185th Chapter
“Leon, teach me.”
After class, Vargan sought out Leon. On one side of the training room, Vargan made his request.
“…Huh?”
Bell, who was always by Leon’s side, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. This wasn’t a fantasy; it was actually happening.
Vargan, known for his arrogance, had directly sought out the notoriously simple Leon, and on top of that, he was asking for help? Although he didn’t bow his head, it was an unexpectedly strange sight.
‘Is he thinking something else?’
Bell cautiously attempted to whisper to Leon.
However, upon noticing the small woman hiding behind Vargan, Leon replied.
“Alright, I understand!”
He answered cheerfully.
“No, what do you mean ‘Alright, I understand!’?! Do you not know who you’re dealing with? You shouldn’t just accept it so easily; there might be hidden motives!”
Bell scolded Leon for his overly easy acceptance. Leon shook his head.
“Bell. Those who have something to protect are not evil.”
“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?!”
“Trust me, Bell!”
“Oh, come on! You’re starting again…!”
As Leon covered his ears to avoid listening to her opinion, Bell brought up Vargan’s request for teaching.
“That’s a skill unique to you! It’s your competitive edge and a way to increase your value; don’t just casually share it with others!”
“Bell! Forming an aura is something anyone in the Academia can do!”
“It’s not just simply forming an aura; that’s not what I’m saying!”
Protector. A technique that forms armor via layers of aura.
It’s something martial artists train in, excellent for defense. In extreme cases, like with Leon, it can even be used as a weapon itself.
“Even if you’ve managed to survive so far with just that, what are you planning to do now? Seriously…!”
“Isn’t it a good thing that there are more strong heroes around?”
Leon crossed his arms and laughed heartily. No one, other than him, knew what was so funny.
Bell rubbed her aching head, realizing once again that they weren’t on the same wavelength. This eccentric had already decided to share his knowledge. The only thing that could stop him now would be the one true god Yggdrasil.
“First, I’ll show you my current achievement.”
Once the conversation seemed somewhat settled, Vargan began to draw up mana and create a barrier of aura.
This was an area completely different from ordinary spells, close to the realm of sensations. It was nearly unheard of for magicians to create protectors, making it a rare sight.
Leon stared intently at Vargan’s protector. Since it was aura made from Vargan’s mana, which had reached a transcendent level, he deliberately added color to make it easier to see.
As the blue light reflected in Leon’s cornea, he nodded.
“Yeah! As expected of Vargan. That’s an impressive protector.”
“Vargan, huh? An impressive Protector.”
Bell, who was secretly watching, agreed with his words.
At this level, he could rival most Martial Artists entering the Academia. Considering Vargan was a Magician, it’s not strange to say he’s remarkable. However…
“But it seems not everyone has formed layers evenly; there are tangled parts visible! The mana efficiency isn’t that great either.”
“Exactly.”
Vargan showed a slight smile at Leon’s words. If it weren’t for the immense mana he had, akin to the vastness of the heavens, he would have been exhausted long ago in the battle against Blurans, the top-tier Bishop.
It really wasn’t efficient enough.
…Of course, if he were to use it solely for combat, he wouldn’t need additional investment since he already had a significantly improved darkness technique, but there was a reason for that.
A trial of the Unique Spell.
In a few days, his hearing would be lost.
While taste and smell could pass fairly well, after this, he would need a substitute.
Until now, he had raised the level of the Protector alone, but in the remaining time, he planned to efficiently learn through an Assistant.
Leon, who pursued the Protector to its limits, was a perfect opponent to learn from.
Leon seemed lost in thought for a moment, furrowing his brows. Then, he turned to see Erica, peeking her head out from behind Vargan.
“Erica! Do you want to learn too?!”
His booming voice echoed in the Training Ground, causing Erica to recoil in horror and fully hide behind Vargan.
Rejected by Erica, Leon laughed heartily, “I see! You’re determined to focus on honing your own path without distractions! That’s commendable! Hahaha!”
As his laughter lingered in the Training Ground…
Vargan spoke about his desired goal.
“Sense Expansion. You must reach that stage.”
A state where the aura surrounding the body makes the Protector extremely sensitive and able to receive external sensations, literally expanding the senses.
Unlike times where only the Protector could be used, the reaction speed would become significantly faster.
Leon nodded as if there was no problem and asked, “What’s the deadline?”
“Five days.”
“Got it!”
“Hold on! I’m sorry to keep butting in, but let’s think realistically!”
Suddenly, Bell spoke up in surprise, claiming it was unreasonable.
“Only five days for me to start Sense Expansion?! That’s impossible! I don’t want to doubt Lord Vargan’s talents, but realistically speaking, that’s an absurdly insufficient amount of time! Even if you could make a decent Protector now, anything more than that…!”
“Hmm! It’s possible!”
Leon confidently stated that Vargan could do it without a hint of doubt. His eyes, knowing only passion and righteousness, showed determination. The answer was already evident.
Leon looked at Vargan with a fierce gaze that felt like it could pierce through.
“Vargan! The training will be tough. Are you prepared!”
Vargan simply smiled, answering casually, “I’ve already gone through tough training countless times.”
“Excellent!”
With a thunderous laugh, the two enormous mana surged.
Without dragging it out, the training would commence immediately.
* * *
After training with Leon, it was already past midnight.
Vargan and Erica returned to the Dormitory together. Erica trotted along beside him, casting worried glances.
“Are you okay…? Not in pain, right?”
The intensity of training with Leon was enough to leave spectators agape.
It was so tough that Erica had rushed in to intervene midway, and even Bell, who had been sulking, was startled enough to suggest stopping.
Vargan faced Leon purely using the Protector without utilizing any Familiars or other magic. As they competed, Leon pointed out Vargan’s weaknesses.
Without using anything but the Protector to face Leon. As he competed with him, Leon pointed out Vargan.
With the insight came a fierce strike that collided with Vargan’s Protector, sending a shockwave through.
The two had different levels of mastery, and sometimes Vargan’s Protector broke or failed to absorb the impact properly.
For an ordinary person, it wouldn’t have been strange to collapse long ago, but every time, Vargan responded with a long laugh.
A terrifying obsession and talent for achieving mastery. Leon also showed delight at Vargan’s rapid growth.
“Don’t worry. I’m not hurt at all.”
“Not hurt? Look how badly you’re injured…!”
Erica lifted Vargan’s slightly scorched hand. She was fidgeting. This was the first time since learning the truth that she actively touched Vargan’s body like this.
Erica hurriedly cast healing magic. The scorched marks disappeared in an instant, and she examined Vargan’s body with trembling eyes.
However… she avoided any actions that could disturb her, like lifting his clothes.
Wanting to confirm things but only being able to superficially check, Erica felt complicated emotions looking at Vargan and simply said.
“Thank you.”
……
The two continued walking and soon arrived in front of the dormitory. A place where the female and male dorms were separated. As they got closer, Erica’s anxiety worsened.
Vargan patted Erica’s head to calm her down. Erica closed her eyes, feeling a sense of security from his touch.
“Go in now.”
“…Okay. …See you tomorrow.”
Struggling to take her leave, Erica turned back several times on her way. The further she got, the faster her light breathing became, which had barely settled.
But there was also the contradiction of not wanting to be a nuisance any longer.
Erica barely overcame her fear and headed toward her dormitory. Vargan stood still, watching over her until she returned safely.
Not long after Erica left.
“Frieda. Come out from there.”
Vargan called out to Ain, who had been hiding nearby. Frieda scratched her head awkwardly and showed a sheepish smile.
“I thought I wouldn’t get caught this time, honestly.”
“Why were you following Erica?”
“Oh, following? I just happened to see her while passing by and thought I should report it, so I…”
“Frieda.”
Vargan’s voice became a low growl.
Frieda flinched. His voice, cold enough to freeze someone, triggered her survival instincts.
He continued speaking, making one wonder if he even saw her as a person.
“I asked why you were following Erica.”
“That’s….”
Frieda unconsciously lowered her eyes. In this moment, where even killing intent could be felt, she became extremely tense.
However, at the same time, a different emotion surged. Frieda’s tail drooped long, frozen in place, as her eyes began to tremble, whether from fear or something else.
“…You’re being unreasonable, Lord Vargan.”
Frieda felt hurt. Even though she was receiving a price in return, she was following his orders, performing tasks she couldn’t leave to others.
Even though she was doing the dangerous job of gathering forces of the Goddess Church within the Academia, he treated her coldly just like before.
The image of Vargan gently comforting that noble brat who had started clinging to him, instead of scolding him for acting weirdly in the dungeon, came to her mind.
The sight of Vargan comforting her.
At this moment, there was not even a hint of a crack; it was as if the resolve that Frieda had been holding onto was beginning to leak.
“You must have already noticed, Lord Vargan…” Frieda said, as if to emphasize that she wasn’t the only one looking at him.
“I’m… having a hard time too. I know my heart aches as well…”
Her voice, now faint, conveyed the message.
She stepped directly toward Vargan.
“I love you, Lord Vargan. I want to be loved.”
She was doing everything he told her to do, even risking her life…! But… why does he not look at me at all?
Frieda poured out her true feelings as they were.
Vargan, watching silently, finally spoke.
“That’s because your achievements are not noticeable enough to grab my attention.”
“What…?”
“Our relationship is clear-cut. We gain benefits through each other and pay the price for that. Frieda, don’t throw a tantrum. I didn’t recruit you for that purpose.”
“…….”
Frieda couldn’t retort against Vargan’s words. She had a lot she wanted to say, but considering their differences in position, it seemed like a disrespectful thing to do.
However, realizing that if not now, she would never be able to say it, she nervously opened her mouth, eyebrows raised.
“Whenever I look at you, Lord Vargan, I have my doubts…! Do you truly intend to look at me?”
Though not to the extent of Vargan, Frieda was a woman who could read the atmosphere. Naturally, she suspected that his interest was solely fixed on Erika and that he wouldn’t look anywhere else.
In order for his claim to hold water, there must be suitable evidence.
At this rate, she would receive no reward and only face a miserable end.
That’s why Frieda bravely spoke up, her droopy fox tail and ears perked up.
“Show me proof!”
“Proof?”
“Anything will do. A contract or whatever it takes for me to trust you, Lord Vargan.”
She wasn’t asking for it out of monetary gain.
It didn’t need to be something as extraordinary as what Alicia received from Naias.
Just something small, anything that could prove there was a possibility he might truly consider her.
What she needed above all was faith.
“It can be a curse or anything. As long as you really…”
Frieda’s delicate jawline lifted.
Her eyes widened in shock, and though her breaths were labored, they momentarily hitched. Her tail stood erect, trembling.
Vargan kissed Frieda.
Their breaths intertwined, exchanging warmth. From their lips, the sensation of each other’s body temperature and touch was transmitted.
Yet, their breaths didn’t flow smoothly, and Vargan soon pulled away.
Frieda gasped for air, like someone emerging from water.
She couldn’t fully grasp what had just happened, lifting her head. The man spoke nonchalantly.
“Has it been confirmed now?”
“…….”
Frieda felt a swift rush of energy. It was a peculiar feeling. Despite feeling so gloomy and regretful, the shock in her head transformed all that emotion into pure ecstasy.
Though she had never dabbled in drugs, this was probably a similar sensation.
A feeling she shouldn’t touch, eerie and frightening, yet accompanied by pleasure.
Frieda looked up at Vargan, calming her wildly beating heart as a smile crept onto her face.
“Yes, that’s enough.”
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