The host's overly dramatic voice boomed through the hall, and the gathered gods instantly understood: this wasn't a disturbance—just Astraea exercising her "weight."
Everyone relaxed.
A title was a trivial matter.
As expected, a day later the new title was announced across Orario:
"Wayfarer of Abundance" Xien.
From then on, that name began to spread—steadily, inevitably—until even those who hadn't met him could recite it.
A few days later, Xien's mentor arrived.
The witch known as Alfia.
This time, she didn't face any real obstruction. She simply showed her face to the guard and was let through immediately.
Still, Alfia found it odd.
She hadn't released any pressure.
So why did the guard's expression stiffen—why did he start trembling like he'd seen a nightmare?
That hadn't happened last time.
Alfia frowned slightly, then dismissed it.
There were more important matters.
The moment she saw Xien, the quiet, noble witch assessed his presence with a single glance. A brief pause—then she confirmed it: the rumors were true.
Her disciple had grown.
Xien, for his part, immediately brought out what he'd been sent to retrieve last time.
Alfia's gaze fell to the items on the table.
They weren't merely complete.
They were over-complete.
"Hm. Not bad," she said, nodding with satisfaction. "You did as I instructed."
"Of course," Xien replied without hesitation. "It was your task, after all."
"Good."
Alfia's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Then we begin. First, I'll teach you practical casting techniques. That fire spell you improvised—try strengthening it."
Now that Xien was Level 2, his magical shortcomings could no longer be ignored. Alfia's plan was straightforward: refine his fundamentals, then force him into conditions where a new spell might awaken.
As that thought settled into her mind—
Her gaze became… wrong.
Not hostile.
Not murderous.
Just the specific look of a genius who genuinely believes that "near-death experiences" are a reasonable teaching method.
Xien felt it immediately.
A chill ran down his spine.
His instincts screamed.
This was danger.
A very familiar kind.
He couldn't afford to be passive—if he did, he was going to suffer.
Badly.
Then he remembered the new magic he'd learned.
"Right—Teacher," he said quickly. "I learned a few new spells. Could you take a look and evaluate them?"
Alfia's eyes narrowed with mild interest.
"Oh? You've already learned how to produce a harmonious resonance? Then show me."
The warning sensation in Xien's chest eased slightly.
He exhaled, silently relieved—yet he still didn't dare relax.
In Orario, spellcasting required incantations, but incantations weren't fixed. They changed with the attribute called, with the structure of the magic, even with the tier of the spell.
High-tier spells demanded longer chants.
It was the price you paid.
Like firing a rifle: you raise it, aim it, pull the trigger—steps you can't skip.
You can shorten it through special methods, but that's like firing on the move: it requires mastery, and the risk goes up.
For true prodigies, though, it wasn't a problem.
To learn what he needed from Alfia, Xien demonstrated both newly learned spells in full.
Alfia watched, and for the first time she showed faint surprise.
In such a short time, he had already acquired additional magic.
His training really had been comprehensive.
"Interesting," she said. "So merely teaching you basics is enough for you to reach this level. I'll praise you once, then."
Her tone shifted immediately afterward—smooth, dangerous.
"But tell me: why show me this?"
"If you did it just to show off, I'll let you experience 'Foe's Gospel' again."
Xien broke into cold sweat.
This mentor of his—who could jump to "punishment" with zero emotional ramp-up—was impossible to deal with.
He answered fast.
"How could I be so shallow, Teacher? I want to learn combat casting—shortened chants, battle chanting. As you saw, this current form is useless in real combat."
He spread his hands, presenting the flaw plainly.
Alfia nodded in quiet agreement.
The speed he'd demonstrated, in her eyes, was like a turtle crawling.
"Fair. Some of those techniques can be taught, but most are built through practice—using it in actual combat, over and over."
"When your mind becomes completely still and the external 'noise' can no longer disturb you… it becomes easy."
Xien's stomach sank.
He knew what was coming.
Alfia sighed, as if deciding to do things properly.
"Enough talk. Come here."
"Same as last time."
"I'll teach—then we do practical training."
Of course.
Xien felt a wave of helplessness.
Even with endless stamina, this kind of high-intensity "education" was exhausting in a different way.
But there was no escape.
So he did what he always did when trapped—
He flipped the mindset.
Fine.
If he couldn't avoid it, he would endure it.
He would even use it.
Training mode: on.
"Yes," he said.
For the next half hour, Alfia explained battle casting, shortened-chant structure, timing, breathing, and how to keep a chant stable under pressure.
Her teaching was extremely detailed—detailed enough that even a beginner like Xien could fully understand without relying on the system.
But that half hour was the mercy.
When the lesson ended, the "hell" began.
Back at the familia's residence, the members felt the familiar tremor through the ground again.
They all understood what it meant.
Several of them shuddered instinctively.
A strange respect rose in their hearts for their younger member.
Not because of power—
Because anyone who could go through that repeatedly, without a single complaint, was a kind of monster in their own right.
Ryuu had been feeling conflicted for days.
On one hand, she was genuinely happy: she had reached Level 4, finally holding enough strength to protect Xien if necessary.
On the other hand, a question continued to haunt her.
"What can truly be called a miracle?"
She couldn't settle on an answer.
And she couldn't reconcile it with Xien's behavior—his harsh rules, his refusal to act "soft."
Lowering her head in thought, she failed to notice someone standing right in front of her.
Thump.
They collided.
"Ah—sorry, I wasn't watching—Alise?"
Ryuu hurried to apologize, then looked up and froze.
Alise was smiling.
And judging by that smile—
This might not have been an accident.
"Feeling awake again?" Alise asked gently, holding out a hand to help her up.
Ryuu narrowed her eyes.
"Alise… was that on purpose?"
Alise immediately objected with innocent charm.
"I wouldn't say that. I was standing to the side."
"You're the one who walked straight into me."
Ryuu glanced at the position, realized it was technically true, and sighed.
"Then… I apologize. It's my fault."
She always did this: perhaps too straightforward, but always clear on right and wrong.
Alise's expression softened.
Then she abruptly changed the topic.
"Ryuu. Do you mind going on duty with me today?"
"I don't mind—"
"Good!" Alise declared, cutting her off. "It's decided. Let's patrol."
"Alise—!"
And just like that, under Alise's cheerful force and Ryuu's reluctant compliance, the two geared up and left the residence.
When the shaking finally stopped, Xien's "practical training" ended.
He spat out a mouthful of pulverized internal fragments—an awful mix of blood and what should never have been visible.
Seeing that Alfia wasn't moving to strike again, he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
His body could be healed.
Pain, however, was still pain.
He didn't even know how he'd endured it.
Then an absurd thought crossed his mind.
Was it the relief when the healing hit?
…Don't tell me I'm developing strange tendencies.
No.
No.
That was terrifying.
He refused to think further.
Every healing cycle replaced damaged tissue with better-fitting, stronger cells. His body was becoming tougher, faster, denser.
At minimum, his resistance to shock had increased dramatically.
Now, he wasn't instantly torn apart by the residual force alone.
That, more than the combat casting he'd barely learned, was the real gain.
Alfia, after her "warm-up," looked faintly refreshed.
She also felt a small, reluctant astonishment.
Her disciple was rapidly evolving into a competent "training dummy."
At this pace, he would soon adapt even to the residual waves of her technique.
A disturbing growth rate.
She had roamed Orario for years and rarely met anyone who could truly challenge her. Even the former captain known as the "Empress" merely had deeper accumulation—given the same time, the outcome of past hunts might not have been so clear.
But this child…
He had the potential to rival her—or surpass her.
That was worth anticipation.
Alfia dismissed the thought.
His growth was simply… good.
She raised a hand, beckoning him over.
Xien, already mostly recovered, trotted over as if nothing had happened.
Alfia's eyelid twitched.
He'd been coughing blood a moment ago.
Now he looked perfectly alive.
This wasn't normal.
Absolutely not.
"All right," Alfia said. "Training pauses here."
"Do you have time? We may need to leave Orario for a few days."
"I don't have anything urgent," Xien replied. "Is this about the person you mentioned before?"
He remembered her earlier request: she wanted him to help save someone.
So that person wasn't in the city.
Alfia's voice lowered slightly.
"Yes."
"She's my younger sister. My blood sister."
"She isn't in Orario—she's resting somewhere else."
"I want you to come and examine her."
A pause.
Then the words dropped like a stone.
"She's… probably close to dying."
"I understand," Xien said immediately, without hesitation. "I'll inform Lady Astraea and the others."
If it was his mentor's family, that alone was enough reason to go.
When he explained, the goddess and the familia agreed without hesitation.
A life was at stake.
They had no reason to refuse.
And traveling beside Alfia, one of Orario's strongest, meant Xien's safety was effectively guaranteed.
So the journey began.
It was Xien's first time leaving the fortress-city.
To be honest, he was quietly excited.
Orario might be the world's center—adventurers, gods, monsters, every fantasy concentrated into one place.
But that didn't mean the rest of the world held nothing beautiful.
If anything—
The world outside held the truest natural beauty.
Flowers. Ocean. Forest. Wide skies.
Beauty everywhere, if the eyes looking at it were willing to see.
Alfia, of course, refused anything as mundane as ordinary travel.
It wasted time.
And it didn't satisfy her.
Their transport was a wyvern—a docile creature raised and trained by the Ganesha Familia.
Not a dungeon monster.
A creature born of the world itself.
Xien had never ridden a wyvern.
He needed someone to guide him.
Which meant…
He and Alfia rode the same one.
Xien sat in front.
Alfia behind him.
For several seconds, Xien was completely blank.
Then the wind hit his face and reality caught up.
He shifted instinctively—only for a calm, gentle voice to cut him off immediately.
"Don't move," Alfia said softly.
"If you move again, I'll throw you down."
So this was what it meant to say the cruelest thing in the gentlest tone.
"…Understood," Xien managed.
He could occasionally feel the softness behind him. The awareness alone made his entire body tense like steel.
This was worse than training.
On a living creature.
In the air.
He couldn't possibly remain perfectly still—yet he didn't dare move.
Alfia, for her part, felt the subtle tension in her arms and—uncharacteristically—heat rose to her cheeks.
Close contact with a man at this distance was a new experience.
Even the "strongest" could be awkward.
Xien knew he had to do something.
If this continued, he would die of discomfort.
So he chose the safest weapon available:
Conversation.
"Teacher," he asked carefully, "could you tell me about your younger sister?"
....
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