Ranshin was strong. He was a natural-born physical powerhouse. On top of that, he strengthened his physical abilities and endurance with the first power of law, and he also excelled in the combat sense to control it.
「Fighting you is tougher than fighting Mei…」
I don't know whether it was ten or fifteen minutes, but I managed to hold out for quite some time against Ranshin, who gradually increased his speed and power as if testing my limits. In the end, I found myself sprawled out on the floor of the training hall, drenched in sweat.
「Just the fact that you managed to hold out against Commander Ranshin for that long is impressive, you know.」
Konoha crouched beside me, wiping my sweat-drenched face and forehead with something like a towel. I don't want to move a single finger…
「You are far tougher than any of the Empire's nobles, Hiro-dono. If I hadn't reinforced myself, my fingers would've been crushed multiple times. It seems I need to retrain as well.」
Despite saying that, Ranshin looked completely fine, not even breaking a sweat. If I'd been using a sword with a monomolecular edge, like the ones the nobles of the Grakkan Empire wield, his fingers would've been scattered all over the place by now. But since we were using training swords, it only ended up being slightly painful for him.
「Don't think you've won…」
「The match is already over. That being said, it's true that you were fighting handicapped, Hiro-dono. If you had fought using your power of law and your usual weapons the result may have been different. We can't know what would happen in a real battle until it actually happens.」
「That may be true, but I definitely don't want to get into a serious fight to the death with you.」
Honestly, I can't envision any way to win. He probably didn't go all out either. I can't even begin to imagine how strong Ranshin would be if he used his full power to enhance his body.
「That goes for me as well. I'll make sure to advise the homeland to not antagonize you in any form.」
「Is that so? That's reassuring to hear.」
Well, in truth, he's definitely someone I don't want to get into a fight to the death with, but I don't think he's someone I couldn't kill. If someday I need to kill him, I wouldn't need to face him head-on and fight fair and square.
Also, ever since my battle with Earl Ixamal's private soldiers, I seem to have unlocked a deeper understanding of how to use the first power of law, and I've picked up a few trump card-like techniques since then. Of course, those trump cards are reserved for when things really get dire—they're meant to be 'sure-kill' techniques, in the truest sense of the term. So, I don't want to use them recklessly.
「Well then, now that I've gotten a rough measure of your abilities, let's get to the real training.」
「Are you serious?」
「Of course. Now, get up.」
Whose idea was it to come to the training hall to watch this muscle-brained demon? Oh, right, it was mine. Well, I've regained some of my strength, so I'll just stand up quietly. Konoha has also stopped wiping my sweat.
「Good. However, I must admit, I'm not particularly good at teaching how to use the power of law in a theoretical sense.」
「Yeah, I figured.」
The fact that the first thing you did was to jump straight into sparring practice makes it pretty obvious.
「So, I'll have you observe how I enhance my body's strength and durability. Learn by watching.」
「I see…?」
Is that something you can really understand just by watching?
「By actually seeing it with your own eyes and experiencing its effects firsthand, sometimes accelerates the learning process.」
「What a vague explanation… It sounds a lot more primitive than I expected, is there no theory or explanation behind it?」
「In the end, power of law is a force that relies on mental strength and imagination. Of course, the abilities one can learn depend on their individual talent, and their strength is also determined by their potential. In terms of latent potential, there's likely no one in the galaxy who surpasses you, Hiro-dono.」
「So, in other words, you're telling me to just power through it with sheer will and guts.」
「Exactly. Now then, let's start with body enhancement.」
With that, Ranshin began to channel power throughout his entire body.
☆★☆
「Oh, Hiro-sama! Look, look! I made these rice bal… what happened to you?」
After surviving a nightmarish training, I headed to the dining hall where Mimi was. Not only was Mimi there, but Elma was with her too. Mimi was holding a rather misshapen rice ball in her hands. Did she make that herself?
「Well, I went to observe the training, but I ended up participating and… well, a lot of things happened…」
Incidentally, I wasn't able to master either of Ranshin's specialties: body enhancement or durability enhancement. I tried watching him channel his power and even tested the effects by hitting him with training swords and my fists while he had his durability enhancement active, but I never managed to replicate it. Ranshin and Konoha mentioned that it might be my fixed mindset. It seems I unconsciously think that body enhancements are something achieved through surgery like the one Empire's nobles receive, and that being immune to damage is something that can only be accomplished by carrying a shield. If that's the case, it might be difficult for me to learn to use psionic body and durability enhancement.
「So, rice balls, huh? Did you cook the rice?」
「Oh, no. This is the kind of rice you just heat up and it's ready to eat, or so it says in the package.」
「Hmm? Well, I guess it's not surprising that something like that exists.」
Mimi offered me the rice ball she was holding—it didn't have any seaweed wrapped around it—but I took it and brought it to my mouth anyway. Yep, it's a rice ball. A salted one. The rice it's probably from a retort-pouch, like Sato no Gohan1, but it tastes like freshly cooked rice. Honestly, it was far tastier than the pseudo-rice that Tetsujin made.
「Yeah, it's good. You're officially a rice ball master now, Mimi.」
「Not yet! It's still hard to shape them nicely like Moegi-san does… and the rice keeps sticking all over my hands.」
Mimi's hands were indeed covered with rice grains. Yeah, it's true that making rice balls is trickier than it seems, especially if you want them to look nice. Personally, I don't like my hands getting sticky, so I'm the type who uses plastic wrap to form them. Moegi, on the other hand, seems to shape them perfectly with her bare hands.
「And Elma's drinking again, I see. Come on, you should at least consider the time and place…」
「I'm not drinking enough to get drunk. I'm just tasting it, okay? It seems this sake is brewed from rice grown in the Holy Velzalus Empire.」
Elma said this as she sipped on something that looked like sake from a small sake bottle and cup. She might think she was just tasting it, but her face was already a bit flushed. Sake apparently has a pretty high alcohol content after all. Compared to the beer and wine Elma usually drinks, this one probably has at least double the alcohol content.
「That's the last bottle, okay?」
「I know that!」
Elma pouted, clutching the sake bottle protectively as if shielding it from me. She really does love her alcohol. I can kind of understand, though—I'm the same way with soft drinks, especially cola.
「But brewing, huh? Does the Holy Vuelzarus Empire not produce rice that has sake inside?」
「Huh? What's that? That kind of blasphemous crop is…」
「The Grakkan Empire grows them. They've got these grape-like fruits that can be squeezed directly into wine.」
「As expected of a nation skilled in biotechnology… We don't have anything like that in our country.」
Moegi gave a wry smile as she listened to me. I see, so the Holy Vuelzarus Empire doesn't have crops like that. It's interesting how these things reflect the characteristics of a country.
「By the way, what are you going to do with all those rice balls you're making?」
「These are for tonight's dinner at the cathedral. We'll warm them up a bit before serving, and they'll be paired with other dishes.」
「I see.」
In the back of the dining hall, I could see that besides Moegi, a few other people were busy preparing meals in the kitchen. Now that I think about it, it's almost dinnertime.
「Where are Tina and the others?」
「Tina, Wiska, the Doctor, and Neve went to check out the psionic technology in the cathedral's inner area, and they haven't returned yet, but they should be back soon.」
「I see. And Kugi is still talking with Fushin-dono? That's a long conversation.」
I had been training in the practice hall for quite a while. We had left the Black Lotus sometime after noon, and now it was nearly dinnertime. What's taking them so long?
「Oh, Hiro-dono, will you and everyone else be joining us for dinner? We've already prepared extra servings with that in mind.」
「Well, that's generous of you… Alright, I guess we'll stay for the meal. Thanks.」
「You're very welcome.」
At my affirmative response, Moegi's smile brightened. Since they had already prepared the food, it would be rude to decline now. It didn't feel right to ask, 'Are you sure it's okay?' when they'd gone out of their way. Best to just accept their hospitality with gratitude.
「There you are, my Lord.」
「Oh, Kugi. You're back. That was quite a long chat.」
「My apologies. I was receiving guidance from Fushin-sama, and compiling a report on everything that has happened since I first met you, my Lord. Moegi-sama, I'd be happy to assist with the preparations.」
「Thank you, I'd appreciate the help.」
Looks like Kugi is going to help with the cooking as well. Hmm, maybe I should lend a hand too? Just standing around watching would feel awkward. They mentioned that food was scarce, and cooking was tough, but surely there's something I can assist with?
TN1: Sato no Gohan is one of the most popular brands of instant rice in Japan. They offer a wide variety of rice types, including white rice, brown rice, and mixed-grain rice.