Chapter 71

Having been pulled back from the world of souls to the real world, I immediately headed to Ms. Lea's place.

"Teacher, can I ask you a question...?"

"Ah, sure. Don't hesitate to ask anything."

"Thank you. ...What exactly is 'spiritual power'?"

When I asked,

"Hmm... Where did you hear that word?"

The teacher, looking a bit surprised, asked me back.

"Just now, when I was fighting the spirit core, it blurted out that word."

"I see, that's how it is... Hmm, what should I do..."

She scratched her cheek with a troubled expression.

"I was planning to explain about spiritual power after you guys hit the 'wall'... But, well... Some students, with Rose at the forefront, are already struggling... It might be time to explain it to everyone..."

Thus, she made up her mind and clapped her hands.

"Hmm, fairness is important... Alright! I'll explain spiritual power to everyone in the second period! Allen, I'm sorry, but can you wait a little longer?"

"Yes, I understand."

As I expected, 'spiritual power' seems to be an important element for becoming stronger.

Then, I decided to ask one more thing that had been bothering me.

"Teacher, sorry... Can I ask one more thing?"

"Ah, of course."

"Um... Is the King of Vestaria, Reia's father, really... angry?"

Considering how much the King dotes on Reia,

If he found out she was kidnapped by the Black Organization, he would surely be raging with fury...

But then,

"Ah... About that..."

The teacher, looking a bit troubled, whispered in my ear.

"Well... Just between us, he hasn't said anything..."

"..."

"That's a big deal. He should have heard about Reia's kidnapping... It's creepy that he hasn't even complained... I wonder what's wrong with him..."

"That is strange..."

It doesn't match my image of the King at all.

If he heard about the kidnapping, he would likely start a full-scale war with the Black Organization right away...

(What could have happened...?)

While I was thinking about this,

"Well, anyway... The situation around Reia is very quiet right now. We don't know what will happen in the future... There's nothing we can do about it here and now."

The teacher shrugged and said.

"Right..."

Indeed, there's no point in worrying about something we can't change.

If something happens, we should be prepared and do what we can, one step at a time—this is probably the best answer.

"Thank you, Teacher. —I'll go back in again!"

"Ah, I'm rooting for you!"

And so, I dove back into the world of souls and continued to fight over and over until the end of the first period.

■

After that, the first period ended in a flash.

A short break later, the bell signaling the start of the second period rang.

'Peeeee!' Ms. Lea's favorite whistle echoed through the soul training ground.

"Everyone! I have something to say, so gather over here!"

Confused by the sudden call, everyone gathered around the teacher.

"Without further ado, I want to measure your spiritual power! But before that, let me briefly explain what spiritual power is!"

And so, the teacher began her explanation in a clear, loud voice.

"Spiritual power is, in a sense, 'mental energy.' We, as swordsmen, consume this to manifest soul armor. After training in soul armor, you probably feel mentally exhausted, right? That's because you've used a lot of mental energy, which is spiritual power."

She continued,

"Spiritual power is not something you're born with, but something you acquire through training in soul armor. In theory, there's no limit to the amount of spiritual power. The more you train, the more it increases. However, humans can't live for hundreds of millions of years. While there's no theoretical limit, there is a 'practical limit' due to the biological constraints of being human. —That's the gist of it."

After finishing her explanation, the teacher said,

"Let's go measure the amount of your spiritual power. —Come with me!"

She walked briskly to the back of the vast soul training ground.

After about two minutes, we saw a large, double-door about two meters high.

(I didn't know there was a door here...)

It was the same color as the wall, so I hadn't noticed it.

"—Let's go...!"

The teacher opened the door and walked in, and we followed.

Inside, there was something that looked like a magic circle from a fairy tale.

"This is the 'Spiritual Power Room.' As the name suggests, it's a room designed to measure a swordsman's spiritual power. —'A picture is worth a thousand words.' Let me show you an example first."

The teacher moved to the center of the magic circle and took a deep breath.

Then, in the next moment, the magic circle emitted a dazzling crimson light.

"O-Oh...!"

Several students gasped at the mystical sight.

"The color emitted by the magic circle is determined by the amount of spiritual power. From least to most, the colors are 'purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.' As a reference, I'd say... Considering it's the first year, if you get 'indigo' or higher, you're doing very well."

After finishing her demonstration, the teacher stepped away from the magic circle.

"The method is very simple. Move to the center of the magic circle and focus your mind on the depths of your soul. The magic circle will automatically activate and measure your spiritual power."

After finishing her explanation, the teacher said,

"Alright, those who are ready can start measuring."

She clapped her hands and passed the baton to the students.

Then,

"Alright, I'll go first!"

Tessa Vermund, a swordsman of the Iron-Cutting Style, volunteered to go first.

"Alright. Tessa, try it. The key is to focus your mind on the depths of your soul, just like when you communicate with the spirit core!"

"Okay!"

Tessa enthusiastically responded, stood in the center of the magic circle, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

Then, in the next moment, a faint indigo light leaked from the magic circle.

"Wow, indigo right away...! That's amazing, Tessa!"

The teacher opened her eyes wide and exhaled in amazement.

"Hehe, thank you!"

After that, we each measured our spiritual power one by one.

Almost all the students showed purple, with indigo appearing occasionally.

Incidentally, Reia showed green, and Rose, surprisingly, showed blue.

Rose, who lost to Reia in terms of spiritual power, seemed quite upset...

She was trembling slightly and muttered, "Y-You're good...!"

Then, a little later—finally, it was my turn.

"Alright, Allen, you're last. Show us what you've got."

"Yes."

I moved to the center of the magic circle,

"Su... Ha..."

I took a few deep breaths to focus my mind.

As I focused my consciousness deeper and deeper into the depths of my soul,

"!?"

A pitch-black light was emitted from the magic circle, and with a high-pitched 'Crack,' the magic circle shattered.

And,

"U-Undefinable...!?"

The teacher's astonished voice echoed loudly in the Spiritual Power Room.