――After seeing the changes in Rir, we moved the place to the meadow area.
"Alright, listen up, people! I will now teach you how to control your presence."
"Ooh."
"Kuh."
I clapped my hands and Rir waved his tail as Lefi puffed out her chest.
This was the start of Lefi's lecture on presence.
Since Rir, who had grown considerably stronger, also needed to learn how to suppress his presence, we decided to take the course together.
Incidentally, I looked at the skill scrolls in the DP catalog, but there were no skills that resembled the description.
I guess this was part of magic manipulation, after all.
"First, I am currently in a state in which I am always manipulating magic. I am doing it unconsciously, even if I am sleeping, it does not go out of control. You will also get used to it with time. At that stage, you will not have to worry about anything, and you will also improve in the manipulation of magic."
"How long did it take you to get used to it?"
"Well, I don't remember. Before I met you, I had a lot of free time on my hands. It came naturally to me, to tell you the truth. I think most long-lived species are like that."
"…I'm not sure if I'll be proficient enough without help."
Lefi laughed at my subtle uneasiness.
"Kaka, I'm sure it won't be easy. It's up to you to make the effort. Well, you've been on the road a lot lately, haven't you? You should stay at home for a while and practice."
"Oh, what, did you miss me?"
"Yes. I'd like to spend more time with you."
"…Oh, I see. Oh, well, then… I'll stay for a while."
…She had become very honest with me.
It was not like I had anything urgent to do, so I guess I would just relax at home for a while, just like she said.
"And while I say I'm suppressing my presence, strictly speaking, I'm not suppressing it. Dissipating it is a more appropriate word."
"Dissipate, huh? I guess my hunch was right."
When Enne told me about how she was hiding from Illuna and the others, I thought it might be a possibility, but… it turned out I was right.
Then Lefi started to explain.
This was a technique to transform magic power and disperse it into the magic energy, or "magic element," in the air.
This technique transformed one's own magic power into something close to the magic element in the surroundings, so that it would not be noticed.
I see.
Lefi also had a technique to send her own magic power to others, and I think it was a similar concept to that.
Also, while the magic's power might be rough and difficult to adjust, this creature was surprisingly capable of such detailed manipulation.
"…What's with that face?"
"Hmm, I'm just thinking that my wife's advanced technique is amazing."
"I see. And, what are your real thoughts?"
"I thought my wife was super cute."
"You still say that? Yuki, say what you really think, tell me the truth."
"I love you, Lefi! I love you so much, I can't help it."
"…"
"Oh, I simply love my wife too much! I can't help it, you know?"
"…my, you're really trying to be pushy today, aren't you? I'm not sure if that's a good idea…"
Lefi looked away from me with a red blush on her cheeks.
I would do this from now on.
"…Oh, back to the point. I have not been able to eliminate all of my presence. This is not exactly the same as the Covert skill that you use. You are used to my presence by now, but you know very well that my presence out in the open can easily reveal me to be more than a mere human, right?"
"Indeed."
It was hard for us to tell the difference since we were used to her presence, but even in this state, monsters would normally run away from the vicinity of Lefi, and a slightly more perceptive human would be able to tell at a glance that my wife was not a simple human.
However, I guess her presence would be diluted more than mine now that I was basically overlapping it with my current state.
Well, in the case of this one, it seemed that if she wanted to, she could diminish her presence even more and bring it down to a level where the monsters would not be alarmed, but perhaps that state would not be natural for her, and she would have to consciously perform the manipulation.
"And Yuki, you talked about the killing intent before. Living beings have organs that sense magical power, and this magical power changes depending on their will. Killing intent, fighting spirit, and such things overflow outward with magical power."
"Yes, that's right."
"What I'm doing is much similar to that. By the way, killing intent, fighting spirit, and the like are usually released outward, but there are other emotions, such as compassion and love, that can also be released outward. That is probably one of the reasons why people gather at your place, you know?"
"Heh?"
Lefi smiled at me as I let out a stupid sound, and continued speaking.
"Your magic is comfortable. Because your feelings for us are infused with your magic power. I, too, feel at ease when I am with you."
"…Wha, what is this, payback for what I did to you?"
"Well, what do you think?"
"…"
…Really, she's more honest than usual, or rather, she seemed kind of cute.
I wondered if she was in the mood to be pampered.
…I didn't mean to make fun of her, but seriously, I should really stay here with her for a while.
I mean, I'd only heard about the emotional changes that occurred when a woman became pregnant, you see.
At those time, it was the job of the husband, like me, to help ease the anxiety.
Rir, by the way, did not say anything during this time, but only gave us a warm look.
Oh, Rir, you could have said something.
–After that, we moved on to the specifics of what we were going to do.
"I'll demonstrate. Watch closely."
As soon as Lefi said this, a change occurred in front of my eyes, it was as if her presence faded, almost as if she blended in with her surroundings.
"Oh…wow."
I had seen this state several times before on hunts accompanied by Lefi, but when I looked at it again, this was really quite something.
"Come on, Yuki, Rir, give it a try. I'll teach you the ropes."
***
For a while after that, the days of training in magic manipulation started.
Whenever I was eating, cooking, doing muscle training, or playing with little girls, I would continue to manipulate magic without exception, and Lefi would mercilessly smack me on the head if I didn't do it properly.
It was probably thanks to these days.
I think I have become somewhat aware of what I should do.
I could feel my own magic power keenly, and I was able to change the quality of my magic to a greater or lesser extent.
I gradually started to get used to it, and when Lefi told me, "Alright, your presence is getting a little less intense," one thing occurred to me.
Now I was getting stronger, and my buddy Rir was also getting stronger.
If I could improve my skills even more, I might be able to fool the enemy into thinking that I was weak, just as Lefi had done, and by using my "stealth" skills, I might even be able to become invisible.
If that's the case – I might as well give it a try once around here.
And so, along with Rir, we went deep into the western area of the Demon Forest, which we had never ventured into before.