After we took a break, the verification process continued. I joined in occasionally to test how my Memories' Buff interacted with her power, but for the most part, I spent my time relaxing and reading books. Lilia, on the other hand, was clearly pushing herself to her limits. By the time we finished, she was unusually worn out, looking completely spent.
"As I thought, a change of scenery really does broaden one's perspective," Alice remarked. "While most buffs have no effect on it, Nebula-san’s Fruit of the World Tree and Kaito-san’s Memories' Buff are the exceptions; they actually stack on top of the ability's inherent power. Furthermore, those two buffs can even be applied simultaneously... That’s likely due to the special properties shared by the Fruit of the World Tree and the Memories' Buff."
"I certainly learned a great deal as well," Lilia replied, though her voice was weary. "But as I suspected, despite its immense power, it is an incredibly difficult ability to manage."
"Exactly. The biggest drawback is that Hauteclere's Ability always unleashes its Theoretical Maximum Power. You simply can't hold back—there is no middle ground. Furthermore, the ability doesn't judge based on the damage dealt to the opponent; rather, it ensures that your own attack achieves its absolute peak efficiency. That means the moment you take an attacking stance, an opponent could theoretically predict the strike if they can instantly read the optimum and most efficient attack possible from that position. Granted, to reach a level where you can actually do that, your raw power would have to be in the Quasi-Almighty Class or somewhere around there..."
Lilia's Hauteclere was a powerhouse of an ability, but because it was specialized entirely for offense and lacked any capacity for restraint, it was a weapon that required careful timing and the right environment.
I realized that this inability to hold back was a significant constraint. Depending on where she used it, a single swing could cause massive collateral damage. Still, as a trump card for a certain-kill strike, its performance was unparalleled. It was the literal definition of a finishing move.
"However," Alice added, "the only thing Hauteclere fixes at maximum is the raw power. You’re still free to customize the magic formulas and additional effects you imbue into the strike, so it’s devastating if the situation is right. Looking only at the description of the ability, I initially thought it would be useless for someone like me who has already reached the ceiling of their talent, but there is a definite advantage to having your slashes forced into an ideal trajectory. In that sense, it’s actually quite similar to Kaito-san’s Auto-pilot."
"Ah, now that you mention it, it does sound a bit similar... right down to the part where it’s hard to make fine adjustments."
Ultimately, the consensus was that Lilia's Hauteclere was undoubtedly a powerful Heart Tool, even if mastering it would be a challenge. Still, I had a feeling Lilia would find a way to make it her own.
Once the verification was over and we returned to Lilia's mansion, I realized that hardly any time had passed. That subspace must have been under a time-dilation effect; despite the hours we had spent inside, the clock in the real world had barely moved.
Alice vanished after mentioning that any further testing would be for another time. Lilia watched her go with hollow, dead-fish eyes, but then her expression shifted as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, that reminds me, Kaito-san."
"Yes?"
"I actually received another gift from Eden-sama... and since I'm so exhausted, I was thinking of heading there now to find some peace and heal my heart. If you're free, would you care to join me?"
"Eh? Sure, I don't mind, but... another gift?"
"Yes. She called it a world for my exclusive use."
"............I see."
For a moment, I thought she had said something absolutely outrageous, but then I remembered we were talking about Eden and realized it was actually par for the course. What surprised me more was that, despite it being a gift that would usually have Lilia clutching her stomach in stress, she actually seemed quite restless and excited. She looked like she couldn't wait to get there.
She mentioned healing her heart, so I wondered if it was a world where she could truly find some peace. Hmm... in that case, there was no doubt in my mind. It was definitely a world filled with dragons.
Serious-senpai: "...The wind... I think it's about to change... (Despair)"