155 The Spirit Forest

"...Incredible. It isn’t mana, but I can feel… something. A power."

Shari and I were standing in the middle of the West Forest.

To be clear, it wasn't a place where monsters usually spawned. According to my knowledge of the Original Story, there weren't supposed to be any special events here, either.

The only reason I was here was because she’d asked me to come.

I guess I really am a softie, I thought, sighing at my own willingness to be dragged along.

"I knew it. You really are amazing, Weiss."

"What is? What are you talking about?"

Shari clasped her hands behind her back and strolled a few paces into the woods before spinning around to face me.

"This place is teeming with spirits. I brought Allen and Duke here once, but they both said they couldn't feel a thing."

"I see. Well, for me, it’s just a vague sensation. I can’t tell if it’s an actual sixth sense or if my mind is just playing tricks on me."

"The fact that you 'feel' it is what matters. You really do have the aptitude, Weiss."

This was the place Shari had mentioned wanting to take me the other day. Apparently, she used to come here whenever something went wrong during her childhood.

Hearing her open up like that made me feel a little bit happy, even if it felt slightly intrusive to be peering into her past. It meant I was getting to know a side of Shari Elias that hadn't been written in the game.

"So, what’s the plan? Magic practice? Or are you going to let me in on some secret method to form a contract with a spirit?"

"Nope. We aren't doing anything. I just wanted to be here."

"...Huh? You dragged me all the way out here for that?"

"Exactly. If I’d told you the real reason from the start, you would’ve just complained about it being a 'pain,' right? Besides, I can’t exactly bring the current Allen along for this."

"Hmph. You’re as shrewd as ever."

"Ehehe. But come on, let’s just take a walk. I don't think this is a total waste of time. Since it's you, something might actually happen. I didn't tell you what to expect because I wanted to see if you could sense it on your own."

She really knew how to push my buttons. She was playing on my competitive nature, and it was working perfectly.

Good grief. This girl might actually be the one who understands me best in this entire world.

"Fine, fine."

"You’re only supposed to say 'fine' once, remember?"

"Who are you even imitating?" I muttered.

"Okay, let’s go! Keep up!"

"Give me a break..."

For a while after that, Shari and I really did just wander through the woods.

We took in the nature, drank fresh water from a spring, admired the trees, and occasionally scaled some rather precarious-looking cliffs. Suddenly, her pace quickened.

"This way! Over here!"

"What now?"

We broke through the dense treeline, and a staggering view opened up before us. It was a sea of vibrant green, the air filled with the rhythmic splashing of water against stone and a breeze that felt like a physical caress.

"Whoa... this is incredible."

It was the kind of vista that made me regret it hadn't been included in the Original Story. Wait—did she bring me here specifically to see this?

"Beautiful, isn't it? You know, I have this habit of getting too wrapped up in things—of overthinking. I know it’s a bad habit. Watching you lately, Weiss... I felt like you were doing the same thing."

...She had a point.

Seeing Allen, Cynthia, and everyone else around me getting so serious had made me push myself harder than usual. If you lose your cool, your judgment dulls. Getting too heated in a fight usually ends in a disaster.

Still, did she really have to drag me all the way out here to tell me that? She seemed simple enough on the surface, but I could never quite tell what was going on in that head of hers.

"Look, over there and—ah!"

In that heartbeat, Shari slipped. She began to tumble off the edge of the cliff.

My heart skipped a beat. I lunged forward, hand outstretched, panic surging through me—

"Just kidding!"

Shari used a tiny burst of Flight Magic to right herself in mid-air.

You brat! To someone who knows the plot of this world, that kind of joke is absolutely not funny!

"Do that again and I’m going home," I growled.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry! But... I really am grateful. Somehow, I feel like I actually died on that day. So... thank you."

"How many times are you going to thank me for that?"

"Honestly, Weiss, you’re so dishonest with yourself."

"I’m the most honest guy I know."

"Ufufu, maybe so. Well, shall we get going?"

"So we really just came here to look at the view..."

On the way back, I let Debi out of its summon. There wasn't a specific reason for it, but since we were surrounded by nature and away from prying eyes, I figured why not?

Is this what parental instinct feels like?

"Debibi!"

"Don't wander too far."

"You know, it’s strange," Shari said, watching the little creature. "I feel like Debi-chan is actually quite close to a spirit."

"You think so?"

"I heard it from Olynn-san too, but isn't it rare for a creature's appearance to change just from Subjugation? Looking at it that way, Debi-chan is a complete anomaly."

"Well, you’ve got a point there."

Suddenly, Debi let out a sharp cry. I turned, wondering what was wrong, only to find it vibrating with excitement in front of a massive, ancient tree.

"Debi-debibi!"

"Pipe down, you're being noisy."

"Debi..."

"Weiss, you're so cold. Wait—it might have sensed the incredible power coming from this tree."

"So it is a spirit?" I asked.

"Most likely. I can see it—the flow of nature and its power."

Shari reached out and placed her hand on the trunk.

I followed suit, touching the wood on a whim. In that instant, an image seared itself into my brain—the sensation of rushing, flowing water. It was incredibly dark, yet at the end of that darkness, there was a pinprick of light.

"...Weiss, did you just...?"

"What?"

"Did you see it? The water?"

"Huh?"

To my surprise, that moment turned out to be the catalyst.

From that day on, I began to sense a new kind of power. Shari claimed she’d had a similar experience before. So, every night leading up to the exam, we began training to read the power of spirits.

Of course, the "training" mostly consisted of us holding hands to share our mental images.

"Does this actually do anything?" I asked one night.

"It does," she insisted.

Then, on the very eve of the exam, I finally found it. I couldn't put it into words, but I felt it—something certain. A new ability had taken root.

"Weiss, this is incredible. Honestly, this is on a level that would turn the Magic World upside down. I knew it... Darkness really is special. I've never seen anything like this."

"...Heh. You can say that again."

I couldn't blame Shari for being shocked. I had obtained a power that would overturn the very foundation of a Noblesse—something that had never appeared, even once, in the Original Story.

Is this my power? No, it feels more like Debi and I have finally synchronized our hearts.

Seriously, the internal structure of a Noblesse was a total mystery. But unlike me, Debi was pure. Maybe that purity was the key.

"But those eyes... they're a little scary."

"Why? It’s got a cool Chunibyo vibe, doesn't it?"

"Chunibyo?"

"Never mind."

My right eye had turned pitch black, and within that void, my pupil glowed a piercing red.