Chapter 25: Training and Pride

My name is Liliella.

I’m an adventurer based out of the town of Hexi, which is right next to the Forest of Magic Beasts.

Until now, I had been searching for a way to cure everyone from my village who had been suffering from an illness.

However, that goal of mine was solved by a boy called Rex who I randomly happened to meet one day.

Not only had he saved my life, he had also taken back my family and hometown, making him quite literally my saviour.

Due to all that, I felt a deep sense of obligation towards him, and so, in order to repay the favours to him, I joined his party.

And Rex-san was nice enough to give me a warm welcome.

Not only is he strong, he is also a broad-minded person.

I was determined to be there for him, so I pulled myself together and went on an adventure.

And then, on our first outing as a party, he defeated an S-Rank monster.

…And he did it alone.

Well, I did kind of know that someone who could effortlessly defeat A-Rank monsters or a mutant and could burn down the Forest of Magic Beasts, which itself was a monster, was stronger than me, but…

But I thought I would be able to help him out at least a little more.

Mhm… the only option I have now is to train!

Throwing aside my sense of shame and honour, I asked Rex-san to make me his disciple.

So I wouldn’t hold him back again!

◆ ◆

“Let’s start with defeating a Dragon then!”

“No way no way no way no way nononono!”

Hang on, what’s he talking about all of a sudden?

Defeating a Dragon on the first day of training? There’s no way I can do that!

“Don’t worry, this is just a stray Green Dragon that was flying around nearby.
It’s a minor Dragon really.”

“It’s major right from the point where you said Dragon!”

What is he even talking about!?

And why the hell is he standing with one foot on top of a Dragon with such an unconcerned expression!?

And why is the Dragon just letting him do so!?

I don’t get this at all!?

“Please calm down.
Dragons will stop moving if you decapitate them.”

“That’s way too difficult!”

“Hmmm, that’s a bit of a problem then…”

At my objection, Rex-san fell deep in thought, his hand on his chin.

“And anyway, it’s a problem for me, not you!”

Uuu, just what is he thinking?

There’s no way a normal person can defeat a Dragon!

“Then, I’ll give you a lecture on how to easily defeat a Dragon.
Elder Heal!”

Said Rex-san, making his foot glow and kicking the Dragon, which was then likewise covered in light, after which it let out a roar of anger and rose up into the sky.

“Gyaoooooooon!!”

“Eek!?”

I’m scared! The Ancient Plant was also scary, but I can feel this one’s emotions, so it’s even scarier!

It sees us as enemies!

“First, Dragons can fly.
So, shoot it down with magic or ranged weapons in order to make it drop to the ground.
Burst Hammer!”

“Gyaon!?”

Rex-san shot magic at the Dragon while explaining, making it act as if it had bumped into something mid-air and fall down to the ground.

“Then, you intercept the Dragon while it’s still falling!”

Rex-san jumped towards the Dragon and punched it downwards.

“Gogyan!?”

“Wait, you just punched a Dragonnnnnnnnnn!?”

The now-screaming Dragon hit the ground.

“Now you just cut off its head, and then it’s dragon extermination complete.
See, easy, right?”

“It’s not easy at all!”

It’s no good! The required level for this training is too high; I can’t do this!

I’m definitely going to die at this rate! I’ll die!

“Hmm, that’s a bit of a problem then, since this was the easiest way to defeat a Dragon.”

“Your definition of easy is wrong! To everyone but you, the easiest way to defeat something means a way to defeat something that even weak people can use, not the simplest and most efficient method!”

“I see, so you can also understand it that way!”

Rex-san clapped his hands together as if to say he understood.

“That’s what’s normal! I don’t have the magic to shoot a Dragon down out of the sky, nor the ability to intercept it mid-way! Actually, I’m quite powerless for a B-Rank!”

“Oh, really?”

Rex-san asked, surprised.

“That’s right, while I did frantically learn some swordsmanship, the main reason I was promoted to B-Rank was because I focused on request completion rate and herb-gathering requests and such.”

It was a good opportunity to tell Rex-san what kind of adventurer I was.

Since we were a team, it would be a good idea to tell each other what we could do anyway.

I had actually wanted to tell him sooner, but so many abnormal things had happened that I had never found the opportunity to do so.

“Since my goal was to find the herbs that could cure Alza, I sold the rest to the guild.”

I had to send money home to auntie so she could keep taking care of mum.

“And with that background, I became an adventurer specialising in collecting herbs and other ingredients for potions, and after an evaluation from the guild, was promoted to B-Rank.
The fact that I sold even high-value herbs because they were of no use to me probably had something to do with it in the end too.
So, I only have simplistic combat skills, probably around upper-C-Rank or lower-B-Rank.”

Mm, it feels kind of sad saying it myself.

But, adventurers’ ranks aren’t based on just their combat power, so I’m still undoubtedly B-Rank.

It’s just the person in front of me who’s way too non-standard for a B-Rank!

Anyway, he should have understood how strong I was now.

He’d choose training with a level of difficulty matching my strength now, right?

“I see, I get it now.”

Thank goodness, it seems like I got through to him.

“Then I guess I’ll have you get used to combat via real battles!”

“I didn’t get through!?”

Why!? Why didn’t he understand!?

“It’ll be fine, I’ll properly teach you how to fight, and once you become able to do that, you’ll be fighting monsters and defeating them with your own power in no time! There’s no better training than actual practical experience!”

T-that means I’ll be getting normal training for now, right?

“First, let’s devote a day to learning body strengthening magic and chantless magic.”

“I use a swooooooooooooord!!”

Why doesn’t he listen to a word I say!

◆ ◆

“Now then, in order for you to learn body strengthening magic, I’d like you to feel what magic is like.”

Just like I had done with Jairo-kun before, I cast healing magic on Liliella-san so she could remember the feeling of it.

“Firstly, please imagine that you’re circulating this feeling through your body.”

Next, I used healing-type body strengthening magic in front of Liliella-san.

“Heal Boost! See, this is the healing-attributed body strengthening magic.”

But Liliella-san just looked at me doubtfully, tilting her head.

“But, am I really going to become able to use magic just from this? Don’t I need more strict training for magic?”

“Depends on the type of magic.
There is magic with complicated composition that requires you to have a lot of knowledge about it, but for warriors, reflexively using chantless magic is the easiest in battle.
I said so earlier too, but some adventurers I know learned body strengthening magic like this.
So it’ll work out.”

“…A-all right.
I’ll try.”

That’s right, don’t think, act.

◆ ◆

“Ugghh…”

A couple hours had passed since then.

Liliella-san was trying to circulate mana throughout her body, but it didn’t seem to be going well, as she kept on grunting in effort.

Perhaps I should change things up a bit?

“Do you want to get a feeling of the healing magic again?”

I then cast recovery magic on her, releasing some of her pent-up stress.

“This feeling… I get it, but…”

It didn’t really seem to have worked though, since she was still holding her head.

“Kyuu”

The furball came over to me and jumped up on my hand I was using to cast healing magic.

“What’s up? Do you want me to cast recovery magic on you too?”

“Kyuu, kyuu!”

So, I cast recovery magic on the furball that was almost certainly saying ‘Yes please!’.

“Kyuun”

The furball bobbed as if to say ‘Alright, got it’, and got off my hand.

“Kyuu!”

The next moment, the furball began moving at a tremendous speed, releasing mana from its whole body.

“Eh!? W-What!? What the heck!?”

“No way, it’s using body strengthening magic!?”

“Whaaaaat!?”

What a surprise, to think monsters could also use body strengthening magic.

However, that way of using the mana was unmistakably body strengthening magic.

The furball zoomed back and forth all over the place, knocking down all the Trap Plants growing nearby.

“Ooh, amazing.”

“Gyugyuun!”

With that, the furball suddenly flew at me.

Then, it started to chew on my hand, body strengthening magic still active.

“Hahaha, what a skilled little thing, able to chew so weakly with body strengthening magic active.”

“Gyuun!?”

The furball scuttled back a few steps at that, then flopped down on the ground, showing me its belly.

“Kyuun kyuun”

Hmm, what now? Does it want me to stroke it now that it’s tired out from playing or what?

“Man, you just can’t give me a break can you.
Here now, good furball good furball.”

“Kyuun kyuun!”

I stroked the furball, and it seemed to make a face as if it was in heaven.

“…E-even the furball can…”

“Liliella-san?”

Liliella-san seems a little strange?

“Kyuu”

The furball got up and walked over to Liliella-san.

Then, it hit her hand and looked up at her.

“Kyuhu~”

“!?”

It let out a strange sound.

Having looked at it, Liliella-san’s face was filled with fear.

I couldn’t really tell from where I was, so I wonder what happened?

“I’ll do it… I’ll do it! I’ll definitely learn how to use body strengthening magic by the end of todaaaaay!!”

I don’t really get why, but it seemed like Liliella-san had regained her motivation, so that was good.

“Again! Please use recovery magic again!”

“Yes yes, Elder Heal!”

Liliella-san tried to get a grasp on the feeling of recovery magic with a serious yet slightly haunted look on her face.

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!”

And then, a few more hours later, when the sky was already dark…

“I did it! I did it!”

Liliella-san finally managed to acquire body strengthening magic.

Well, she still couldn’t circulate her mana perfectly yet, as it kept getting interrupted, but once she got used to it, she’d be able to control her mana perfectly.

“Congratulations.”

“Right, but, this is also thanks to you, Rex-san!”

“Uwa!?”

An overjoyed Liliella-san flew at me.

“Amazing this is awesome! I can use magic! I used magic!”

“I-I get it, please get off me!”

“Eh? …!?”

I patted Liliella-san’s back in a panic while she looked at me with a puzzled expression.

From a distance about as far away as someone’s eyes and their nose.

The next moment, she jumped backwards so fast she startled me.

She really does have talent… mhm.

“S-sorry, I just…”

“N-no, d-don’t worry about it.
You just used magic for your first time ever, so of course you’d be happy.”

“R-really? Yes, r-right, really!”

“Yes! T-then, l-let’s proceed on to the next part.”

“O-okay.
Right! I’ll sprint through the next parts with the momentum I gained here!”

We both took a deep breath and switched into training mode.

“Now, for the next bit, you’ll fight a Dragon while using body strengthening magic.”

“That will be impossible, sir!”

Huh? I didn’t say ‘defeat it’ though, so it should be fine?

◆ ◆

“I… I did it…”

I had finally become able to use body strengthening magic by the time the sun rose.

Having learned body strengthening magic, I then had to use it to the fullest to defend against and avoid repeated attacks from a Dragon, and I somehow managed to keep on going until I reached a level he seemed to find acceptable.

“I-I’m exhausted…”

“You did well.
I’ll restore your stamina and mana with recovery magic.
I guess I’ll also get rid of your drowsiness.”

While I had been training, no matter how tired I had been, he had continued to restore my stamina and mana, saying it was so I could learn body strengthening magic faster.

“My mind, my mind is exhausted…”

I… never wanted to find out that humans could be this tired mentally even while being in perfect physical condition.

And yet, the training didn’t end there.

“Next up, you’ll be learning chantless magic! It took you a while to learn body strengthening magic.
Let’s focus so you can learn it before the end of today!”

The boy in front of me looked like the devil.

“Don’t worry.
Chantless magic is just an upgraded version of body strengthening magic.
You can use body strengthening magic, so you’ll be able to use chantless magic too soon enough!”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

Well, that was a lie.

I wasn’t able to use chantless magic soon after.

No matter how many times I was told “Shoot your mana from the body strengthening magic at your target, like this.
See, easy, isn’t it?” my mana didn’t seem to feel like being shot at all.

“Kyuu!”

Slaaaap!

That furball became able to use chantless magic before me too!

“Fuhuhur”

Then, it smirked at me in a way that only I could see.

It’s definitely trying to provoke me!

“I’ll do it! I just have to do it, right!”

Ahaha, right.
I said I’d do it…

I can’t run away now!

And there’s no way I can lose to this furball!

“Woooork!!”

And like that, my night of training went on…

◆ ◆

My name’s Ivan.

I work in the Forest of Magic Beasts.

Lately, the place has become quite a bit, no, way easier to explore due to the appearance of an amazing rookie.

And I might be imagining it, but the monsters also feel weaker now.

“Now then, let’s do our best today too!”

Thanks to the roads Rex made, the Forest of Magic beasts has become quite a good hunting ground for us adventurers.

Thanks to that, adventurers and merchants have been flocking here after having heard the rumours, smelling money.

“Oh, speaking of which, isn’t that them?”

We spotted Rex-san and that girl coming out of the forest.

Speaking of which, that young lady did form a party with him.

Hehehe, they’re definitely coming back after having had some fun in private.

I guess I’ll tease them a little.

“Heeey, you tw-… -o”

We tried calling out to them, but the vibe coming from the two of them, no, from Ms Liliella made us involuntarily swallow our words.

The eyes of Miss Liliella, whom we hadn’t seen for a while, were just like those of a veteran mercenary who had stared death in the eye many a time.

“…What the hell happened?”

We were all very puzzled by this complete change in Miss Liliella.