Chapter 29: Ambitions (2)
A few days have passed since Sun's awakening.
While these two were recuperating at the speed of monsters due to their protagonist bodies and no longer looking sick and emaciated, Estelle only spared a few glances at her sisters getting back to their prime.
She spent more time rigorously training.
She left the shrine's duties to them and Benjamin, but the latter was often snatched by Estelle to oversee her training and spar with her.
After getting beaten left and right for days, today was the day when Estelle would go through a significant challenge.
Estelle would fight against a mid-tier phantom, the same type that threatened Benjamin's life at the beginning of his time in the shrine.
Sun, Moon, and Benjamin sat on the bench a few meters away from the summoning circle and overlooked Estelle's preparations. As a side note, Benjamin was perched on the right of the bench, with Sun in the middle. She sat pretty close to him, so much that her fragrance often wafted to his nose.
Off to Sun's left was naturally Moon. She didn't think much of this setting and instead was focused on Estelle's preparation and had her own thoughts regarding her coursing in her little head.
As much as Sun's warmth and smell were a bother to Benjamin, he didn't let that dwarf his thoughts and worries over his girlfriend, who had decided to test herself quite early in her fighting career.
'She must have felt like an oddball since her older sisters have ambitions and plans that require strength and status. Someone who hates fighting would never think of the former and instead focus on kindness to build the latter…' Benjamin thought.
After that, he nudged Sun's arm and asked her a question, "It's been bothering me for a while, but I recall Estelle telling me that she has to fight phantoms at least once every month. What's the deal with that?"
Sun curved her lips up and put her index finger on them, musing.
Benjamin noticed she had painted her nails black… and that was all cause she was probably teasing him before spilling out what she knew about phantoms.
He sighed and allowed her to play around.
When asked about that, Estelle had told him that it was her duty as a protagonist forced upon her by the world. People believed protagonists had to clear up the mess conjured by the uncanny schemes.
Her eldest sister should know more. Benjamin glanced into Sun's eyes, irritation written on his face.
Sun chuckled and finally gave in, "Phantoms are categorized into three types—past, present, future—and each can return to life in two ways. The first method is to kill the protagonist and use his body as a vessel to return. The second method has different prerequisites, depending on the phantom's type. In fact, we don't know much about the future type of phantoms as none has ever returned to life yet, and they live in their own worlds. But for the past type of phantoms, it's simple. They have to break free from the summoning circle or their own world, ascend here, and bring back their fame."
"So just because protagonists can be used as vessels, the world decided it's their job to clean up this mess," Benjamin crossed his arms, sighing. "If it were me, I wouldn't give a shit."
"Language," Sun softly rebuked him, drawing a shocked face from Moon, who would have received a whack had it been her! Why was she soft toward him?!
Ignoring Moon's betrayed expression, Sun brought up good points about this whole phantom fiasco, "Our world has changed a lot because of those phantoms. Upon their first arrival, their numbers were so threatening that every nation threw their differences and grievances aside and joined arms to fight against the avalanche of phantoms. We've lost a lot of legends, strong people, and traditions to their world. And the summoning circle you can lay your eyes on is one of the doors to the said world."
Benjamin pondered for a second, "Maybe my loot boxes take what has been lost in the phantom world and pass it to people working with me…"
"That'd be a real blessing," Sun broadly smiled, "The real loss of that event is, unfortunately, the fabric of mana."
"Elaborate," Benjamin said in such a tone it could have been taken as an order. Sun didn't like it, but he had never shown that side before, so she overlooked it.
She told Moon first to check Estelle's talisman and equipment, then spoke when there were only two of them, "There were losses and victories on both sides in that era. You could say that us keeping most of our lands intact is our win… then phantoms' victory is them stealing fabrics of mana from our population. Moon must have explained it to you already, but we weave mana to get the desired effects. For example, I can weave my mana to have my flesh and skin burn. Remember that?"
"Yeah," Benjamin nodded, then something within him told him to add more, "You sown too much chaos, but at the same time looked so beautiful no one could find any fault in that."
Sun inwardly thanked herself for sending Moon away while her feelings sculpted her expression to literally charm Benjamin as she curved her lips from ear to ear, reddened her cheeks, and gazed into him with flames dancing in her pink eyes.
Benjamin inwardly clicked his tongue. He couldn't go against his disposition, but he believed he could have at least given more time for Estelle. Yet, here he was, receiving such an affectionate smile from her eldest sister.
'Seems like she must have a thing for me, too,' Benjamin spoke, recalling the softness he had been embraced with and that unique feeling of wetness on his lips.
Although his Investor's Keen Eye had been blinded, he wasn't so dense as not to realize what it had been.
Sun brought him back to their conversation with a cough, "Well… if I was born before the avalanche of phantoms, I would have been able to conjure suns to assist me in the battle."
"Phantoms stole your prospects?" Benjamin asked, bemused.
Sun nodded, "Correct. As things stand now, most people can only weave mana within themselves to receive desired effects. We can use mediums like talismans to bring some mana outside, but that's heavily limited, and to get the entire effect, it's best to have the effects in question be used on our bodies. For instance, Estelle's healing talisman is limitless because she heals wounds from the inside. Ah, I mean, her prospects are limitless in this case. She's lots to learn."
"But creating a healing zone is impossible, right?" Benjamin inquired.
Sun agreed.
He continued, "So my zone to earn money… and this sleight of a hand…" Benjamin conjured a copper coin from his bank account and allowed it to roll on the tip of his index finger like a basketball.
Sun inhaled deeply before nodding to him, "Yes. You might be a step ahead."
"…and so can be people like me," Benjamin added.
A heavy silence descended on them before Estelle rose to her feet and shouted, "I'm ready!"
It was her time now.