“Master! Today’s the day I finally score a hit on you!”
“Today’s the day we beat Master!”
Several days had passed since our battle with Amunzaas.
Inside the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky’s indoor training ground, I stood facing off against Log and Carol.
“Yeah? Come and get it.”
At my signal, the two of them sprang into motion.
Log launched a frontal assault, unleashing a flurry of thrusts and sweeps.
He’s even learned how to weave in feints. His skills have improved even more over the last few days.
As I parried and deflected Log’s spear with my sword, Carol circled around to my rear and swung her blade at my back.
Or so it seemed. Instead of closing the distance, she threw the dagger in her hand toward my right shoulder.
For the record, the weapons we were using were all blunted. They couldn't cut, and even a direct hit wouldn't cause a serious injury.
If she’s not careful, she might hit Log. This is a bad move.
While handling Log’s incoming attacks, I shifted my body out of the dagger’s line of fire. However, the blade didn’t pass by me; it stopped dead in mid-air before it could reach its target.
Is this [Object Float]?
[Object Float] was a spell for levitating objects. I had taught the spell formula to the Magic Development Room when I first joined the clan. It didn't have a name when I developed it, but the department had coined the term for its upcoming public release.
So she was restricting my movements while eliminating the risk of friendly fire. She’s come up with something clever.
If she aimed for my right shoulder, I would naturally dodge to the left. If she knew my next move, landing a hit became far easier. Seizing the opening created while my attention was diverted by her floating dagger, Log unleashed a thrust faster than anything he’d shown so far.
Their coordination is getting better. Still, I don't intend to lose just yet.
I drew the tip of his spear in until the last possible second—waiting until he was fully committed to the strike and couldn't pull back. Once that moment arrived, I stepped into Log’s guard while spinning clockwise, executing a Roll Turn.
I switched my sword to my left hand and, using the momentum of the rotation, slammed my right elbow into Log’s solar plexus.
“Guh...!”
With Log’s posture broken, I grabbed his collar with my right hand and pulled him forward with all my might. His breath was knocked out of him; unable to brace himself, he was yanked toward me, forced to stumble several steps ahead.
“—Eh!?”
As a result, he collided with Carol, who was closing in from behind me, and the two of them tumbled to the ground in a tangled heap.
To think he'd end up with his face buried in Carol's chest. Not bad, Log.
“Log—, you’re heavy—.”
“—!? S-s-s-sorry!”
Log, who was likely in a state of total shock, remained motionless for a moment. Carol’s voice snapped him back to his senses, and he hurriedly scrambled away from her.
“Boo, I thought that was such a good plan.”
Even after Log moved away, Carol remained lying on the floor as usual, grumbling to herself.
“I think it was a good plan. Did you two come up with it together?”
“Yes... I thought if we knew your next move, we could finally land a hit. Our physical abilities were superior, after all.”
Since I had the martial arts tournament coming up, I was doing these mock battles without using any buffs on myself. Facing two opponents who were buffed required more concentration than usual, making it excellent training.
“Well, it’s a matter of experience. Regardless, when did Carol learn [Object Float]? You haven’t used magic at all until now.”
“Ehehe. Rain-oneechan taught me. I wanted to show it off and surprise Master, but you just dealt with it like it was nothing. I wanted to see you look shocked!”
Actually, Carol and Rain were quite close. Apparently, they’d been acquainted since before I joined the clan. They likely became friends through Albert-san. Carol looked up to Rain like a big sister, and with Rain’s nurturing personality, it was no surprise she had taken a liking to her.
“Oh, I was plenty surprised. It just didn't show on my face because we were in the middle of a fight.”
“Is that really true?”
“It's true. But what made you want to learn magic?”
In response to my question, Carol’s expression turned unusually serious.
“...Hmm. I used to think I could get by just fine with close-quarters combat. I can move faster than most people, and I was confident in how I handled a blade. But when the opponent was a monster like that giant man... I wasn't even a speed bump. I lost in an instant. I don't intend to change my core fighting style, but watching Master and Log fight made me realize something: I need more options. Right now, all I can do is charge in. I can’t protect everyone with just that. That’s why I decided to learn magic.”
I had already heard the details of their fight against Amunzaas. It was a different direction from the combat style I had envisioned for her, but this was the answer she had reached on her own. I wanted to respect that. My ideas aren't always the "correct" ones, and I believe these choices should ultimately be left to the individual.
Magic, huh? In that case, I might be able to teach her that spell in the future.
“I see. I think it’s a good idea. However, if that’s the path you're taking, I want you to master Parallel Construction. If you can build spell formulas while engaging in melee, it'll make you much more formidable.”
“Yeah! Rain-oneechan told me the same thing, so I’m practicing to master Parallel Construction before I learn anything else. The only magic I can use right now is [Object Float] and some basic Shock-type spells.”
If Rain was teaching her, I decided not to meddle. Our training methods were likely different, and trying to learn from two different teachers at once might actually slow her progress.
“Carol is amazing. I need to work even harder to master this spear!”
Log was clearly impressed by Carol’s resolve, and a spark of rivalry lit up his eyes. I liked seeing that. I wanted the three of them to keep pushing each other like this.
“I think you’re doing great, Log. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a month since you picked up a spear.”
“Even so, compared to the real masters out there, I’m still a long way off, right?”
“That’s true. But that just means you have plenty of room to grow. You’re just getting started. —By the way, are you two going to enter the martial arts tournament?”
The tournament was open to anyone. While the bracket I was entering was limited to senior explorers, the unrestricted annual tournament was still going ahead as scheduled. I’d heard that many rookie explorers participated every year.
“No. I was planning to until recently, but right now, I don't really want to fight anyone other than Master or Will-san...”
“I don't really like hurting people either, so I think I’ll pass.”
It was understandable. Nobody wants to jump into a competition right after a life-and-death struggle like that.
“I see. Participation isn't mandatory. The clan will need help with the various events anyway, so don't feel forced to join. Spend your time off enjoying the Thanksgiving Festival. I hear there’ll be all sorts of things to see. —Anyway, we’ll do one more round after a break, so use the time to think of your next strategy. I’m going to check on Sophie.”
“Understood.”
“We won't lose next time!”
Moving toward the edge of the training ground, I found Sophie with a look of intense focus, her right hand thrust forward.
“Huuu... haaa... —!”
Sophie took a long, deep breath and clenched her open hand into a fist. A short distance away, a thin iron plate crumpled into a wrinkled ball, as if an invisible giant had crushed a piece of paper.
“Impressive.”
“Ah, Orun-san. Thank you.”
“How’s the fatigue?”
“Uhm... I still get out of breath almost immediately...”
Sophie had manifested an ability during the battle the other day: [Psychokinesis].
It was described as a power that could exert physical influence on objects. It was a vague definition, but I wasn't sure if that was because Sophie didn't fully understand it yet or if the power itself was truly that broad.
If it were the latter, it could be interpreted in countless ways—much like how my [Mana Convergence] was incredibly versatile. Perhaps [Psychokinesis] could do more than just crushing or repelling objects. We’d have to verify that as we went.
In any case, it was an extremely useful ability for both exploration and daily life. The fact that she was exhausted after only a few uses was likely because she wasn't used to it. Abilities have a way of becoming more efficient the more they are used.
Furthermore, along with the ability’s manifestation, Sophie had acquired Parallel Construction. She could already construct seven spell formulas simultaneously. This was likely a byproduct of the ability; [Psychokinesis] probably required a massive amount of mental processing power. I suspected her brain’s capacity had expanded to compensate.
“I see. Well, many people are at the mercy of their abilities right after they manifest. We’ll make it your own, bit by bit.”
“Yes—”
“Sophia!!”
A loud voice cut through the air from the entrance of the training hall. I turned to see Selma-san, looking completely out of breath. According to the schedule, she wasn't supposed to return until tomorrow. She must have rushed back the moment she heard about the attack.
She hurried toward us with a pale, strained expression.
“Onee-chan? What’s wrong—”
“Sophia... thank God...”
Selma-san pulled her sister into a fierce embrace.
“I-it’s hard to breathe, Onee-chan...”
“Ah, sorry. But I’m truly glad you're safe. When I heard you had engaged Amunzaas, I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“Sorry for worrying you. But Orun-san saved us, so we’re all okay.”
“I see. Orun, I’ve heard the report. Thank you for saving Sophia and the rookies.”
Selma-san looked at me with an expression of profound relief and gratitude.
“...It was nothing. I just did what anyone would have. —More importantly, Sophie, since Selma-san is back early, do you want to call it a day?”
“Thank you, but I’d like to continue for a little longer!”
A hard worker as always.
“Alright. But stop before you collapse.”
The day before yesterday, she had pushed herself past her limit and fainted. I’d given her a stern warning then, so I hoped she’d listen, but I felt the need to remind her anyway.
“Collapse...?” Selma-san repeated, sounding concerned.
“O-of course! I won't overdo it.”
“Selma-san, do you have a moment?” I asked, noticing her puzzled expression.
“Yes, I’m fine. I was supposed to be traveling today anyway. But I’d like you to sit down with me later, Orun. I want to hear exactly what happened while I was away.”
“Got it. In that case, why don't you watch Sophie’s training for a bit? You might see something interesting.”
“Something interesting...?”
“You’ll see. Anyway, Sophie, I’m heading back to Log and Carol.”
“Understood!”
I left them to their reunion and headed back to the other two.
“I’m back. Break’s over. Let’s get back to it.”
I called out to the pair as they huddled together over their notes.
“Understood. This time, I'm definitely scoring a hit!”
“Alright! Master is going down!”
We continued for several more rounds, ending only when our reserved time for the training hall began to run out.
“Alright, we’ll stop here for today. Good work, everyone.”
“““Thank you very much!!!”””
I had planned to do some classroom study in our usual room afterward, but I wanted to talk to Selma-san sooner rather than later. Besides, I could tell the three of them had been pushing themselves too hard lately. They needed rest.
I didn't want to discourage their enthusiasm, but it would all be for nothing if they ended up injured.