression on his face, as is his nature, while Eleonora looks very relaxed and natural. There is no sign of tension at all. This is the kind of composure that a strong person can afford. "Then let''s begin!" Gilberto made the first move. As one would expect from a knight with such a strong power of attack, his early onslaught was quite impressive. He easily cut down Eleonora''s magic attack jab to see what would happen, and then he slashed at her in a furious attack. However, Eleonora, who is the next-generation hope of the "Eastern General" family, was a little more skillful than Gilbert, who gradually increased the power of his attacks and switched to full-fledged magic attacks before he knew it. It can only be described as a quintessence that Eleonora could launch a series of magic attacks powerful enough to suppress Gilberto from the top, even though he was attacking in a furious and continuous manner as if he did not give her any time to pause. In the end, the situation remained in Eleonora''s favor, and after a few minutes, Gilberto was blown away by a hit from Eleonora''s spell attack. "Eleonora is the winner!" ''Well, that''s roughly how it went anyway!" Eleonora declared her victory bravely, though not without breaking into a sweat ...... and gasping for air. Gilberto also fought hard, but in the end, as expected, Eleonora seemed to have won. ?? The semi-finals were over and the finals were decided, so that was the end of the day for today. Marie was aware that it would not be good for stamina to have a final match after having fought a quintessential match at full strength. If this were a military exercise, she would have said, "The enemy won''t wait for you! But since the trainees other than Iris and myself were not yet military officers, we were not subjected to the rigors of the military. "I won''t lose." Eleonora comes to me after dinner and tells me so. It is a battle between the "Generals," the frontier count families of the same rank as one another. Tomorrow''s final match will have a different meaning than just a match between two trainees. "I won''t give up my position as the strongest of the four generals." You don''t have to give it up. I will not give up my position as the strongest of the four generals. I''m going to force you to win it! ''You''re so courageous". If that''s the case, then I''ll have to be serious about winning. I had shown my seriousness in the match against Christophe and he was not timid, but rather, he was so spirited in his declaration. As an opponent, I have to make sure that I am not offensive to him. I took a bath and rested my body to give my all in tomorrow''s match, and went to sleep early. ??? "Now, finally, this is the final match. A lot has happened on the way to this point, but this will finally decide who is the strongest among our group. Do your best so that you have no regrets." "Eberhard!¡¡Today is the day I will beat you fair and square with no handicap! ''I accept!" A battle of perhaps the highest level is about to begin. "...... then, let''s begin!" As soon as Marie- gave the signal, we activated our magic at exactly the same time. "Burning Fire!" "Guided Impact!" ...... Eleonora''s used a big attack on me right away. The first time I saw her, she had used it after summoning the contracted divine beast, the "flame spirit Efreet," but this time she threw the biggest amount of power she could muster from the very beginning without saving. Thanks to this, the skillI had just released was drowned out. I was forced to use a countermeasure to block the fire that Eleonora had just released. "I''m sure you''ve got a great way to put up a fight, ......!" Piaofu hyofu"! By releasing a shockwave in a certain direction, "Piao Feng" creates a directional blow. The power is enough to blow away Eleonora''s "Burning Fire," but the gap after activating it is large. Normally, the first blow is a small attack to see how the opponent will react. If one launches a big move from the start, the repercussions of a missed or countered attack cannot be ignored, so this is usually not a tactic one would choose. Eleonora, however, was not ordinary. When she released a big attack, she had almost no time to pause, which is a common feature for ordinary mages. This time is faster than mine, except when using the "shock bullet," which is the number eighteen OHAKO. She is the brilliant daughter of the Hoover family. In the end, I was forced to waste my precious first shot. "The Magic Thread Blade Wire Blade!" However, if I give her a chance to take advantage of me, I will fail to become the next "Northern General". To make up for the lapse in the first move, I uses a high-level killing power attack. The "SPELL Thread Blade" is a skill that gives the wire cutting power by combining "shock" with the "Binding Rope Blades" that generate magic wire. This skill can cut through thin armor without difficulty, and can even lightly cut through unprotected human flesh. Eleonora is not the type of mage to engage in a physical battle, so it would be tough for her to avoid this or to repel it by applying "physical reinforcement. So, what will she do? "Efreet the Flame Spirit!" However, Eleonora was in a league of her own. In an instant, she summoned the contracted divine beast and blew away the wire with its blazing flames, burning it to the ground. " Good!" ''You too!" This is what I call a good rivalry. I''m not just talking about people of my age, but even if I look around the entire empire, there aren''t many people who could seriously match me, and Eleonora was one of the few people I could seriously fight with. "But this is the end." In this instant, I had kneaded all my magical power at once. In a moment, I activated the "Silver Armored Aegis" and converged it in my right arm. Incidentally, the reason it is not the full amount of the rest is simply because the energy is too vast to control. In other words, in terms of the scale of pure power, which is different from the destructive power and killing power, this is the most powerful attack I can produce right now. "---- ''GENGHOU''! "What?¡¡Hey, oh no, "Hellfire Dragoon, the Bakufu Dragon!" Eleonora seemed to be in a hurry at this, but she still completed her interception spell perfectly and released it. The "Bakufire Dragon" is the same radiant flame magic that was used as the killing blow in the battle against Werner. Moreover, it is even more massive and more powerful than that time. A direct hit from this magic would have melted and blown away even the magnificent walls surrounding the city. The super-powerful magic clashed with each other in mid-air, causing the air around to vibrate. The earth shakes from so much wind pressure that some of the trees at the edge of the training ground are reaped. ---------- --ohohohoh £¡£¡£¡£¡ The "Bakufu Ryu" lost its short life, and my "Gekikaze" won the battle. ............ya!" The impact, which could have been caused by a cannon shot, struck Eleonora, gouging out the ground around her and blowing her away. The match between Eleonora and me ended with such excessive force that I can''t say anything bad about Christophe, to be honest. ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸........................¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ A masterpiece. If I had to describe it in one word, that would be the most appropriate. I feel strange saying it myself, but it is clearly not the kind of power that a flesh-and-blood human being should be able to deliver. The ground was deeply scarred, radiating out from the point of impact. On the other side of the dent, which was more than several meters deep and spread over an area of about several dozen meters, lay Eleonora, whose body (for the time being) was without a single wound. I felt uneasy, so I searched for magical reactions, but she seemed to be alive without any trouble. Her magic power seems to be exhausted, but ....... "Marie?"" ...... Oh, the winner is Eberhardt, then." Marie reacted as if she had forgotten about the judges and hurriedly declared the results. Even she was like that. Everyone else just stared at the scene with open mouths, somewhat distracted ...... CH 150 ......The landscape has changed." Werner''s comment was representative of the impression we all had. ...... This is now a tank. The speed at which mages who can use "body enhancement" can march is comparable to that of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. The firepower is also significantly higher than that of ordinary bow and spear. It is no wonder that the government wants to train mages, who are more appropriate to be called soldiers than weapons. only a very small number of mages have such high levels of firepower, so most of them are probably not really tanks, but rather armed vehicles,....... And even then, that''s a valuable asset. In my case, I have tank-class (or even more than tank-class) heavy armor and thermal power, plus high mobility with "flying wings," so I guess you could say that I am a fighter as hard as a tank. Hmmm, I''m quite extraordinary myself. ...... As I was thinking about this while looking at the damaged ground, Eleonora came back to life in a weird, zombie-like manner and shouted at me. ''Aaaaahhhh, I lost!!!!" She was a very tough fellow, even though she had taken such a big damage. "I''m so , frustrated, frustrated????!!!"" Her appearance was like that of a spoiled child. In addition to her small stature and childish appearance, she is a child. "I won''t lose next time!¡¡You''d better brace yourself!" Eleonora declared one-sidedly and returned to the lodgings. I don''t know whether she is a child or a big shot. Well, at least she''s not a little thing, that''s for sure. "She''s so mobile, ....... Normally, with that much damage, she wouldn''t even be able to stand up. ......" Marie looked a bit taken aback as she looked in the direction Eleonora had gone. Even from her perspective, who has lived for two hundred years, her toughness seems to be unusual. I shake my head in remembrance of Felix, the kidnapper who had been blessed with a great deal of physical toughness, and reflect that I don''t want to be treated the same way as a criminal. Thus, despite some major trouble, the tournament between the trainees came to a successful conclusion with me as the winner. .:....Hmmm, Eberhard. I''m sure it''s not very nice to end it like this. I will give you a special training session." "What?" It was to be end ... ....... But Marie''s one voice made a new event happen suddenly. "I''m going to fight Marie?" "Yes. But it''s not that the I and you are going to shoot spells at each other. We have made a contract with as divine beasts. Let''s have a divine beast battle." "Divine Beast Battle!" It was just like a Japanese anime in which monsters fight each other. I don''t know if it''s a digital version or a Pocket version, but in any case, as a former Japanese boy, I can''t help but feel very excited about this development. I can''t help but have infinite dreams of becoming a divine beast master. "Oh, !¡¡It''s overflowing!" "Hal has gone crazy again. ......" "I don''t know what makes him crazy. What is Halt responding to?'' "Men are weird creatures." ''I agree." Lily and Iris are treating me like a weirdo, as usual, but how can a normal Japanese boy, who spent his childhood in that period when certain anime and video games were so popular, not be on edge here?¡¡No, I can'' t! I''m going to summon the divine beasts ....... lIn-chan!¡¡I am choosing you! I''ve chosen you or rather , I only have Lin-chan, but that''s a trivial matter. The young dragon with silvery white scales, more than one meter long, is summoned from the divine beast realm and manifests in this world, clad in dazzling light. Although Lin-chan, with her sparkling magical phosphorescence, is still a newborn among the long-lived dragons, she already has the air of a majestic champion as a primordial dragon elemental dragon. Specifically, she is spinning and leaping around me, wagging her tail. Apparently, he is happy to be summoned. I''m not sure how much I can do to help him. ...... Well, the last time I summoned him, I was in the middle of a fight with Nadia, so I couldn''t give much attention to it. It must be fun for Lin to be able to interact with me in this way when I''m not in combat. She is very cute, to put it simply. "White-haired forest rabbit, Peter-kun, come here to accept the contract." Marie clasped her palms together as if to clap her hands, and Peter appeared with a flash of light. He is ...... as big as ever. Lin-chan is getting quite big, but he is much bigger than that. I think it is a little bit different from a big rabbit, which is about the size of an Indian elephant or a small rhino, and exudes an intimidating sense of crushing us, no matter how cute it may be. However, the size of the rabbit is less intimidating when seen from afar, so it is still cute. To be honest, it looks stronger than Rin-chan ....... But then again, it''s a rabbit. Rabbits are grass-eating animals that specialize in the escape rather than the or flight . No matter how much Marie''s favorite may be, I doubt it is a match for Lin-chan, the natural-born king, the carnivorous divine beast. "It''s Eberhard. It''s not like you to judge a person by his appearance. Well, that''s how cute Peter is. ...... But it would be a mistake to fail to gauge the strength of your opponent." "Hmm?" Marie smiles wryly and pats Peter . I feel a bad feeling in that seemingly calm scene. The current advice is one thing, but it''s that Marie. Something is definitely going on. "You guys, stay far away from here." Marie told the other trainees, and she herself kept a certain distance from Peter. Lin, get ready for battle. Peter will do whatever he can to you.: "Pssst!" Lin-chan responds with an enormous outpouring of magical power from inside her body, as if she were a divine beast. Although she is smaller in stature than her opponent, she is still very dependable. ''Peter!¡¡Sacred Liberation!" .................. Liberation. ...... is a remarkably worrisome ...... name for a skill that makes me feel ...... uneasy. The theory is that monsters that look quiet like this usually turn horribly vicious when they show their true nature. Peter''s movement stops. However, the magical power in his body was rapidly increasing. At the same time, Peter''s fluffy fur turns reddish-black and hard. .. This is not good!¡¡My intuition is telling me something is wrong! " Lin-chan!¡¡ preemptive strike. Blow him up, Peter!: "Pssst!¡¡Pyuuuuuhhhhhh!": I have no obligation to wait for my opponent to finish transforming. I am not an evil enemy leader fighting a transformed hero. The instant ray of destruction released by Lin-chan strikes Peter. Even though it was an instant hit, its destructive power was outstanding. The actuality of the fact that the actual destruction rays are not only a good thing, but also a great deal of damage to the body. I was thinking that the fact that I even thought of such a flag means that it probably didn''t work, and as the smoke cleared, I saw Peter''s new appearance for the first time, which, as expected, clearly ignored the law of conservation of mass. Muscles like heavy machinery, heaped up to a muscular size. His soft fur is replaced by metallic scales that shine as dull as steel. Horns so huge that they could easily pierce an elephant, let alone a human being. And the eyes, shining with murderous intent, which are so bright that it is hard to believe that they are the same as the eyes that were dull, gentle, and cute until a moment ago. In summary, it is the appearance of a legendary demon that should be described as an aggregate of murderous intent. ".... Are you kidding me, ......?" I hear one of the trainees muttering something . Rikuoh. :Behemoth..................!: ----The dragon of the great mountain range. The Behemoth of the Demon Forest. Cerberus of the Great Labyrinth. The legendary beast that has lived since ancient times in the land known as the three most difficult locations in the Empire, where even a party of S rank adventurers must risk their lives to challenge it. "The dragon and the behemoth are both in the same boat," Thus, a battle broke out between dragons and behemoths, two legendary magical beasts. I had never dreamed that I would be on one side of the battle, let alone have the chance to see such a thing even if I were born again ten times, let alone in my entire life. ".¡¡How do you like it?¡¡Peter, the second form!¡¡Eberhard''s Lindwurm, the primordial dragon, is quite good, but my Peter, the land king, is no match for it!'' Marie, who is always somewhat excited, is shouting in an unusually high tension. She must be very happy to show off her pet. "GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Peter, who had no vocal organs when he was a bunny, is now roaring with such a wild roar. His white fur has now turned into scales stained a dusky black red. "How i can ...... attack something like this? "Pyuyi ......" The Jabberwock is a crazy beast that stands in front of me, even the Jabberwock looks cute, and Lin and I look at each other and are troubled. CH 151 Peter the Behemoth rushes forward with a terrifying roar that makes my whole body tremble. His speed is comparable to that of a supercar. In addition, it is so massive that even cows and elephants seem like little children. It is like a heavy tank rushing toward you at nearly 100 kilometers per hour. "Evasive, fly!" He is truly unmatched on land. Hence, the king of land. The sky is the dragon, and the land is the behemoth. Even if it were a full-grown dragon, it would be tough to challenge a behemoth on land. Even though the original Elemental Dragon is the king of the dragon race, it is still no match for the young dragon Rin-chan. That is why she is evacuating to the sky, where there is still a slight chance of victory. But while this is a retreat, it is also a stepping stone to attack. Against a two-dimensional enemy, a three-dimensional attack is incredibly effective. The history of the earth proves this. "Peweeeeeee!" Lin-chan barely manages to avoid the attack by leaping into the air, and rises even higher into the sky. "Good!¡¡Move to where the attack from below can''t reach you!" No matter how powerful the attack is, it will never be able to jump that high with its mass! "Peter, jump!"" It seems that ...... that thought was just a warning flag. Peter jumped up with the aid of Marie''s instruction. "...... run away!" Impossible ....... Who in the world could have imagined the sight of such a huge body leaping into the sky? Peter, who had leapt more than a few dozen meters, swung his vicious horns like a rhinoceros and attacked Lin-chan. "Phew! ......" Although he avoided a direct hit, the tip of his horn snagged Lin-chan''s tail just a little bit. The impact of this single blow blew Lin-chan away more than a few hundred meters. "Oh, my gosh!¡¡Lin-chan!" I know that Lin-chan is safe and sound because I can feel her vital information through her contract. Lin-chan!¡¡It''s long-range sniper spell! The only thing left to do now was to bet on a blow using all the magic power. Peter is an unusually highly mobile guy. If we just keep shooting at him, he will avoid it without any difficulty. ("Lin-chan, here''s a guided destructive missile. It''s an applied method of the destructive ray you always shoot. Can you do it?") "(Pyu!)" When I conveyed my intentions to Lin-chan in the distance through the contract, I received a reliable reply from Lin-chan, "I''ll leave it to you. I''ll teach you how to do it through sensory sharing now, so you have to make it work in one go. I then sent the image of the magical manipulation of the "Guided Impact Bullet" directly into Lin-chan''s consciousness through the contract. This perfect sharing of thoughts and sensations is impossible between humans. It is precisely because of this that contracted divine beasts can be the greatest and most powerful partners. "Good, go for it!" Lin-chan, who, as a divine beast, had activated the original "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect" and had recovered all of magical power before she knew it, converged all of magical power to the point that it was not life-threatening, and launched the largest ever Lin-chan version of a "guided impact bullet. A huge energy projectile, which seemed to be 10 meters in diameter, appeared several hundred meters above us. "Lin-chan," he said, "think about the direction you''re going to shoot. Think about the direction you want to shoot. It could blow us up, too." "(Ping!)" Only Peter should be shot down. If that thing hit us, the aftermath alone would surely cause full body wounds. "Peter-kun. Special attack! "GROO-DAO-DAO!"" And it''s not Marie and Peter who sit and wait. Peter, under Marie''s direction, converges his enormous magical power into his horns, the symbol of his splendid killing intent, just like Lin-chan, and turns them red-hot. ---- kiiiiiiiiiiin ......! It seems ready for a crazy rush attack that would easily punch through even the heavy armor of a battleship. "Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin £¡£¡£¡£¡! "GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Peter is rushing forward to catch Lin-chan''s "guided impact bullet" head-on. The huge magical energy and the huge kinetic energy collide, and a huge explosion occurs. "Whoa, mushroom cloud......!" It was as if the world''s largest non-conventional bomb, a ground penetrating bunker buster, had struck it with such force. It was not just one or two shots, either. The explosion was as if it had been fired by a dozen rounds. .................. Peter, who was at the center of the explosion, had most of the power of the "guided impact bullet" offset by the attack on his horns. The scales were peeling off in places, and he was bleeding, but he was still standing on his feet with a light in his eyes. He was standing there with his eyes lit up and his feet on the ground. That was, by the way, a "running natural disaster. I see, there''s a lot to be said for being engaged in a top-secret operation in the middle of the Demon Forest all by yourself. ...... Lin-chan, who had temporarily lost almost all of magic power from the attack, was free-falling helplessly. "Lin-chan!" I hurriedly activated my "flying wings" and rushed to Lin-chan, who was falling. She would eventually recover on her own with the "Dragon Vein Connection," but it would probably take at least a few minutes. She would not regain consciousness while falling. "Lin-chan, thank you for your hard work.'' The " robe" was deployed to catch Lin-chan with a heavy sound. Even with the " robe" deployed, it was hard to catch the one-meter reptile, which had been boosted by the acceleration of gravity. However, the weight of Lin-chan''s body was almost nothing when I thought about how hard she was working. Holding Lin-chan in my arms, I slowly made my descent. I''m going to be able to get a good look at the newest version of the creature. "......." "That was cool.'' "Pyui!" Lin-chan responds with a happy face (though it is a reptile face) when I give her a pat on the back after she regains consciousness. Thus, the match between the trainees and the Alpha was now completely over. CH 152 A few days after the Divine Beast duel between Marie-san and I was over and the entire one-year training program had been completed. A few days later, Marie received word that the military from the capital had finally arrived at the Demon Forest, which she had been anxiously awaiting for some time. "Oh, my God!" Marie was furious with blue streaks on her temples. She must be really angry, because her ears were bright red and twitching. When Marie'' s emotion moves, her ears also move. She looks like a dog, but she would get angry with me if I said something like that, so it is better not to say anything. "Lily, "take me and fly to the entrance of the forest. . Let''s go and punish those lazy government officials." "Yes, Master." "No, Lily. Lily, what are you talking about when you''re dealing with a state authority?; "What are you talking about when you are dealing with state power? The prestige of the duke''s house is only effective against the government officials, who are the public servants of the state." We were walking along the roadless trail in the forest, guided by Marie. Perhaps it is because we have become so used to life in the demon forest, but we have become completely distracted, even though the forest is much deeper than usual. However, even though we were out of it, we weren''t slacking off in our guards. It means that I can now search for an enemy in a forest of this size with a single hand without having to pull myself together. I think I''ve grown a lot in the past year. "Oh, I can see it now." "I''m sure that''s it. Do you recognize it?" "Well, the last time I saw him was a year ago. ...... Oh, but he looks familiar to me." "Is everything all right then?" "No problem at all." Apparently, it was not the stationed military police sent from the imperial capital, but military police from our territory''s Army. There were eight military police in total. They seemed to be pulling a carriage with iron bars to lock up and transport the criminals. As we moved through the forest to get in front of them, the military police recognized us and saluted us in a single, steady motion. "I don''t know your names, but I''ve been waiting for you for some time now." I don''t know his name, but I have seen his face a few times before. I believe he is in charge of the military police department of our army. ...... "Thanks for your help. You are very late, by the way." If I fly from Heidburg, I can reach there in two or three days. It is hard to imagine that it would take so long if there were no issues. "The "What? , there is pressure from the capital." ''Pressure?" "Yes. Apparently, some nobleman intervened when the information was being conveyed to Heidburg, and there was some sort of trouble." Some nobility, huh?" "That aristocrat must have been a big shot. He must have been a big man, a count or so." However, the person who was pressuring him has already been eliminated. "Oh. I guess it''s no use being rash "Ugh, my fianc¨¦e''s stomach is turning blacker and blacker. ......" "No, please tell me you''re being tactful." Lily is a little red and upset. It''s adorable that she''s blushing even more again, as if she realized she was being teased. ''I can''t believe you made it as far as ...... and it still hasn''t happened." ''It must have done a lot of damage,''both physically and mentally. The reason for the dispatch of the military officer was to hand over the still unconscious Christophe and to transport him. I have no sympathy for him, but it is not hard to imagine that he must have been in a state of shock. The reason why Christophe, the national rebel, had been left alone for several days was simply because there was no one here who could deal with him. As an imperial military officer, I have the power to secure and repel hostiles, but arresting, transporting, and other such tasks are under the jurisdiction of the military police, who play a similar role to the earth police. I understand that they can''t come directly into the Demon Forest, but even so, they work too slowly. It seemed that government bureaucracy existed even in the Empire. "I''ll go with you." "Speaking of which, Eberhard was the next head of this place." The military police stationed in the Farenheit frontier count''s territory should have received a call from the imperial capital and come here. Or perhaps the military forces of the of the counts Farenheit have been commissioned to do so. Either way, it should be someone related to our territory. If that is the case, it would be easier for me to leave. "Then, Lily, please. Please do me a favor." Marie , who was dragging Christophe, who was still limping with his arms and legs bound, gave the order. "Yes, I''ll go. Then, let''s go." Lily cast a complex pattern of transfer magic circle and activates the magic. The scenery whiteed out and I felt a momentary sense of levitation, but I wew were already outside the forest. ''This way." I don''t know whether it is His Majesty or the Prime Minister, but in any case, it is good to have a capable head of a nation. I don''t know if this incident was a good thing or not, but the fact that the empire was able to have the pus seared out of it in this way is not necessarily a bad thing, considering the sound operation of the nation. I don''t know whether the count was transferred, reassigned, or executed, but in any case, he will never be heard from again. I ''We will take him into custody now." "Mm." "Boo-hoo!" Marie grabs Christophe by the collar and hands him over to the head of the military police. Although he is unconscious, Christophe''s expression is somewhat pained. I don''t know if it was because of the suffocation caused by being held by the collar and not being able to breathe, or if it was because of the suffering caused by being dragged this far despite being wounded all over his body, but I felt a little sorry for the guy. It made me choked up and I couldn''t help but burst out ....... "Hey, Hal!" The world is very harsh on people who laugh at the wrong moment! Thus, Christophe was transported to the capital without any major trouble. It was two weeks later that the results of the trial arrived. After regaining consciousness at the imperial capital, Christophe seemed to be calm ...... or rather stunned at first, but as soon as my name, Marie''s name, and the emperor''s name were mentioned'''' during the trial, he started screaming like a maniac. If that had been enough, he would have been spared the final punishment, but he went on a tirade against the emperor, who was also present at the trial (the emperor is obliged to attend any trial related to the nobility). This was the decisive factor in Christophe''s capture, and without waiting for the outcome of the trial, he was immediately placed under arrest for the crimes of disrespect and rebellion against the nation. He was executed shortly after. In the end, he remained the same until the end. If he had been able to reflect on his actions somewhere, the outcome might have been different in the future, but it is pointless to think about such things now. Our training program came to an end, and each of us moved on to our own paths with a sense of regret. CH 153 Pov : Graf von Blanche I am Count Blanche. I am the head of a noble count family with a particularly fine lineage within the long-established empire. I am not one of those fat, overweight nobles. I am an elite mage, a former member of the court mage division. I am a man of culture and military prowess, blessed with a good bloodline, and intelligent, and I am a chosen one. It was only natural that the cold-laboring court nobles, whose only skill was to fix themselves up and deceive each other, would hate me. "I have asked you to take part in a state-led strengthening program. to strengthen the power of the Countess Blanche''s family. To increase the influence of our Countess Blanche, you must participate in this to demonstrate your power and to check the other families. ''Father, with all due respect, I am not endorsing the Academy of Magic. With all due respect, I have already received the recommendation of the Academy of Magic. If You want me to show my power, it is not too late to do so after I enter the academy. Why do you need to go to such trouble?" The older son of the annoying Lord Fahrenheit will be participating in this program . It is also a good opportunity to check out the "Northern General" family, which is on a ...... roll. Go and make Karlheinz''s eldest son shrivel up and, if possible, crush his future opponents." "The Fahrenheit family ....... Our Countesses are bound to each other?" Even my son''s future is at stake. It will only be for a year or so, and even if he is a little dissatisfied, he will at least do his part. ??? I was driven by the impulse to tighten my grip on myself from a year ago, when I was thinking with optimism about such things ......, I slammed my hardened fist against the wall and raged furiously. ''Damn!¡¡What the hell is ''freedom''!¡¡That bastard son of a bitch, he''s bringing mud on my countess''s face!" Glasses were thrown against the wall, breaking and scattering wine all over the place. The fists that had punched the wall so many times had torn the skin, and red drops of blood were dripping onto the luxurious carpet. ''......!!!" No,!I am the chosen one!¡¡I am supposed to be a perfect person, blessed not only with a good family background but also with my own talent. I am not a person who should be disgraced in a place like this!¡¡I should have eventually made my way into the heart of the empire and made this world under my contril ! "Oh, , I''m disowning him!¡¡An incompetent who abandons what he is supposed to do has no place in our family!"'' My son, Christophe, replied in this way, but a look of dissatisfaction was clearly visible on his face. If only he had a better brain like me and a better eye for seeing the situation from a bird''s eye view, the future of the Countess Blanche family would be in good hands. My son is blessed with a talent in magic, but his head still has a lot of room to improve. " You still have much to learn." "...... Yes." "Yes." Originally, I was supposed to be the head of the court mage division. However, at the meeting of the council of generals, which decides the personnel of the senior officers of the empire''s army, Lord Fahrenheit expressed his concern about my nomination as the head of the division, and the matter was put on hold. Lord Fahrenheit must be crazy to try to kick out a man like me, who has a brilliant mind, is blessed with magical talent, and is even comparable to the heroes of the past. It is said that the first generation of the "Northern General" family was so heroic that they were even praised alongside the heroes of the founding myths, but such a shadow of their former glory has long since faded away. "His family has many allies. There is nothing better than to reduce their power. "......I can understand if that''s the case. I''ll join it ." The authority of the head of a noble family is very powerful. Even if he is a legitimate son, he can be stripped of his position and thrown out of the house at a moment''s notice. "Sir, , please calm down, ." Shut up!¡¡You dare to speak to me, the head of the count''s family?¡¡Since when did you become such a big man?¡¡Are you planning to take this opportunity to take over the count''s house?¡¡Oh, I see. ...... You''re fired. I will execute you to make an example of you!¡¡You will die with shame and remorse for having thought such a foolish thing!" "¡¡I would never do such a thing, sir!" Schultz, the family''s chief advisor, is rambling on and on. I had been using him for a long time because he had served my family for many years, but I am sorry. He, too, has betrayed me. "Seize him." "But...'' "You too dare to defy me?" I'' beg your pardon!" A few private soldiers heard my voice and rushed to my side, dismayed, but they silently straightened their posture when I glared at them. "Please reconsider once again!¡¡......Yes, the Master is delirious!¡¡Stop the Master!¡¡Otherwise, the counts will truly become ......" "Don''t act like a loyal retainer now!¡¡Take him to jail quickly!" "Yes." "Let go of me, you know what I want! Let go of me!" With my former vassals being taken away while screaming ugly voices, I take out a piece of paper and a pen from the desk top drawer of my office and take a breath. "The bill for this fiasco is going to be a big one. For the time being, I must inform His Majesty that I have disowned my son. It seems that he is still alive, but the man who made such a blunder is no longer my son. It is none of my business what happens to such a person. Fortunately, there is still an heir. For a nobleman, leaving an heir is more important than anything else. ?? "...... Your Majesty, why!¡¡I have never known such an insolent person in my life!¡¡It is true that he may have once been a member of my count''s family, but I cannot even bring myself to defend a man who has sinned against your majesty! When I was captured and tied up in prison, I was held back by the military police in front of my former son as I pleaded my case to His Majesty. His Majesty looks at me as if I am his equal, but there is no reason for him to look at me that way! No matter how much His Majesty may have misjudged me, he would not allow himself to make a judgment based on an incorrect understanding of the situation. I will raise my voice to rectify His Majesty''s mistake, which is awe-inspiringly misunderstood. I believe that no matter what kind of adversity we face, as long as we are right, we will be understood. But His Majesty, looking down at me, sighs deeply, turns on his heel and mutters, without showing any sign of consideration for me. "...Oh dear, I have one more job to do." ''If the change of government were to take place, it is inevitable that there would be a rebellion from those close to the faction. I understand your concern." ''Will you stand in for me then?" "I am a small person, not even close to His Majesty. I have no such dreams of taking your place." "You'' re still a smooth talker. ...... But it''s Eberhard''s job again, isn''t it? It was a good thing I brought him in." "I am in awe of your wisdom, Your Majesty." No. He''s not even listening. I''m not sure what to do. How can that be? Was His Majesty also a fool who did not understand the right thing to do? ...... ?? A few days passed, and I, who had lost my family and my home, was being carted along an unimproved rural road with the corpse of one of them and a few rations. My hands and feet were shackled and the windows were barred. I was treated like a criminal, and I gazed blankly out the window. My desperate attempts to explain myself were in vain, and the conclusion reached by His Majesty''s government and the council was heartless. The long and proud history of the Countess Blanche''s family was destroyed. Christophe was executed, and I was stripped of all my possessions and identity and exiled to a remote place. The rest of my family, though not punished, were reduced to commoners. They had not worked hard up to that point. They must have been hard-pressed to find work, and must have been lost on the streets. I wonder if they had been swaying like that for a while. When they were about to pass through a quiet wheat field and reach the mountain, the carriage stopped moving and suddenly there was a noise outside. "what''s going on? What''s the matter?'' {Bandits!¡¡I shouldn''t have taken on a nobleman''s servant, even though he''s fallen on hard times!¡¡I''m a sinner anyway. I''m going to get out of here!"{ "Hey, wait!¡¡You''re not going to escape from me!{ "If you do, I''ll be arrested for treason!¡¡I don''t want to go against the authorities!¡¡No hard feelings!" With these words, he left me and walked away. Without a key, and with my hands and feet shackled, it was nearly impossible for me to open the lock from the inside. It is also difficult for me to fight back with magic because I am covered with a spell that disrupts my magic power. ......My life has come to an end, hasn''t it? I put one hand on the coffin that rests next to me, which is still free, though it is held in place by shackles, and I mutter to myself ". I wonder where ...... I went wrong.'' I thought that if I was right, I would always win in the end, but it seems I was wrong. It seems that in order to survive in a world of scheming and intrigue, one must have the strength to be both right and wrong. I guess I learned that a little too late. "I have been reading the article, Christophe. If everything had been smooth sailing, would I have been able to honestly love you?" Everything is too slow now. I wonder if he was angry that when he attacked to rob the place, it was just a prisoner transport wagon. The bandits destroyed the wagon, shouting abuse. Fire arrows are fired, and little by little the wooden carriage is set on fire. My clothes are scorched, and the smoke and soot make it hard to open my eyes. Breathing became difficult. It was a very boring life. If I have another life, I would like to be blessed with a happy life, one where everything is smooth sailing. I think about this in my fading vision, in my foggy consciousness. I can hardly see anything anymore. And so, looking back on my life, despairing of regret and a sense of impermanence, I lost consciousness T/n . It was finale chapter of 3rd arc ! Thanks for reading that far ! It was pretty long arc roughly 60 chapters long ! I will take a break in posting chapter for that series for a few days . And then we will start 4th arc ! P.s If you have time pleace rate that series on novel uprdate and if you can write rewire CH 154 "Did you bring your examination papers?¡¡Have you forgotten your pen case?¡¡Is your ink clean?¡¡Do you have enough magic power?" "Don''t worry. You'' re a worrier, aren''t you, Alice?'' You can never worry too much about an important exam that could affect your life, Master Hal! "Hal is a bit of a devil, isn''t he? He might fail the exam by writing down the wrong examination number or something." "Hey, hey, Mei. Don''t say anything ridiculous" It''s a winter morning when it''s chilly even inside the room. The Fahrenheit family was being checked repeatedly by Alice, their personal maid, in the living room of the residence of the capital. Alice was dressed in elegant, yet not overly glamorous clothes, like an aristocrat, and she was circling around me, checking to see if there was anything even slightly out of place. She is taking care of me on her own nowadays, without any final checks by the head maid or head butler Hendrik. It has been two years since I came to the capital. She has also grown up quite well. One year has passed since I finished my training with Marie. Since then, I have returned to my parents'' house to relax, gone on dates with Lily around town, created a magical invention, created a magical opart with Mei, practiced magic with my father and mother, trained my younger brothers and sisters, learned from my sister so that I would not be caught off guard, and was called by Jet to the Imperial Capital to learn about magic. Iris was called to the Imperial Capital by Jet and successfully became a student at the Mage Academy (- apparently, in her case, she was transferred from the Special Division). Iris was transferred from the Special Magic Division to the Academy of Magic, a revolutionary experiment aimed at career development and human resource development for the members of the division. I was engaged in a top-secret mission for the Special Division, and while I was spending busy but fulfilling days, a year passed in the blink of an eye. By the way, my older sister Noel, whom I was to learn from, had somehow managed to pass the Imperial Academy of Literature and Science, the most difficult academy in the empire, at the top of her class while I was under Marie''s guidance. She had always shown glimpses of being a very capable person, but her growth over the past few years was said to be one of the highest rates of growth in history. Mom says, "I wonder if she thought it would affect her reputation as a big sister since Hal was getting more and more achievements. She worked so hard behind the scenes! So it seems." She is now in the great position of student council president. If she is the student council president of Bunri Gakuin, which is rumored to be a gateway to the world of empire politics, she will be a bureaucrat, a minister, or a doctor in the future, but I am sure that she will have her pick of any position she wants to hold. She would be a career woman that would surprise even the U.S. ambassador to Japan of yesteryear. And so, today was the day I finally took the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy of Magic. My academics have been in the passing range for a few years now, and I''m now in a safe zone, not to mention my practical magic skills. The only problem is the use of attribute magic, but unless the content of the exam has suddenly changed this year, I should be able to pass the exam with non-attribute magic without any problems. If I don''t make any ordinary mistakes and get all the answer sheets wrong one by one, or if I get lost and am late for the exam, I should be able to pass the exam. Or rather, if I can''t pass the test, there would be almost no one in the world, let alone the empire, who could pass the test. So there is no problem. I am assured of a future of happy academy life! By the way, Mei, who is standing next to me, is Meir Arendahl, the head of the R&D department of Arendahl Workshop and a remarkable inventor, who, like me, is also a candidate for the entrance examination to the Academy of Magic. However, she is not taking the exam for battle-oriented skills like me, Lily, and Iris. What she excels at is engineering magic. She has already received a recommendation from the academy thanks to her many works of paradigm shifting that would have advanced civilization by several hundred years by herself. Of course, if she did that, she would be admitted at the bottom of the class, and Mei, who is a very serious person, would never do that, but this is just a hypothetical. In short, there is no way that Mei would fail. As for Lily, although she declined the recommendation, she has the ability to pass the entrance examination almost without fail, so there is no need to worry about her. In fact, she is even competing with me to see who has the better score. She currently commutes to class from the Duchess of Bernstein''s residence in the imperial capital, so she is not here at the moment. "I''m worried. What if something goes wrong?" She is fine. There is a good precedent that even a person with a broken personality can get the recommendation necessary for entrance as long as he is capable. As we all know, Christophe is a rebel. However, thanks to his extravagance, a long and lengthy personal interview and a mental investigation using the latest magical skills are required in order to get a recommendation. The booing of the generation below us was such that it could have been enough to bring down a count''s house. The scope of one''s career would change dramatically depending on whether or not one had graduated from one of the four graduate courses. That would make them desperate to get a recommendation. Well, it is common practice for people like Eleonora and me, who come from prestigious military noble families and take pride in their military prowess, to pass the entrance exam on our own merits, so it is not really a matter of concern for me. Lily, who is not a military noble but also from a prestigious noble family, also turned down the recommendation. "So, she had also been offered a recommendation from the academy. she just turned it down. I''m not lying!" "Well, I''m off." "Bye , you two !¡¡Meir, please do your best!" "Yes, I''ll do my best to make it to the top of the class for now." I''m sure it will be quite difficult to get to the top of the class since there are young talented people like Lily, Mei, and Eleonora who are taking the exam in the same group. Well, it''s not a bad idea to aim for . But, more ever I can''t afford to lose to the top student at the Bunri Academy. "So, Mei, let''s go." "Yes, let''s go" The winter solstice had long since passed, but it was still far from spring, and under a clear blue sky in the early morning of midwinter, we set off for the Academy of Magic, to the venue for the examinations. CH 155 "It''s so lively." "It''s very popular school, is it?" We arrived at the Academy of Magic, where the examinations were held, and had a casual conversation while looking at the crowd of students who were gathering one after another to take the examinations. is not really a school that can be described as a "popular school," but it''s not something that can be put down with a cheap expression. As a mad scientist, she has a unique sensibility that is slightly different from that of ordinary people. She probably only thinks of the academy as "a place where she can spend time with me and where she can find the best environment for her research. The reason being, she is definitely a big shot because she is willing to take the entrance exam to the Imperial Academy of Magic, which is one of the four most difficult graduate schools in the country. "Are there at least 1,000 students?" "Aren''t there more?" I heard a voice behind me and turned to see my beautiful fianc¨¦e, the lovely Henriette Lily von Bernstein. She is accompanied by the captain of the guard who was with her the other day. I felt like a noblewoman. In fact, she is the eldest daughter of a duchess. "Lily!" "Good morning, Hal. , meir . Did you sleep well last night?" Iris has recently become much more emotional and expressive. She has always been a child with a lot of feelings, just because she has trouble expressing them openly. Iris'' facial muscles must have been strengthened by being surrounded by friends at the academy. " I''ll do my best for the exam. Thanks for your encouragement". Yes." ?? The four graduate academies . It is the collective name for the four highest education and research centers in the country that exist in the imperial capital. The Academy of Magic, the Academy of Knights, the Academy of Letters and Science, and the Academy of Sacred Arts are the constituent academies of the Four Graduate Schools, all of which are regarded not only at first glance but also by the public as super-elite, ultra-hard to get into, and are regarded by many as the best in the world. In order to become such a super-elite with a guaranteed future, one must naturally go through a difficult examination that is commensurate with that status. The average score of all the examinees is less than 20%, but you have to score more than 50% to pass the exam, and the odds are extremely competitive. The exam consists of two parts, a classroom lecture and a magic subject, each worth 50 points, for a total of 100 points. The practical test consists of 50 points each in basic spells, specialized spells, and combat, for a total of 150 points. The borderline is said to be 125 points out of 0 points. Regardless of whether you are a royalty or a nobleman, or whether one has accumulated a lot of donations, if one does not reach the standard, it is said that the exam will drop you without mercy. It is a terrifying exam that makes students cry. The subjects that comprise the liberal arts exam are "history, philosophy, arithmetic, and physics. The subjects of the exam on magic are "modern magic theory, magic spells, and magic circle. ---------------------- Classroom studies 100 points (50 points each) ¡úLiberal arts subjects (history, philosophy, arithmetic, geometry) ¡úMagical subjects (Modern Magical Theory, Magical Letterology, Magical Formation Studies) Practical skills 150 points (50 points each) ¡úCombat (with instructor) ¡úMagic (regardless of attributes.) Demonstration) ¡úBasic spells (activation speed, amount of magic, magic manipulation) ---------------------- I''m going to pass this exam for sure!¡¡I feel like I''m going to pass already!¡¡Hoaaaaaaa????!!!" This is a way to relax, which I can''t do when I''m anxious that I might fail. If I don''t do this, I might become over-enthusiastic and stiff, so a certain amount of goofing around is necessary. "You two are in the magical studies department, aren''t you? I''m in the magical research department, so I''m glad to know that combat scores are low." "I''m sure you''ll get higher marks for magic and classroom study instead. Do your best." "I can beat anyone in terms of classroom study and engineering spells." "In fact, that''s why Meir is so great. ......" She has been in touch with techniques such as forging, engineering, and alchemy for almost eight years now. Her engineering spells are far beyond those of a top-notch craftsman working on the front lines. ''I''m as good as anyone in terms of overall score.'' "Me, too." We headed for the large lecture hall where the exam was to take place and looked for our seats. The large lecture hall was not yet full, but several hundred students had already taken their seats and were frantically working on their final review, a scene that could be described as the scene at a difficult school. "Well then, I''ll see you later." "Okay." "I''ll be in the other room." May was taking the exam in a different classroom because she was taking it in a different department. "Let''s all pass together." "Oooh!" With a last burst of enthusiasm, everyone dispersed to their respective seats. Lily bows with her white skirt fluttering open. She was looking very elegant as usual, and her beauty was especially highlighted. The people around me who are in love with Lily are staring at me like I''m a bitch. "I was working on a prototype weapon with a new metal material that I had been working on all night for two days until the day before yesterday, and before I knew it, I must have fallen asleep and slept for 13 hours after a long time!" "I usually get about 8 hours ......" I''m sure there''s only one person in the whole wide world who sleeps for 13 hours right before the exam, after all, she''s been absorbed in the research activities that are her hobby and her purpose in life. Why don''t she do a little revision for the exam? "Well, the exam questions didn''t seem to be that difficult from what I saw before, so as long as I''m careful about making careless mistakes, I should be fine." "I envy you that kind of leeway." "But when it comes to the actual entrance examination for the academy, it''s a different story. It''s really a hassle.'' " being a Noblemen is troublesome, isn''t it?" As Lily said, we can''t just pass. The nobles have a sense of honor, so we have to work as hard as we can to get the best grades possible, and if possible, to be at the top of the class. It is a real hassle. "That''s why Lily, "I''m not going to let you down. I won''t lose." "Oh, I won''t lose either." "I''ll take it easy." I felt bitter about this difference in temperature. She was just under 160 centimeters tall, about the same height as me. Her build is average, not that physically fit, but not particularly skinny either. Her hair was a purplish-blue, slightly curly bob cut, and her eyes were half-lidded in an unwilling, half-awake, jittery look. "Iris!" "Good morning. Good luck with your exams." Iris, who is one year older than us in terms of age, had already passed the entrance exam last year and was attending Academy of Magic as a senior student. She has been featured many times in the Academy''s press, which is published outside of the Academy, and is looked upon with admiration by students who are applying to the Academy of Magic. ''You are very popular, aren''t you?" "The "too much attention is tiring because you always have to be aware of what people are looking at. It''s not a bad feeling to be recognized like this, even by .......''" "You''re not being honest." MU." ..".... young man."...... Iris pulls her cheeks from side to side. It''s not necessarily zero, but it''s quite rare for her to get this kind of skinship from me. I wonder if she missed me for not seeing me for a while?" Iris was amused when I told her this while grabbing and releasing her hand that was tugging on my cheek and holding it as it was. "Iris was amused and dismayed.¡¡No, it''s not like that." "Ha ha ha!¡¡Iris is very nervous, it''s rare!" "!" CH 156 "Now please begin the exam." At the examiner''s signal, everyone in the large auditorium picks up a pen at once and begins to answer the questions. It had been a while since I had felt the atmosphere peculiar to an examination room, where only the sound of pens tapping on desks echoed in the quiet room, and I suddenly recalled memories of my previous life''s practice examinations and high school entrance examinations. It was a winter day in my third year of junior high school. The air of the exam I took at the public high school of my top choice was also like this. Young people dressed in school uniforms and sailor uniforms were solving the questions in silence. Depending on how you look at it, it may seem like an abnormal scene, but it was a survival competition in a different shape. The only difference was that the competition had changed from nature to the classroom. And I lost that race for survival. About three years later, at the beginning of winter, just before the university entrance exam, I was literally beaten in the race for survival, and as a result of losing my life and being reborn, for whatever reason, I am here now. "(This time, I won''t lose.)" I will put everything I have into this paper. That''s all. I have 18 years of hard work plus 14 years of experience. ??? " Please put down your writing utensils and remain where you are until the examiner comes to collect them." The written exam for the liberal arts course was over. It was natural, but it was still difficult. However, I was glad that there were almost no questions that I couldn''t answer because I didn''t know the answer at all. It was worth it that I asked my sister to help me study for the exam. "Ah, it''s over.'' ''I''m dead. " "I feel like I did great!" "I think I'' m in trouble. ......" Our goal is to get into the Academy with a higher ranking, not to be accepted. This is not a goal, but a fixed future, a default. It''s a dangerous attitude that could send students crying and stabbing themselves in the back if they heard it, but it''s the result of hard work. No one has the right to stab me! "I''m going to do practical training this afternoon, . Shall we all have lunch together, including Meir?" "I''m thinking so. She'' s just one floor above us, I think." As soon as I left the large auditorium, talking about Mei, I bumped into her. "Hey,""how you doing? Did you make it?" I asked her, since the exam questions themselves are the same for both the Department of Magic and the Department of Magical Research. However, it was a wrong question to ask Mei. "I was just too busy to think about it." "Ugh." We were all feeling the sting of Mei''s dangerous comment, which could have naturally made enemies. Damn it, she''s getting carried away just because she has magnificent armored breasts!¡¡When I get home, I''m going to rub them until I can''t stand on my legs and feet anymore. It''s ......, but in the afternoon I have a practical exam, which is my specialtyI am quite confident in both the amount of magic and the manipulation of magic, and in the test of my strong magic, the disadvantage of not being able to use attribute magic if I use non-attribute magic is not a minus factor. Aim for a perfect score. ''More than that, I''m in danger of losing the combat test . I can see a future where I can''t do anything and fail the exam as soon as it starts. Well, Mei is extremely focused on her talent in engineering magic and her brain specs. To put it bluntly, her athleticism is devastating. In addition, she is limited by her short figure , which is unique to the Dwarves, so there is a significant reach difference in close-range combat. Although she has an aptitude for earth magic, it is doubtful that she can use it in battle. However, she is able to handle her own inventions, such as vehicles and firearms, regardless of her athleticism, so there is a high possibility that she will score high in the combat test if she can refine weapons from materials available in the test during the exam. She must really be an inventor at heart, since she can use her own inventions decently even though her motor skills are not good. ''It''s crowded in the cafeteria ......." "Shall we find an empty place in the courtyard?" "I suppose so." Fortunately, we have a large amount of freshly prepared meals lying in our inventory. If it were true, I was going to eat in the cafeteria, but I don''t intend to fail the exam, so I''ll just go back there to eat after I enroll. ''It looks warm in the sun, and ut''s good here ." "Thank goodness there''s not a lot of wind." After the answer sheets were collected, the large auditorium was filled with a buzz of excitement. Some were mourning, some were rejoicing, some were despairing, and some seemed to be opening up. As for my lovely fianc¨¦e, Lily, I saw her walking toward me with a question sheet in her hand. She''s so cute. "Lily, did you get it?" , "Well, I managed. But the philosophy was the hardest part. What was that, "Refutation and Rebuttal of the Ancient Conceptualism from the Standpoint of Modern Magical Existentialism"?¡¡How am I supposed to know that?" "That was a dump question, wasn''t it? ...... I could have written a 400-word essay on what I know, but if I wanted to do it properly, I could have written a whole paper on it. Well, I''m sure it''s not the level of an entrance exam for an institute. I''m sure it''s not at the level of the entrance exam of the institute. ......The geometry was even worse than that. How did you solve the verification questions there?" "You just had to use Nikostratos'' theorem.{ "What''s that?" "Hal, ......, what did you learn from your sister?" "Geometry''s not my thing.¡¡That''s okay, I can do philosophy and history. ......" ''I could do arithmetic and geometry." It seems that Lily is a science and math person. She''s a reikejo, reikejo. I''m a liberal arts student. "I guess I''ll feel a little better next time because it''s magic." "Well, you''ve had a lot of classes with the master, haven''t you?" ''It was pretty hard, but now I realize how much that learning experience helped me. ......" Marie always used to say, "You can''t use magic without fully understanding its theory," when she taught us the theory of magic. Magic is not something that depends solely on magical manipulation techniques or a sense of feeling. It is something that has to be used after completely understanding the principle of its activation by reading the magic formula that contains the information on the structure of the magic. Otherwise, it will end up discharging a mass of energy that cannot even be called halfway decent magic because its power and efficiency are not good enough. That''s why Marie-san put so much effort into teaching us about magic theory in general, including the magic formulas that each of us would use. Thanks to this, all of us who came out of the Demon Forest Training Program have a certain level of knowledge of magic, whether we are good at it or not. "Anyone who has studied at the Demon Forest will definitely be able to pass the entrance exam.'' "What about Werner?" "That guy, he looks like that, but he''s going to keep it on the edge, so ....... I think he''ll be admitted, maybe, just possibly ......." ". ....... Emilia is definitely not going to make it." ''The Schneider siblings are a different matter. They''re not technically mages, they''re swordsmen''. Johann and Emilia are not very good at study, and when we were discussing the theory of magic, they were sitting next to me with their eyes wide open and they were snoring. It would be a bit harsh to ask them to go through the gate of the four postgrad schools. Besides, they were fine with it. Their specialty is in swordsmanship, not the study of magical theory. Wemages can do the hard work. "I don''t have much time left, so I''m going to go pick some pheasant kijiji''. Oh, I''m going to pick some flowers at ....... "You''re the Fat" "Idiot!¡¡Don''t you know the word sensitive?'' A man with a red maple leaf pattern on his cheek may or may not have appeared in the exam hall of the Magic Academy that day. ...... ??? ''Stop. Put the pen down and do not write anything on the answer sheet after this." The second departmental, magical liberal arts exam was over. This time, I think I did better than in the liberal arts. Unlike the liberal arts, there was not a single problem on this one that I didn''t understand at all. "Lily, good job." This time, I turned to Lily and found her calmly organizing her stuff. ''I was just like, "Well, this is how it''s going to be, " ''That''s a winner''s statement. ......'' ''I''m sure you''ve solved as much as I have Hal, and I''m sure it''s about the same for both of us. "Well, when you''re not worrying about falling off, that''s true, too." I''ve also developed a device that creates a pseudo-windless condition by hitting the wind in the opposite direction, but is it usable?¡¡"I think it would be quicker to create a normal boundary". "I think it would be faster to put up ordinary boundaries. If it gets cold, just put up wards." "Then let''s have it right now!¡¡I''m about to collapse from hunger!" "Of course, after 13 hours of sleep and skipping breakfast, you must be starving!'' "Ha-ha-ha!" "How could you focus on the exam with that?'' The meal is laid out on a mat in the courtyard, where there are few people. We enjoyed a brief rest in the sunlight, which was warm even for winter. 0 CH 157 When we returned to the large auditorium after lunch, many students were already waiting at their desks, either meditating, talking with friends, or plopped down on their desks to chill out. It was not so different from what I had observed in Japan. They say that different things come in different places, but it seems that there are some things that remain the same. "Oh, the examiner is here." "It''s time to leave. Then, Meir, you should go and do your best". "Of course, sir. Good luck to both of you." ''Oh.'' ''Yeah, I''ll take care of it." It wasn''t time yet, but the examiner came into the room and we took our seats with plenty of time to get comfortable. A few minutes later, the examiner started to explain the exam at the same time as the scheduled time. " Those who have examination numbers from 0001 to 0799 will take the combat test, those who have examination numbers from 0800 to 1599 will take the specialty magic test, and those who have examination numbers from 1600 to 2399 will take the basic magic test." It seems that the students, who apparently numbered more than 2,000, were divided into three groups to take the test in order. My exam number is 1851, so I will start with basic magic. I looked at Lily, who was sitting a few rows away, and she too looked back at me, our eyes meeting. "!?" "!" I tried to communicate with her using only my mouth movements, and it seemed that Lily was also going to participate in the basic magic test . "you should head to the venue in numerical order, so please move to this row." It seemed that the students were to be moved by rows, perhaps to avoid crowding. I gave a thumbs up to Lily, who stood up as ordered, and she also winked and pointed her finger at me. She didn''t seem to be overly nervous, so I didn''t need to worry. "Then, please join this line, too." It seems my turn has come. I stood up with my test voucher in my hand. I''m going to give it my all and get the best result I can. ?? "I''ll explain it to you then. Please see this stone tablet here." As far as I could tell from the examiner''s explanation, the basic magic test was to be performed as follows. (1) Measuring the amount of magic power possessed using a stone slab-type magic tool. (2) Measurement of the precision of magical power manipulation using a water tank-shaped magical tool ( 3 ) Measurement of the speed of magic activation using an hourglass-type grimoire. In the first test, a small amount of magic power is poured into a stone plate-shaped magical tool to check the amount of magic power in the body, just like a body fat scale. People in this world can basically see their own status, so naturally they should know the amount of magic power they have, but others cannot see the values. However, it would be an almost impossible task to ask a person with [appraisal] skills to analyze thousands of candidates. This is why magical tools are needed. When the equipment fails and the numbers are not accurate, that''s when [appraisal] comes into play. The amount of magic power I have is, to put it mildly, out of this world. Marie, who was said to be the strongest mage in the empire, even said, "I have never seen anyone with more magic power than me, other than a demon. By the way, Marie''s magic power is said to be "about 50,000. My magic power was over 70,000 at the time of my training last year, so it is strange for me to say this, but I hope you understand how monstrous the value is. In the test to see the accuracy of "2" magic manipulation, it seems that the accuracy is verified by flowing magic power into a water pool filled with a special liquid that has high conductive magic properties and manipulating the liquid into a specified shape. This is something Hans is particularly good at. He is the one who usually manipulates water with "telekinesis. This level of task should be a piece of cake for him. Incidentally, I can use "telekinesis" too, though not on the same level as Hans. I can use most non-attribute spells as long as they are non-attribute spells. The 1021 spells I learned from training under Marie are not a joke. In addition, the activation " robe " requires extremely precise control of magic power to begin with. I have already mastered it almost perfectly, so this test cannot be a barrier for me. In the test to measure the speed of activation of the "Three," it seems that the time from the start of the magic power to the actual activation is measured by following several specified magic formulas and activating the magic against the device. It seems that the time is measured by how much the hourglass sand, which begins to fall when the magic power is poured into the magic formula, has fallen after the invocation. I think this is quite a well-built system. Well, this seems to be no problem either. Having lived through a world where a single chance of a gap can be fatal, the standard of the entrance exam of the academy is too lukewarm for me, so much so that it makes me yawn. Of course, I won''t skimp, but that''s why I can''t afford not too. Well, let''s do my best, thinking of it as a chance to objectively grasp my current abilities. "Now, we will take measurements in order of exam number. 1600 to 1619, please touch the magic tool for the measurement of ''I'', and upon my signal, let a little magic power flow through you." Apparently we will be measuring at a rate of about 20 people at a time. At this rate, I''m sure my turn will come soon. "Oh, my God, ......!" Suddenly, the venue was abuzz with noise. It seemed that there was a student who had set an extraordinary record. I looked to see what kind of person he was, and to my surprise, it was my beloved Lily. "Well, 3600......!¡¡That''s the first time in over a decade that you''ve accomplished that. ......" It was apparently such a great result that the examiner couldn''t help but leak such information. I mean, the record in the high 3000s for the first time in more than a decade, and even if it wasn''t by any means, the previous record must have been my mother''s. My mother''s magical power is so great that it is about 3500. My mother''s magic power should have been around 3500, so it''s not impossible. I might ask the examiner about it later. I said to Lily, who was walking toward me with a slightly embarrassed look on her face as she attracted the respect of the people around her, "You''re doing great," and she replied with a happy and embarrassed look on her face. "Well, I guess all my hard work has paid off a bit," "You were just a little girl a few years ago, so I think you''ve matured" tremendously." ''Not as much as you, Hal, though." "I don''t need to compare myself with others. I''m proud of you for what you''ve achieved and what you''re doing." Thanks, Hal. Thanks. Good luck to you too, Hal." "Yeah. I promise you I'' ll be number one by far.'' "Well, I''m sure you will in the end. ......" While she was talking like that, it was my turn. "I''m off then." ''Bye.'' Lily saw me off, and I walked out in front of the device. Then, let the magic power flow. The magic power in the body is poured into the device, just enough to make it lightly familiar. After a few seconds, the device emitting a bluish-white light shows the amount of magic power I have. ---------------------- Amount of magic power: 85,102 ---------------------- "What is ............?" The examiner is absolutely mortified when he sees my result. Incidentally, my magical power has been increased by about 10,000 since I trained under Marie. The reason for this is that the cycle of "depletion ¡ú recovery" has been repeated due to the learning of "Dragon Vein Connection Astral Connect". "I''m sorry, is this a breakdown?¡¡Please excuse me ....... Exam number and name, please.'' "Exam number 1851, Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit. "Farenheit ....... Yes, that''s fine. Then you have been accepted successfully. Next please." "Is that it?" "Yes. If you are the son of the Northern General, it will not be a failure. It is all right." The examiner then flows his own magic power to verify that it is not a faulty device. It''s a very different development from the usual templates that tend to get flirted with, but it''s a good thing that it doesn''t cause any trouble, so it''s a good thing. ...... "I''ve never seen numbers like that!¡¡I''ve never seen numbers like that!"'' "He is not human......?" " Heeey, heeey, ......." "Is this the kind of person who takes the test ......? I guess I''ll have to take it again next year. ......'' The atmosphere in the exam room is different from that of Lily''s case, as if people are in awe of me, as if they are looking away from me. "It''s not comfortable. ......" I had grown accustomed to the feeling in the Demon Forest, but perhaps this is rather the normal reaction of the general public. This may end up being a struggle for me after I enter the academy. ...... After such a development, which I am not quite sure if it was a good or bad start, the measurement of my magical power was over. CH 158 After that, my success(?) continued. In the magic manipulation accuracy measurement, I performed the most difficult "Super precision magic formula, complex simultaneous deployment," and in the speed of magic activation measurement, I achieved a historical record for both by activating at high speed, leaving the benchmark time far behind. Although the two results, excluding the amount of magic power, are not the best of all history, it is said that there are only a few people who have achieved such good results in both cases. ''The pressure was on. ......" "I''ll be surprised if I''m not at the top of the class.'' "Don''t even say that to Lily." ''I''m rather relieved now that it''s clear I''m at the very least not at the top of my class.'' "You said you''d never lose!" "Well, I take it back!¡¡But I''m going for the runner-up spot." "Ha, ''White Silver'' ...... ah, , excuse me. Now for the third one.'' "I guess this is the last one.'' The "shock bullet" that converged more magic power than usual and slightly strengthened the power, hit the target about a dozen or so bullets. The aim was right in the middle of the target. It''s a hole-in-one in a row. "".................."" " Examiner?" ''Yes, . This concludes the test for magic. Next, please proceed to the combat test." "Yes, sir. Thank you very much." I left the examination room, which was quiet as if it had been flooded with water, with all the attention focused on me. I feel like a celebrity ( in fact, I am!). I feel like a celebrity. Before I became a celebrity, I thought it would be fun and I admired it, but now that I''m in that position, it''s just a little uncomfortable, and I''m not very happy about it. I thought I''d be greeted with a lot more jeers, but in reality, I''m just scared to death. It''s a hard world to live in, isn''t it? "We''ll both do our best to get a one-two finish.'' In this case, Lily was under a lot of pressure. She is more able to show off her abilities when she is under pressure, so it is more expedient for her to be under pressure, but that is aside from the fact that she is a good actress. "But although I couldn''t find her, of course Eleonora is also taking part in this exam, isn''t she?" ''I''m sure she''s somewhere in this room''. It is a lie to say that I am not curious to see how far the talented daughter of the Countess Huber family has developed her abilities over the past year. In fact, I''m extremely interested in her abilities. I have no intention of losing to her, but it is better to have many good rivals. "I heard that His Highness the Third Prince is also taking the exam this year.'' "That ''Prince of the Flowing Water''?" ''Yes. So you can''t lose your mind." The Third Prince of the Empire of the Netherlands. Lily says that His Royal Highness Friedrich is the same age as us and he is also going to take the entrance exam of the Academy of Magic this year. I have met him several times at social parties, but I have not talked to him directly yet. I don''t know what kind of character he has, but I have heard that he is quite well versed in magic. I see, the third prince is also taking the entrance exam ....... The royal family usually enter the Holy Academy, but the 3rd prince even took the entrance exam to the Academy of Magic, where royalty and nobility are all mercilessly rejected. He must have a lot of confidence in his skills in magic. Well, if I say so, the same can be said for me Anyway, I am sure I will have a chance to talk to him when I enter the academy. It''s not too late to find out what kind of character he is. ??? The next step is to take a test on the magic that you are good at. This one is to go to the training grounds and use actual magic to determine if it passes or fails. Three times demonstration is required in order to be judged from multiple perspectives such as power, skill, and novelty. The same magic may be performed three times, or it may be different. The students are left to decide on their own magic. I''m going to take the safe route and use "Robe ", "Silver Armored Aegis", and "Impact Bullet". These three are my number 18, and they are synonymous with my work. I also thought it was about time to make the "Silver Comet" = Eberhardt" public. The only reason I have kept hidden my true identity until now is to avoid any troublesome situations. I have already gained a considerable status and ability, and I can only shake off troublesome things by myself. In addition, I have been awarded the Order of Merit and other such things, so some aspects of my life are practically an open secret among those in the know. I don''t think I can hide it now, and I don''t see any particular advantage in hiding it. If that is the case, I thought it would probably be easier to make it public, and decided to use my spell in a situation where it would be seen by the eyes of the unspecified number of people. "Next.'' "Yes. Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit, candidate number 1851. Let''s begin." I cast the first spell, " robe ". At first glance, this simple and visually unremarkable spell is just a thin robe of magical power, but it is said that those who see it will be terrified by its greatness. ''...!'' ''What?¡¡Is he using something right now?" "Idiot, can''t you see that dense flow of magic?" In fact, there are many people paying attention to me, but less than a third of them even understand what I''m doing. And almost all of those who did understand had a single, stern expression on their faces. '' ......, please show the second one ......'' ''Yes." Next, the "silver armor" is activated. The first is the "silver armor," which is a visible spell, so everyone in the room could feel the power of the spell. " What is that magic power ......?" ''I can''t believe the pressure is being felt this much. ...... No, wait, I''ve heard of it. The unknown knight of the empire, clad in silvery white armor of magical power,......." "You don''t really mean ...... ''The White Silver Comet''!" ''What, the Comet is taking the exam?" "Hey, I heardd he''s a "Silver White"!" Here, at last, was the real crack that would reveal my true identity, not ....... Well, it was a long time. It has been several years since I was called the "Silver White Comet. I have been hiding my true identity from the time I became an adventurer, so I have spent nearly eight years of my life under a mask. I had not yet gained a firm foothold, but it was about the time that I was feeling a little tired of it. Now I no longer have to struggle to hide my true identity (which I had not been able to keep secret)!¡¡I was free CH 159 "I heard - there are some great candidates this year!¡¡" A beautiful lady dressed in a sparkling evening dress, which is not suitable for a teacher - she must be in her early 20s or so. She is quite young for her flamboyant attire and talks to me while flapping her fan. This is the venue for the combat test. The content of the exam is to select a venue from the following areas: arena, indoor, or forest, and compete in a match against an instructor of the academy''s fighting skills. Winning or losing is not necessarily critical, but rather, the exam evaluates how well you master your magic and how much room you have for growth. However, I had no intention of cutting corners in this test. I was aiming for the top of the class. I wanted to defeat all of them. "But this test is not easy. Do your best." She closes her fan with a snap and lowers her tone of voice by one octave. That''s kind of cool. I want to try "snapping" too. ...... And if one looks closely, the fan that the beautiful lady in the dress is holding is not just a fan, but an iron fan. I see, so this person is also an instructor for combat skills. "Exam number 1851, Eberhard." "I am Rebecca Wallenstein, a combat skills instructor for short- and medium-range combat. Now, which stage of the test will you be taking?" "Well, I''m not sure. I don''t have any particular special strengths or weaknesses. ...... Oh, well, I''ll do it indoors." The reason is simple. It''s because it''s cold. It is winter now, the season for entrance exams, so of course it is very cold outside. Even if it is the capital of the empire, which is said to be comparatively mild in the empire, winter is cold. "Ho-ho-on, by the way, may I ask why you chose to go indoors?'' "Because it''s cold outside, isn''t it?" What?¡¡...... haha, haha." I''d rather ask her if it''s not cold for you wearing such an evening dress. I''m from Heidburg, a region where winters are cold and snowy, but that doesn''t mean I''m immune to winters. In fact, in northern areas, there are many ways to keep the inside of the house warm, so if it is limited to the indoors, the winter in the Imperial City is even colder. To begin with, we are of the same race. If people from the South feel cold, then of course people from the North must feel cold too! "Hee hee hee!" "Stop laughing for heaven''s sake! Your clothing is falling off and I can see your beautiful white skin." I don''t mind it at all, but I don''t want to cross any dangerous bridges because my lovely bride, Lily, is very picky. I found myself being drawn to my bum. "I''m sorry, I''m really sorry. I''ve never seen anyone choose to fight indoors for that reason. I mean, you know what I mean. ......?¡¡You can''t use bows, long swords, spears, or even the long wands used by mages indoors. So, close-range combat, which mages tend to be especially bad at, is a necessity. Are you sure about that?" "I''m not bad at close combat.'' I am a specialist in the Hokusho Bujin-ryu. If I were to make complaints over a mere change in the radius range of the fight, the name "Hokusho" would cry. "I see. Then you''d better work hard so that you can show your full strength. I''m the test examiner ." "Nice to meet you, ". "Good. Let''s go to the venue." By the way, Rebecca IS boku-girl, aren''t she? I think this is the first time I''ve seen a woman in the real world who uses "I" in the first person. It''s quite fresh and new. ?? "Okay, now let me explain the rules. First of all, you cannot use spells that cause fatal wounds to the opponent. So be careful not to use spells that are too powerful, or you will be disqualified. Second, the time limit is 10 minutes. Since I have to watch so many students, I can''t spend too much time on each one. Finally, you are not allowed to use any weapons other than the ones you have submitted and are allowed to use beforehand. Now, do you have any questions?'' "No, not at all. " Well then, I''m going to start the test in 120 seconds from now. You will be directed to the starting point designated on the building." "Yes, sure." I parted from Miss Rebecca and walked to the starting position while kneading up my magic power. The "active sonar" will be used to grasp the enemy''s position immediately when it comes time to start the match, and the "cloak " will be used to strike at once to control the situation. .".....7, 8, 9, 120. Start " After counting exactly 120 seconds, I casted the "active sonar" at maximum strength while activating the " robe". The "active sonar" is as good as telling the opponent your position, but there is no need to worry too much if you choose to fight an attack as I did this time. In addition, depending on how it is used, it can invite the opponent''s magical intoxication. It is a very useful magic, although it requires a lot of magic power because it sends out a wave of magic power. ''I found her ....... Third floor." The far right room on the third floor. Rebecca is in there. As I ran toward Rebecca, I went up the stairs to the second floor, and just as I was approaching the second floor, I saw the response of a flying object approaching the "passive sonar" at a fast pace. "What?" Dagger knife . The magic sword Raikiri is forbidden this time. The performance was too out of the ordinary to be used for the test. The inventory was also left with the examiner. The dagger knife and throwing knife are the only weapons I have at the moment. It hit the wall and fell to the floor, and was a piece of Rebecca''s iron fan that I had seen earlier. The tip was rounded because it was for test purposes, but there was no denying that it would be quite hurtful if it pierced a living body. "I see, that is how that iron fan is used,......." Then the arrows from the iron fan came flying in one after another. The speed is about the same as swallows flying low in the sky. "I''ve knocked them down many times, but there are obviously too many of them. You must have more than one of those iron fans ......!: Some of the pieces knocked off already exceeded a hundred. Since the number of pieces clearly exceeds the number of pieces per iron fan, there is no doubt that there is some kind of trick to it. "Wow, what''s this?"" Since the number of pie shaped pieces of the iron fan clearly exceeded the number of items per fan, there is no doubt that there is some kind of trick to it. Wow, what''s this?" For a moment, I felt a tug on my arm, and my reaction was delayed. I managed to knock down the attack, but only at the right moment to pop off the iron fan, the dagger knife felt awfully heavy. I tried to swing the dagger in the empty air to test it out, but it felt completely different, which is inexplicable. Rebecca is on the other side of the turn up the steps, so how is she able to manipulate the iron fan so accurately and at such high speed? It doesn''t seem to be "telekinesis. That would require direct vision of the target. For the same reason, there is no remote control by means of a magical thread. To begin with, it is nearly impossible to extend a string straight out from the back of a room that is twisted and turned, and to manipulate it. There must be some other trick. ......''Maybe it''s that one?" I carefully picked up one of the countless iron fans that had been smashed to the ground, and held it close to my dagger knife. CH 160 carefully picked up one of the countless iron fans that had been knocked to the ground and held it close to a dagger knife. ---- kin. ''Hoho ....... I didn''t think this world had a concept of magnetism." My Dagger is made of iron. Naturally, it sticks to magnets. And when I put another iron fan close to the tip of the iron fan that was stuck to the dagger, it, too, jangles and sticks to the dagger like a chain. "I see. So you have the ability to sense magnetism." It''s like the ability of a dove. She must have never been led astray in her life. As a further test, I picked one of the many iron fans on the ground that I had knocked off the ground relatively recently and brought it close to the tagger. ----Ging! "Whoa, it sticks tighter than before." It seems that Rebecca''s ability is the ability to give magnetism to a substance that has the ability to stick to magnets,...... in this case, the iron fan, and manipulate it. Since she controls the power of magnetism itself and not the object, she was able to control my dagger, which was magnetized temporarily when I knocked down all the iron fans. In addition, the magnetic force gradually weakens after a certain amount of time. The fact that the iron fan did not increase linearly and kept flying in and out, flying in and out, flying in and out, seems to confirm this. "I see, you have thought this through very well.:" Since it is tough to flip an iron fan with bare hands, the opponent has no choice but to use an iron weapon. As a result, the magnetism is transferred to the opponent''s weapon, and it becomes an object that can be influenced by your own magnetism spells. Finally, if you interfere with the opponent''s weapon at the opportune moment, you can deliver a huge blow to an opponent who has a lot of openings. But it doesn''t work on me. One of the 1021 spells that I learned from Marie in the Demon Forest is the "alter ego. I had come up with a plan of attack using it. The first thing to remember about the "alter ego" is that it is not a two-person entity, but rather a puppet modeled after me and controlled by a complex magical pseudo-personality program. It is just a simple ......, but from the outside it is hard to see that. In short, the awareness has to do the work of two people, which is equivalent to the work of writing a letter with the right hand and playing the piano with the left, but it can handle up to four without trouble thanks to the "multiple operation multi-tasking" that Marie has also helped me to learn. It is possible. It is impossible for me to move in the same way as the original me, but I can still manipulate it well enough to keep up with ordinary adventurers. I think it''s a monster of a spell. In other words, Marie is a monster for having put that skill into my head. She has lived for 200 years. She is Marie the monster. Now, the key strategy is not that complicated. Rebecca probably doesn''t think I''ve figured out that the true nature of magic is magnetism yet. I can use that against her. First, if I proceed to the third floor, knocking down the iron fan as I have been doing, Rebecca will control my dagger knife at the last moment. If she stops the movement of the dagger, it will create an opening no matter how I do it. I would impose that role on my "alter ego. Rebecca can only sense the magnetic power. In other words, by hiding in the shadow of the " alter ego" and going around from behind without being detected, she could surprise Rebecca. In order to get through the storm of iron fans, one must have an iron weapon. That is what Rebecca is aiming for. At the beginning, Rebecca was attacking at random, but from the middle, she was attacking with her magnetized weapon. "It''s not hard to pass a exam, is it? ......" The fact that the test is so difficult is because the entrance exam for the magic academy requires a certain level of intelligence to understand the higher rank spells and to use them properly. ?? "¡¡But there are still so many more iron fans out there!¡¡I won''t lose yet!" Rebecca is talking to the "alter ego" who came up to the third floor while dealing with the storm of iron fans. She probably intends to fire me up like that to make me come close to her and manipulate the dagger knife at a timing when she can maximize her own magnetic power. Ms. Rebecca is gradually being cornered and "alter ego" is closing the distance between them. In fact, it is a gamble for her as well, since she is once cornered, albeit in the course of the operation. "......Gosh, I don''t know what I could have ............ done any other way,............." The moment the "alter ego" swung his dagger at Rebecca, who was making it look like she had fired all of her iron fans,......, the dagger in Rebecca''s hand went wide outward and she was able to get a good look at it. His dagger swung outward! The stance of the "alter ego" was greatly disrupted. At that moment, Rebecca sends her iron fan, which was made to look like it was on the floor, at the alter ego in order to finish him off. However, the iron fan did not reach the alter. "Checkmate, Rebecca." .................. why are there two of you?" Ms. Rebecca looks back at us in a cold sweat. On her back was a "shock bullet" from the high hand. ?? "I''ve never seen anyone who could use such a trick as ''alter ego'' before!¡¡Wasn''t that an S-rank spell, as I recall?¡¡No matter how up-and-coming and talented a teacher I am, I''m no match for someone who can use something like that." After the exam, I was on my way back from the venue. I was holding a meeting with Rebecca to give her feedback on the match. "Well, Rebecca was very tough, too. Especially under the condition that you are not allowed to give a fatal blow, it is not easy to blow up your opponent. In that sense, I felt I still have a long way to go." ''I mean, if you wanted to, you could blow me up with the whole building. ...... It''s already strange when you say that lineYou don''t have to use honorifics with me." "Why not?'' "- Because you beat me. I am a member of the elite who has hardly ever lost a match . "Oh, I''m sorry, I''m sorry. Did you Lose "?" I''m not going to let you beast me like this!¡¡Don''t underestimate the elites!" To sum up what followed. "I can tell you that I will probably pass the practical exam with a perfect score. The announcement of my score will be posted on the bulletin board in the academy in a week. The exam is now over, so I was told to go home and get some rest. Rebecca, as an examiner, told me the above three points. Next, I would like to talk about Rebecca as an individual, not as an examiner. Apparently, she is a student who entered the academy four years ago and is currently in her first year of study in the master''s program after graduation. By the way, the word "mage" actually has two meanings: one is "a person who can use magic," which in essence means a wizard. The other meaning is "a mage who is recognized by the nation or an official body as having a certain level of magical ability. Military personnel, adventurers, and academy graduates often fall into the latter category. A "mage" in the sense of being recognized by an official body can also qualify as a "mage" through further study and training. The relationship between a bachelor''s degree and a master''s degree is similar to the relationship between a bachelor, a master, and a doctor at a Japanese university. Rebecca is working as a lecturer after graduating from the academy , and is also doing research and training every day in order to obtain a master''s degree, not a doctor''s degree. I have no doubt that you will be get at the top of your class!¡¡ ¡¡I am proud to say that I am an excellent researcher in the field of magic. In fact, I''m even better at learning than in battle. For whatever reason, though, I''m now an instructor of combat skills . Thus ended the entrance examination for me . I had a feeling that my life at the academy in the next few months would be full of ups and downs, and I was filled with a little anxiety, great anticipation, and just a little bit of resignation. CH 161 "On behalf of the new students, I would like to thank you for conducting such a grand entrance ceremony amidst the dancing cherry blossoms in spring." This would be the usual custom at a Japanese school. Unfortunately, however, there are no cherry blossoms in this world, and instead, a blossom named "White Feather" has become a synonym for spring. As the name suggests, it is a magnificent and majestic broad-leaved tree with beautiful petals like white angel''s wings. The sight of them decorating the main street running through the center of the academy like rows of cherry trees was so beautiful that it made me, a member of the Special Division and a future "Northern General," feel glad to have enrolled in the academy without a trace of anxiety about my future. The prestigious academy, which is located in the center of the imperial capital but has one of the most extensive grounds in the country and nurtures talented young men and women who will be responsible for the future of the empire, has a tradition of having elite students who have successfully passed the multiple selection process pass through the gates every year wearing brand new uniforms, with expectations that are soaring and a little anxiety in their hearts. Of course, the current students also welcome the new students. And it is no wonder that the Academy of Magic is one of the four major graduate academies in the empire. The way in which the senior students welcomed the new students was also far from ordinary. ". What is multi-connected Magic?" "And it''s multiple wavelength tuning. It''s a magic academy, with a level of skill beyond compare." "I know it''s difficult, but is it really that difficult?'' "Yes, it is. The magic power with different wave lengths must be interlocked to form a single magic formula. It''s different from magic that is controlled by a single person." "Hmm." "Would you understand if I said it''s like building a precision instrument with several people sharing the manufacturing process?" "Ah!¡¡I am very satisfied with the answer. It is true that it would be quite difficult unless you have all the skills and can communicate smoothly with each other." "That''s what I meant." Diamond dust, shining in the sunlight even though it is springtime, is dancing in the sky, and rainbow-colored lights are adding color to it, and a big firework is shot into the sky. The fireworks were a beautiful welcome to the magical illusions, but they all required a great deal of skill to pull off. ''Is that the statue of the Dean ......?" "It seems so. It is a huge ...... statue, though.'' "It''s powerful, but it''s poor taste." the statue of the school president, which is a huge statue that seems to have been built (probably specially) in the middle of the schoolyard. Looking at it, I couldn''t help but be reminded of the statues of Stalin and Lenin that had been erected in Eastern European countries in my previous life. I prayed that the educational philosophy of the headmmaster was not ideological, and I was relieved to learn from the sight of the faculty members looking on that the giant statue of the headmaster was apparently a welcome commemorative work, almost a prank by the student volunteers. It seems that there will be no class warfare in the institute. "Hal, we should head to the main hall . We need to get ready to greet the students." "Oh ...... that''s right. I don''t want to do it. ......" I was the top student in this year''s entrance examination for the Imperial Academy of Magic. I got a very high score of 91 points in the class, but the perfect score of 150 points in the practical skill test was particularly significant. The result was 241 points, which was the highest score of all time, far ahead of the second place and lower. He was the undisputed first runner-up. Surprisingly, the runner-up was not Lily, but His Imperial Highness Prince Friedrich, the third prince. The score was 135 points for practical skills with 95 points for classroom lecture. The total score was 230 points. It seems that His Royal Highness excelled in both classroom studies and practical skills. Lily came in third place. She scored 94 points in classroom studies and 132 points in practical skills, for a total of 226 points. Although she did not do so well in the combat exam, she seems to have made up for it in other areas. In particular, he received high marks for space-time magic. If the year were any other year, he would have passed at the top of his class. In fourth place was Eleonora, the brilliant daughter of the Huber family. She scored 221 points, just behind Lily. However, while her score on the class test was only a modest 79 points, her score on the practical test was a very impressive 142 points. If it was only the practical test, she would have been second in her grade, a result that could not be underestimated. The last of the top five students who receive special attention every year is, surprisingly, the last one. Hans, a fellow student who shared the same pot of food in the Forest, scored a total of 208 points. His total score of 208 points was slightly lower than the other four, but considering that the average score was less than 20% and the minimum passing score was 50%, his score was quite high. Considering that the average score is less than 20% and the minimum passing score is 50%, the score is quite high. It seems that he is not aiming to become a member of the court mage division. I wish him and Werner the best of luck. Incidentally, I won the first place in the comprehensive and practical skills test, but Mei won the first place in the class test. She called that extremely difficult exam "just like that. I asked her how high she must have scored on the exam, and she told me that she had scored a perfect score of 100 points. There must have been some hopelessly difficult questions that were clearly discarded, but it seems that even those questions were a piece of cake for Mei. What a horrible child! On the other hand, she did not do so well on the practical skills test, scoring 89 points. She scored 21 points in the combat test and 18 points in the basic magic test, but she still managed to score 89 points, which is more than 50% of the borderline. The reason why he was able to get a score above 50%, even though he scored 21 points in the combat exam and 18 points in the basic magic exam, seems to be because his engineering magic, which is his strong point, was highly rated. People with some strengths win. It was also an exam that proved that point. I''ve made a long-winded preamble, but the bottom line is that I passed at the top of my class and now I have a greeting to give to the new student body as the new student representative. I thought, "Why don''t you do it, Prince?¡¡But the Academy of Magic is known for its academic culture of mercilessly rejecting even royalty and aristocrats if their abilities are not up to the mark. It was futile to expect them to be disciplined according to their position and status. Well, what is it? In other words, there was no escape. I have no choice but to give up and be angry. ??? Now, . Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Fahrenheit, valedictorian rep of the new students. Greetings."rep of The MC calls my name and I go up on the stage. The auditorium was filled with a grim atmosphere, but at this moment there was a slight murmur as the new faces of the school appeared on stage. "Is that the head of this year''s competition ......?" "He says it''s Farenheit. The "Northern General''s son " is really something else." "Have you heard?¡¡The identity of the "silver comet" that has been the talk of the town for a few years now. It seems to be him!" "I saw him at the practical exam., silver armor that lived up to the rumors!¡¡I wonder how much magic power he has to do something like that. ......" "I''d love to be able to study at the same class as that guy" "I''d love to get close to him.¡¡But he''s a nobleman, isn''t he?" "Come on, ....... But I heard that one of the students of the Department of Magical Research, who was at the top of class, is a friend of his , even though she seems to be a commoner. "Oh, ....... Then maybe he''s not the usual haughty aristocrat." I hear a few comments here and there trying to get a glimpse of what kind of person I am, but it''s all right. I''m a average ex-Japanese. ......! If it were an anime or manga, I would have dared to say here, "I''m not like you fools! But at the entrance ceremony of the Academy of Magic, which is said to be the epitome of the social world, I don''t want to do anything stupid that could ruin my life. I take a paper with text I had written at home while consulting with Hendrik, the head butler, and began to read it, making sure to speak as clearly and lively as possible so as to appear like a good-looking young man. ..."......... warm breezes were bringing the buds of the white feathers into full bloom, and all 100 of us new students were able to successfully complete our exam at the Imperial Academy of Magical Arts. Thus, we were able to safely face the entrance ceremony of the Imperial Academy of Magic. I would like to thank everyone for such a wonderful ceremony today." No one is a fool to make enemies by saying bad things. Such things are only for the world of fiction. There was no room for strange things and the entrance ceremony proceeded solemnly with boring congratulatory speeches. The content was conventional, but I would like to give myself credit for getting everything right . CH 162 "Now it is time to announce the class placement. The names and student ID numbers of each class are posted in front of the entrance, in the yard, and in front of the main gate. The meeting time is 11:00. Then, please disperse." ''I''m so tired," I muttered to myself as I stretched out in the waiting area below the stage. I''m sure the people around me can''t see my sluggish state, so I can safely yawn. Thinking back on the exhaustion of the past few days, I was finally able to catch my breath after the big event of the greeting by the valedictorian of the new students. As one might expect, the person at the top of the class seems to attract a great deal of attention, as it does every year. Not only from students, but also from teachers and people outside the academy. In addition, in my case, I am from the famous Hokusho family and I am a "silver comet. I was the center of attention just by walking around the town every day because of my many attributes. It was not only spectators. Store clerks, newspaper reporters, minstrels, and others were all watching my every move, so much so that I was prepared to not be able to walk around outside properly until the heat had cooled off. Soon after, I realized that I could just "change my hair," and I have been able to walk around town normally ever since. It was a great thing that I had learned the " transformation and henge" spell under Marie''s guidance. I thought it would be a useless and meaningless piece of trash magic that would be instantly recognized by someone familiar with magic, but it''s perfect for making the average person disappear from the paparazzi''s sight. I was able to reconfirm that I had not made a mistake by sticking with the unidentified adventurer "Comet" after all. ??? "Well, it can''t be anything but S class, can it?" "But class divisions only make sense in homerooms and at events." The fact that the Department of Magical Research and the Department of Magical Science are in the same division of classes is a mystery in itself. What is the point of having separate classes? The academy of magic has classes. However, there is no system of "study for each class" as there was in Japanese schools in previous live. The Academy of Magic is a credit-based school where students are free to take classes within a set curriculum for each department. Therefore, except for a 20-minute homeroom period every morning on weekdays and class activities during the first period on certain days of the week, students basically go to the classrooms of their respective classes separately. In other words, the class divisions are almost meaningless. That is why Lily and May are giving a hard time about the mysterious system. ''According to the course guidelines, it seems that the classes you can take vary depending on the class you are in. Especially in the case of the seminar classes where the number of students is limited, it seems that you have a good chance of getting in by lottery." It seems that the trend of a society based on merit is also prevailing here. However, there is no way to complain about the fact that people who do not have the necessary skills cannot get any benefits from taking high-level classes. The system of gradually changing the curriculum according to the level of ability of the students, in order to further develop the students with excellent grades and at the same time to improve the bottom line of the entire student body, was a system that one could not help but feel that this is a top-class educational institution in the empire. ''I see. ......" "So that''s how it works. It is an efficient system, isn''t it?" I was so happy to see her nodding her head, as if she was satisfied with the system of classification. s that it''s a very efficient system. "Well, fortunately all three of us are now in the same class, so let''s head to the classroom. We can''t stay here forever, we''ll just get in the way." Right, let''s go. "Let''s go." I''ll just note that Mei''s cheeks were very soft and comfortable to the touch. I''ll just say that Mei''s cheeks were glutinous and very comfortable to touch. The homeroom classroom of the first grade S class was located at the far end of the first floor of the building. It was nice not to have to go up the stairs. It would have been a hassle to go up and down three or four floors in the morning. However, it was only a comforting thought, since I still had to move every time I went to class. When I entered the classroom, several students had already taken their seats. If this was a school in my previous life, it would be normal to have a group of acquaintances, but this is the most prestigious magic academy in the empire. It is not the kind of academy where it is so easy to pass the entrance exam among acquaintances. And since this is an S class, the highest class, it is even more so. On the first day of school, everyone in the S class seemed to be meeting each other for the first time, and there was a scene in the classroom. "We were the only ones standing out, weren''t we?" ''We''re the only ones who know each other.'' ''We''re being looked at like crazy.'' "The three of us are me, the top student, Lily, the duchess, and Mei, the top student in the class. It would be strange if we didn''t attract attention." "Oh, Hans." While we were sitting in the right seat and chatting away, Hans entered the classroom. He was ranked fifth in the entrance examinations and was also, of course, in the S class. "Eberhard!¡¡I heard your speech. You are a genius. I was inspired to do my best. " "Hello, Lily. I haven''t seen you in a year.¡¡We''ve been together during the trainig in the demon forest too. Nice to see you." "Yes, it''s nice to see you, too. So, how are you?" Hans asked, recognizing Mei Mei wasn''t at the training in the Demon Forest, and it''s the first time she''s met Hans. Unlike the overall head of the school, the head of the classroom alone doesn''t have a widely known face, and Hans didn''t seem to know her. ''I am Meir Arendahl,"I am a childhood friend of , Hal." "Arendahl, you say ?" "Yes. Arendahl Workshop is my family home." The Arendahl Workshop has been rapidly expanding in recent years and is well known throughout the empire, as some of the weapons and equipment made by the Arendahl workshop are used in the imperial army, including the court mage division, and Hans, whose father is a member of the court mage division, knew the name. "So the three of you have known each other since childhood.'' ''Yes, we are.'' It is a blessing to be able to sit at the same desk in the same class as these two, who have been together since childhood. After the four of us had been talking for a while, the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly changed. It was not tense, but I felt a presence that I could not ignore, as if my back was naturally straightened. "Hal, it''s His Highness Friedrich. ". ''"What?" I looked at the entrance of the classroom and saw a face I had seen at several social parties I had attended before . Shining blonde hair. A slender nose. A relatively small but charismatic, intelligent and kind face. His Imperial Highness Prince Friedrich, the third prince of the Highland Empire, is here. This is His Royal Highness Prince Friedrich. This is the first time we have exchanged words like this, right ? I am Eberhard, the heir apparent of the Farenheit frontier count family, who has been given the rank of maturity officer by His Majesty the Emperor." "I am Henriette Lily von Bernstein, Eberhard''s fianc¨¦e and the eldest daughter of the Dukes of Bernstein.'' She greeted him with the perfect distance and tone of voice, without being overly familiar and yet not too distant, so as not to be rude. Since my family is a noble family, this kind of etiquette has been drilled into me since I was a child. While everyone else was frozen by the sudden appearance of the prince, I was able to respond to him in a way that was desirable, and I want to congratulate myself for having done so well. His Highness, who received Lily and I''s greeting, replied cheerfully with a gentle smile. "Hi, u. I have heard rumors about you. Thank you for all you do for the empire. I would like to thank you on behalf of my father. Bernstein, your father''s work has also been of great help to the country. Since I cannot thank the Duke in person, I will say it here." ''You are too kind to say so, Your Highness." "I am sure my father will be pleased to hear you say so." Although this was our first conversation, I felt as if I had already been taken in by the warm atmosphere that His Highness was exuding. Is this the royal family by birth? It''s amazing. ...... "f possible, I would like you to treat me as a friend." "I''m sorry." I don''t even need to use honorifics. I''m the same age as you, and you''re making me uncomfortable." But, ..." "I want to be your friend. You''re ...... a little taller than I am?" The first time I saw him, he looked up at me and asked me if I was a good friend of his. Oh, God, I can''t help it! "I''m ...... , all right. Is this okay?'' "Yes, thank you!¡¡I will take care of you from now on.'' His Highness Prince Friedrich holds out his hand to me . I looked at him with doubt "It''s nice to meet you, too." "Nice to meet you, Your Highness." ''I''m the same age as you , and it''s making me uncomfortable." But, ..." "I want to be your friend. You''re ...... a little taller than I am?" , he looked up at me and asked me if I it was a good fine to be friends with me . Oh, God, I can''t help it! , "I''m ...... , all right. Is this okay?'' "Yes, thank you!¡¡I will take care of you from now on." His Highness Prince Friedrich holds out his hand to me happily saying so. I also greeted him back, holding his hand. "It''s nice to meet you, too. "Nice to meet you, Your Highness." Lily, beside me, has also dropped honorifics and greets His Highness Frankly. His Highness seemed very happy to get two friends at once. I never thought that the true identity of the "Noble Lord of Running Water" was such a cute little guy''s daughter. ...... Up to this point, I had only been watching from afar, so I was shocked to see His Highness''s appearance, which was totally different from what I had expected. The "Nutritional Disease" is a problem that is usually a lot more difficult to deal with than it is to deal with. CH 163 "Well, it looks like everyone is here. I''m Gein Glanz, the new homeroom teacher for Class S. I specialize in Ancient Magical Scripts, so I''ll probably have all the required first-year classes.. . I am also a graduate of the Department of Magica Research at the Academy of Magical Arts and Sciences. I can help you not only as a teacher but as a senior student as well, so feel free to talk to me. Please feel free to talk to me." It was homeroom time, and after our homeroom teacher, Mr. Glanz, introduced himself, it was time for the students to introduce themselves. The order was based on attendance number, so I was in the front of the class, starting with the letter "E". ''My name is Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farenheit. My specialty is non-attribute magic, and my weakness is attribute magic. Let''s enjoy the year together. Pleased to meet you." As I greeted them, my classmates, who had become somewhat familiar with each other in this short period of time, began whispering and gossiping about me. ''I knew we''d be together since I got into S class, but he'' s still so powerful ......!'' "But I''m glad to hear that you have an easygoing personality. If he had a harder personality, it would have been a tough year.'' ''I wonder if she can help me with my studies or stuff like that. ......" Fahrenheit, I have a good position for you. The Student Council, officially known as the "Student Council Executive Council," has a task force that uses force to force some of the committees and subcommittees that do not follow the voted agenda to comply with it. It is called the ''Executive Committee.;: "Student Council Executive Committee: ......" The teacher mumbled, repeating the position he had told me about. It''s kind of cool ....... The sealed heart of the middle two comes up to the sickle. ''There you can be treated as a member of the student council and support them from behind the scenes. You can also take advantage of Fahrenheit''s strengths in combat." I understand"and. I''ll go there." "Then I''ll run for student council president". ''Good. Then, these two will be this year''s first-year student council members". Thus, I became an elected student council officer, a position with the special title of executive officer. ''Well, then, I will now decide which committee you will belong to. Each of you is required to belong to one, so please choose one that interests you." Committee. I miss it. It reminds me of the school in my previous life. The most popular ones were the radio committee and the library committee. On the other hand, I remember that jobs that tended to get dirtied with soil, such as the environment committee and the sports committee, were shunned. When I lived in Japan, I belonged to the library committee, but where should I belong this time? I hope there are interesting committees that are unique to this world. "Oh, and as for the top five students in the entrance examination, it is customary for at least one of them to belong to the student council. I''m sorry to impose this, but on the other hand, even if all but the top five want to join, they are not allowed to join the student council from their first year. It may be an obligation, but at the same time, I would be glad if you would consider it a privilege and volunteer for it." Hmm, student council. In my previous life, if I had tried to run for office, I would have been told to "get out of the way," but ...... now I''m at the top of the list. I''m not going to let anyone complain. The fact is, I''ve been longing to be a student council member for a while. It sounds kind of fun, doesn''t it? I''ve been thinking about it for a while, and then I suddenly thought of His Highness Prince Friedrich. I was wondering if he might be more suitable for the job than I was. He is a royalty. In this country, the presence of the royal family is unrivaled by any other noble family. In addition, he is a man of virtue. It has only been a few minutes since homeroom started, and he is already at the center of this class. Moreover, he cares about everyone in the class and is adored by everyone. "Mr. Fahrenheit?" "Fahrenheit, what''s up?'' "Is there a limit to the number of people who can serve on the student council?'' "In terms of the number of members, there are two for each grade level. However, depending on the number of suitable students, there may be some increase or decrease." I see. If that is the case, this is the site ....... "Your Highness, would you like to be a student council member with us?'' "Eberhard. That''s fine, but ...... why me?" ''The reason is that His Highness is the most suitable person to serve on the student council. I''m going to be the one to support you." It seems that the impression is generally favorable. I think I''ll sell more here. ''I can''t help you with attribute magic, but I can help you with everything else. Study, magic, hobbies, love, and any other concerns you may have!¡¡But I don''t lend money". The last word seems to have been well received, and a light chuckle echoes through the classroom. "Then let''s move on to the next one." Yes." It was about 10 minutes later when about 20 of my classmates finished their introductions. By the way, when His Highness gave his speech, the crowd was very excited. As one would expect of a member of the royal family, His Highness was extremely skilled in the manipulation of people''s hearts and minds. Perhaps the class leader must be him. He was definitely the most virtuous person of his age. If there was anything else worth mentioning, it was the fact that he knew several people in this tiny class. Among the classmates were Eleonora and Nadia, who had trained together in the Demon Forest. This meant that about a quarter of the class was made up of relatives who knew each other. It was an excellent start, as it seemed that the students would have an easy time from the very beginning. Incidentally, Werner and Helene, who were also taking the exam this year, belonged to another class. Markus, on the other hand, did not take the entrance examination, but volunteered to join the military engineering department and entered the engineering academy. According to him, "My magic is not very strong ''. It is true that his magic is a special kind of magic that should be described as "trap magic," and it is not difficult to imagine that he would be able to grow much more if he went to engineering §Õ§Ö§á§Ñ§â§ä§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ß§ä than if he studied at a magic academy. I think it was a much better choice for the future than going to a magic academy for nothing. The engineering derpartament is not in the capital, but on an island in the sea further south of the southern capital of Marsburg, so I would not be able to see him for a while until he graduates. However, as members of the same army, I am sure we will have the opportunity to meet again someday somewhere. I''d like to do my best in my student life here at the Academy of Magic so that we can both grow and develop by then. CH 164 To become member of the Student Council, the whole school must hold an election or vote of approval, but for first-year students only, the top five students in the entrance examination are chosen, so the decisions made in the S class are those of the whole grade level. At the same time, Lily and Mei also decided to join committees according to their aptitude and interests. The following is a list and description of each committee that exists at the school. Student Council ¡úThis committee has jurisdiction over all committees and the entire academy. It is customary that one or more of the top five students in the entrance examination must be a member of the Student Council. Student Council executive committee. ¡úThe Student Council Executive Committee is a working unit that executes the will of the Student Council by using its actual abilities to reflect the will of the Student Council to the entire school. Central Committee ¡úThis is the coordinator and organizer of the various committees. Originally, it was a bureaucracy that was responsible for operating various systems according to the will of the student council, but it is now mostly independent and does little to cooperate with the other committees. Because of its nature, it has more influence over the entire academy than other committees, and in recent years it seems to be running amok. Public Welfare Committee ¡úThis committee is responsible for improving the quality of student life. It also handles consultations from students and various procedures. Education Committee ¡úResponsible for education and research activities. It assists professors, improves lecture contents, and enhances students'' own learning and research activities. It often collaborates with the Library Committee, which has a similar direction. Public Morals Committee ¡úThe Public Morals Committee is responsible for maintaining public order within the academy. It is a law-enforcement agency of the academy and is authorized to exercise its authority over students and groups that disrupt public morals. Defense Committee ¡úThe Defense Committee is an organization that defends the academy and its students against outside threats such as monsters, criminals, spies, activists, etc. It includes the Intelligence Department, the Defense Department, and the Special Operations Department. It is divided into the Intelligence Department, the Defense Department, and the Special Operations Department. Library Committee ¡úThe Library Committee manages, protects, and researches valuable magical research materials. It also secures and acquires new research materials. Due to the nature of the organization''s research activities, there are more members from the Department of Magical Research than in other committees. Environmental Committee ¡úThe Environmental Committee inspects facilities and beautifies the institute. It also manages equipment and supplies. The committee works with the Welfare Committee to improve the quality of student life. The president of each section makes a decision. ¡úA meeting where the chairpersons of each section gather to make decisions. The committee is a group of representatives of the subcommittees, so it is separate from the committee. Lily seems to have been assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee, while Mei seems to have been assigned to the Research and Development Division of the Education Committee after the result of the entrance exam was taken into consideration. Lily had expected to be in a committee like the Central Committee, which is involved in the management of the entire academy, so it was a surprise to hear that she would be in the Health and Welfare Commit . It seems that She intends to steadily increase his allies in the academy , which is called the epitome of the social world. She is as strong and shrewd as ever. Lily is the quintessential Lily. It was as expected that Mei belonged to the Research Development Department of the Education Committee. It is the only place for May, and there is not much point for anyone other than May to join the department without her. The right person in the right place is exactly what I mean. The remaining acquaintance members, Hans, Eleonora, and Nadia, belonged to the Central Committee, Eleonora to the Public Morals Committee, and Nadia to the Defense Committee. Hans, who ranked fifth in the entrance examinations and had participated in training in the demon Forest, would be able to handle a wide range of tasks on the Central Committee, and Eleonora, who is both famous and powerful, would serve as a deterrent to those who disrupt school morals. I was a bit surprised that Nadia was assigned to a gory frontline unit like the Defense Committee, but apparently that was not her intention. According to her, she wanted to join the Environment Committee, but she lost in a lottery. Well, the defense committee is tough, but it will be worthwhile, so I hope she will do her best and not be discouraged. "Now, we have decided on the committee!¡¡Now it''s time to decide on the class rp , who will be the best person to lead the S class?" As soon as Mr. Glanz announced this, almost everyone in S-Class turned to His Highness Prince Friedrich. The is, a few of them were looking towards me, Lily, Eleonora, and others who seemed to be suitable for the job, but His Highness was the most suitable and promising. I was looking at the other candidates, such as myself, Lily, and Eleonora, who seemed to be the most suitable for the job. Are these the best candidates? "His Highness.'' "His Highness." I''ll give it to His Highness. Oh, you want me to do it?'' We unanimously recommended His Highness for the job, even though we didn''t agree with each other. It''s not that I don''t want to be class president, it''s simply that I don''t want to do it without his highness. If His Highness had not been in the class, a temporary battle would have broken out to earn extra marks and to impress the teachers. From Lily and Eleonora''s point of view, it would have been a humiliation match for the time in the Devil''s Forest, and a rather serious match would have been arranged. But!¡¡In this class, there was His Highness Friedrich. He was clearly gifted with the ability to organize others and had outstanding aptitude as a committee chairman. We couldn''t afford to challenge him to a useless match and be labeled as incompetent, unable to read the difference in strength between us and him, or even the trend of victory or defeat. As it happens, all three of us are nobles. We are all nobles, even to the point where we could be called "great nobility. We are all sensitive to such matters. ''What''s the matter with you guys, you''re all ...... alike? Well, good, then, is His Highness Prince Friedrich the class chairman?'' "Yes.'' "Of course!" "Is that all right with you, Your Highness?" "Let''s see, even the teacher is ....... I understand, if you expect me to do so much, I will be the class president." ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸¡¸Wow!!!¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹¡¹ As if to meet everyone''s expectations, His Highness agrees to be class leader of the committee with an expression that seems to say, "I don''t have a choice. It is not a bad thing, but rather a good thing, and I think that is the reason why everyone places an excessive amount of trust in His Highness. Anyway, we three pathetic aristocrats who were nominated as candidates for class president congratulated His Highness on his appointment as class president, and at the same time, we secretly talked to each other eye-to-eye and felt relieved to see each other. * After that, the students were moved to the committee rooms assigned to each committee, and the homeroom activities on the first day of school came to an end. The school will be closed for a week from tomorrow for the registration period. One may ask seniors in the committee or club activities. Or can consult with friends and make a decision. One can also use the counseling room of the Welfare Committee. In any case, the academy of Magic is a wonderful educational institution that gives time to think carefully about the classes you want to take. The registration period is the result of the Health and Welfare Committee''s consultation with the academy authorities, according to the report. I was impressed with the work the committee was doing. It seemed to me that, like the school in my previous life, it was a far cry from the formalities of the school. The actuality that it''s a difficult school to get into is something that I''ve rediscovered the greatness of the Academy of Magic. CH 165 Students headed to their respective committee rooms after homeroom. His Highness and I were heading to the student council room together. "The Student Council Room is on the top floor of the Seven Wise Towers. It''s hard to climb the stairs, isn''t it?'' "I was surprised to hear that even the Comet doesn''t like stairs. I feel a little surprised." ''Your Highness. No matter how much strength and combat power I have, it''s not like I want to willingly tire myself out on a regular basis. I think only a Jet would be that crazy." ''I see. He would certainly be willing to put his body through the ringer. Even at court, people like that are rare.'' Adventurers and soldiers are the same page ," If the purpose is to train, it may be a different story, but unfortunately, I don''t want to be in a painful situation until it is otherwise. To put it bluntly, this level of stairs does not make me sweat or even gasp, but it is still a pain in the ass. After all, since magic technology has developed so much, why not at least make an elevator? ...... I thought about it, and then it occurred to me that Mei might be able to make one. Even I can understand the simple construction of an elevator, and if I explained the basic principle to her, I am sure she would be able to calculate all the details and complete the elevator. Luckily, she has been assigned to the Research and Development Department of the Education Committee, which is a haven for mad scientists, and it would not be impossible for me to dream of installing the elevator I developed there in the institute. Well, as I was walking up the stairs, thinking and talking about such a trivial matter, I finally saw the door to the student council room. The Student Council Room is located on the top floor of the Seven Sages Tower, the tallest seven-story tower within the grounds of the Academy. It is said that the tower was built to memorialize the seven sages who were involved in the founding of the Academy of Magic in the past - in short, the most talented mages and wizards. It is said that "everything is different in different places," but it seems that there was a Hall of the Seven Sages in my previous life, and people from all over the world seem to think alike. Anyway, this building is a symbolic landmark of the institute that only a limited number of people are allowed to enter. ''The door is quite majestic. It reminds me of my parents'' house.'' "Ah, the audience room was indeed both strict and magnificent." "I think it''s good that it has dignity." Well, it is the world''s most famous graduate Academy . Even the facilities are like this. The budget for the Tokyo University was so huge that it could not be compared to that of other universities, it was not difficult to imagine that the four graduate academies would be lavishly funded with the people''s blood money. "Excuse me. I''m Friedrich, a first-year S class student." "Fahrenheit ,, . Fahrenheit, freshman class S." ''Please come in." Knocking on the heavy, double-door, a familiar sound came from inside. "Excuse me, I''m from ......, ". It''s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am sure you will be very happy to hear that. ...... And . Eberhard, it has been a long time since I last saw you. It''s been a long time since the Devil''s Forest, hasn''t it? "Do you know each other " His Highness tilted his head in doubt. Standing up from the rear of the student council room to greet us was Claudia Kallenberg, a " earth golem user" with whom I had shared a year of training in the Demon Forest. ??? " So, Your Highness. We were so to speak mages of the same branch''" "I see. I had heard that there was a strengthening program under the control of the General Staff Council, but I was surprised to know that you were involved in it." "I''m sure you at least knew of my existence, Claudia notwithstanding." "The identity of the "comet" was treated as unknown,......, so even if you were a member of the royal family, you might not have direct knowledge of it " "So it''s not like that." That means that His Majesty the Emperor and the other top brass in the empire''s military greatly respected my desire to keep my true identity a secret. I am very grateful for that. I naturally feel a desire to repay a country that is so kind to me. "By the way, I have received information about the top five students in this year''s freshmen class, but are there any others who will join the student council?" Claudia asks as she sets up the materials on her desk with a tap. On her arm was the armband of the student council president. ''''Yes The other three students have gone to the committee they want to join." ''I see." "I''d prefer to be on the executive committee if possible. ......" "If Eberhard is as good as he looks, he''ll be assigned to the executive committee, no questions will be asked!¡¡You''ve got such a great ability, there''s no way you won''t make use of it!'' "Is that so?" "Yes!" I was a bit taken back by Claudia''s unusual aggressiveness, but I was happy that my wish had come true. "I hope that . Eberhard will make his reputation as a military man, which is not that of a student, known throughout the academy in order to reinforce the deterrent power of the academy." So His Highness will be in charge of politics and I will be in charge of the military aspects. "With Eberhard in the background, my reign will be more secure". "The student council room is a small court." I think it''s a very good thing that Claudia-muttered this casual observation, but I see what she meant. CH 166 "Speaking of which, have you two chosen what club you are going to join ?" We had successfully decided on the position we were to take, and the topic had switched to chit-chat, when Claudia asked us about it. "Club activities" "Yes. The first week after the entrance ceremony is set as the new club welcome period. By the way, I belong to the plastic arts club. If you have time to spare, please come and visit by all means". "Heh. It seems that you are Claudia-san, a " earth golem" user." "I''ve been training for three years, and now I''m able to make a very cool-looking earth golem. Of course, its strength is different from what it was before." "I''d love to see it sometime." The "earth golem" of Claudia''s was originally much stronger than other common "earth golems," but if you hear that it has become even stronger and more powerful and aesthetically pleasing, I would love to see what it looks like. "Is there any club activities you want to join, Your Highness:/" ''Well, I haven''t thought about it yet. I guess I can''t say until I see it with my own eyes." ''Have you decided yet whether you want to join an extracurricular club or an athletic club? "Yes, I think so. I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to find the right one for me. What about Eberhard? ''I think I''m a culture guy. I don''t think I''d be able to really enjoy myself in a sports club." "That''s a luxury that only the powerful can afford." ''Well, there''s a difference between serious combat and sports." For me, who has passed through many deadly encounters, even at the most prestigious magic academy in the empire, student club activities are, I''m sorry for saying it, like playing for fun. If I were to get serious about it, I would be the only one who wins, and neither I nor the people around me would be able to have much fun. That''s why I never should have joined an sports club. I wonder what kind of club activities are out there. I looked down at the courtyard of the academy from the window of the student council room, looking forward to visiting the club activities after school ?? After we had hit our inventory with various historical materials about the future activities of the student council, we greeted Ms. Claudia and left the student council room. It seems that the other board members are out of town on business today, so the official meeting will take place tomorrow or thereafter. They are the senior students with whom we will spend the next few years of our lives. I hope everyone will get along well. "Well then, Your Highness, see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow. I hope you find a good club." "You too." I parted ways with his highness, who seemed to have decided to focus on the sports club activities today, and I headed toward the street lined with white feather trees in front of the Club Building, where the booths of the cultural clubs were crowded. Swords club, spear club, archery club, equestrian club, fighting club, magical tactics club, mountaineering club, field club, physical beauty pursuit club, orchestra, singing troupe, bard club, art club, plastic arts club, historical club, magical history society, modern magical theory society, ancient magical writing club, magical philosophy club, literature club, magical engineering club, magic lovers club, cooking club, craft club, public relations club and Newspaper Club. ...... This is just a quick glance. The sports clubs have booths in the courtyard area, which is a bit far away from the cultural club booths that I am about to visit. However, it seems that there are a number of people who belong to both the sports and cultural clubs, so there are more people coming and going between the two than I had expected. ''There is such a thing as a "field club." ...... Do people who want to become military personnel after graduation belong to it?" I have already had two years of military experience in the Special Division, so I have had enough of field work. I had experienced a lot of camping out in the Demon Forest, and I didn''t like it, which is why I always have a "simple camp house" with me. ''And ......, I''m also a member of the Physical Beauty Pursuit Club ......." Is it a club where people work hard at daily muscle training in order to pursue physical appearance like that of ancient Greek and Roman statues? Or maybe it''s a club for chubby, bonkers women. ...... But this is a magical academy where the elite gather. I think it would be a problem for their future if they were to engage in such a disreputable activity. Besides, the definition of what constitutes beauty is too vague. For example, ancient Romans found a plump woman with a certain amount of body to be healthy and beautiful, while in the East, a petite and thin woman was considered beautiful. There was even a tribe of people called the Long-necked Binaga, who believed that the longer the neck, the more beautiful the woman. Beauty" is an ambiguous subjective standard that can easily change depending on the cultural environment. "Well, I cover a wide range, from a little sloppy to slender and slender. ..."... "Oh, really? That''s right." "It''s quite sinful, isn''t it?" "Oh no!" When I turned around, I saw a slender Lily and a plump Mei standing behind me, looking at me. "How long have you been there ......?" "I don''t know, since the Field Department.; "I thought you would notice me, Hal. ......" I guess I was just so absorbed in imagining the beauty of a woman that I hadn''t seen yet. "I''m not going to say it like that," "Hal, I think you''re plenty naughty." "How can you say that after constantly rubbing my breasts?" ''In my case, it''s my ass." "Gah!" It seemed that the accumulation of daily physical contact had unexpectedly exploded. "Well, it''s all right if you do it with us." "It''s just that I don''t like it when he gets horny around other people." It''s rare to see Lily, but Mei, to be this possessive. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to get it. So, what club are you two going to be in?" I don''t know what to do. That''s what I''m struggling with. ...... Athletic clubs seem like a lot of work, so I''m thinking culture club. In my case, the Research and Development Department of the Education Committee is like half a club, so I don''t have to participate in any club activities. I see. After looking around the booths for a while, we narrowed down the club activities we were looking for. ''I think I''ll try the Philosophy of Magic Club and the Literature Club." "Hal, you scored high in philosophy of magic on the entrance exam, didn''t you?" ''Well, I''m not as good as Meir, but ......" "I don''t think I'' be compared to Meir." "you''re in the Literature and Arts Club is also surprising. Why?" "Aristocratic culture?" Laugh if you want to at cultural popularity contests. I am interested in literature. I''ve always wanted to read or write something. ''I''m going to join the Modern Magical Theory Club and the Cooking Club." "You''re a good cook, Lily." "I''ll get better at it, and I''ll make sure Hal has good food to eat." "That''s very kind of you to say". "Did you choose the Modern Magical Theory Club because you want to master space-time attribute magic?" ''I will cooperate to the extent that I can help. I think there is still a lot of potential in space-time spells." Mei agrees with Lily''s choice. If these two get serious, I don''t think it would be surprising if a time machine is invented someday. ...... Anyway, after going through the storm of recruiting and the waves of people, which were so lively that even angry shouts were flying around, we were able to safely decide which club to join. Club activities are an important element that adds color to academy life. I am looking forward to joining a club and enjoying my youth. CH 167 "Hey there!¡¡Welcome to the Magical Philosophy Club!" "Rebecca?¡¡What are you doing here?" "What?¡¡Didn''t I tell you?¡¡I majored in philosophy of nature and magic." "I didn''t know that. ...... Does that mean you''re in a class?" Yes, it''s magical natural philosophy. I''m in charge of teaching magic and natural philosophy. However, I also teach a course on Magical Philosophy because of the connections between the two fields of study. The philosophy of magic is a field within the large study area of modern magic theory, but it is also related to natural philosophy, which is the study of non-magical fields, and is also deeply connected with the study of magic formation, which is a very large element in the use of magic, and the study of ancient magical writing, which is a very wide field. Therefore, even if one calls it magical philosophy in a single word, there is a wide range of directions and content, including the philosophy of magical nature, which attempts to clarify magical phenomena in general, magical metaphysics, which explores the mind and body of the human being who uses magic, and magical political philosophy, which discusses the influence of magic on society. Rebecca must be quite an intellectual, since she has mastered such a wide range of subjects and is willing to research them further. Well, it is only natural that she is an intellectual when she is teaching at a magic academy in the first place, but even so, there are mages like Werner who are not comfortable with academics. Rebecca-san is an excellent mage in both the literary and military arts. "You are a researcher, aren''t you?" "Well, yes. My parents were scholars. It was a normal path for me to follow since I was a child." A scholar, huh? Scholars are rare. Scholars, like doctors and military personnel, are one of the most respected professions regardless of their background. Although the Highland empire is a caste-based society, it is also an advanced civilized country where caste systems have been virtually eliminated in the majority of professions that require a certain level of skill and knowledge, such as military officers, civil servants, and scholars. For example, the status system is strong in a society in which bloodlines are the rule, such as in the case of lords, magistrates, and priests. In other professions, however, people are evaluated first on the basis of merit rather than bloodline. In a society where merit is everything, status is of secondary importance. It is natural that scholars are not fools, and there are many who come from commoner backgrounds. However, the reality is that those with strong family backgrounds can receive a better education, so the percentage of those from the upper class is still high. "I think you want to become a mage, don''t you, Rebecca?¡¡You will have to write a lot of research papers, so do you have time to be an advisor for club activities?'' Well, it''s true that writing research papers is a lot of work, but here at the institute, they give you a lot of stipends even if you are treated as a lecturer. To be honest, even if I do whatever I want without becoming a professor, I can still make a good living. "Really frank, this person". The Japanese post-doctoral researchers who are living in a poor environment in their quest for a professorship are likely to weep and regret if they hear this statement. I can''t help but think that the Institute of Magic is really spending a lot of money. I have no intention of criticizing them in the least, as that in itself is a good thing. "Anyway, are you the only new member this year?" "Where are the others?" "I think they''ll be back soon.¡¡...... Oh, they'' re back." The next moment Rebecca said that, the clubroom door opened with a clang and the other club members came in. What a rumor to spread! The next moment Rebecca said that, the clubroom door opened with a crash and the other club members came rushing in. "Oh, are you a new student?'' "Hee. That''s rare, isn''t it?" "Now our club is safe and sound, isn''t i"t? "I make an exception when my advisor is around." "That''s why you''re in the club!" "Let''s put the details aside and have a drink tonight!¡¡Don''t worry, you''re a well-rounded adult now!" Rebecca, with an incredibly happy look on her face, pulls out bottles of wine, ale, and other things out of nowhere. It is true that there is no law against underage drinking in this nation, and it is not uncommon for children to drink alcohol at social events such as the rituals at the shrine. And as a rule of thumb, drinking is allowed after the age of 15. Therefore, it is not illegal for Ms. Rebecca to offer me alcohol, at least not illegally. But I''m not 15 yet! That''s why the party I went to when I was appointed as a knight of the empire was not something I could be proud to talk about. Even though I will not be punished, there are some things that socially acceptable and some things that are not. I looked in front of me and saw that Isabella senior was also smiling, holding a bottle of high alcohol spirit. My God, ............, I thought you weren''t on that side of the table. ............ . Only one senior, Camil, was covering his hand over his forehead, as if to say, "Oh no. Trouble is, he seemed to be the only one with common sense. It wasn''t my college debut, but apparently there is such a thing in this world as a floundering student life that makes you stay up until morning drinking. All of them were seniors. The color of their uniform collars is young purple, blue, and jade, so they must be fourth-, second-, and third-year students, according to the color of their uniform collars. By the way, I am a first-year student, and I am a dark reddish-red one. "My name is Eberhard Karlheinz von Flensburg-Farrenheit, a first-year student." "That''s a little long. You must be Hal." He''s dark blue, so he''s been here for ...... two years? Unlike Iris, the senior girl with straight hair and a short black bob bluntly says so. ''Hey, this boy is an aristocrat. And she''s from the Fahrenheit family." "Ah?¡¡What do we care about status here?" A serious and mature looking third-year male student rebuked her. "It doesn''t matter. It''s not right to make a big deal out of where you were born and grew up," ''I''ll take your word for it. ...... Sorry, . Fahrenheit." "No, I''m sorry, . . May I ask your names?" "My name is Camille Balzer. I am Camille Balzer, a third-year student in the Department of Magical Research". "Hildegard Angerm¨¹ller. Second year." "Isabella von Kranelt. I am the head of this club. It''s nice to meet you." The head of the club, senior Isabella, is kind of a fluffy and receptive person. She seems calm and relaxed, or perhaps she has a somewhat motherly natural air about her. But since the club is involved in something like philosophy, I guess she must be a strange person. "We are all here now. The club I started has grown into quite a large group!:'' ''You created this club, Ms. Rebecca?" ''Yes, she did. Yes, it''s a pretty good club, isn''t it? "In the beginning it was just me, Rebecca and Camille:." "I joined last year.'' ''The original advisor was a old man, so he quit this year. So the members haven''t really changed." ''That''s quite ...... an interesting thing , isn''t it?" "Right?"¡¡...... Well, it''s also fate that they chose us for such a club. ...... Let''s dress up for a welcome party tonight." Hildegard senior is hunched over and inviting me to join them. She looks petite, but apparently she has rather magnificent breast. The pleasant feeling of her breasts against my arms is truly wonderful. She also has a nice smell. She may look crass, but Hildegarde is a proper girl. Well, since it''s my welcome party, I can''t say no to that! "Is it okay?¡¡I heard that the club room is locked at night." The happy feeling of her arms is really wonderful. She also smells good. She may look crass, but Hildegarde is a proper girl. Well, since it''s my welcome gift, I can''t say no to this! Is it okay?¡¡I heard that the club room is locked at night. CH 168 "Ugh ...... ah ...... omg." "That''s why you drink so much, you need to restrain yourself a little ...... ." "Hal,......, you''re a human being,...... go on......".... "Oh my god!¡¡Hilde!" "You called me a senior!¡¡I''ll do that to you!" "Don''t come near me with a bottle in that condition!¡¡Go and wash your face. ...... ugh." Is this what it means to be a pile of corpses? On the morning of the day after the ceremony, taking advantage of the fact that there were no lessons during the registration period, the club room of the Philosophy of Magic Research Club was filled with a dismal state. Kamil, the only conscience of the club, had gone home already, saying, "I can''t keep up with you," while Rebecca was lying crushed in her underwear, Isabella was happily passed out with a bottle of spirits in her arms, and Hildegard, aka Hilde, who had spent the whole night in a dull frenzy beside me, was in the middle of her own party. I''m the one who is trying desperately to hold back my fatty bits with a pale face. There was not a shred of conscience or restraint. I can''t count the number of times I''ve tried to invoke my aristocratic power. For now, I''m going to mobilize all of my remaining rationality to remove the toxin acetaldehyde in my body through "detoxification" and get rid of my hangover. I wonder if I can really do philosophy in this condition, but this is still a top-notch academy. When they do it, they do it seriously. , ''detoxification." The blood seemed to gradually return to Hilde''s pale face as I cast a restorative spell on her. ''...... bad." "Clean up your own business." ...... Leaving Hilde in a low state of excitement, I left the club room of the Philosophy of Magic Research Club. ?? After washing off my sweat in the shower room of the club house and changing into a reserve uniform from my closet, I decided to take a morning walk around the campus, where there were few people, and I found that the campus was quiet. The campus is deserted because it is now the registration period and the absolute number of students who commute to the academy is small to begin with. The library is not open yet, and other than the students who gather here for morning practice of club activities, there are probably only bored people or people who like to do things. While I was elegantly enjoying my morning tea at a bench and table set up in the garden behind the club building, I spotted someone sitting on another bench a few dozen meters away. Apparently, there was another person who liked to sit on the bench besides me. I couldn''t see much because of the distance, but it seemed to be a female student. From her posture and body movements, it seemed that she was reading a book. It is certainly true that early in the morning in spring, it is chilly but not extremely cold, and there are few bugs, and the wind is pleasant. It would be the perfect time for reading. As I continued to look at the book with these thoughts in my mind, the girl, perhaps noticing my gaze, raised her head and looked at me. Our eyes met. She nodded her head and I nodded mine. I thought it would be a bit boring to end the meeting without any conversation. I thought, "Let''s offer her some tea.'' I prepared a new teacup and a teapot, and headed for the girl. As I get closer and closer, I get a clearer picture of who she is. She was a petite girl with short chestnut-colored hair pulled up in a loose bun, wearing glasses. She was probably about the same height as Mei. She is not a dwarf, so her body is not so irregular, but that makes her look even smaller than she is. "Good morning. You''re early." "Good morning. I''m going to ...... to do my daily routine." The color of the collar is dark red. In other words, she was a first-year student in the same grade as me. "You just entered the Academy yesterday, right?" "Oh, well, my house is in the neighborhood. I have been coming here for a long time." Are you being broken in to by a child? ...... Are you okay, Magic Academy? Or is it what, like a college in a past life?¡¡Is it possible that the campus is open to non-students? ''The garden is a spot where not many people go, so I can devote myself to reading." "Heh. ....... Does that mean you are planning to join the literature club by any chance?" "Yes, I am. " ''Eberhard." "Yes. Yes, you are the head of the class, aren''t you? Are you interested in the literary club, too, . Eberhard?'' "Yes. I''m also a member of the Philosophy of Magic Club, but I''d like to join if I can." "Oh, umm...!" The girl came up to me with a book in her arms. "If you don''t, the club will be closed down soon as you join!" ...... "what?" Apparently, there is another situation that has occurred. ??? The academy rules require that there be at least two members in a club. The , so if we don''t find another club member by the end of the month, the club will not be given a place, and the budget won''t be allocated. I was told that the budget would not be approved if another club member is not found by the end of this month. No wonder there was no club room for the literature club, no matter how hard I looked for it. I was planning to go to the Health and Welfare Committee today to ask them where the club''s room was, but I guess I didn''t need to waste my time. "I know it''s rude of me to ask, but would you be interested in joining the literature club, even if it''s just in name ......?" "Okay." "What?¡¡Thank you very much." "I mean, not just because in the name, but because I was planning to join the Literature Club, too, as a usual member. Once again, my name is Eberhard. Nice to meet you." '' Really?¡¡Oh, excuse me!¡¡My name is Juliane von Messerschmidt and it''s nice to meet you!'' "Oh, excuse me!¡¡My name is Juliane von Messerschmidt and it''s nice to meet you!'' "Yes nice to meet ......" Von means noble, I guess. However, I am embarrassed to say that I have never heard of them. As the eldest son of a major noble family, I have all the information on the major empire''s nobles, so if I don''t know them, they must be minor nobles with territory in a very remote area, or they must be up-and-coming nobles in robes working for a government agency somewhere. But still, the family name sounds as if it might be a family that makes fighter planes. ''My father is a technician in the military. He graduated from the military academy with the top grades, so he was awarded the rank of sub-baron by His Majesty the Emperor. Compared to the Fahrenheit family, we are a minor family.'' ''It''s quite a feat to rise to nobility in a single generation, so I don''t think there''s any need to be humble about it." Humility is a virtue, but excessive modesty can be an offense to others. ''I am glad to hear you say so." Ms. Messerschmidt, too, may be quiet, but she does not seem to be the overly modest kind, and she took the words as a compliment in an honest manner. She is a very likable person. ''Well then, I''ll have to apply to join the club and obtain a club room right away.'' Yes!¡¡......, well, what should I called you?" "You can call me as you like. I''m not picky. Can I call you by name, ?" "Of course you can. Then, Mr. Eberhard, I will ask you to be a member of the Literature Club from now on. I''m looking forward to getting to know you as a member of the literature club from now on." "I''m looking forward to working with you as a fellow member of the Literature Club. Juliane.'' Thus, I succeeded in gaining a second club and a friend. t/n I wanna congrat you om upcoming new year ! CH 169 After a week of course registration, classes finally start today. I am glad that I don''t have to take too many classes that I don''t want because I can select the classes I am most interested in from among those set forth in the curricula. In my previous life, I died while still in high school, so unfortunately I did not attend college. The Academy of Magic is an institution that is somewhere between a high school and a college, so in essence, this will be my college debut. So I was really looking forward to this day. "Hal, you are in a very good mood." "I''ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and it''s the start of my life at the academy. It''s impossible to suppress my excitement. "I also had never dreamed of enrolling in the academy . I understand how you feel." Mei is smiling as she says this. Her family is now the owner of a large workshop that has made a big name for itself in the empire, but until about 10 years ago, she was just a blacksmith in a local city. Naturally, there was no option for her to enter a magic academy, and her lifestyle must not have been rich enough to raise the money for tuition fees. "Well, in Mei''s case, she would have had plenty of time to get in if she had used the special student program. ......" Her talent is real. Even in a world where she had not encountered me, she would have won a full scholarship on her own and gone on to further her education. "I mean, the idea of a local blacksmith''s daughter entering an academy is just not something I would have thought of. Normally, a blacksmith''s daughter has no other way but to train as a blacksmith." If you ask me, that may be true. In this world, the influence of parents'' occupation on their child''s future is probably much greater than in modern Japan. But it is much better than in Japan in the Edo period or in Europe in the Middle Ages. "In any case, I am very glad to have met you, Hal. I am a lucky one." "You say such nice things." "Wait, what about me?" "Of course you are, too, Miss Lily! "Hmmm..." When they first met, the two girls sometimes had a rough relationship, but now they have become best friends. I know the two of them since they were young, and I am very moved by their friendship. Even though I was the cause of their acrimony,....... "But still, thanks to Hal''s excessive exertion, there is still plenty of time before homeroom starts." "No, I''ve been too overzealous." Homeroom starts at 9:00 a.m., a little later than in the Japanese junior high and high schools in my previous life. I''m not sure if that''s normal for a university, but as usual, I didn''t even finish high school before I died, so I unfortunately don''t know the details of college life. "By a strange coincidence, we all have first period together, so let''s kill some time by walking around the campus." ""The first period is the same as the rest of the semester, so it''s only natural that we''re all taking the same classes together. .....". "Explore, indeed!" And so, while exploring the grounds of the Imperial Academy of Magic, which boasts an extraordinarily large site despite being located in a very expensive location in the center of the Imperial City, we killed time until homeroom started. ??? "Now, let''s start the lecture." The first period lecture was an overview of modern magic. The magical science was born when magical scholars, led by the Seven Sages, the founders of this academy and the founders of the empire, developed a systematic theory based on the writings and research materials left behind by the great scholars of the early days of the empire. The creation of the concept of "magical science" from magic, which until then had been shrouded in mystery and known only in vague terms, led to a dramatic development of the magical world in the empire. In addition to the scale of the nation''s power, the most important factor contributing to the empire''s political and military fortunes as a superpower was the development of this study of magic. Modern magical science, also known as modern magical theory, is the cutting edge of this discipline. ''Since the fact that this part of the magic formula duplicates the magic formula in the previous section, which is ----, is a major factor in hindering the invocation of this multiple chain of magic. ----. How, then, did Gaius Lucretius, the renowned magician and great mage, resolve this? Answer, student Bernstein." "Yes. He eliminated duplications and inconsistencies by replacing them with ancient magical characters that had the same or close to the same effect as the corresponding formulas." Very well. Then, student Fahrenheit, what new magical technique was devised by this substitution? "Yes. . Chant reduction and chant cancellation." "Yes. As ...... mentioned above, by utilizing the legacy of ancient magical civilizations and linking historical magical currents that had been cut off by the domination of the mages, the study of magic has greatly expanded its possibilities. ...... ......That concludes today''s lecture." The dour-looking professor closed his thick, almost Kojien-like book with a plop and left the room. The blackboard was blank and filled with chalk letters, leaving behind a group of furious students. As soon as the professor leaves the classroom, the tense atmosphere in the classroom relaxed. The sound of scratching notes with a pen stopped, and suddenly the classroom became noisy. "The level .... is very high.'' "I thought my heart would stop when you guessed it. ......" ''The lecture was indeed quite dense." Mei is rolling her shoulders, but the bottom line is that the lecture was of such a high level that it made Mei say that very much. I could clearly see that most students were busy just writing on a board and taking notes. " your shoulders are stiff." "I''ve got big breasts, you know." "Ei!" "Geez!" Mei fights back against my sexual harassment by bringing out a terrible tool. I really regret that this academy does not prohibit the bringing in of hazardous materials. The curriculum of the Academy of Magic includes some practical exercises, so they are allowed to carry in weapons. I have heard that in the past, there have been incidents of people being killed or wounded on the campus because of this. It is truly a terrifying place to be. However, it is probably more correct to say that Mei''s shoulders were stiff because of her large chest rather than because of the hard lectures. That''s how splendid she has it. "Let''s review it together later." ''Sure. ......" "I''m actually a little suspicious of her, so that would be a big help." "I see. That''s why they say it''s so difficult to get graduated in four years. ......" The graduation rate at the Academy of Magic is actually not one hundred percent. And to put it further, the probability of straight graduation without repeating a year is not that high either. The reason is simple: the standards for advancement are too strict. Strictly put, it is possible to advance to the next level and to graduate as long as 60-70% of the credits are earned in order, but getting that 60% is quite difficult. The actual number is even if passing the extremely difficult entrance examination, so you can see how high the education level of the Academy of Magic is. "My goal at the Academy is to graduate in four years!" "A very shameful goal for the head of the class." "Humble, to put it nicely." Although I had a sense of remorse about whether it was right for the top students in the entrance exam to be talking like this, I was the one who lost all my self-confidence because of such a high-level lecture from the very first day of the class. Everyone in the magical philosophy club was an elite who advanced straight to the next level. ......