Chapter 110
Since Helion’s team wouldn’t be leaving the Central Church anytime soon, Finn and I decided to stay here and learn from them as well.
Today was the first day.
As usual, I kicked things off by widening my mana pool, maintaining a meditative posture for a simple three hours before moving on to my next training.
Starting at dawn meant morning wasn’t over yet.
Feeling lighter, I summoned Kry, who I still hadn’t fully tamed.
The process of turning a fierce monster into a familiar is all about teaching them who the real boss is, but I had no intention of beating or injuring Kry.
Unless we were talking about a monster shape I met in a dungeon or the wild.
After all, this one was a former human. There was a possibility of backfiring and it wouldn’t be effective.
What’s mostly used in such cases is the restraint magic circle.
It’s a type of familiar magic used to tame a contracted familiar without any injuries, and I could do it because I forcibly took away Craine’s authority as the original owner.
So there I was, just like any other time, spreading a violet magic circle and checking on Kry, who was growling.
“Much calmer, I see.”
Suddenly, I noticed Kry’s growl had changed.
Though his spirit had somewhat diminished from all the training, he appeared less threatened and was no longer baring his teeth.
Just like how different sounds from animals signify different things, a familiar does the same.
In Kry’s almost whimpering noise, I spotted an opening.
“There’s no need to be scared.”
I stopped the magic circle, met his gaze, and reached out my hand.
I thought about placing a mana stone in my hand for him, but then decided against it to avoid him relying on it.
For some reason, I felt like it wouldn’t be necessary this time.
⎯Grrr, grrrrr.
When the pressure he’d been under lifted, he growled again, but the vibe was entirely different from before.
I calmly held his gaze.
His red eyes looked fragile. The longer I looked, the more sympathy I felt swelling up inside me.
After a brief moment of exploration and once he completely realized I wasn’t a threat, Kry…
⎯Kiiing.
Dropped his raised snake tail and burrowed into me for a cuddle.
Finally, he had opened the door to his closed heart.
Ding!
⎯The familiar magic has reached the “Comprehension” level!
Naturally, that status window didn’t pop up.
But hey, this was the second time I achieved comprehension.
Once again, without needing to check, I knew for sure.
Finally, I was able to learn the next step of multi-fusion, the Familiar Magic, from Helion. They said you could only learn it after reaching the level of Comprehension.
Let’s check what I had previously skipped over without explanation.
*
Indeed.
I wondered if there was a time when Helion’s appearance was described with wings, and now I understood the reason.
It was the afternoon that Familiar Magic reached the level of Comprehension.
I was able to receive Helion’s teachings, which presented a different kind of spell compared to dual or triple fusion.
Who would dare to imagine wearing a Familiar?
Like equipping a weapon and armor. It’s a spell that covers my body with the shell of a Familiar.
So, Helion had flown through the sky with wings. At that time, he was wearing a Wyvern Familiar.
They say if you sincerely wield a sword, you become one with it, just like a martial artist who has reached the ultimate level.
…Even so, as someone who cherished Familiars, I felt a slight resistance when I heard the word “wear.”
I couldn’t help but imagine peeling off its skin and using that hide as material for clothing.
⎯Take a good look.
When I openly frowned, not usually showing honest emotions, Helion insisted it wasn’t something to be repulsed by and demonstrated it directly.
Just like described in the novel, Helion had the wings of a Wyvern.
He glided through the air, doing a few spins before landing.
Seeing it in person, as Helion said, made me realize it wasn’t something to frown at. The form wasn’t grotesque or horrific.
It was incredibly natural.
Just like when I saw a double-fused Familiar, it felt like it had always been that kind of creature.
Additionally, like fusion, its abilities were amplified, but there was a limit to how many you could wear at once.
The difference was that it was considerably more complex and mathematically challenging compared to double fusion.
While mimicking might be easier, properly embodying it was expected to take some time.
‘Still, it’s an attractive spell.’
Borrowing the power of a Familiar and directly using it are worlds apart.
For example, if the Shadow Familiar, Dook, could wear me like armor instead of just stretching to block physical attacks, there would be no gap to penetrate.
Helion mentioned that later I could wear a double-fused Familiar. That’s as far as his Familiar Magic capabilities go.
Beyond that lies an unknown realm yet to be uncovered.
Despite Helion casually throwing around emotionless remarks, when I think about it, how absurd is that statement?
After all, Helion isn’t primarily a Familiar Magic user, yet ranks at the forefront of the level of Comprehension.
Even if there’s a Hero who can perform triple fusion, they can’t wear it, so their realm is somewhat different, making Helion a pioneer of sorts.
‘No. Setting aside all that, the very concept of wearing a Familiar is something I’d never heard before.’
I knew all too well how much Vargan cherished and was interested in Familiars.
If someone like Vargan didn’t know about it, it must be Helion’s Unique Spell.
…Just how many Unique Spells does this guy have? Teaching so casually without revealing it’s a Unique Spell is truly something else.
Is it really okay to be so casual about teaching a Unique Spell without even clarifying what it means?
A magician has to know the significance of a Unique Spell, right?
The more I find out, the more shocked I am by this hero.
Anyway, back to the topic of training.
Having seen one of Helion’s Unique Spells, the Enchantment Spell, he explained the process of the spell to me directly.
At first, I was only shown the process up to Double Fusion, where I had to navigate my own path to get there, but as the difficulty increased, it seemed like he wanted to reduce the time spent.
For three days, aside from expanding my total amount of mana, I invested all my time here.
Yet, I still hadn’t even reached the level of imitation.
This is because the spells that compose Helion’s and my soul and body differ, so I need a new form of the Enchantment Spell that fits me.
If Helion hadn’t explained the spell directly to me, it would have surely taken years, not months.
“How’s the assignment I gave you going?”
Since I seemed to be stuck in the room with no signs of coming out, Helion personally came to check on me.
Before I knew it, night had fallen.
It definitely felt like just a moment ago it was the morning sunrise.
“Looks like you’re not progressing well. Even Vargan has his rough patches.”
“……”
He didn’t come here just to tease me, so I glanced at him to see what the matter was.
“Vargan, would you like to spar with me?”
What on earth does that mean?
*
“I think I’ll be handling work at the Central Church for the next month. It might be tough every day, but I’ll give you practical lessons in the evenings when I can.”
“If you had told me that from the beginning, it would have been enough.”
“That would be boring, wouldn’t it?”
“Helion’s jokes are not funny at all.”
After Helion’s sudden provocation, we headed outside to the training ground.
Maybe because it was the base for heroes, the Central Church was equipped with various facilities for training and maintenance.
The place is as spacious and well-finished as the Academia.
We were in a tile-floor training ground without a ceiling, and with it being night, visibility was relatively limited.
There were brightly lit areas, so it seems Helion chose this spot considering the effects of the external environment.
“If you manage to inflict even the smallest wound on me, you win. If not, you lose. How’s that?”
“Is that the only rule?”
“Oh, as a penalty, I’ll only use one type of magic.”
Saying that, Helion gathered his mana.
His hands glowed with a strong yellow light as if thousands of fireflies were gathering, radiating intense power.
He claimed he’d only use one type of magic, then aimed at me with his main skill, Holy Magic.
At this rate, all of my shadow-type familiars would be severely injured or vanquished. Naturally, curses wouldn’t be very effective either.
“Isn’t it interesting? My main spell is precisely Vargan’s natural enemy.”
“Magic exists in as many forms as there are people, so it’s not that amazing.”
There’s also the saint…
Helion nodded affirmatively at that.
Then, he made an effort to raise the corners of his mouth, which usually doesn’t show much change, and provoked me.
“Get ready, Vargan. If it ends in an instant, it won’t be training, will it?”
“I can’t train if I’m just going to be born.”
“I’ve already started.”
You could have done it sooner.
Helion. I’ve already set multiple curses before you even gathered your mana—
“You’d better prepare again.”
The threads of the illusionary curse secretly binding him are cut away.
A faint yellow light glides past, completely dispelling all the layered curses.
The technique I used against Caliculea had no effect at all.
I didn’t think it would work; I just cast it as a test, but seeing my magic cut down with no resistance was almost absurd.
“…….”
“What did I say?”
It seems Helion is trying to pull out all my strength, even using rough methods.
I conjure the holy sword and shield used to capture Archbishop Ami with holy magic.
The holy magic of night is particularly dazzling.
Momentarily squinting against the light, I realized just how intense this was…
I understood Helion’s intentions.
In other words, he decided to delay a definite judgment about me and would first focus on developing me.
I can’t tell if my future role will benefit or harm the Church, so I’ll just do what I can.
This also implies he believes he can kill me no matter how much I grow. Well, that’s provocative in its own way.
Whatever, fine.
If Helion is truly committed to my growth, that’s good for me. Regardless of his motives, I can just take advantage of the processes that align with my desires.
The Church might try to use me, but in turn, can’t I use them?
“Since you mentioned it so earnestly, I will truly give it my all.”
Aside from the relics, I plan to create multiple summoning circles to deploy all the familiars that can aid in this battle. I won’t hold back on curse magic either.
After all, there’s an endless supply of mana to draw from.
Just as he said, this is a perfect spot to face off against holy magic, which is like my natural enemy. And to top it off, Helion is right at the pinnacle of that realm. What more could I ask for?
I reconfirmed with Helion.
“My condition for victory is to inflict at least a tiny scratch on you.”
“Yes. A very small scratch will do.”
“Understood. This foolish disciple will do my utmost to carve a deep scar into the body of my godlike master.”
With that, I took my stance.
In my hand, I contained the curse of decay magic.
This was the most destructive magic I could currently wield.
I have about a month to be at the Central Church.
In that time, will I be able to land a scratch on that monstrous human? It’s a joke, but even Archbishop Ami couldn’t do that.
—Boom!
There was no signal, but we moved simultaneously, our instincts kicking in.
The duel showed no signs of concluding. Even when the momentum of the night waned, the heat of the training ground continued to blaze.
The reason was simple.
The rule for victory was to leave a mark on Helion.
That was the one and only goal.
……
In the end, I couldn’t manage to inflict even a tiny scratch on Helion until the day before my return.
There’s no monster quite like this one.
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