Chapter 99

On the podium, Cyril gave the opening speech, and the festival began.

The words of the mothers of Kuna, who said they would make it grand, were not a lie. Many chairs and tables were brought into the central square of Elsie, and luxurious and splendid dishes were lined up.

Elsie is a wealthy country.

Although the production volume itself is not large, it earns foreign currency through exports of items that can only be made here.

Several elves played the traditional instrument, the ofar, which resembles a flute, danced, and the fire foxes sang.

It was a beautiful sound. Just hearing this made me feel that coming to Elsie was worth it.

As I closed my eyes and enjoyed the music, I sensed someone's presence.

"Hey, show us your face."

"You guys."

There, the members of Kuna's personal guard were standing.

Their eyes and eyelids were red, as if they had been crying.

"We are Kuna-sama's personal guard. We want to talk to you as men. We have no intention of harming you. If we did, Kuna-sama would cry."

The man said this with a bitter expression.

"Alright, let's go."

Probably, if I hadn't seen their training, I wouldn't have agreed to their words.

But now that I knew their feelings and resolve, I had no choice but to follow them.

◇

"Good of you to come without running away, Soji."

Lorek, the leader of the group, a brown-haired elf, spoke.

A seat was prepared for me in the center where Kuna's personal guard was gathered, so I sat down.

Then, Lorek poured me a drink.

"You were invited by people who care deeply for Kuna. I couldn't refuse."

I took the bottle and poured Elsie wine back into Lorek's glass.

"…Hmph. Drink first."

"Thank you, I will."

We clinked glasses and drank the alcohol in one go.

The drink was Elsie wine, a specialty of Elsie made from maple syrup and cranberries. It had a smooth mouthfeel, and a gentle sweetness and acidity spread throughout the mouth.

Indeed, it was a good drink. Delicious.

And it had a comforting taste.

"Soji, I have something to say to you, who took Kuna-sama from us."

"What is it?"

Lorek looked straight at me.

Then, the members of the personal guard stood up and lined up in a row.

"Make Kuna-sama happy, and don't make her cry. Please."

The rest of the personal guard bowed their heads in unison.

…These men would go to such lengths for Kuna.

"Don't you hate me?"

"I do, but if it makes Kuna-sama happy, it's a trivial matter. …And, we, the personal guard, were asked by Kuna-sama's brother, Rina-sama, to make Soji stronger."

"I see. But it doesn't make sense… Isn't Rina the strongest in Elsie? Why do you need to teach me instead of him?"

I knew this from eavesdropping, but it was still surprising to hear it directly.

Rina said he would give us a fourth power, in addition to magic, blessings, and physical abilities.

To entrust this to them…

"Rina-sama is undoubtedly the strongest in Elsie, except for Cyril-sama. However, Rina-sama is a true genius and speaks in terms of intuition. He is not good at teaching. Therefore, we will train Soji. We are ordinary people. We became strong through sheer determination to be of use to Kuna-sama. We stumbled many times, but we learned and mastered the techniques through hard work. Therefore, we are suited to teaching others."

I understand the logic. But I think it's harsh.

I didn't ask if it was okay for me to do this.

These men already have their resolve. It would be tasteless to ask.

"Alright. I'll ask you. From now on, please take care of me. So, what exactly are you going to teach me?"

"The technique called [Spiritualization]. It's faster to show you than to explain. I'll demonstrate it."

Lorek stood up and increased his magic power.

He gathered an enormous amount of wind mana.

Is this wind magic? I thought, but then he began to blend his own mana with the wind mana.

"What?"

Normally, when using wind mana, one uses one's own mana as a catalyst to gather wind mana and then utilize the gathered mana.

But blending one's own magic power with it is unheard of.

It somewhat resembled corrupted magic power, where the formed magic power and wind mana were combined.

Then, Lorek absorbed it into his body.

Lorek's aura changed. He became something beyond an elf enveloped in wind magic.

"This is the secret technique of Elsie, [Spiritualization]. It is an advanced form of spirit magic, which uses the power of mana, and fuses mana with oneself. Once achieved, one's aptitude for magic and physical abilities are greatly enhanced."

As he said, Lorek's magic power and the density of the wind increased.

This is the fourth power.

"Amazing. It somewhat resembles Kuna's nine-tailed transformation."

"That's natural. This technique was created by Cyril-sama after seeing Kuna-sama's nine-tailed fire fox transformation. It was created to stop Kuna-sama when she went out of control… All the rank 3 and above warriors of Kuna-sama's personal guard have mastered it. They learned it with great effort, to save Kuna-sama if she ever transformed into a nine-tailed fire fox."

Becoming half-spirit. It's a simple idea, but not one that comes to mind easily.

And the fact that they learned it with great effort is not a metaphor; it was a fact.

This is not a magic that a normal person can handle.

"Rina-sama said that if Soji masters this, the [Silver Fire Fox] used to save Kuna-sama will truly be completed."

"True. The [Silver Fire Fox] and [Spiritualization] have the same endpoint."

The [Silver Fire Fox] can only be used to supply Kuna with corrupted magic power and when Kuna is in a state of nine-tailed transformation with excited corrupted magic power.

Moreover, once used, it leaves one unable to fight for several days.

The reason for the large damage is that the corrupted magic power is not fully controlled. The backlash is due to the strain on the body. By mastering the magic circuit enhanced by Cyril and [Spiritualization], and improving magic control techniques, the backlash can be suppressed.

Being able to use such powerful power casually would be a significant achievement.

"However, Soji, there is a reason why [Spiritualization] is only taught to those who have reached rank 3. It's dangerous due to insufficient computational power. I've heard you are rank 2. One mistake, and you die. Are you still going to do it?"

"Of course. The fear of dying from one mistake is nothing compared to the fear of losing Kuna because I am weak."

I have been performing magic far beyond my rank all along.

I can handle it.

"Good answer. If you weren't Soji, I would have invited you to join our personal guard. I heard your injuries have healed. Starting tomorrow, we will train you every day. Be prepared."

All the members of Kuna's personal guard performed [Spiritualization] at once.

It seems they are serious about training me in a practical manner.

I have no fear. Rather, I am looking forward to it.

"From now on, please take care of me."

I extended my hand for a handshake. Lorek took it and spoke.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this for Soji. It's for Kuna-sama."

Is he a tsundere?

Thus, I deepened my bond with Kuna's personal guard.

…After that, I was thoroughly teased and listened to their complaints and grievances.

But they were all good guys.

◇

"Soji-kun, over here, over here."

After being released from the personal guard, I was called by Kuna.

Anne was with her.

I smiled at the sight of the two of them.

"Kuna, Anne, you both look especially cute today."

"Lucie-nee-sama's dresses are the best in the world!"

"A little, such cute clothes are embarrassing."

Kuna and Anne were both wearing dresses.

The "Lucie-nee-sama" Kuna mentioned is Kuna's half-sister, an elf who runs a tailor shop in Elsie.

The dresses they were wearing were probably made by someone named Lucie.

"Today, you're wearing a black dress. That's unusual. But somehow, even mature clothes suit you, Kuna."

"Hehe, before being mature, I am a grown woman."

Kuna puffed out her chest. The elegant black dress brought out a new charm in Kuna.

"Anne, you look cute too. I often see you in cool outfits, but this cute dress is a refreshing change. Maybe you should try this style more often."

"…It's embarrassing. Such a cute dress doesn't suit me."

Anne grabbed the hem of her skirt and blushed.

Anne's dress was a girly design with many light pink frills, bringing out her delicate beauty.

"Don't worry, it suits you. I'm happy to see both of you in such cute dresses."

When I said this, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

Then, Kuna linked her arm with my right arm, and Anne timidly took my left hand.

"Soji-kun, Father is calling us. Soon, Father will give a speech, and after that, our engagement will be announced."

Kuna said happily.

For a moment, Anne's expression stiffened.

"Alright. Let's go."

With flowers in both hands, I started walking.

◇

"Announcing an engagement and holding flowers in both hands, you're quite the man."

When I reached the left side of the stage where the engagement announcement would be made, Cyril smiled wryly.

"Cyril, you can say that?"

"Yes, I believe we also announced our engagement together. And we got married together too."

Cyril's wife, the elf Lucie, and the fire fox Kuu, chimed in.

There was a nostalgic look in their eyes.

Cyril smiled wryly and continued.

"Soji, first, we will give you a blessing song. Then it's your turn. So, prepare yourself and listen carefully."

With that, the three of them went up on the stage.

"Soji-kun, Mother's singing is better than mine, and Lucie-sama's dancing is like a celestial being. And Father's ofar is dignified and clear."

Kuna looked at the stage with admiration.

I followed her gaze and looked at Cyril and the others.