Chapter 104: Shall We Talk Somewhere Quiet? (4)
It felt like at least three or four hours had passed.
At some point, a bonfire had been lit, crackling merrily, and a kettle hung from a tripod above it, puffing out white steam.
Lucy was squatting in front of the bonfire, munching on a piece of bread with a crunching sound. Seeing her effortlessly chewing on the hardened bread, I had to admit, the future Archmage was indeed different.
“It doesn’t really matter……”
“Huh? Why?”
“No, more than that, is there nothing else?”
“Hmm. 으햐히 (Not really).”
Lucy took a bite of her bread and shook her head dismissively. I chuckled at her usual nonchalant attitude.
“Swallow and then talk.”
“Uh-huh. Gulp. Phew, even hard bread makes me feel a bit better now that it’s in my stomach. I’ve done a preliminary examination, and there are traces of someone trying to force their way in. I can’t say for sure since it’s not my specialty, but there’s a high probability you’re sane.”
“How high is the probability?”
“99 percent, with about a hundred 9s after the decimal point?”
“……Do you even call that a probability?”
“Well, it’s about the same probability as a normal person suddenly going crazy after one second. Or the possibility of a healthy man in his 20s dying mysteriously. Anyway, there are traces of mental trauma, but it seems like the next stage didn’t happen. They probably ran out of time.”
That Artshever bastard, he said he had a purpose for both the Black New Moon and Mangya…… Was he laying down a smokescreen from there? Was he trying to divert my attention and dig into my mind?
“Heheh. Thank me. You’re safe because I woke you up in time. Remember what that white-haired guy said? He failed because you had good friends.”
Lucy boasted, shrugging her shoulders.
I don’t want to agree with Artshever’s opinion, but I have no objection to Lucy being a good friend.
I nodded, deciding to acknowledge it for once.
“Yes. I’m glad I have good friends.”
“Huh? No, sorry. I need to examine you again.”
“Why again?”
“Because Risel would never say such a warm thing, Whack! Don’t throw rocks! You prickly bastard!”
I didn’t say anything and just threw a couple more rocks at her.
Am I sandpaper or something? Always being prickly?
“Don’t tease him too much. You’re a bit prickly too. Just admit it.”
“And when did you get here?”
I turned my head in bewilderment and saw Aila wrapped in a blanket, sipping from a cup. She smiled brightly and waved at me.
“Good evening!”
“Oh, yeah. Good night.”
“Huh? This is just a good evening greeting. Not a good night greeting. Huh? Huh? Is he ignoring me?”
Yes. I’m ignoring you.
Ignoring Aila, I looked around the bonfire. Were there any other people? Hmm, no.
There were four of us around the bonfire, including myself. There was only Lucy, who was wolfing down her food, Al, who was silently brewing tea, and Aila, who was pretending to be sulky with puffed cheeks.
The first two are understandable, but……
“Aila, why are you here? Your campsite is over there.”
“That’s Ibi-unni’s.”
“Anyway.”
“Dummy. Why am I here? To get treated, of course.”
“Ah…… right. How are you feeling?”
“I’m so overwhelmed by your belated concern. Hmph.”
Seeing her turn her head away, it seemed like she was doing better. The bonfire’s lighting was poor, so I couldn’t be sure, but her complexion looked reasonably healthy.
By the way, even if it’s not her specialty, Lucy’s abilities are quite impressive. Normally, mages would struggle with healing wounds, but Lucy was doing it relatively easily.
I expressed my admiration once more.
“I’m glad you’re looking healthy. But Aila……”
“Wait a minute. I need to organize my thoughts too. Hmm, first, about the relationship between me and that bastard?”
It was obvious who she meant by “that bastard.”
I nodded with a dumbfounded expression. Aila sighed deeply and muttered.
“Sorry for pretending not to know until now. I tried to avoid mentioning that bastard as much as possible, but since things have come to this, I have to admit what I have to admit.”
“As expected…… But what about the father-daughter relationship?”
“That bastard? Don’t make me laugh. Sigh, how should I put this? I am his daughter, but he’s not my father, if you know what I mean?”
Aila made a complicated expression and rubbed her temples with her fingers, and I also frowned and crossed my arms with a complex expression.
This was the first time I had seen her express such emotions about a specific individual. If you think about it, it seems likely to be related to Artshever…… A daughter, but not a father.
What did that mean?
She thought hard for a moment and then sighed again.
“Risel, please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not someone unrelated to you. We’re closely connected, so to speak, even before I knew you. Of course, neither of us would have any memory of it, but what I’m saying is true.”
“Oh, is this like a relationship intertwined by fate? Oh my! A love triangle! It’s so thrilling, it’s embarrassing to watch!”
“Shut up.”
“Yes.”
Lucy, who had been excitedly chattering, immediately backed down at Al’s words.
Come to think of it, those two were here. Well, it doesn’t really matter if they are. Al was originally taciturn, and Lucy, although talkative, was relatively tight-lipped.
Aila smiled bashfully and continued.
“You might not believe it. But I swear on the name of Sermaila Hind, I will never lie to you. There may be parts I won’t talk about, but I can always tell you as much as you need, when you need it.”
“About your identity or your relationship with Artshever?”
“That’s right. I can’t tell you much right now. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to accept it, and there are still parts you won’t understand. But I can guarantee you this. You won’t be harmed by my silence. If anything like that happens, I’ll stop it, even if it means tearing myself apart.”
Aila spoke with a determined expression. Her usual smile was still there, but her energy was different. She was truly prepared to take responsibility for her words.
If I pressed her here, she would probably spill everything.
But as she said, there would definitely be parts I couldn’t accept, and parts I would have a hard time understanding. Aila was probably speaking with the former in mind rather than the latter.
“Information is important, but…… if information can’t be handled, it’s fortunate if it doesn’t become a stumbling block. And you’re saying you’ll help me when I need it.”
“That’s right. And I have zero point zero zero zero…… one percent chance of using this as leverage to manipulate or control you. I’m your friend, and friends don’t expect anything in return.”
I scratched my head.
It wouldn’t be right to push her too hard after she had said all this. More than anything, it would be a direct display of distrust towards her.
Aila was looking at me confidently.
The smart, cute, and beautiful young lady with ash-gray hair and golden eyes had already helped me a lot. I couldn’t scold her for not helping me more now.
Above all, she was my friend.
I don’t doubt my friends.
“Okay. I’ll accept it. But I’d like to know this, what kind of abilities does Artshever have? He seemed to have a lot of different techniques when we fought.”
Aila thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Hmm. This is something you should definitely know. Mr. Lucy, Mr. Al, you should listen too. You fought Artshever, so you must have felt something.”
Lucy and Al, who had been listening with tacit consent, immediately turned their heads towards us. Until now, it had been a conversation between Aila and me, so there wouldn’t have been a chance for them to interject.
Aila smiled at their desirable reaction.
“First, I need to correct Risel’s words. It’s not appropriate to call the techniques Artshever uses ‘techniques.’ It’s an insult to all techniques. Even if the user is like that, what he uses is generally a highly skilled technique.”
“I agree. Seeing him deflect the attacks of more than ten people, or even just facing him, he wasn’t at an ordinary level.”
I definitely agreed with Al’s statement. Artshever was a bit of a damn bastard, but he was strong.
“Right? Well, I need to hear your opinions now. What do you think it would be like to fight Artshever?”
Ah, I’ve heard that before. Lucy and Al said the same thing they had said back then.
After hearing Al say that he would lose a hundred times out of a hundred, and Lucy say that she didn’t want to fight because it would weaken her control over nature, Aila nodded.
“Indeed. It’s not unreasonable to think that way. But that’s because Artshever has so many techniques. In other words, if you were to compete only in your areas of expertise, you could probably win.”
“Really?”
“Hmm, well, I did have that feeling.”
Lucy, who had ended the fight with Artshever after firing a single magic spell, tilted her head, but Al, who had fought him in various ways and even landed a blow, seemed convinced.
But, Lucy’s area of expertise……?
“Can Artshever use magic too? It would be even funnier if you said he couldn’t use it now, but can he definitely use it?”
“Oh, Risel, that’s a key question. To answer your question, ‘yes,’ and to tell you the truth, he can use all ‘techniques.’”
“All techniques?”
I tilted my head. Miss Sermaila, could you be a little more specific?
Aila, seeing my expression, explained in detail.
“Literally all techniques. For example, swordsmanship, spearmanship, tactics, they’re all kinds of techniques, right? Knowledge that can be used through learning, not something innate. Baking bread, farming, blacksmithing, candle making, and so on. And that includes ‘magic’ and ‘sorcery.’”
“Wait, that sounds like a superhuman all-rounder to me? In other words, he can do anything?”
“Anything that can be learned, not innate. Artshever has mastered all of that.”
“Uh-huh-huh……”
I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
No, then isn’t that saying he’s an invincible superman? He can use magic, he’s proficient in sorcery, he’s mastered all martial arts, and he can do anything?!
“Ah, of course, there are limitations.”
“Limitations?”
“He has a lot of techniques, but if you ask if he’s mastered them all, the answer is no. Like I said earlier, his magic is below Mr. Lucy’s, his fighting skills are below Mr. Al’s, his cooking skills are below your chef’s, and so on.”
“He’s learned a lot of techniques, but he’s not a master of any? But he has a basic level of proficiency, so he can be called a master or an expert.”
Al analyzed Aila’s words in an easy-to-understand way. Thanks to him, I could understand it too. So, he had dug countless wells, but none of them were very deep.
Artshever, you were a really inconsistent guy.
“Huh? Then why did he suddenly cough up blood while fighting?”
“I doubt Mr. Lucy ever experienced that, but you can collapse if you overexert yourself during exercise, right? It’s the same thing. He may have learned countless techniques, maybe even every technique that exists in the world, but some of them are incompatible. For example, baking bread and archery are unrelated. And if you look closely, there are techniques that interfere with each other. A hunter’s senses would only hinder a potter’s senses.”
“Ah, I see. So, disharmony arises within his body?”
“Yes. That’s right. So the more techniques he uses at the same time, the shorter the amount of time he can be active. If he exceeds that, he’ll be overloaded.”
Aila’s explanation was extremely clear. It would be strange not to understand.
At least one layer of the veil surrounding Artshever had been lifted. However, I felt like he was like an onion, with endless layers to peel.
Because……
“But how did Artshever learn all those techniques? Even if we assume he’s old enough to have a daughter your age, it’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“That’s…… for another time. That’s not important right now, is it? You don’t want to become like that bastard anyway. And look, we have a guest.”
For now, I agreed with Aila. Everyone has their own limits, and there was no need for me to imitate Artshever. But a guest?
I turned my head in the direction Aila was pointing.
There, a beautiful woman with a stern expression was approaching us without hesitation.
Hmm, I should greet her first, right?
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Liar.”
Let’s ignore Aila’s small whisper. It was a spontaneous remark, but it was a decent greeting.
“We- Welcome.”
“Hmm.”
Lucy greeted Levidian with a bright smile (why?), and Al only nodded, his bluntness overflowing. Levidian returned the greeting with a slight nod.
“Aila, how’s your body?”
“It’s much better. If Mr. Lucy touches me up again tomorrow, I’ll be back to normal.”
Levidian nodded, and Lucy suddenly became ecstatic.
“Woo! Touch me up! Such a delightful expression……”
“Shut up.”
“You pervert.”
Lucy made a deeply wronged expression at our joint attack. No, where did she get the audacity to make such an expression……?
“Th-This is a case of a woman making the first move!”
“That’s a typical excuse for sexual harassers.”
“……”
So, don’t get so excited about every joke.
Levidian sat next to Aila, unconcerned by the silly atmosphere we had created.
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