Volume 3 Chapter 122-2 The Light And Shadow Of Ozeas I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Rean is the one who is really worrying him.
Last night, he was hunting in the swamp again, like he was possessed. He fought fiercely, swinging his magic sword to slay the Bloodsucking Kinds or using his armored claws to tear out their hearts and brains. He fought ruthlessly, not caring about himself, driving away the warrior Wolfmen.
Even during breaks, he hunted nearby. When someone tried to stop him, he replied, “You know the effect of this armor. I’m not affected by fatigue.”
His black armor automatically tightens his body, forcing it to move wildly, even if he’s tired, injured, or ill. So, his claim about not feeling fatigue wasn’t entirely true.
The armor simply moves, ignoring the limits of his body.
If Rean’s body can’t take it anymore, it’ll suddenly break down. That would be a big problem, so he was finally convinced to rest.
He wasn’t this extreme when they first formed their party.
Is it because Vestacia is partially petrified and worried, so he’s pushing himself too hard?
Or has he been like this recently?
If it’s the latter, Lyritisse, who usually stops him, must have had a hard time.
Kian’s group spent the day running around the mountain, placing self-destruct incantations on every bolt they found. They found 17 in total. It felt like a small number for a whole day’s work, but Sarah gave them a passing score. At least, the teleportation device was unusable now, since the broken magic circles couldn’t be fixed easily. The Barghest couldn’t escape to the ‘Storm Herd’ encampment unless it tried something desperate.
After dinner, just like the night before, Kian practiced with Sarah near the ancient temple’s entrance. Sarah’s ‘Pursuit of the Shadow’ wasn’t practical yet, but she seemed to be quickly regaining her strength by sparring with Kian.
The day before, it was a close match, but now Sarah was attacking Kian with dazzling speed, using warrior monk techniques. He could only dodge and block her attacks. Sarah’s strategy was to bounce around, creating a barrage of ‘Shot’ techniques, while Kian focused on avoiding serious injuries.
It reminded him of the fight with Natra before she joined in Izerland.
”Ugh, you’re so tough, Sarah…! Making such annoying, sluggish movements!”
”If you don’t attack, you can’t win.”
After 15 minutes of fighting without a clear winner, the match ended temporarily.
Sarah looked clearly irritated.
Well, he can understand her feelings.
There’s no fear since he’s not attacking, but if you give up on winning and just defend, the frustration of not being able to finish the fight is huge.
Beating someone who’s just tough over and over is no fun at all.
In the end, all that’s left is a sense of futility.
Sarah punched Kian’s chest sharply and said, “Next time, attack properly. Running away and avoiding the fight is forbidden. Stop.” Kian felt it was unfair; it seemed like she just wanted to hurt him.
”I thought this yesterday too, but your judgment in battle is amazing. Your decisions are quick and accurate.”
”Thank you.”
”Your spatial awareness is incredible. You always kept track of my position. You even read the timing between techniques and the seconds until impact. Were you like this even when you were at the monastery?”
”How about it? Since coming here, I’ve often made maps of ruins and labyrinths as part of my scouting job, so maybe after doing that repeatedly, I’ve become good at estimating distances. Your ability to predict my moves is because I’ve seen you fight many times.”
”Hmm, I see. That’s kind of annoying.”
Sarah irritably crossed her arms and walked around in front of Kian.
”But you’re not scary at all without the Windsong Blade. Right now, I’m confident I could beat you. This means my skills are improving, doesn’t it?”
”Actually, you’ve gotten significantly better compared to yesterday. I think we should train like this regularly. Right now, it’s just me, but when we get back, I’ll tell Natra and Rufna too. You said before it was hard to approach them, but I hope you’ll build a good relationship through training.”
”If the party leader says so. But still, I prefer you, Kian.”
”Because I can use you as a punching bag?”
”Because I can fight without hesitation. When things don’t go well, I get frustrated like this… I can’t show this side of me to others.”
”Do you think it’s okay for me to see it? If you remember the saying, ‘Even close relationships need respect,’ I don’t mind, but…”
”Ah… W-Would you hate me now?”
”No, not at all.”
Sarah was the kind of person who would say things like that.
However, as long as she maintained a minimum level of respect, it wouldn’t make him uncomfortable, so in that case, he would feel free to point it out.
”Who did you train with in Azrael?”
”My younger siblings. Especially Almeisa, who often trained with me. Almeisa is my sister, and Natra’s older sister. You might have forgotten since you’re surprisingly indifferent to others, but…”
”I remember well enough.”
She was the woman he blasted away with Windsong Blade before he killed Natra.
He think it was unhealthy, but the pleasure from that moment is still unforgettable.
Even if he forgets Almeisa’s name, he’s confident he’ll never forget that instant.
Sarah carried the rock sword over her shoulder and patted it lightly.
”Almeisa listened patiently without making a face even when she was irritated. Natra’s defenses were somehow firm, and it was so troublesome that he couldn’t enjoy fighting with her.”
”Was Rufna not a suitable sparring partner?”
”It’s rare for her to train. She’s the Head Magician, after all. And she hates training herself.”
”She’s been averse to training since long ago.”
”It’s said she hates to sweat.”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders and said so. “Everyone stops training once they gain status, even I did,” she looked at her own hand, which had little calluses.
”Then, from now on, I have to practice and gradually regain my instinct.”
”That’s right.”
The conversation naturally ended there, and the two of us continued sword fighting.
As expected, when he abandoned defense and switched to attack, he got beaten even more than yesterday. Even though he understood there was a gap in strength, it was frustrating that he couldn’t match up. Without them noticing, Natra, who skillfully got Kian into the mood, proved to be quite the teacher.
”You used a lot of magic power today again, didn’t you? Well then, before sleeping, we’ll do it again, right?”
After training ended.
Sarah, who had fully released her stress, approached with a shiny face.
He haven’t used that much today, but considering he might catch a Barghest tomorrow (though it’s already past midnight, so technically today), the more reserves he have, the better.
Kian smiled at Sarah.
”That helps me. I like to be close to you.”
”…! I also, like it. Love it.”
”Shall we sleep in the same sleeping bag tonight?”
”Eh, but if I do that, everyone will see in the morning. I don’t want anyone but you to hear my voice.”
”Then, let’s sleep in a small room.”
”Understood. ──Will you lick that again like yesterday?”
”Of course.”
”I’ll properly take a bath.”
Sarah, before Kian, returned through the corridor.
He didn’t know if it was acting or real, but he wished it was real.
* * *
Before he knew it, it was evening.
Kian flew his 5 Wing Cain subordinates into the sky from the entrance of the ancient temple.
They are familiars sent to fetch the Misty Magic Sword, which was requested by Priscilla for transportation.
It is thought that even Wing Cain, capable of flying in the sky, would take at least half a day one-way from this ancient temple to the ancient temple where Rean’s traces were tracked. If so, they would return at the earliest the day after tomorrow or later.
On the other hand, if last night Priscilla issued the command to transport the magic sword from Châtillon, then teleporting from Châtillon to the outskirts of Izerland, followed by aerial transport to Erynys’s ancient temple, would be completed after dawn tomorrow.
This is the difficult part: if that ancient temple is part of the main ‘Storm Herd’ patrol route, then they must recover the magic sword and have it brought back here before they are discovered. The longer the arrival time is delayed, the greater the risk that someone else will snatch it.
Cautiously, they sent out 5 at what seemed like a good timing, but will the transportation succeed smoothly?
If the Misty Magic Sword is stolen by someone else, it would be a big problem.
Worst case, Priscilla might end up in debt and be forcibly added to the Châtillon family.
Witnessing Wing Cain and others vanish into the dusk sky, he began to wonder why he was shouldering such risks.
Was he being too cautious? However, the death threat from the still-unknown warrior monk (Jibril’s subordinate) was extremely ominous.
(Whether I should get some reward for just doing this troublesome thing, or not──no, it’s better if it ends as an unfounded worry.)
”──Kian”
As Wing Cain’s shadow disappeared beyond the horizon, a high female voice called from behind. When I turned around, standing there was Sarah, who was completely different from the one in the previous night’s affair.
Sarah, with her hair neatly tied and wearing light armor properly, reported in a straightforward manner.
”We’ve assigned all staff. You can blast or break the teleportation team at any time. You can also activate a self-destructing technique that has been placed on the wedge.”
”Thank you for your hard work. Mrs. Colinna said Barghest would be coming in about an hour?”
”Yeah, it’s exactly an hour from now. It’s not too late, not too early, and it’s the same time every time. It seems like it represents Barghest’s personality.”
”I like people who keep time. But Barghest is the enemy.”
”I agree.”
”Also, your Excellency gave me instructions on what to do with the gate to another dimension, but the salon couldn’t get a clear idea, so please leave it open for now.”
When Kian spoke about the contents of the memo written in the dream world, Sarah nodded, “I guess so.”
”If the Bloodsucking Kind is gone, there will be no forces that threaten the people behind it. If that happens, Ramsey may fall. On the other hand, the people of Nordende die or are troubled by the Bloodsucking Kind, but it doesn’t matter to the aristocrats of Izerland. It’s a territory where taxes cannot be collected properly. It’s all forests and swamps.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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