It was the 1st of the Second Month of Fire. The Six Kings Festival had ended, and six months had officially passed according to the calendar. To clarify, the calendar in this world cycled through the Month of Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, and Wind. After the Month of Light, the sequence repeated from Fire to Wind once more before concluding with the Month of Heavens.
Since the cycle from Fire to Wind occurred twice a year, the months in the latter half were referred to as the "Second Month" to distinguish them.
That aside, I was still feeling the exhaustion from the Six Kings Festival, so I had planned to spend the day relaxing. However... well, the people of this world were incredibly energetic.
With that thought in mind, I stroked Bell's head—he was currently acting as my backrest—and watched Lilia-san and the others train.
Participating in the training were Lilia-san, Luna-san, Sieg-san, Anima, Eta, and Theta. Aoi-chan and Hina-chan were apparently feeling the fatigue from the festival just as I was; they had skipped the session to head into the city together.
They had invited me along, but I turned them down because I wanted to brush Bell. Now that I was finished, I had come to spectate.
It wasn't just my imagination that everyone seemed more fired up than usual.
Just then, Lilia-san lowered her sword and wiped her brow. Noticing I was there, she walked over, so I called out to her.
"Great work today, Lilia-san."
"Thank you very much."
"You seem really focused."
"...Yes. Between the incident with the First Hero-sama and challenging Agni-sama at the festival, I've had many reminders of my own inadequacy."
I see. Anima was probably pushing herself for her rematch with Epsilon-san, and the others—Luna-san, Sieg-san, Eta, and Theta—were likely feeling the same as Lilia-san. They had all been completely shut out by Agni-sama during the festival despite her giving them a handicap.
"Well then, I'm going back for another round."
"Wait, already? You haven't rested at all..."
"I have my official duties to attend to as well, so I can't dedicate too much time to training. I have to work hard while I can."
"I... I see. Then at least have this drink..."
"No. Like I said before, please stop pulling out Fruit of the World Tree drinks like they're just bottles of water. I'm not drinking that."
Lilia-san was insistent on returning to practice after barely any rest, so I had tried to offer her the fruit juice to help her recover, but she flat-out refused.
With a wry smile, she said, "I'll take the thought, though," and headed back to the training ground.
Everyone was working so hard. I wanted to be of use somehow, but I was a total amateur when it came to combat.
"Is something the matter? You have quite a pensive look on your face."
"...Illness-san?"
"Hello. I happened to be passing by after finishing the laundry, and you seemed lost in thought."
"Ah, no... I was just thinking that since Lilia-san and the others are working so hard, I'd like to help them somehow."
I explained my thoughts to Illness-san. She glanced at the group training, nodded, and spoke.
"...I see. They do seem to be hitting a plateau. Perhaps they're feeling impatient. One could also argue that their training methods are simply wrong."
"What? Really?"
"Yes. Milady and Anima in particular have run into a rather large wall. Though this is also an opportunity for them to grow significantly."
I couldn't see it myself, but Illness-san sounded completely certain. Lilia-san and Anima had hit a wall? And it was an opportunity?
Seeing my confusion, Illness-san reached out and gently patted my head before walking slowly toward the group.
Stopping a short distance away, she clapped her hands. Once she had everyone's attention, she spoke.
"Listen for a moment. At Kaito-sama's request, I will provide a few pointers."
"Illness?" Lilia-san tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"First, Milady. I recommend you focus on your magic power operation rather than physical ability or technique."
"Huh? Um... yes?"
"Next, Anima. You must polish your technique. Sieglinde, it would be best for you to focus on the parallel activation of formulas. Lunamaria, pay closer attention to your distance from your opponent. Eta and Theta, you both lack fundamentals."
The group stared at her in stunned silence, unable to process the sudden critique.
Anima was the first to snap out of it and raised her hand.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Illness-dono... if I do as you say, will I become stronger?"
Since Anima had been helped by Illness-san before—like when she was learning to write—she was always very respectful toward her.
"Shall we test it out?"
"Test it? How?"
"Try to attack me. I will not use any magic power at all, so please attack me with everything you have."
"What? No, but if you do that..."
I understood Anima's hesitation. Using no magic meant no physical enhancement and no barriers. For her to attack with the strength of a Viscount-class demon under those conditions was reckless.
"If you wish to grow stronger, do not hesitate. You may find your answer there."
"...Understood."
Compelled by Illness-san's unwavering tone, Anima steeled herself and took a stance.
While Lilia-san and the others watched anxiously, Anima lunged toward the relaxed Illness-san and threw a punch with all her might.
"...Huh?"
I didn't even see what happened. One moment Anima was attacking, and the next, she was flat on her back, staring up at the sky in shock.
"I threw you as gently as possible. Are you hurt?"
"N-No."
"Illness?! What did you just do? From my perspective, it looked like Anima-san just started spinning the moment she touched you!"
"I simply adjusted the application of force so that Anima's own momentum carried her away."
"Wait... what?"
"It is merely a demonstration that such techniques exist."
It really did seem like Aikido. It probably had a different name in this world, but the concept was the same.
But more importantly... Illness-san was incredibly strong. She had handled Anima's full-force strike with ease without using a drop of magic power.
"Let's leave the details for later. Anima."
"Yes!"
"Your physical ability is sufficient to hold your own against a Count-class high-ranking demon. However, your attack patterns are far too simple. Your typical pattern of defeat likely involves your opponent parrying your strikes until you're exhausted, without you ever landing a single hit."
Anima winced. She was likely thinking about her battle during the festival. Despite her fierce assault, Epsilon-san had brushed off every single move.
"You don't need to master the exact techniques I use. Instead, you should aim for a broad but basic understanding of many techniques. By learning how to land a hit, you will learn how to avoid being hit. By learning how to defend, you will learn how to break a defense. Only then will your raw power truly become effective."
"Yes! I'll take it to heart!" Anima scrambled to her feet and saluted. Illness-san nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
Lilia-san, still wearing a look of total disbelief, hurriedly approached her.
"Illness... I had no idea you were this strong."
"Well, I am a Count-class high-ranking demon, after all. I have to be at least this capable."
"I see, a Count-class high-ranking demon... Count-class... Count... Wait, WHAT?!"
Lilia-san’s scream echoed across the grounds as the casual revelation finally sank in.
Dear Mother, Father—Lilia-san's reaction was perfectly justified. Honestly, I wanted to scream too. I knew she was strong after how she’d handled Anima, but Illness-san... she was a Count-class high-ranking demon.