When I got back to the lodge, Lydia and Claude were making breakfast. The rich scent of Miso Soup was floating through the air.
Even before we'd left, Lydia had stuffed various vegetables into her bag. As I suspected, she planned to stay over right from the start.
As expected of a shady merchant.
[Welcome back Zeph-kun] [You wake up early huh, on the other hand look at Milly-chan…..]
Lydia looks amazed as she points at Milly, who is still snoring and drooling.
She's as weak as always in the morning.
I give a wry smile while looking at her as she turns over and continues to snore.
[Is there anything I can help with?] [It's fine, it'll be done soon] [Yep yep, just take it easy]
The two of them kindly refuse, and since I have nothing to do I guess I'll mess around with the still sleeping Milly.
I poke her cheek, and her face looks a little unhappy as she turns it away and twists her body. I don't mind it and keep on poking her, and she continues to roll and roll away.
This is kinda funny.
Lydia is showing great interest in the state of affairs over here, her eyes have gotten big and she is staring fixedly.
In her hand she is gripping a kitchen knife and is rhythmically cutting vegetables.
Look at what you're doing, Look!
Then a little while later,
[Zeph-kun, Milly-san, breakfast is ready] [Milly wake up it's morning] [Nnnn~I'm up~]
She says as she raises her arms.
'Pull me up', is probably what she means.
What a needy fella.
[Aa...…]
As I come around to Milly's front, I hear Claude start to say something.
Hesitantly I grab Milly's hands, she grips on and completely lets her weight settle on my arms.
[Uo!?]
I lose my balance and end up right on top of Milly.
Before I even noticed it, both her arms had wrapped around my back and she held onto me tightly.
[Ehehe~ Good morning Claude~]
It looks like she's mistaken me for Claude.
She hugs me and snuggles her face into my chest.
At this turn of events I can see Lydia's jealous face.
It looks like she's saying 'I'll do it next time'
[....Nn? Somehow today, isn't Claude's body kinda harder than usual?]
*Pat**Pat* she goes. Milly rubs my back.
[Are you still half-asleep Milly?] [Eh....huh? Ummm...Zeph?]
Milly separated herself from me, opened her eyes, and confirmed that it was me. Then as she looked at me her face got bright red, then….
*Thump!*
And she head-butts me and starts to bite at me with all her strength.
While I'm in pain she goes, Why is Zeph here!? Idiot! Hurry up and get out! And such.
It looks like she is actually still half-asleep.
After we eat breakfast and go outside the weather seems to have cleared up.
There are few clouds and the earth stretches out before us and we can feel the sun shining down on us.
[It's so nice out huh~?]
As Lydia stretches, her big breasts assert themselves as they jiggle and sway.
When Milly sees this, her face seems to get a little depressed.
[B....By the way, shouldn't we start climbing again?]
Claude guesses what's going on and changes the topic.
What an attentive fella.
[That's ri-ght, if we climb some more to a more open place, roc birds are often there, so let's get going.]
Lydia lifts her right hand as if to say let's do it, and once again her breasts shake grandly.
–Meadow near the top of the mountain—
[Waa~ This is so nice~] [Yep, the wind feels great~♪]
Milly closes her eyes, spreads her arms, and enjoys the wind blowing through the meadow with her whole body.
Indeed, the wind feels good when it strokes my cheeks.
[It's a good place right? In the past, my family used to come here pretty often]
To have a picnic in a place where strong monsters show up often….it seems like her entire family is just as monstrous...
[Shhh!]
Lydia puts her finger to her lips, and everyone quiets down at this signal.
There are 2 roc birds hanging about in the grass, we're pretty far away so it doesn't look like they've noticed us.
[What should we do Kuro-chan?] (Nickname for Claude…it'd be Clau-chan but Japanese pronunciation makes it Kuro-chan)
[I will take the one on the left and Lydia-san please take care of the one on the right] [Alwight] (she says it cutesy)
[Both of you wait. There's something I want to try]
As Lydia looks at me confused, I cast Time Square.
With time stopped I cast Black Boots twice and Lydia's feet are covered in wind.
[Ohhh!? It kinda feels like my body got lighter?]
Black Boots enhances the physical abilities of the target and since it's been cast twice simultaneously, the power has risen even higher.
However, inversely the time it can remain active shortens by quite a bit.
[This is fun!]
*Hop*Hop* she hops twice, then a third time, in the next instant she kicks off the ground and appears almost instantly in front of the roc bird and it gets blown backwards.
[How fast!?]
Milly is surprised and looks at Lydia who's still in the air. Before we noticed it, she took out her axe and is gripping it with both hands. The remaining roc bird shoots its neck forward to stab Lydia with its beak.
But, at that moment Lydia disappeared, and reappeared at the roc bird's feet, she then hauls back and swings at the roc bird's feet as hard as she can.
Flinching, the roc bird stumbles.
[Blue Gale!]
The whirlwind/waterspout that Milly calls forth batters the roc bird, and taking advantage of this, Lydia once again strikes with her axe.
Her movements are like a whirlwind.
I can't see her moving at all…..it looks like I raised her speed a little too much.
[This is the enhanced version of Black Boots huh. It looks like it's too difficult for me to master] [As I thought, it looks pretty harsh]
This magic raises your speed but, you can't really figure out when the effects will stop. If the effects stop in the middle of an enemy's attack, rather than the magic helping you dodge the strike, you'd be more liable to get hit.
Even so, it looks like Lydia will somehow be able to handle it, but it's too difficult for me and Claude to utilize this.
[Attack enhancement and Defensive enhancement would probably be better I think, huh?] [Claude why don't go give Attack enhancement a try?]
I cast Time Square, and then Red Glove twice, and Claude's arm is covered in flame.
[Amazing…..I can feel strength overflowing….!]
Claude rushes over to the roc bird and swings her sword.
[Teyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]
The sword seems to cut right into the roc bird's body, but *Ba kin!!* a sound echoes and it breaks.
[It can't be!?]
It was a cheap sword without enchantment, so it couldn't endure Claude's enhanced strike....
It seems like synthesized Body enhancement magic really does choose it's own user.
She somehow managed to dodge the roc bird's counterattack and forces it back with her shield.
[Blue Gale!]
Milly's magic explodes, and the two roc birds are crushed.
[Oh I think my level went up?] [Congrats!] […..Lydia-san, didn't it just go up yesterday?]
Lydia is only level 14 still.
It's very likely that it will still continue rising.