As we walked away from the Central Cathedral, I chatted with Kaori-san. She was clearly exhausted, but given that she had expressed joy over the gift of agelessness, her expression was a complicated mix of weariness and delight.
"By the way, Kaori-san," I said, "I think I already know the answer based on your reaction earlier, but I should ask anyway. Do you have any interest in coming to the tea party?"
"Kaito-kun, let me put it this way: if my stomach gets a hole in it, I won't even be able to drink the tea. Please, only invite me when there aren't any gods or kings or people like that around."
"Fair enough. Still, you really have ended up in an incredible position."
"Right? Even if it's just within the boundaries of the Friendly City, having power on par with the Peerage-class... it’s absurd."
"Well, that was just my gut feeling based on intuition, so I'm not entirely sure," I admitted.
I had felt her magic was close to Eta and Theta’s, but I didn't actually know if that meant she was truly as strong as a Baron-class high-ranking demon.
"No, I feel the same way," Kaori-san replied. "Even without an exact scale, I think I've reached that level. Besides, a fifty-fold increase in magic power is just terrifying."
"Is the amount of magic power really the most important factor?"
"You might know this already, Kaito-kun, but while magic capacity has the biggest effect on combat strength, it's also the hardest thing to increase."
"Now that you mention it, my own magic hasn't increased at all."
"Me neither. I’ve lived here for over ten years, but it’s barely grown since the day I was summoned."
As Kaori-san explained, one's magic reserve was notoriously difficult to expand. At the very least, mine hadn't grown enough for me to notice, and Kaori-san hadn't seen much improvement since her time as a Hero either.
Since that capacity directly fuels the potency of spells and the efficacy of physical enhancement, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's the core of one's combat potential. The reason my own physical enhancement was so lackluster was simply because my mana pool was so small.
"Mana capacity is largely determined by innate talent; it only grows in tiny increments. Even your Eta and Theta probably took hundreds or thousands of years to reach Peerage-class levels through effort. That’s why Olivia-sama’s blessing is so frightening. She let me reach that level in an instant, even if it is only in one city."
"If your capacity increased fifty times over, your actual combat potential probably jumped way more than fifty-fold, right?"
"Exactly. More mana means more powerful spells and higher multipliers for physical buffs. Of course, there are exceptions—some people have such high aptitude that they can cast spells that should be impossible for their raw capacity. My Water Magic is like that. My mana pool is only slightly above average for a human, but when it comes to water, I can cast spells at a scale and power that shouldn't be possible for me. That’s why I was able to win the mock battle against Frau-san, even though she has more magic and better physical stats. Without my specialized aptitude, I would've lost easily."
This likely applied to Hina-chan as well. Aoi-chan had a larger mana pool, but Hina-chan’s physical enhancement was overwhelming due to the sharp, specialized aptitude common among otherworlders. In fact, Hina-chan's enhancement rate alone was said to rival the strongest humans, like Sieg-san and Luna-san. It was a clear testament to how focused an otherworlder's specialization could be.
"With my mana at fifty times its usual level, I might even be able to pull off Grand Magic if it’s water-based."
"I don't know much about the specifics, but is Grand Magic really that difficult?"
"Extremely. It’s magic that exists outside the standard framework of low, mid, and high-level tiers. The scale and power are on a different level entirely. I think most Grand Magic is capable of wiping a small town off the map. Usually, you need to be at the level of a Count-class high-ranking demon to even try. Fifty times my normal power still shouldn't be enough, but with my specialization, I might actually manage it."
"I see... though Isis-san and the others were firing those off like they were nothing."
"Wait, your comparison is way off! The Death King’s magic capacity isn't just a few digits higher than a Count's; she’s in a completely different dimension! Even if my mana was multiplied by a hundred million, I wouldn't even reach her ankles. Of course she can fire them in rapid succession."
In truth, the only time I had clearly witnessed Grand Magic was during the battle between Isis-san and Iris-san. I might have seen it before then as well, but that was the first time I saw it used while being explicitly identified as such. Isis-san had used it with absolute ease, but that was only because she was exceptionally powerful; normally, it was a sight that should never be possible.
"As expected, the Six Kings are in a league of their own..."
"The Six Kings are special, but even the Count-class demons are monsters to us. Baron and Viscount-class demons are far beyond my reach, yet their strength is still something I can conceptually grasp. But once you hit the Count-class, you’re in a dimension where reacting to the speed of light is common knowledge. In battle manga, light-speed is usually reserved for the strongest characters, yet here it’s the bare minimum. People talk about the 'Big Wall' between the Viscount and Count classes for a reason."
"Maybe you'll reach that level one day too, Kaori-san..."
"I won't! Or rather, I can't! ...At least, I shouldn't be able to. As long as you don't do anything weird... Promise me, okay? Don't go dragging some bizarre god over here to super-buff me. I'm a diner owner! I don't need to be able to react to the speed of light!"
"No, I wasn't planning on—"
"Even if you aren't planning it, that's the kind of thing that just happens around you! That's why you're so terrifying!"
I could only give her a bitter smile at her soul-wrenching cry. In all honesty, if I asked Shiro-san or Machina-san, it probably was possible for Kaori-san to reach the Count-class... but I had no reason to do that. Or perhaps some other god from another world would take a liking to her and grant her a blessing... but that was surely a one-in-a-million chance.
Serious-senpai: "Wait, didn't you say the god who's super close with Machina is coming after the Berserk Gorilla?"
???: "True, but would that god have any reason to take a personal interest in Kaori-san?"
Serious-senpai: "...Probably not."