Chapter 140
The next afternoon.
"Yawn~ I'm sleepy."
Lucia kept her promise. Just as we began to warm up, she dragged her heavy body to the training ground herself.
"Never thought I'd be teaching kids at this age... Kids these days have no respect for the elderly, I tell you."
Well, her grumpy attitude was still the same.
"Keke, you've arrived."
"Hello!"
"Oh, hello..."
"Good. At least you have manners. Except for one."
She couldn't possibly be talking about me, could she?
No, that can't be. It's not like there's a difference in how we greeted her.
After a quick deduction with my clever brain, the culprit who displeased Lucia was...
"Keke, Rezé, you should greet properly. Didn't you disappoint Ms. Lucia?"
"Um...?"
Whack!
"It's not her, it's you!"
Lucia smacked my head as she said that.
It was surprising. Not just that Lucia had quickly appeared in front of me from a distance, but also...
‘The culprit was me?’
Then, there must have been something wrong with my greeting... But what exactly was wrong?
"So, it should have been 'did you come' instead of 'have you arrived'?"
"Is that it?"
"Keke, then what is it?"
"Ugh... I can't believe I have to teach someone like you for three weeks... Let's not talk about it."
Lucia scanned us with half-dead eyes.
"By the way, why is she doing that?"
Lucia was referring to Rezé when she said 'she', and her question 'why is she doing that' meant...
"Rezé! Look this way! Why are you staring at the wall?"
Indeed, as Luna said, Rezé was... not just facing the wall but almost smashing her head into it.
Contrary to my thoughts, 'Tomorrow's Rezé' was not capable of dealing with today's issue.
"Keke, actually..."
Rezé briefly explained why she was trying to become one with the wall.
Then...
"Locking eyes with a strong person kills you? Ah, there are such people."
"...Does that mean what Rezé said is true?"
"No, well... There weren't any who died, but there were some who fainted."
Judging by Lucia's reaction, it wasn't a lie. There was no reason for her to lie about it anyway.
‘Suddenly, an unexpected problem has arisen.’
I had never encountered something like this in the game before.
Although there were cases where one would easily succumb to status effects due to a significant level difference, it didn't immediately lead to fainting or death.
It was somewhat expected. We were just at the beginning of Chapter 2.
Encountering high-level characters like Lucia was an extremely rare event.
‘Anyway, I might end up abandoning Rezé faster than I thought.’
A companion who cannot fight is a no-go for us.
Just as I was about to bandage Rezé's eyes as a temporary measure...
"Well, it's not like there's no cure."
"There's a cure?"
"It's simple. Get stronger."
"Excuse me?"
"The stronger Rezé gets, the narrower the gap with her opponent becomes, right? As she grows, the number of beings she can lock eyes with increases... Eventually, she'll be able to lock eyes with everyone."
It might be a game mechanic or a hidden piece related to levels.
Anyway, there was nothing I could do. I had to trust and follow the advice of an experienced player.
"Wait a moment..."
At that instant, Lucia's eyes shone.
Then, Rezé, who had her back turned, kept twitching.
Luna and I just looked at Rezé, finding it strange.
"Oh, her sense of energy is incredibly good."
"Sense of energy?"
"Yeah, she even detected mana up to the first level. That's remarkable."
Both our heads tilted to the left simultaneously, indicating we had no clue what she was talking about.
Due to Rezé turning her head while her back was turned, Luna and Rezé ended up bumping heads in a minor accident.
Regardless, Lucia continued to explain.
"I tried firing mana with varying intensities, from levels one to five. And among you three, only the one with her back turned reacted."
"She detected mana?"
"It's a bit different, but... Well, you can think of it that way."
Maybe it's the power of Rezé's [Concentration S] and [Crisis Detection A] skills.
"For the record, this is a natural talent. Of course, it's possible with effort too... But since she can do this much without trying, it's definitely a talent. This level of sense... I haven't seen it since the Masters."
Lucia continued to praise her. Considering how highly Lucia spoke of her, it must be a very useful talent.
And typically, when such a conversation comes up, what follows is...
"There's one technique that's perfect for her. Magic guns aren't my specialty, so I was wondering what to teach... but this worked out well."
That's right. A 'Skill Transfer' event.
Playing the game, you sometimes encounter serendipitous moments, and depending on your skills, traits, or story, the rewards you get can vary.
One of the most typical rewards is a 'Skill'.
I'm not sure what skill Lucia intends to transfer, but it's an unexpected gain.
"Keke, while you're at it, please help increase her mana capacity too."
"Look at this cheeky guy? Did you leave something with me?"
Squish-.
Lucia, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed both sides of my face and stretched them out.
Hmm, I suddenly feel like spilling all of Lucid family's secrets.
‘Hoo... Good me, let's be patient.’
It was a hard-won opportunity. I didn't want to create unnecessary complications.
"Keke, I understand that Rezé has talent and will be okay if she gets stronger, but what about now? She can't learn properly in that state."
"There's always a way."
Lucia rummaged around and pulled something out.
A red hat and sunglasses.
"Just suppress my energy as much as possible, and I'll cover your eyes. How about that, all good now?"
"Ah, ah... Yes! Th-thank you!"
Lucia had somehow reached in front of Rezé's eyes from being in front of me.
Rezé bowed to her.
‘Did she prepare this in advance? She's unexpectedly kind.’
Maybe it's because of such actions that Lucia's reputation hasn't fallen.
Could this be the hidden charm within her clumsy demeanor?
"It seems we're all set... Shall we start the training now?"
Wait, but that look... Where have I seen it before?
Where was it?
"You will not meet Drill Instructor's eyes."
Lucia's words, uttered with a suppressed voice, brought back a certain memory to me.
"Urgh!"
"What, what! Why are you suddenly like this?"
"...Maybe it's a PTSD that every man has."
"...What kind of nonsense is that? Are you protesting that you're a man by yourself?"
I had no time to respond to Luna's words.
Because I felt an immense pain in my prefrontal cortex.
"Stop the idle chatter there."
"Keke, the pain that started in the prefrontal cortex is now spreading throughout my body... May I take a little rest?"
A request filled with sincerity, something no human could refuse.
To that, Lucia smiled slightly and said,
"Would that be okay?"
---
"Alright, 10 minutes break."
"Haah..."
"Hu, huaaah..."
Rezé collapsed with a weird sound.
But we weren't much different. Our bodies were drenched in sweat.
‘I expected the training to be old-fashioned...’
But this is beyond what I thought.
The basic training went on for 2 hours without a break.
By the way, Rezé had been almost crawling on the ground after the 20-minute mark.
"Are you tired after only this much? Kids these days..."
"Keke, I think people from the old days weren't much different from us?"
"Is that so? Then we can compare. After all, I'm from those old days."
"Urgh! The pain starting in the prefrontal cortex has invaded the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland..."
"...Shut it before I really make you feel that way."
I immediately shut my mouth. After all, Lucia is someone who could do just that and more.
And just like that, 10 minutes flew by in an instant.
"Before we start the real training, I want to confirm something. I'm only supposed to teach the three of you, right?"
"Keke, that's correct."
"Good, it's a small group. I have plenty of time... I'll give personal attention to each one of you."
"Excuse me?"
"What? You don't like it? If you don't like it, say so."
"No, it's great. An excellent decision."
The reason I was surprised. I didn't expect Lucia to go this far.
I thought she'd just correct our postures and that would be it, but she's willing to give personal guidance to the three of us for three weeks.
This isn't something you'd expect from Lucia, famously known for her laziness.
‘I was ready to use a wish token, but things worked out well. Well, it must mean she wants to protect the family.’
Making sure not to let any curse related to demons slip from my mouth.
It's only for three weeks, so she thought, ‘I guess I have to endure this much.’
Of course.
‘But I don't plan to end it in three weeks.’
I might be pure and na?ve, but I'm not stupid enough to let go of a rolling stone.
Ah, but that doesn't mean I'll exploit her to the extreme.
Lucia is a hero of the continent, an important character in the mid-to-late part of the story.
She's meant to help the protagonist's party, so I planned to use her moderately and then let her go.
Let's see... about... Principal Dwener's level? That should be enough.
Huh? Does that mean I plan to suck her dry?
Keke. It's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.
"Was it Rezé? First, go over there and start shooting. Don't leave a single bit of mana."
"Yes... Yes." Rezé headed towards the shooting range, crawling along.
But we had no leeway to care about Rezé.
Because we were practically on the verge of death.
"Which of you two wants to spar with me first?"
"Me! I'll go first!"
"Good spirit. Let's not waste time and start immediately."
Lucia and Luna's spar began.
Though it was more of a defense practice for Lucia.
"That's enough."
"Huff... Huff. Th-thank you."
"You have good sense. Have you been in many fights?"
"Yes... a, a bit."
"But it's too much like street fighting. It'll be frustrating when you fight someone of a certain level, won't it?"
"De, definitely... I've felt that way a lot since coming to the academy. Like I'm fighting against a wall?"
With just one spar, Lucia accurately diagnosed Luna's current condition.
After pointing out a few more things, Lucia turned her gaze towards me.
"It's your turn. Let's see what you've got."
"Keke, don't expect too much."
I, who can't use secret techniques, am incredibly weak.
Especially since I don't even know the basics of swordsmanship, sparring is hopeless for me.
I might as well be on the same level as Rezé with a sword. No, maybe even weaker?
"Hmm~ So you're telling me to expect something? Well, it's been a while since I had fun."
Lucia licked her lips with her eyes shining.
Unlike the spar with Luna, where she only defended, it was clear she intended to attack me too.
No, I really meant don't expect anything!
"Here I come! Don't let your guard down!"
"Wai-wai-wait a sec...!"
A second later.
I was flying through the air.
Of course, not by choice.
--TL Notes--
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