Chapter 169
Holding Naias who has turned into a black sword.
Alicia concentrates all her strength and mind.
Sweat beads trickle down her white cheeks.
Her eyes, fixed on the sword tip, are sharp and reminiscent of a bird of prey.
Around her, Arterion watches her training. The prince directly assists Alicia based on his experience, observing even her slightest movements and breaths.
The blue aura gathering around Naias.
Condensing and refining it more.
Thin and firm.
Solid and certain.
Arterion gazed at Alicia’s aura, which shone so brilliantly it nearly blinded him. Uniquely, the aura varied slightly from person to person, but Alicia’s stood out with its pure hue.
Similar to her personality, it is strong yet honest and pure. However, what stands out the most is.
‘The growth rate is astonishing.’
This was the honest feeling of Arterion, who had been helping Alicia with her training for the past few weeks.
Not out of arrogance, but objectively, Arterion had never seen anyone with sword talent surpassing his own.
He acknowledged Clemens’ talent but excluded her since it wasn’t sword-based, and while the sword skills of the Hero, his mentor, were excellent, Arterion believed he would catch up in a few years.
But what about her?
When they crossed swords in the Class Battle, Alicia didn’t seem like this; instead of slowing down, her growth seemed to soar with wings.
‘Is it due to a substantial amount of mana and stable magic supporting her swordsmanship…?’
While working with Vargan, it seems Alicia had learned magic and solidified her foundation.
Magical power affects physical strength, and during their time together, she had laid down all the necessary conditions, allowing her to fly with minimal disruption even in strong winds.
Before starting training with Arterion, Alicia’s impatience regarding her growth made her seem deceptive to others.
Alicia’s talent is overwhelming.
For the first time, Arterion witnessed someone more talented than himself.
He finally understood why Vargan was holding onto Alicia so tightly, unwilling to let go.
“…Kuh.”
The aura that lit up like flames carrying Naias begins to slowly extinguish. Alicia struggles to keep the mana circuit flowing, trying to revive the spark, but her firmly held stance starts to waver.
In the end, the sword tip falls to the ground, and Alicia gasps, struggling to hold herself up.
Gasping for breath and exhausted.
Her eyes are filled with frustration. Despite showing remarkable growth, she remains unsatisfied due to the unattainable heights she seeks.
Arterion stepped forward and handed her a towel he had prepared.
With his kindness, Alicia wiped away her frustration and smiled.
“…Thank you.”
“……”
Arterion silently watched Alicia as she wiped away her sweat.
Strangely, despite experiencing defeat in the student council president election due to her entourage, he felt no displeasure.
On the contrary, with one of his worries neatly resolved, he could fully devote himself to training alongside Alicia.
‘…Am I actually enjoying the situation right now?’
Enjoying training…?
He had never skipped a day of training due to laziness, but he had never felt ‘fun’ either.
There was a sense of accomplishment, but that faded after a day or two. Feeling such emotions in the pure process for the first time was unusual.
Arterion, unable to adapt to the changing version of himself, questioned this incomprehensible emotion.
“……”
Alicia’s focus faded as she wiped her sweat. The smile she had been wearing slowly disappeared.
As if longing for someone.
Her gaze expressed a bittersweet longing.
“…Are you thinking about Vargan again?”
Alicia snapped back at Arterion’s words. A gentle smile resembling a bellflower returned to her face.
“I was lost in thought again… I’m sorry.”
Arterion shook his head, silently conveying that she need not apologize. He asked,
“What were you worrying about this time?”
“Ah… Well, I was worried if I could safely meet Erica, and if she was eating properly….”
Alicia averted her gaze, slightly bowing her head, embarrassed to reveal her thoughts.
Arterion did not probe further… but he couldn’t understand why.
“It’s the first time I’ve envied someone…”
“…Pardon?”
Alicia blinked her big eyes, seemingly confused by his words, and he changed the topic.
“The aura’s condition has improved significantly. If we keep training like this, I might be able to use the red aura by the end of this semester.”
“Oh, really…? Yes, I will do my best!”
Alicia clenched her hands together in determination.
As soon as her mana circulates beyond a certain level, the training will resume.
*
“It’s our first meeting. Portlet Troa Erica. I am Vargan, the third son of the Schugenhartz Family.”
Erica, stepping out from a distortion in space, lightly touched the ground. The travel bag she carried softly hit the floor.
“…What are you doing right now?”
Vargan suddenly greeted her, and Erica shot him a glare with her crescent-shaped eyes.
Vargan lifted his slightly bowed head to meet her gaze.
“We agreed to treat each other as if meeting for the first time, but given that we have never formally greeted, I thought I’d give it a try. Isn’t decorum important in any matter?”
“……Decorum? You just wanted to tease me, didn’t you?”
“Tease you? I would never do such a thing.”
Vargan spoke with an openly cheerful demeanor, and Erica had plenty to say but held back. Instead, she glanced at a woman nearby and asked,
“…So, who is this?”
“Who is this person?”
“She’s a Hunter from the Maderro Guild. She’s in charge of guiding us this time.”
The woman, feeling nervous at Vargan’s introduction, lowers her head. Her ears and tail stand out unusually.
She moves her lips to reveal her name and affiliation, but Erica doesn’t focus on her words.
“Looks like a beastfolk, huh?”
“Y-Yes! That’s right!”
“And a fox type at that?”
“Correct! Your observation skills are impressive!”
“…….”
Erica’s gaze is less than pleasant. The woman flinches at her unexpectedly cold stare.
The woman wonders if she has inadvertently offended Erica, but Erica assures her that it’s unrelated and she shouldn’t worry about it.
Instead, she glares at Vargan, who must have set up the whole situation, and speaks in a clicking tone.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I will.”
“What is it?”
Since the festival until now.
She had been aware of her grievances after drinking with Vargan, but had chosen not to bring them up.
“Schugenharz. Aren’t you using me a bit too much lately?”
Even until today, she hadn’t planned to speak up, but seeing the enjoyment on Schugenharz’s face at her reaction pushed Erica to voice it.
“Sure, the elections were for Diphelia too, so I can accept that. But do you have any idea how many times I’ve warped since you realized I owe you a favor?”
Vargan counted the times on his fingers.
“Five times, huh?”
“It’s not just five times. Long distances, and excluding this one, it was to move other people, right?”
It takes much more effort to move others than herself, which is why Erica had struggled on the last day of the festival to move three fourth-year students.
Erica continued in a tone that bordered on whining.
“Besides, I’ve come all this way to help you for two weeks… At this point, I should have repaid my debt completely.”
However, her opponent was Schugenharz.
He was sure to find a loophole in her words and exploit it somehow…
“Erica, if you feel that way, it’s fine with me if this is the last time.”
“What…?”
“Since a debt of the heart can’t really be quantified or compared, if you feel that way, you don’t have to go out of your way for me anymore from now on.”
“That’s….”
Erica was the one who initially brought up repaying the debt. The debt was also a way for her to sort out her feelings towards Vargan.
Before the engagement was broken.
To clear all relationships.
To stand upright before the deceased Laila.
“…….”
Erica bit her lip and looked away.
Just moments ago, the cat that had been showing its claws and puffing up its fur seemed to have been scolded and now looked deflated.
Vargan chuckled softly at Erica’s demeanor. He took her bag and stuffed it inside White’s pouch, shifting the conversation to make up for the halted dialogue.
They currently stood at the entrance to Seiman Gorge.
The massive cliffs stood tall on either side, forming a winding path that seemed endless.
Vargan looked at the enormous gorge and said,
“Let’s get going. We have plenty of time, but what’s the point of wasting it? Guide.”
“Y-Yes?! Yes, yes!”
“Lead the way.”
*
The dungeon of Seiman Gorge had already manifested.
The dungeon of the gorge has already manifested.
Guild Maderelo has already grasped the approximate location of that dungeon.
The woman with fox ears was initially tense, but as time passed, she skillfully guided Vargan and Erica, allowing them to move with ease.
Even though it was autumn, the sunlight shining down was quite strong, making everyone squint, but no one complained.
In reality, if they rode a familiar that could fly, they could get there in an instant, but that wasn’t an option.
“Do you know why it’s called Seiman Gorge?”
The woman guiding them suddenly brought it up.
Vargan felt there was no point in replying and stayed silent, while Erica moved her lips instead.
“It’s because the gorge is home to Seiman, one of the Twelve Divine Beasts.”
“That’s right. That’s why we’re walking here.”
The Twelve Divine Beasts are known for their strict rule of not interfering in human affairs and being entities that do not harm humans.
In fact, Seiman attacks only the Altife that appears in the gorge, feeding on them, and does not engage with the movements of humans.
However, there is one thing that Seiman cannot tolerate: the open sky.
Only Seiman can fly over Seiman Gorge.
Any other being that intrudes into his territory and poses a threat is considered an enemy and is killed.
The church’s airship also detours around the skies of Seiman Gorge.
This is partly because Seiman is powerful, but also because he gains more from not allowing others to cross.
Even if it means being unable to use the sky, the path to the major city of Brutemberg is thoroughly defended, so most Altife cannot pass through this area.
In the end, people have decided to coexist peacefully, so they do not fly over Seiman Gorge.
“Seiman is also called a symbol of good fortune. If you happen to pass through Seiman Gorge and see that bird from afar, good things are supposed to happen…”
“Shut up and keep moving. I already know about Seiman, and it’s of no importance.”
“Ah! Yes, sorry, sorry.”
Silenced by Vargan’s interruption, the guide clamped her mouth shut and focused on safely leading the way.
…
As they continued for a while, night began to fall, and the guide opened her mouth again.
“It’s better to stay here for the night. We should prepare before it gets darker…”
“We’re fine with a familiar to act as a barrier. It will also conceal our presence, so it’s sufficient.”
Vargan summoned a chameleon-like familiar and merged it with the shadow that had been hiding, creating a dual fusion.
The combined familiar expanded into a dome shape, changing not just its color but also its material to match the surrounding cliffs.
Erica, watching this, asked, “When did you expand that familiar again?”
“If you don’t prepare in advance, isn’t it the law of the world to regress?”
As Vargan touched the round dome, an entrance formed, resembling a rather spacious igloo.
The guide had only prepared a simple windbreak, and her mouth dropped open in shock as a perfect space was created in an instant.
Vargan looked at Erica and said, “By the way, since there’s no separate room, we’ll have to sleep together. Are you okay with that?”
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