On the way back to town and on the returning path to the inn, I happened to pass by Lydia's house, despite the fact that it was still early in the morning, I heard both Lydia's and Claude's voices.
「Right there! Your stance is still weak! Claude-chan!」
「Yes!」
From the other side of the wall, the two people were sparring with each other in the backyard.
If I listened closely, Kaan! I could hear the sound of two wooden swords clashing against each other intermittently.
Oh yeah that's right, Lydia did have a wooden sword and a wooden axe in her back yard.
I thought that it was a decorative object she used as a display, but in turns out that it was able to be used by Claude for this mock battle.
「Hah! Yah! Toryaa!」
「Tsu! Ku…..! Yah!」
Guessing from the voice, the mock battle seemed to be a one-sided slaughter heavily tilted in Lydia's favor.
Under normal circumstances, Lydia would be taking a defensive stance and teaching us slowly, but perhaps because we had such a shameful encounter with the agents from the Magician Society, Lydia was really fired up as she relentlessly cornered Claude.
Even so, Claude doesn't get defeated easily, and she throws counter attacks of her own as well.
「Tahh! Hah!」
「Hoh! Tooh!」
Nevertheless, Claude's attacks seem to be easily dodged.
Do your best Claude, I believe that someday you will be able to go toe to toe with Lydia.
I stood outside the wall just listening to the sounds of them diligently practicing, and after a while I directed my footsteps towards the hotel.
—I sensed something coming out of the hotel, it felt like a gentle wave of magic that surged outwards.
It was coming out of Milly's room.
Milly was concentrating herself, and was probably in deep meditation.
She was refining the magical energy within her body and covering her body with the aura.
Deep meditation was one of the basic form of trainings a magician was required to be able to do, however, perfecting the art of meditation was not something that was simple to do.
Right now, there is still many useless actions, and the flow of magic coming out of Milly was not necessarily smooth, nevertheless, she was able to make up for it due to her huge amount of latent magical energy.
To think that she had this much magical energy within her body, the fact that she was able to move whilst being suppressed by the auras of the powerful agents made more sense now.
Although she was usually quite childish and she would normally act upon her whims, when she successfully entered the state of deep meditation, the amount of magical energy she is able to draw out is simply amazing.
If she was allowed to mature properly, let alone myself, she would easily be able to surpass those two agents from the Magician's Society.
(...I can't just sit around and do nothing now, can I)
The moment I returned to the Inn, I went inside of my room, I sat cross-legged on the floor and slowed my breathing down in order to enter a state of deep meditation.
I refined the magical energy residing in the depths of my body, and slowly covered my whole body with the magical aura.
Did Mily notice that I was also training via deep meditation? It seems that in order to compete with me, she tried to raise the speed at which her magic was being refined.
(Guu....Are you telling me she can still increase the speed.....? I am not going to lose either...!
When I raised the amount of magic circulating throughout my body, Milly sensed it and seemed to increase it again slightly. In addition to this, I also respond in kind...
This continued on for a while longer, we started to lose track of time as we immersed ourselves in the meditation battle that we were currently having.
「Oh? Zeph, what are you doing right now?」
Claude had returned from her special training with Lydia, and right now I was lying on my back with my legs and arms sprawled out.
And soon after that, Milly opens the door and enters my room.
Did she come here whilst entrusting her body to the wall? Although she managed to open the door, her shoulder was currently resting against the wall so that it could prop her up.
It would of been fine if she just went to bed, but it seems like she wanted to gloat over her victory, she was breathing out *Zeeh Zeeh* and her breathing was quite rough.
「Fu…..Fufu, It's my victory isn't it.....? Zeph….」
「…..Although you say that, aren't your legs also unsteady?」
「I…..Can already move...See? Nihihi♪」
Saying that she folded her arms, and she tried to make a victory stance, which looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment now.
Your legs are clearly shaking, you know that right?
Seeing this scene, Claude lets out a sigh.
「It seems that you guys have had it quite hard haven't you? For today, you should both rest up. I will ask Lydia to teach me a little bit more about martial arts, so I should get going soon」
After declaring her part, she goes out of the room with an amazed expression.
The sound of her footsteps descending the stairs got softer and softer, before long silence wrapped around our surroundings.
「How long are you going to be standing like that, why don't you come over and sit down, Milly?」
「…..Yeah」
Milly started to unfold her arm, but the moment she stepped forward in order to sit on the chair, Milly steps on her own foot and she tripped over.
「Milly!?」
「Watatatata!?」
Milly was flapping her wings like a bird, in an attempt to regain the loss of balance she was experiencing...But all it did was by her some time, seeing this, I immediately dashed forwards in order to catch her fall, however my body which had just released a huge amount of magical energy during my training was barely able to move.
And,
Dosunn! A ballistic sound resounded in the room.
Even so, I was able to safely catch Milly's falling body.
The weight of two people crashing towards the floor, sent a sensation of pain towards my back, however when I was able to confirm that she was safely within my arms, I sighed a breath of relief.
「Are you alright? Milly」
「Y…Yeah, Thank you...」
Millywas being carried in my embrace and she quickly regained her footing with my help, and also started to perform basic meditation in order to replenish some of her magical reserves.
She was wearing her thin night clothes, moreover the temperature of her body including the softness of a girl was felt much more strongly than usual
And I also noticed the fact that her small body, was trembling a little in my arms.
「Milly?」
When I called out towards her, she suddenly strengthened the grip on my clothes whilst looking up at me.
Her eyes seemed really feverish right now, and it was a little surprising.
Her face was really close, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her sweet breath tickles my nose.
「Zeph…..I, don't want to lose to those two agents, I want to become a lot stronger. I want to be strong enough…..so that I am able to protect everyone, with absolute certainty!」
Saying such determined words, Milly's eyes shone with a bright light which signified her strong resolution. Although for a moment, the atmosphere was a little tense, but the moment I let out a sigh and pat her head, Milly's face turned into a comfortable expression.
「Is it so....? But you know what Milly? I think that it is better to not have any thoughts of stirring up trouble with the agents of the Magician Society. Although the Magician Society is not one to abuse their power against the people, if you provoked them intentionally then it might lead to us being targeted by the people from the Magician Society.
「….Yeah, I'm sorry.....But they had a really coercive and overbearing magical aura that I just…..」
Certainly, it was beyond our imaginations just how much magic they were able to harness around them.
The agents of the Magician's Society was bound by their own set of rules, and they had to follow the correct protocols, they were definitely not allowed to take revenge on people for personal reasons.
And whilst the strength of these agents would far exceed your average magician, if they broke the rules of the magician's society, then they would no longer be permitted to use magic any longer.
Although Milly was gallantly standing up to the dispatched agents, if she somehow offended them and were deemed to be resisting, it may even lead to the other party making an attack.
(However, when I think back to the times that the Magicians' Society sent out their people to me, none of them possessed that high level of magic…..」
I tried to analyse why this was the case and I went around in circles, with no answers to speak of.
Meanwhile, my right hand was automatically playing around with Milly's hair whilst thinking about the solutions.
(I don't get it...did they perhaps have a special inherent ability...?)
I was continuing to brood over the topic. Milly who was exhausted from using her magical energy too much, was currently sleeping as she let out a gentle sleepers breathing.
Oi, if you sleep in this kind of position, doesn't that mean that I can't really move out of this position?
I wanted to twist out of this situation, but Milly was just really persistent, she wouldn't let me escape and she firmly clung on to me.
Even so, forcibly waking her up from her stupor was not a very nice thing to do.
When I was thinking about what to do, Milly was muttering something out in her sleep.
「E..everyone, I will be sure to protect, them...alright? Zeph…..」
「....Oh geez, I really cannot afford to lose to her like this」
Milly was breathing peacefully as I continued to pat her head, Whilst looking over her, I also swore to become strong enough to protect those important to me.