Chapter 82

"Master! Today, I will finally get a point from you!"

"Today, I will finally beat the master!"

A few days have passed since the battle with *Amuntsaas*.

In the indoor training ground of *Silver Hare of the Night Sky*, I was facing off against Log and Carol.

"Yeah, come at me."

With my voice as the signal, the two of them started moving.

Log launched a series of thrusts and slashes from the front.

(He's even using feints now. He's improved a lot in just a few days.)

While dodging and deflecting Log's attacks with my sword, Carol, who had moved behind me, came at me from the back.

—Or so it seemed, but without closing the distance, she threw the dagger in her hand at my right shoulder.

Incidentally, the weapons we are using now are all blunted, so they won't cut, and even if they hit, they won't cause serious injuries.

(If she misses, there's a possibility she might hit Log. This is a bad move.)

While dealing with Log's attacks, I moved my body out of the dagger's trajectory.

However, the dagger stopped in mid-air before it reached me.

(This is *Object Levitation*, isn't it?)

*Object Levitation* is the magic that levitates objects, which I taught to the magic development room when I joined the clan. When I developed it, it didn't have a name, but the magic development room named it for public release.

(While eliminating the risk of attacking allies, it was used to restrict my movements. That's an interesting idea.)

If she aimed for my right shoulder, I would move to the left.

If I could predict the next move, it would naturally be easier to land an attack.

Taking advantage of the moment I was distracted by Carol's dagger, Log launched a faster thrust than usual.

(He's getting better at psychological warfare. Still, I don't intend to lose.)

I waited until the tip of the sword was about to touch me, and until Log, even if he reacted, couldn't move his body in time.

When the moment came, I rotated clockwise in a roll turn, entering Log's guard.

Switching the sword to my left hand, I used the momentum of the rotation to strike Log's solar plexus with my right elbow.

"Ugh...!"

I then grabbed the front of Log's shirt with my right hand and pulled him back hard.

Unable to brace himself and expel air, Log stumbled forward a few steps, pulled by me.

"—What!?"

As a result, he collided with Carol, who was approaching from behind, and they both fell down, entangled.

Burying his face in Carol's chest. Well done, Log.

"Log, you're heavy!"

"—!? S-Sorry!"

Log, who had been frozen in confusion, came to his senses at Carol's voice and hurriedly moved away from her.

"Pfft, I thought it was a good plan..."

Even after Log moved away, Carol remained lying down, grumbling.

"I think it was a good plan. Did you two come up with this together?"

"Yes... I thought if we could predict the master's next move, we could land an attack. Our physical abilities were superior, after all."

This time, I was fighting without any buffs because of the upcoming martial arts tournament. I needed to concentrate even more than usual against the two of them with buffs, making it good training.

"Well, it's a difference in experience. Still, when did Carol learn *Object Levitation*? You never used magic before."

"Hehe~. Rain-nee taught me~. I wanted to surprise the master, but you dealt with it normally. I wanted to see a more surprised face!"

Actually, Carol and Rain are good friends. They've been close since before I joined the clan, probably through Albert. Carol looks up to Rain as an older sister, and Rain, who has a big sister personality, can't help but like Carol.

"No, I was surprised. I just didn't show it on my face because we were in the middle of a fight."

"Really~?"

"Really. But why did you decide to learn magic?"

At my question, Carol's expression became unusually serious.

"...Well, I thought I could do well with close combat alone. I could move faster than others and was confident in handling bladed weapons. But when I faced a big guy, I wasn't much of an obstacle. I lost in an instant. I don't intend to change the base of my combat style, but watching the master and Log fight made me think that I should have more options in combat. Right now, I can only rush into the enemy. But that alone won't protect everyone. That's why I decided to learn magic."

I already knew what kind of battle the three of them had with *Amuntsaas* before I arrived. It's a different direction from the combat style I had in mind for Carol, but it's a conclusion she reached on her own. I want to respect her decision. My way isn't necessarily the right one, and I think this is something she should ultimately decide for herself.

(Magic, huh. Maybe I can teach her that spell in the future.)

"Got it. I think it's a good idea. But in that case, you should learn parallel construction. If you can construct spells while in close combat, it will make fighting easier."

"Right! Actually, Rain-nee told me the same thing, and I'm practicing parallel construction before learning the spells! Right now, I can only use *Object Levitation* and some basic offensive spells."

If Rain is teaching her, it might be better not to interfere. Our training methods are probably different, and doing both at the same time might actually slow down her progress.

"Carol, you're amazing. I need to get even more used to handling the spear!"

Log, impressed by Carol's thinking, is fired up with a competitive spirit.

Yeah, I think this kind of relationship is good. I hope the three of you can continue to improve together.

"I think you handle the spear much better than someone who's only been using it for a month, don't you?"

"Still, compared to those who have mastered spear techniques, I have a long way to go, right?"

"That's true. But that means you have room to grow. You still have a lot of potential. —By the way, are you two going to participate in the martial arts tournament?"

The martial arts tournament is open to anyone. The one I'm participating in is for advanced explorers only, but the one without restrictions, which is held annually, is also scheduled to take place. I hear that many new explorers participate in that tournament every year.

"No. Until recently, I thought about participating, but now I don't really want to fight anyone other than Orun and Will..."

"I don't want to hurt people, so I won't participate."

Well, after what happened, I can understand why they wouldn't want to fight anyone right away.

"Got it. Participation in the martial arts tournament isn't mandatory. *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* explorers have other clan events to help with, so there's no need to force yourselves. Enjoy the Thanksgiving Festival in your free time. There are a lot of events, apparently. —Well, let's take a short break and then have one more match. Use the break to think about your next strategy. I'll go check on Sophie."

"Understood."

"Next time, I won't lose!"

◇

Moving to the side of the indoor training ground, I found Sophie standing with a serious expression, her right hand extended forward.

"Su—fu... —!"

After taking a deep breath, Sophie clenched her right hand.

The thin iron plate a short distance away from her crumpled like a piece of paper.

"Excellent."

"Ah, Orun-san. Thank you."

"How are you feeling in terms of fatigue?"

"Well, I'm still getting out of breath quickly..."

Sophie apparently manifested her ability during the battle a few days ago.

Her ability is *Telekinesis*.

It seems to be the power to physically affect objects.

It's quite abstract, but I'm not sure if it's because Sophie hasn't fully understood it yet or if it's really that way.

If it's the latter, there could be various interpretations.

Just like my *Mana Convergence* is a versatile ability, *Telekinesis* might be able to do more than just crush, blow away, or hold objects in place. We'll need to investigate that.

In any case, *Telekinesis* is a very useful ability, both in exploration and daily life.

I think the fatigue accumulates quickly after a few uses because she's not used to it yet.

The more you use it, the more it becomes second nature, which is a common characteristic of abilities.

Additionally, with the manifestation of her ability, Sophie has learned parallel construction.

She can now construct seven spells simultaneously.

I suspect this is a side effect of her ability.

*Telekinesis* requires a lot of processing in the brain when used, more so than when constructing spells.

I think her brain capacity has increased to handle it.

This is just a guess, but the quick accumulation of fatigue is likely related to this.

Being able to construct seven spells simultaneously is sufficient for a mage. For now, the priority is to get her used to using her ability.

It wouldn't be practical to use something that exhausts her after a few uses in actual combat.

"Got it. Many people are overwhelmed by their abilities right after they manifest, so take your time to get used to it."

"Yes—"

"Sophia!!"

While talking to Sophie, a loud voice came from the entrance of the indoor training ground.

Turning to look, I saw Selma, out of breath.

She was supposed to return tomorrow, but she must have rushed back after hearing that Sophie was attacked by *Amuntsaas*.

Selma, with a tense expression, quickly approached us.

"Sis? What—"

"Sophia, I'm so glad you're safe..."

Selma then hugged Sophie tightly.

"Ugh, it's suffocating. Sis..."

"Ah, sorry. But I'm really glad you're safe. When I heard that Sophia had engaged *Amuntsaas*, I thought my heart would stop."

"I'm sorry for worrying you. But Orun-san helped us, so we're all safe."

"That's good. Orun, I've heard the gist of it. Thank you for helping Sophia and the new explorers."

Selma thanked me with a gentle expression.

"——No, I didn't do anything worth thanking. —But since Selma is back early, Sophia, we can end the training for today if you want?"

"Thank you, but I want to continue a bit more!"

She's as hardworking as ever.

"Got it. But don't overdo it and end up collapsing."

The other day, she collapsed from overexertion during ability training. I sternly warned her not to push herself, so I think she'll be fine, but I'll remind her just in case.

"Collapsing...?"

"Of course! I won't overdo it."

"Selma, do you have time to spare?"

I addressed Selma, who looked puzzled at my mention of collapsing.

"Yes, no problem. I was planning to spend today traveling anyway. But I need to talk to Orun later. I want to hear in detail what happened while I was away."

"Understood. Then, why don't you watch Sophia's training? It's interesting."

"Interesting...?"

"You'll see. Well, Sophia, I'll go back to Log and Carol."

"Understood!"

With that, I left the two of them and returned to where Log and Carol were.

◇

"I'm back. Alright, break's over. Let's resume the mock battle."

I approached the two who were discussing and spoke to them.

"Understood. This time, I'll get a point!"

"Alright, I'll beat the master!"

◇

After knocking them down a few more times, the end of the training ground's usage time approached, so we ended the session.

"Alright, let's end it here for today. Good job, everyone."

"Thank you very much!!!"

I had planned to do some theoretical training in our usual room afterward, but I want to hear Selma's story early, and the three of them have been pushing themselves lately. They need a proper break.

I don't want to dampen their enthusiasm, but if they get injured, it's all for nothing.

Thank you for reading to the end.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well.