A few days had passed since the completion of Diguardia, and my life had settled back into its usual routine.
"Hah!"
I narrowly evaded a wooden sword swung with a sharp, dignified shout.
Whoops. Close one.
As I stumbled back to find my footing, my maid, Sylpha, looked down at me with a faint smile.
"Splendidly dodged, Master Lloyd."
"...Haha. I’d appreciate it if you went a little easier on me, though."
"You jest. If I were to hold back against you now, Master Lloyd, I would be the one defeated."
Despite her words, Sylpha looked genuinely delighted.
Today was our daily swordsmanship training. I had been so preoccupied with building the golem lately that I hadn't been able to find much time for it, so we had been training continuously since morning to make up for the gap.
"Very good, Master Lloyd! You have become quite adept at handling that greatsword as well!"
"Thanks to you... Hah!"
The dry, rhythmic sounds of wood clashing—clink, clink, clack—echoed repeatedly across the plaza.
Sylpha’s Langris Style Swordsmanship was versatile, covering everything from unarmed combat to the use of a greatsword. Right now, she was focusing her instruction on Greatsword Arts. Since I was small, I often had to handle weapons that were large relative to my size, so I used magic to compensate for my lack of muscle.
"Fufu, ahaha! Splendid swordplay! Come, give me more! More!"
Sylpha parried my blade while laughing happily. Dammit, she really looked like she was enjoying this.
In the beginning, I had managed to keep up by tracing her movements with the Control System Magic 'Transcription,' but lately, it felt like Sylpha had stopped holding back, and I was struggling to stay ahead. I had no choice but to compensate by applying Physical Strengthening Magic and Healing Magic just enough to stay discreet, while also circulating Ki through my body.
...She hasn't noticed, right?
"Ah, marvelous, Master Lloyd! To think you can keep up with my movements even though I am no longer showing any leniency! To use not just magic but Ki as well... It seems my decision to have you work as an adventurer as part of your training was correct. I continue to train so as not to be overtaken, yet the gap only continues to close. What a terrifying individual you are. Truly a Sword Saint in the making; I, Sylpha, am honored to be your tutor. Fufu, fufufufu..."
Sylpha unleashed a flurry of high-speed slashes while muttering to herself. I could hear a few dangerous words mixed in there. It was pure terror.
"Oh, Lloyd, there you are."
A sudden voice caused Sylpha to halt her blade mid-swing. The voice belonged to Zerof.
Sylpha immediately sheathed her sword and bowed. I did the same, facing Zerof while trying to catch my breath. I was saved; I had been desperate for a break.
"Did I interrupt?"
"No, don't worry about it. What’s up, Zerof-niisan?"
"Actually, there is something I wish to show you... This."
Zerof pulled out a newspaper. This is what was written:
"Let’s see, what is it? 'The Great Alchemy Festival, where alchemists compete with the pinnacle of their techniques, will be held again this year. Alchemists from various countries will gather in the Kingdom of Bertram to showcase their skills... The main highlight will be the Great Martial Arts Tournament held by golems, where massive golems will compete for supremacy. A spectacle truly worth seeing...' Does this mean you intend to enter, Zerof-niisan?"
Zerof nodded slowly.
"Umu. I have already sent my entry and received word that it was accepted. Therefore, I have a request, Lloyd. I want you to participate as my partner."
"Me?"
"Your performance during our recent project was nothing short of brilliant. In this country, I expect no one other than you and I possesses such knowledge and technique. ...Furthermore, if I participate in the matches, I will likely attract quite a bit of attention and be approached by the public. I would like you to handle the communication in my stead. You get along well with others, so you should be adept at it, yes?"
What a tall order. It wasn't as if I was particularly good at talking to people, either. Well, I suppose I was better than Zerof. During the golem's construction, Zerof had always worked in isolation. Whenever he had to speak with others, either I or Albert usually acted as a mediator.
...Thinking of it that way, it wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary.
"So, what do you say?"
"Of course I'll go!"
I gave an immediate answer. If I stayed here, I’d probably end up training with Sylpha forever. Besides, while I had dabbled in alchemy quite a bit in the past, I had been neglecting it lately. Now that a few years had passed, new techniques had likely been discovered. If alchemists from various countries were gathering, I might see things I'd never encountered before.
A Chemi-fest, huh? I was starting to get excited.
A few days later, we arrived in the neighboring Kingdom of Bertram.
"Wow! Amazing, amazing! It's like a giant party!"
"It is unbecoming to run around so excitedly, Ren. Control yourself."
"Okay—"
Naturally, I couldn't go alone; Sylpha and Ren of the Poison Moth had come along as well. Lately, Sylpha had come to acknowledge Ren, and Ren seemed to have grown comfortable around Sylpha.
"Umu, their casual interaction is just like that of sisters; how heartwarming. How precious...!"
"Hmph, you're a shitty angel with trash taste. What's so good about a bunch of women? For a man, a harem is the ultimate ideal!"
"I will not be lectured on taste by the likes of you. I will not permit a mere majin to ruin a sacred sanctuary of beautiful girls by tossing a man into the mix."
"Now, now, don't fight."
And those two were as on bad terms as ever.
Zerof had arrived earlier with Diguardia. Transporting a golem apparently took time, so he had gone ahead to manage the logistics and make final adjustments.
"Hey, hey, Lloyd, look! There are so many interesting things!"
Ren pulled me toward the stalls, where drinks that changed color, foods I had never seen before, and bouquets that scattered petals infinitely were delighting the crowds.
"Hoh, to not feel even a trace of magical power... How very mysterious."
"Alchemy is something that developed in the human world; it exists neither in the Demon World nor the Celestial Realm. Would it be correct to call it a technique that creates various phenomena without the use of magical power?"
"Yeah. Alchemy is about reacting various substances and combining them to create new phenomena."
Since alchemy could be performed with knowledge alone, I had been quite into it in the past. That said, while magic was more interesting to me, alchemy was also quite fun.
"Hey, Sylpha, is it okay if we look around for a bit?"
"Of course. This is likely the first time Ren has seen anything like this. You should enjoy yourself."
"Yay! I'm so excited!"
And so, we decided to enjoy the Chemi-fest on our way to the venue.