Chapter 130: The Former Marquise’s Brilliant Method 3
*
Apparently, the reason Erica-san was groaning was simply because she was wondering if it was okay to ask me.
What reason could there be to hesitate?
Cutting What Lies Beyond the Sword—Erica-san can do it too, but anyone who can do it, can do it. Though Erica-san’s sharpness is rare.
I couldn’t do it, though.
In fact, even fledgling adventurers sometimes use it. It’s rare, of course.
Though I couldn’t do it.
Incidentally, I never even bothered to research how to do it.
Because if it was something magical, it would be impossible for me right from the start.
It’s not like I didn’t research it because I was frustrated knowing it was impossible for me.
Really, okay?
“First, you crank up your Physical Enhancement—”
I started verbalizing the technique of Cutting What Lies Beyond the Sword, which I recently learned how to do by feel.
Crank up Physical Enhancement. In my case, I can’t do it without layering Physical Enhancement twice, but Erica-san probably doesn’t need such tricks.
“Then, once you feel sufficiently warmed up, like this, strongly focus on the length you want to cut, and extend your consciousness suun right up to that point.”
To demonstrate, I gently extended my consciousness.
There was a suitable shrub about fifteen feet away, so I cut it down.
“Well, something like that.”
Sheathing my Sword and turning around, I saw Erica-san making a difficult face.
Having been inwardly relieved that I hadn’t failed in front of Erica-san, I panicked greatly.
Was my technique so pathetic that it warranted such a difficult expression?
Or did she think I was trying too hard to show off a technique that wasn’t even rare?
It’s true that just cutting down a deadwood-like shrub a mere fifteen feet away consumes a considerable amount of Magicka, making it a technique with atrocious efficiency, so there’s absolutely nothing to brag about.
Yes, thinking calmly, my technique is rather unimpressive. In terms of practicality with my Magicka, about three times the length of my Sword blade is the limit.
Beyond that, the Magicka consumption increases sharply.
Incidentally, it’s poorly suited for someone like me, who doesn’t have a particularly large amount of Magicka.
Explaining a poorly suited technique that I can’t even fully master…
Huh? Am I actually a pretty pathetic guy?
“It’s amazing you think you’ve taught anything with that explanation.”
Just as I realized my own patheticness and wanted to go home right away, Shara-san spoke to me with a look that screamed exasperation.
Even though she was just pulling weeds.
“The principles of the Sword are often like that, you know.”
Erica-san replied before I could answer Shara-san.
“Especially Shin’s… that. It’s the extreme.”
Erica-san called my poor explanation skills “the extreme.”
Friends at the academy often told me similar things, so it’s nothing new, but I’ve never been called “the extreme” before.
“No, uh, you see?”
Honestly, feeling a bit like crying, I tried to add further explanation using gestures.
I can endure Erica-san thinking I’m creepy. I might cough up blood, but I can bear it.
But being bad at it is unacceptable. Impossible. Too impossible to bear.
“Like this, see, in the middle of the Sword, suun… no, not like that, more like roughly but carefully, like petaa… channeling Magicka along it, you know?”
My desperate explanation completely missed the mark.
My spirit broke when Erica-san, looking apologetic for some reason, offered an apology saying she didn’t think she could imitate what I’d taught her.
In other words, I had made Erica-san feel obligated.
Even though it was my fault for being bad at explaining, I made her apologize.
Someone please praise me for managing to say, “No, please don’t worry about it,” with an iron will, while inwardly feeling intensely crushed by the fact that my incompetence had made Erica-san feel considerate towards me.
Erica-san, acting like a proper noble by pretending not to notice my bravado, opened her mouth while stroking the pommel of Solntseri’s Sacred Sword at her hip.
“It’s not really my style to just be taught, either.”
As expected, Erica-san is kind.
Even with my poor explanation, she considered it as having been taught.
Who were those people at the academy saying Erica-san was scary or a genius who couldn’t understand people’s feelings?
Every single one of you is blind.
“In return, Shin, is there anything you’d like to know? Within the scope of what I can teach, of course.”
Isn’t this an exceptional reward for my poor explanation?
Is she kindness incarnate?
“In that case, tell me your favorite Flower.”
Lightly closing my eyes, a flood of things I wanted to know spread through my mind, and I grabbed onto one of them.
“I’ll give them to you next time.”
Expecting an answer, I looked at Erica-san’s face, only to find her covering it with both hands.
Why?
“You really are, you really, really are…”
Muttering this, Erica-san’s body trembled slightly.
Shara-san started pulling weeds with ferocious intensity.
And I was bewildered.
After Shara-san yelled “Damn it!” into the hole she’d dug by pulling weeds, and Erica-san’s trembling stopped, Erica-san explained that wasn’t what she meant.
I asked about Erica-san’s Swordsmanship, and she told me that Solntseri’s Sacred Sword was essentially a Magic Tool.
In the end, I didn’t get to learn her favorite Flower.
Figure out what Flowers to give the woman you like yourself—that must be what it means.
*
“Is there no place for me to find peace of mind?”
After seeing off Shara-san, who muttered this as she returned to the church, we bought ingredients for tonight’s dinner and went home.
Adventurers have freelance work, but in our case, we have even more freedom.
If we were content with an ordinary life, we could get by well enough without working, but neither Erica-san nor I are suited to doing nothing.
Therefore, we’ve been working quite seriously as adventurers, but perhaps because we fought a Jewelhead Dragon, a Blackened Dragon at that, my body started showing signs of wear.
There were other reasons too, like commissioning Erica-san’s ring and questioning the Adventurers Guild about our Rank, but Erica-san made me promise to rest in town for at least three days.
After resting for a day, the muscle-soreness-like pain and fatigue disappeared, but since we had the opportunity, we decided to take a vacation.
During this vacation, Erica-san mentioned she wanted to try cooking, and today is the day she’ll actually try it.
Apparently, she’s going to try a recipe taught to her by a neighborhood wife she somehow befriended.
That’s why. Yes, that’s why.
Do you understand how much I was looking forward to this?
No, it’s fine. You don’t need to answer.
There’s no one who can measure these feelings of mine.
“Which is why you should go home, Senpai-dono.”
“That’s not fair, Danna.”
Merseja, looking tired, said this at the door.