"Again, the concentration is weak."
"Yes, I understand!"
"Again, the flow is unstable."
"A-again… yes, I understand!"
"Again."
"… yes!"
"Again."
"..."
Emma didn't respond but panted heavily. Damn, this brat. I was taking my precious time to watch her channel her aura into her sword!
"Um… Master. I'm sorry, but… I can't produce any more mana."
"Nonsense. I've told you several times, your talent is not limited to this. If it were, I wouldn't have bothered to bring you out of that backwater village."
"Thank you for the compliment…"
"I'm not saying this to make you feel good. I'm just stating the facts."
Emma, who looked like she could collapse at any moment, was barely holding herself up, leaning on a huge iron sword. She was out of breath, her clothes soaked with sweat and sticking to her skin.
"… I'll try again."
"Go ahead."
Emma gathered her remaining strength and pushed herself off the ground, struggling to maintain her balance. Her desperate efforts left marks on the dirt floor.
Once again, she gathered all the mana in her body and directed it to the blade of her sword. A blue layer of mana formed around the sharp edge of the sword.
"Good, now make the concentration thicker and thinner at the same time."
"Yes, yes! Thicker and… thinner…"
Emma squinted her eyes, focusing intensely on her sword. Her concentrated effort began to show as the mana around the sword took on a more refined form.
"I did it, Master!"
Emma exclaimed in joy. The concentration and thinness of the mana were quite impressive.
"Well done. Although you have been training to control your mana for months, it's remarkable that you managed to learn how to use aura in just a few days. You truly are a genius, as I acknowledged."
"Thank you, Master!"
Emma, who had been exhausted just moments ago, now seemed revitalized. Her complexion also looked much better compared to when I first saw her. Perhaps it was because she had been eating nutritious food regularly.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you, Teacher Rick. It's all thanks to you and the Master."
Rick, who congratulated her in a stoic manner, had a small smile on his usually emotionless face. It was a smile so small that one had to look closely to notice it.
After savoring her moment of triumph, Emma looked at me cautiously.
"… Master, may I make one request?"
"Hmm? Sure, as long as it's not too troublesome. Go ahead."
Emma making a request? That was unusual. Given her rapid progress, I supposed I could grant her a small reward.
"Well… you mentioned that the three of you would be going somewhere while I train here, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then, since I finished my training earlier than planned, may I join you?"
So, what she was saying was.
She didn't want to be left here and wanted to come along with us. Was that right?
"Ah, about that."
I spoke to Emma, who was biting her lip nervously.
---
---
---
Lisa's lips were pouting like a duck. Ever since she figured out what I was up to, she had been like this. It was ridiculous.
"Act your age."
"What did you just say?"
"I said if you don't put those lips back to normal, I'll cut them off with Rick's sword."
It was the fifth day since we arrived in Rubid Village. Leaving Emma in the village, Lisa, Rick, and I were moving around this small, dirty village.
This was related to the three reasons why we came here. All three were very time-sensitive and couldn't be delayed even for a day.
Fortunately, Emma's ability had been developing faster than expected, so there had been no delay in progressing to the next story.
"..."
Lisa, who had retracted her lips, looked up at the sky. Something fluttering like petals fell to the ground.
"Snow… it's snowing!"
Lisa tilted her head all the way back, her previous gloominess noticeably lifted. The clouds blocked the sun, forming a thick layer and sprinkling white ash.
The snowflakes were large and numerous. By the time we achieved our objective and returned, it would probably be piled up to our ankles.
The snowflake that touched my hand melted instantly due to my body heat. Lisa took a deep breath and seemed to have made some sort of resolution.
In her usual high-pitched voice, she asked.
"Master, is it true that there is a secret dungeon here?"
A secret dungeon.
A dungeon that was literally hidden.
"Yes, and it's in a very accessible form."
"An accessible form… does that mean the dungeon is weakened or that we have a way to conquer it? No wonder you're challenging it with such a small group."
It wasn't really a challenge, Lisa. We were just going to retrieve the relic from a nearly collapsed dungeon. Challenge was too grand a term for it.
"We'll know for sure once we get there, but if it's true, that's amazing. How did you come by such information?"
"When you're in a high place, everything becomes clear."
Actually, this dungeon had nothing to do with Leon. In fact, it was more correct to say that this place was unpleasant for Leon.
Originally, in the story, the protagonist Leon would obtain and use the relic from this dungeon effectively. For me, who immersed myself in the role of Julian while reading the novel, this relic held no good memories.
"We're almost there. If we pass through this area… ah, I see the entrance."
"Really? Where… oh? There's a lake! Rick, do you see it? It's a huge lake!"
"Yes, it's a lake."
"That's a dull reaction. You could be more surprised, you know? … well, being stoic is part of Rick's charm, though."
"..."
A vast, clear lake that could be mistaken for the sea sparkled under the sunlight. The trees around it looked like toothpicks compared to the enormous lake.
We had arrived.
At the time when that creature inside was still barely hanging on to life.
When Leon found it, so much time had passed that the creature had already died, making it impossible for the relic to exert its full power. Even then, it was troublesome enough to deal with me. If it were still alive, I wondered how powerful it would be.
The image of the foolish protagonist came to mind.
Leon, it wasn't you, the protagonist, but me, Julian, who had arrived here first. How ironic.
Wasn't it amusing?
Everything was deviating greatly from the narrative you knew. This was just one of those deviations.
The pet you planned to raise and use as a weapon would now serve someone else and turn against you.
What kind of face would you make then?
"I can't wait to see."
Just thinking about that idiot's twisted expression made me smile.