Ais lowered her head slightly, golden strands of hair falling beside her ears, hiding her expression at that moment.
Meanwhile, on the other side. / "Lefiya." / "Yes!"
After Riveria finished speaking.
At Riveria's call, Lefiya immediately straightened her back, the tips of her hair brushing across her faintly reddened cheeks.
"Take Miss Kikakujou aside and teach her how to sense the wind."
Riveria looked at this nominal disciple of hers beside her, a trace of helplessness in her tone.
Ever since Haimer's group had stepped through the gates of the Twilight Manor, Lefiya's gaze had been drawn as if by a magnet, drifting now and then toward Kikakujou Mary.
In those eyes, clear as a fawn's, shimmered an anticipation she couldn't hide at all.
Riveria knew very well that for the Elf race, who by nature possessed an extremely strong fastidiousness, to accept and grow fond of other adventurers so quickly made Lefiya's personality an absolute oddity.
Fortunately, this Miss Kikakujou wasn't bad at all.
"Alright, leave it to me!"
Hearing the order, an excited flush rose instantly to Lefiya's cheeks, and with light steps she all but trotted over to Kikakujou Mary's side.
She reached out, grabbed Kikakujou Mary's wrist, and led her toward a quieter open patch at the edge of the training ground.
"Um…"
"I don't really know much about advanced swordsmanship—I'm a mage."
"But if you want those high-intensity bursts to flow more smoothly and conserve stamina, learning to sense the wind around you is a very important step."
"The wind will tell you which way the air flows, the faint currents stirred up when a monster moves—and even… the openings in your enemy's defense."
Watching Lefiya—who was clearly a little nervous yet still earnestly trying to play the part of a senior—Mary curved her lips into a smile. "Then I'll be in your care, Lefiya."
Watching the two of them move to a corner at the edge of the grounds and close their eyes, trying to catch the surging of the air currents, Riveria gave a slight nod.
Withdrawing her gaze, she turned her head to look at the other girl standing before her.
Tendou Kisara.
This girl, dressed in a peculiar black sailor uniform, simply stood quietly a few paces away.
But as Riveria looked at her, she felt as though she were gazing at a sheathless blade that had been soaked too long in bloody water.
Riveria didn't even need to probe her deliberately.
Having lived for over a hundred years, she could already clearly smell that bone-chilling, almost tangible killing aura that hung about this black-clad girl.
It was by no means an air that could be accumulated by slaying a few monsters in the Dungeon.
It was the kind of presence possessed only by someone who had truly taken the lives of their own kind—someone who had waded step by step through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"Have you killed people before?"
Riveria looked calmly at Tendou Kisara and bluntly laid it bare.
She gazed at the haze in the depths of Tendou Kisara's eyes that seemed it would never dissolve.
She naturally understood that behind this girl trailed a past that was anything but pleasant.
Tendou Kisara's hand rested steadily on the hilt at her waist, her thumb pressed against the blade.
At those words, there wasn't the slightest ripple in her eyes.
She merely lowered her eyelids slightly and stayed silent—a tacit admission.
She had never intended to hide it in the first place.
"Your swordsmanship—is it self-taught, or do you have a complete lineage behind it?"
Riveria nodded and continued questioning.
"A family art." "But the slash I rely on now, I came to understand on my own—for the purpose of killing."
Tendou Kisara still concealed nothing about her own blade.
Riveria nodded, expressing appreciation for such candor.
"Draw your blade."
Riveria stepped back half a pace, her hands hanging naturally at her sides.
"Hold nothing back. Show me your killing intent and your technique without reserve."
"Let me see your slash—after I've seen it, I'll give you suitable advice."
"As you wish." Tendou Kisara wasted no extra words.
Her relaxed shoulders tensed in an instant, her body sank slightly, and her center of gravity shifted onto the tips of her toes. "Shing——!"
A dazzling silver-white flash of the blade burst suddenly from the sheath, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air.
『Tendou-ryū Menkyo Kaiden』.
This was not merely a display of technique, but the embodiment of her 『Sword Demon's Heart』—born for vengeance and catalyzed to its very utmost by Haimer's Divine Power.
The blade sliced open the air, even forcing out a translucent wave of pressure ahead of its edge.
Riveria stood where she was, and in her green eyes was clearly mirrored that keen Sword Aura, sharp enough to cleave a stone pillar several meters away in two.
A powerful gust rushed at her face, sending her mage's robe flapping noisily—even her hood was blown half back.
"Swish!" The flash of the blade vanished in an instant.
The moment the others around noticed the Sword Aura sweeping out, they all turned to look, unable to help being stunned.
Then, a soft "click."
Tendou Kisara's wrist twisted, the veins on the back of her hand bulging, and with an exceedingly clean, crisp motion she returned the long blade to its sheath. The guard clicked home.
Everything settled back into calm—only a hair-raising chill still lingered in the surrounding air.
Looking at the sword-mark that had appeared on the ground, nearly an inch deep, Riveria nodded gently.
"You abandon all room to maneuver for defense, concentrating every ounce of your muscles' explosive power into the single instant of the draw—a purely destructive style of swordsmanship."
Riveria offered a fair appraisal.
"This is highly effective against thick-skinned, hardy monsters, but if your draw misses, your flank will be left fatally exposed."
Riveria extended a finger and tapped at the air.
"The speed at which you readjust your stance after the draw is what you'll need to focus on polishing next."
Because Tendou Kisara had her own way of the sword, Riveria offered only a bit of guidance before turning her gaze toward the last person.
——The Holy Emperor.
Compared with the killing-aura-laden Tendou Kisara from before, the Holy Emperor, dressed in a spotless white gown, clearly seemed so utterly out of place.
She stood there quietly, her posture upright, her hands folded naturally before her.
Her bearing was so elegant one couldn't find a single flaw in it, and her every movement carried a noble dignity that ran bone-deep.
Compared to an adventurer who had to fight for her life in the labyrinth of the Dungeon,
she looked more like some sheltered noble young lady who had wandered into the wrong place to sightsee.
Moreover, given how recently the Holy Emperor had joined the [Haimer Familia],
and given that every member of the [Haimer Familia], before joining, had been almost like invisible people—you couldn't dig up a single clue about them—
Riveria still hadn't figured out the Holy Emperor's precise role within the [Haimer Familia].
Especially when her gaze fell upon the Holy Emperor's hands.
They were hands so fair as to be nearly translucent—not half a callus to be found, not even the slightest scrape.
Hands like these had never gripped even the lightest dagger.
"You… are also a combatant?"
Riveria asked, somewhat puzzled.
Under Riveria's scrutiny, the Holy Emperor's already-folded hands unconsciously wrung together, tightening slightly. She seemed a little flustered.
After all, this was the [Loki Familia]'s base, and standing before her was the finest mage in Orario.
If she rashly displayed the effects of 『Gensokyo』 and 『Utopia』, it might bring unnecessary trouble upon her own Kami-sama.
At this thought, the Holy Emperor bit her lower lip and finally turned her head, casting a pleading look toward Haimer, who sat on the spectator stand not far away.
Sensing the Holy Emperor's questioning gaze, Haimer gave a slight nod.
"Sure, she's this fellow's Familia." "But Miss Riveria and Captain Finn and the rest aren't the type to go around wagging their tongues."
"Since you've come to seek a senior's instruction, go ahead and show it boldly."
"Your talent—even if the whole world knew of it, all they could do is envy you; they couldn't take it from you."
Hearing Haimer's words,
the heart that the Holy Emperor had been holding in her throat finally settled steadily back into place.
With her Kami-sama's approval, she no longer feared any suspicion.
She nodded gratefully toward Haimer.
"Hey, hey, hey! Haimer, I don't like the sound of that one bit!"
Before the Holy Emperor could even act, Loki off to the side bristled first.
She leapt up from her chair, hands on her hips, and stood before Haimer with a face full of indignation, hollering loudly.
"What do you mean 'sure they're this fellow's Familia'?! The way you say it makes it sound like I, Loki, am totally unreliable and always out there ruining my reputation!"
"Back when we were in the Heavens, we were the kind of best buddies who'd always stick together no matter what, right?! And here you are belittling me right in front of my children—that's going too far!"
As she yelled, Loki dramatically raised her arm and vigorously wiped at tears with her sleeve that didn't exist at all.
Haimer rolled his eyes outright, his expression full of disdain.
He knew this red-haired goddess's character all too well—now that she was in the Lower World, that shameless, thick-skinned manner of hers hadn't changed in the slightest.
Haimer couldn't be bothered to bandy words with Loki and simply raised his hand.
Curling a finger, he flicked her hard on the forehead without the slightest courtesy. "Ow!"
Loki instantly clutched her forehead, staggered back two exaggerated steps, and let out a miserable yelp.
"Shut up and watch quietly."
Haimer tossed out the curt words helplessly.
Loki promptly behaved, rubbing her forehead and muttering as she retreated to the side, her eyes nonetheless fixed curiously on the Holy Emperor in the field.
Having received her own god's approval, the Holy Emperor slowly turned back around to face Riveria once more.
"Then… please forgive my clumsy display, Lady Riveria."
The Holy Emperor bowed her head slightly and performed an impeccable lady's curtsy.
Riveria nodded and stepped back half a pace, leaving enough space.
By all common reasoning,
in Riveria's expectations, even if this girl who looked utterly without combat experience possessed 「Magic」, it would probably be the most ordinary sort—a low-level single-target healing spell, or some feeble support magic.
And yet—in the instant the Holy Emperor closed her eyes and parted her lips—
Riveria's pupils contracted abruptly.
The magic in the surrounding air twisted in something close to a riot.
There came only a single, extremely short phrase, like a soft whisper beside one's ear.
[Here I build a paradise where no one grieves.]
Immediately after, an emerald-green light spread out with a roar in a vast ring, centered on the Holy Emperor!
The halo's coverage was astonishingly large, enveloping nearly the entire broad training ground.
Wherever this green light touched, miracles began to unfold.
The bruises and bloodstains left behind from the fierce clash between Amou Kirukiru and Tione; the tiny wounds cut open by blade-aura when Tiona and Kohina had crossed hands; even the minute internal injuries pent up within the bodies of those [Loki Familia] members—
after the green light swept over them, the bleeding stopped, the wounds healed at a visible speed—scabbing over and flaking away to reveal newborn skin as good as new.
Not only that—the stamina everyone had expended in such great quantities from the high-intensity training was also being wildly replenished at an utterly unreasonable rate.
——Wide-area healing magic, 『Gensokyo』.
"This… how is this possible…"
Not far away, Lefiya, who had been instructing Mary, stared with eyes gone perfectly round, and the short staff in her hand fell to the flagstone floor with a clack.
As the gifted elf prodigy mage on whom the [Loki Familia] had pinned high hopes, Lefiya knew well the iron laws of 「Magic」.
And so, upon feeling this immense surge of magic power, she too could tell that the 「Magic」 the Holy Emperor used was no simple thing.
But the higher-tier the magic—the wider its coverage and the stronger its healing—the longer the chant it required, and the more vast and complex the magic circle that had to be constructed.
Under normal circumstances, even a veteran mage well-versed in healing magic, in order to cast wide-area healing covering more than half the training ground, would need at least a full minute of focused chanting—and could not be interrupted at any point during it.
And yet now—in the span of a single sentence—the magic had taken shape in an instant.
This utterly shattered Lefiya's grasp of magical common sense.
But compared to Lefiya, Riveria—who faced all of this head-on—felt an inner turmoil far more violent.
After all, it wasn't merely the ultra-short chant.
As the finest mage in Orario, bearer of the title 「Nine Hells Princess」,
Riveria's sensitivity to magic power had long since reached a realm beyond the reach of ordinary people.
She wanted to examine the Holy Emperor's body.
But the moment her fingers touched the Holy Emperor's warm, soft, delicate skin that had surely never held a sword—
Riveria's heart sank.
Because what she sensed was like a bottomless abyss.
An ocean of magic power, filled with the suffering and pity of countless people, and some incomprehensible, extreme obsession.
Unfathomably deep, vast and boundless.
And what's more—what made Riveria's blood run cold even further was—
Riveria looked at the Holy Emperor's profile, still calm after casting, not even a single drop of sweat shed.
This effortless poise showed that this wide-area magic was hardly any drain on her at all—she could even keep casting it continuously, one after another!"
But—how could this be possible?!
How on earth could a Lv.2 body hold such a vast base of magic power—enough to burst a Lv.6 mage apart?!
Moreover, through the contact of her fingertips, Riveria was utterly certain.
The Holy Emperor's body could be called extremely frail—her base stats might not even match those of a seasoned Lv.1.
Like a thin little paper bag.
How could such a frail shell contain so terrifying a base of magic power?
What on earth had caused such a mutation?
At this thought, with an especially complicated mood, Riveria released the hand she had been holding of the Holy Emperor's.
She gazed deeply at this girl in the white dress.
Upon that elven face which had always been dignified and grave, as though it could command any situation, there now—for the first time ever—surfaced a trace of powerlessness.
"Lord Haimer." Riveria's voice was somewhat complicated.
"I'm very sorry. I… may have no way to instruct Miss Holy Emperor."
The moment these words came out, the entire training ground fell into dead silence at once.
It wasn't just the Holy Emperor who was stunned.
Lefiya, Finn, Gareth, Tione, Tiona—even Ais, who had been lost in thought all this while—all turned their gazes over in unison.
After all, the dignified Lv.6 「Nine Hells Princess」, the acknowledged strongest mage in Orario,
had actually admitted publicly that she couldn't teach a newcomer who had only just reached Lv.2?!
This was simply more unbelievable than the sky falling.
"Is it… is it that my aptitude is poor?"
The Holy Emperor was startled by Riveria's reaction. She nervously clenched the hem of her skirt and looked at Riveria, her eyes full of dread.
She thought her ability was, in others' eyes, nothing but a useless showpiece.
"Of course not."
Riveria looked at this somewhat helpless girl and let out a helpless sigh, then turned her head toward Haimer seated on the stand.
"On the contrary, Lord Haimer—it is Miss Holy Emperor's very existence that has already overturned my understanding of magical common sense."
Riveria pressed her thin lips together slightly, speaking somewhat slowly, as if organizing her words.
"Although when I touched her wrist just now, her body was so frail it didn't seem at all like that of a Lv.2 adventurer."
"But…" Riveria paused, her gaze somewhat complicated.
"The magic power Miss Holy Emperor gives off, however, left me somewhat at a loss. You could say I'm able to speak these words at all entirely because Miss Holy Emperor gave me such a fright."
"So much so that I am convinced I am truly incapable of teaching her."
"My past experience in magic might be of no help to her whatsoever."
"On the contrary, it would only waste her talent."
"Hsss!!!" Hearing Riveria's astonishing declaration, Loki sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
"Hey, hey, hey, you old elf hag, are you really not mistaken?"
Bert's face was likewise written with disbelief.
After all, they all knew Riveria's true measure—the acknowledged strongest mage in Orario, the very pinnacle of magical attainment—and now she was actually telling a frail-looking little girl who couldn't even lift a blade that she couldn't teach her?
However, Haimer wasn't the least bit surprised by Riveria's judgment.
The Lower World's framework of magic truly had no room for an oddity who replenished her magic power by absorbing suffering.
What's more, Riveria had been able, after such brief contact, to grasp the essence of the Holy Emperor's magic power so swiftly and precisely—and to openly admit her own inadequacy in public, without the slightest concealment.
This composure, unswayed by vanity, was truly worthy of her title of 「Nine Hells Princess」.
"I understand."
"Since Miss Riveria believes the orthodox elven path of magic won't work, then I'll simply ask Miss Riveria to teach her some basic knowledge of magic-power circulation and control."
"As for the things that require lengthy exposition—I won't insist on those."
"Yes, Lord Haimer."
At Haimer's words, Riveria's somewhat tense shoulders relaxed slightly; she nodded solemnly and quickly agreed to the request.
After all, being able to avoid leading a student astray was, for a strict, self-disciplined mentor like her, undoubtedly a relief.
Still—the basics could be left to Riveria, but in the end someone else would have to be found to serve as the Holy Emperor's mentor.
Yet, as Haimer thought it over carefully—in all of Orario, who else was there who could step outside the conventional framework of magic, who had both the qualification and the ability to guide the Holy Emperor?
At this thought, Haimer's eyes narrowed slightly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Holy Emperor's fingers, which had been tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, finally loosened slowly.
She lowered her head, gently biting her lower lip.
At least Riveria wasn't disdaining her.
But as she listened to Riveria frankly admit she couldn't instruct her,
a scene suddenly flashed through the Holy Emperor's mind.
It was back in the secluded depths of the Dungeon's 20th floor.
When she had seen those Xenos, covered in wounds and wailing in agony, and couldn't help unleashing 『Gensokyo』—
that skeletal figure wrapped entirely in a black cloak, who called herself the 「Sage」—Fels—had once clearly expressed the intention to personally instruct her in magic.
But because Fels at the time represented a hidden power deep within the Guild, and answered directly to Orario's greatest deity—Ouranos—
the Holy Emperor hadn't been clear, back then, on just what kind of delicate relationship existed between her own Kami-sama and that Guild deity.
Afraid that her momentary impulse might draw unnecessary trouble and suspicion upon Haimer,
she had, at the time, declined ever so tactfully.
But now—the Holy Emperor lifted her head, her sidelong glance sweeping over the others.
Everyone was desperately trying to grow sharper under their respective mentors, so as not to become the [Haimer Familia]'s weak point.
But what about herself? Was she to drag on and on, finding no path to progress?
At this thought, the Holy Emperor's hand couldn't help tightening once again.
At this moment, Kikakujou Mary, who had just finished a round of sword-form correction, also noticed the Holy Emperor's dazed look.
She reached out and gently patted the Holy Emperor's back. "Don't make such a face."
Kikakujou Mary blinked, leaned in to the Holy Emperor's ear, and lowered her voice. "If you've got something on your mind, then go tell Kami-sama."
"Don't forget—our Kami-sama taught us that in all things, it's enough to keep your thoughts unobstructed."
Hearing Kikakujou Mary's words, the Holy Emperor hesitated, then looked straight toward Haimer on the stand.
"Kami-sama."
The Holy Emperor walked up before Haimer, bent slightly at the waist, and—in a very low voice, shutting out the still-eavesdropping Loki who had her ears pricked for gossip—asked her question.
"What is it?" "I…"
The Holy Emperor glanced sidelong at Finn and Loki not far off, and the words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.
Haimer immediately caught on.
"Come walk with me over there." Haimer pointed to a rest area screened off by tall ornamental plants.
The two walked off one after the other; Loki rolled her eyes and pursed her lips without a word, while Finn gave a slight bow, perfectly courteous.
Away from everyone's sight, they came to a secluded corner.
A breeze stirred the plants' broad leaves, sending up a rustling sound. "Speak."
Haimer leaned against the stone pillar behind him, looking at the Holy Emperor gently, his posture relaxed.
The Holy Emperor, having come to a stop, lowered her head slightly and quickly sorted out the thoughts in her mind.
Then she raised her head, met Haimer's gaze, and recounted, in full detail, exactly what had happened when she encountered Fels on the 20th floor before.
"That Lord Fels clearly proposed wanting to teach me."
"But because her position was sensitive at the time, I didn't agree outright."
The Holy Emperor clasped her hands tightly before her.
"But now that Lady Riveria feels she cannot guide me…"
"Kami-sama…" "I don't want to forever stand behind everyone, nor do I want to become a burden to the [Haimer Familia]."
"I, too, want… to share some of the burden for you."
"So… may I ask your permission to go and seek instruction from that Lord Fels?"
Because she wasn't sure whether her taking the initiative to make contact with a core figure of the Guild would disrupt Haimer's plans,
the Holy Emperor felt rather uneasy inside after saying all this.
However, upon hearing it, Haimer instead had a flash of inspiration.
After all—Fels, was it. Truly, a single word had woken the dreamer.
After all, come to think of it carefully—Fels, who had lived eight hundred years, who had forcibly conquered the boundary between life and death and created resurrection magic and the secret art of agelessness and immortality—
setting aside that fellow's skeletal-frame appearance,
Fels—who, in a mortal's body, had wrought the miracle of raising the dead in the Lower World—possessed an attainment in 「Magic」 that, in the entire Lower World, absolutely no one could surpass.
____
👻🔥+40 ch: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: COTE: Counterattack System
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody