(Walson)
A cold morning in winter, although somewhat numb, is filled with hidden vitality, ready to burst forth. The air feels crisp as it fills the lungs, giving a rejuvenating sensation.
Basking in the sunlight, I sit on Rifle's back, while Rifle lies obediently, lazily soaking up the sun. Under the golden rays, the grasslands outside the outskirts of Teigitan City resemble a magnificent and beautiful painting, full of enchantment.
It's lunchtime now, and we're having a picnic.
Well, one reason is that I've been living in the city for too long without many opportunities to go out and explore. The other reason is Rifle—I noticed a few days ago that he seemed to have gained some weight after giving his belly a squeeze.
Indeed, ever since arriving in the capital, his job has been to serve as a mascot, without much exercise... But this wolf, he doesn't seem to show any interest in physical activity either. He just lazily basks in the sun, displaying a very laid-back demeanor. It's quite similar to my own personality, perhaps he is influenced by me?
In any case, the idea was to get Rifle to exercise... even though he still looks lazily indifferent even in this setting.
"...Walson, here." Grace, sitting on a large picnic blanket, leans against Rifle's massive wolf head and takes out a large sandwich from her backpack, placing it in my hands.
"Thank you," I smile at Grace.
It's been almost a year since I arrived in the capital... Time sure flies...
Physically, I'm fifteen years old, but mentally, I feel like I'm forty-five. In various ways, I've become an adult, and adults have to go out and work to support themselves. If this were my previous life, in that modern era, the common folk had to struggle to make a living.
But in this world, I find it to be a relatively easy task.
...Well, that's also thanks to my cheat-like ability. After all, it's a world where you can be killed by thieves on the streets. Having enough power allows you to easily establish yourself in society.
As for me... even though I don't possess much combat strength compared to others, I have my minecraft crafting power cheat, and with over six thousand gold coins in my possession, I can say I'm quite well off. Hehe.
"Come to think of it, why don't you join them for training?" I say to Grace, while observing the scenery before me.
The things that I was observing were Melon and Barella.
These two are currently engaged in a battle... Seeing this, I can't help but recall their training sessions from before.
At that time, Barella had just acquired [Apollo], and was not proficient with it; whenever she fought against Melon, she would be effortlessly annihilated. It couldn't be called a battle at all; she didn't even have the qualifications to spar with Melon... But that was in the past.
"Enough with the speed," Melon says in a brief manner. The distance that was at least twenty meters between them instantly shrinks to just five meters.
An arrow from [Apollo] grazes past Melon's ear, but in the instant the bowstring snaps back, Melon's hand has already grabbed the bow in Barella's hand…
However, she decisively let go and at the same time, a hidden long blade under her sleeve was launched towards Melon with astonishing force. Melon flicked it aside and it shot off to the side, instantly losing two weapons but giving enough time for Barella to respond.
"Thanks for the compliment," Barella replied while dispersing the light. It transformed into a repeating crossbow in her hands. In the next moment, arrows rained down like a storm!
"Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang──"
The repeating crossbow, named [Apache], was the name I gave when I created it for Barella. In order to be able to fire the arrow at a rapid speed, it lost a lot of it's firepower, However, it was enchanted with [Infinite], [Power V], [Flame I], and [Knockback II].
With endless continuous attacks, the ammunition would never run out. It burned with flames and the damage of the projectiles was greatly amplified by [Power V]. The only drawback was its accuracy, but the purpose of this weapon was not to replace [Apollo]. Instead, it was used when dealing with enemies who got too close or for breaking through encirclements.
Furthermore, Barella had performed ten rounds of [Elvenisation] on [Apache], achieving the state of becoming one with the crossbow. Under the given conditions, within a certain range, [Apache] possessed unparalleled deadly firepower!
But who was Melon? She immediately threw away the seized long blade and [Apollo], then her fists swiftly moved to parry all the attacks, but she was forced to retreat continuously!
This was where the effect of [Knockback II] on [Apache] came into play. If the target that approached was extremely powerful, [Apache] could provide comprehensive and violent suppression, forcing the target to retreat to a safe distance!
"OOO, OO──[Windstep]!" With an incantation, Barella slid backward for a distance of more than ten meters. She stepped onto a green magic circle, floating in the air, and put away [Apache]. Then, two beams of light converged, and the long blade and [Apollo] returned to Barella's hands.
She quietly observed Melon's condition.
Some might ask if it was really a good idea to let them engage in such realistic training. I can only say that I kept a close eye on their health points and was always prepared to intervene if necessary.
Actually, don't be fooled by Grace sitting here now. She has also undergone a considerable amount of training with them over the past few days.
The smoke cleared, and Barella, who had just gained the upper hand, also turned pale.
That was because she heard a "click" sound.
"Forgive me, Miss Aure... I must now give my all to fight you," Melon said while equipping [Band of the Bold].
Oh well, it seems we're entering an unstoppable territory.
"Hey! You two, stop now! Come over and eat!" I stood up and waved to them.
"Ah... Sorry, we'll come over now, my master." "On our way!"
Upon hearing my words, Melon immediately stopped her fighting stance, and Barella breathed a sigh of relief. They both slowly walked towards me.
"...Walson." At that moment, Grace, who was beside me, spoke up.
"Yes?"
"Um, I wanted to ask, who that little girl… on your shoulder is," Grace asked.
"Huh? You can see her too? She said only I could see her," I replied, looking at my shoulder where the little girl was sleeping.
She had chestnut-colored wavy hair and was wearing clothing made of leaves. Decorated with flowers and vines, she was a three-foot-tall loli who looked incredibly cute as she slept on my shoulder.
Well... she's actually... um, you might get confused about what exactly happened. So let me clarify, she's actually the little potted plant.
Remember I mentioned earlier that the potted plant had a basketball-sized green fruit on top? Well, this morning, out of curiosity, I touched it, and the fruit suddenly burst open.
After it came out, it stuck to my shoulder and transformed into this.
Just like when she was in her plant form, she's not very proficient in speaking and can only express her emotions or thoughts with a few words.
Seriously, Miss Nakula, what exactly did you give me...
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