Chapter 50

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, I walked off the stage.

In my hand was the famous sword of the Feilarte family, now reduced to just the hilt.

As I walked, I examined the sword.

"This, I can make myself."

It was a good sword, but compared to Anne's magic sword, Kval Best, it was several levels lower. However, the asset value of the high-quality mithril and the jewels embedded in the hilt was considerable. Since it could be sold for money, I gratefully accepted it.

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"It seems like you won by a landslide. I've never seen anyone win ten million bal in a single match. It would be unwise to hand over such a large sum in cash, so would a promissory note be acceptable?"

"Of course, that's fine."

I had come to the gambling organizer. The organizer was an intellectual young man who wrote the amount on the promissory note as we walked. Since the amount was large, he was handling it individually for me.

A promissory note is a paper that sets a deadline and promises to pay in cash by that date.

In this world, the financial system is developed to the point where paper money circulates and there are banks.

"Then, the payment is complete, right?"

"Thank you. I made a good profit."

"It's mutual. Actually, if you hadn't won, we would have had a huge deficit. The odds were set to attract larger bets, so I essentially bet on you as well."

I laughed with the organizer. This kind of guy is why Erin is fun.

After some casual conversation, we parted ways, and I headed to the meeting place I had agreed on with Kuna before the duel.

"Soji, what was that final 'Burn' thing? I want to try that too!"

As soon as we reached the meeting place, Kuna came over with shining eyes. She seemed to really like the final "Miasma Release."

"You'd better not. That kind of magic is beyond you."

Miasma manipulation is similar to the elemental magic Kuna uses in that it involves using external magic, but the feel of the mana is completely different.

"Hey, Soji, you're being mean. With my skills, I can handle most magic."

"Let me rephrase that. It's impossible for you, Kuna. The final strike was a miasma manipulation spell. The more a race is favored by mana, the harder it is to handle miasma. Since you are deeply loved by fire mana, you can't learn it at all."

"Ugh, that's so frustrating. Soji, that's not fair. I want to do 'Burn' too. Burn!"

"To me, it feels unfair that you are so loved by fire mana. Besides, that move can only be used on certain opponents."

"Huh?"

Kuna made a surprised sound.

"That technique involves forcibly injecting miasma into the body to strip away protections. It would be counterproductive against monsters that use miasma as energy. It would make them stronger."

"Hearing that, it sounds a bit iffy. But I want to have a few tricks up my sleeve when facing high-rank opponents."

Kuna put her hand to her chin and thought deeply. She seemed to be considering her own strategy for high-rank opponents.

"You should have a few trump cards. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to fight a higher-rank opponent, you're just a fool. The best thing is to avoid such situations. It's a mistake to challenge someone you can't beat."

"I see."

Kuna nodded while looking at my face intently.

She's quite rude.

I only challenge opponents I can beat.

"What about Anne?"

"Anne said she needed to cool off and ran off somewhere as soon as the match ended. She said she'd catch up, Anne!"

Kuna exclaimed in surprise.

Following her gaze, I saw Anne, who was drenched in water.

"What happened, Anne?"

"Watching Soji's battle made me so excited that I had to take a cold shower."

"Oh, I see."

Although she said she took a cold shower, she was still clearly excited. Anne's skin is very pale, so it's easy to see when she blushes.

She approached me with shining eyes like a child.

"Soji, you're amazing."

"What, now? The final strike surprised you, right?"

"Yes, that too. But I fell in love with the soft sword technique you used to overwhelm Clanel in the early stages. That's my ideal. You did that to show me, didn't you?"

I smiled.

Good, she noticed. This time, I deliberately showed her a sword technique suited to her.

A sword technique to take advantage of Anne's flexible and supple muscles and wide range of motion.

Mastering this could potentially make up for the strength and reach differences between men and women.

"You're right. I showed it to you hoping it would be helpful."

"It was very helpful. I have a favor to ask."

"You want to spar now, right?"

"Watching your sword technique makes my body so hot, I feel like I'll go crazy if I don't do something."

"Sure. We've been focusing on basics lately, so it's time to add some practical elements."

If you try to build on a weak foundation, it will crumble easily.

That's why I've been focusing on two things: making sure Anne can wield the ideal sword for her body and improving her perception within her control range without strain.

It's only been about a week, but she's been learning at an incredible speed, so I think it's safe to move on to more advanced techniques now.

"Thank you, Soji."

"But if you start using clumsy sword techniques or if I feel you can't 'see' me, we'll go back to the basics. Be prepared for that."

"I promise I won't disappoint you, Soji."

Anne declared firmly.

It was a little amusing to see her so determined.

"I want to have a match soon. When I'm your opponent, Anne tends to think losing is expected, so there's no tension. And the students in the regular class aren't a match for her... Actually, there's a suitable person. Kuna, do you want to try sparring with a sword?"

I called out to Kuna, who was looking bored in our direction.

"I'll spar with you using my fists, but I'll pass on the sword."

"Alright, that's fine."

The moment I said that, Kuna puffed out her cheeks.

"I'm strong enough with my fists."

"Sure, you are."

Physical abilities, sharp instincts, and movement.

Kuna excels in all of these. She has the strength to overcome the disadvantage of not using a weapon.

"Then why are you refusing?"

"Because Kuna isn't serious. Fighting someone who isn't serious won't help Anne. It would be the same as me training her."

What I want is combat experience. The kind you gain from clashing with someone who is fully committed.

"...I understand. I'm sorry, Anne, for not being able to help."

Kuna turned away, looking uncomfortable.

She wasn't angry at me. She was ashamed that she couldn't help Anne because of her own stubbornness, even though she could have.

"I'll continue training with Soji for now. I'll find a match opponent eventually."

"I want to learn as much as possible from Soji right now, so don't worry about it."

That's one way to get stronger. Instead of wishing for what you don't have, focus on steadily improving.

"Still, Soji, you're incredibly tough. You just had that match and now you're training Anne."

"The match itself didn't take long, and I didn't take any hits. I managed to conserve more than thirty percent of my blessings and mana, so the damage is minimal."

"Frankly, you seem like a monster to me."

"To me, Kuna is the monster. Your fire magic is just unfair."

It's a good opportunity. I've had a question I've wanted to ask for a while.

Kuna's flames are incredible, even more so than the Kuna from the game era.

Her magical skills are the same as in the game era, but the amount of mana she can summon is extraordinary.

Probably, the Kuna from the game era was in her original form, and for some reason, her compatibility with mana had deteriorated. In fact, thinking back, the Kuna from the game era was disliked by fire mana.

"Kuna, have you ever suddenly lost the ability to handle fire mana well?"

"You're asking a weird question. And how do you know about that?"

"...So you have experienced it."

"When I was little, I had a high fever and lost consciousness for about three days. When I woke up, I couldn't handle fire mana properly. It was really tough. As a golden fire fox, I felt like I wasn't myself anymore. It took me three years to gradually recover and get back to normal."

"High fever?"

"Yes. But when I was depressed, my brother said something terrible. Kuna doesn't remember, but when I had nine tails, I went on a rampage and caused a lot of trouble. He even lied and said I almost killed Father! I told him I hated him for being so insensitive. I was really depressed, but it was good for him to feel that way."

"That happened. By the way, how many years ago was that?"

"I think it was when I was eleven."

Seeing the Kuna from the game era, I thought she had been chosen as a backup. But it seems she had a natural talent and was unconsciously drawing in mana.

The reason the Kuna from the game era was worse at handling fire than the current Kuna is the backlash from "exploding."

There must have been a trigger that made Kuna choose to "explode," or perhaps she reached her capacity limit. Either way, I need to watch her carefully.

While thinking about these things, we returned to the dormitory for training.