Chapter 29

Previous Summary:

(Ayame's Perspective)

Gaberla! Come! Come! Let's play!

Oh, Rose is doing something!

Rose! Rose! What are you doing? Pay attention to me! Let's play!

Oh, Gaberla and Rose are talking together?

Not talking? Why? Why not?

Oh, Kato is calling. Will she play with me?

...Nope. I'm sleepy.

I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight.

11

Our journey to the 'North' has been smooth.

Gaberla, the white arachne, serves as our main combat force; Lily, mimicking the scent of a Fire Fang, acts as our scout; and Rose, as a solid human wall, fights steadily—this formation is more than enough to handle the few monsters we occasionally encounter.

I wish we could somehow add the efforts of the two new members, but so far, there hasn't been a situation where they could shine.

Of course, it's fortunate that we haven't encountered such situations, but it's also a reality that we can't always count on that. It's better to expand our combat strength for emergencies.

Today, after completing another day's journey and finishing dinner, I was conducting a combat simulation test with Asarina.

"Oof..."

"Just a moment. I'll heal it right away."

Seeing me grit my teeth in pain, Lily summoned a healing magic array on her fingertips.

The affected area was my left arm, where Asarina resides. Bathed in warm light, the throbbing pain in my joints eased slightly. However, my furrowed brows remained unchanged.

"...There's a problem."

My mouth tasted bitter, and my voice had taken on a groaning tone.

It's been three days since we started our nightly combat training with Asarina after leaving the arachne's nest. Giving detailed instructions is still difficult, but we can now communicate simple commands through the path, even without speaking. In this regard, things have started off smoother than expected. However, a different issue has emerged.

"I knew she was weak, but this is really problematic."

I flexed my fingers to check my healed arm. It was a rough, scarred hand, a result of the many minor injuries accumulated from survival in this world. Despite its rugged appearance, it was also a fragile body.

This fragility was the problem.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is a universal rule, a law of physics, even in this world where magic exists. An untrained person who punches something carelessly will hurt their hand or sprain their wrist. The same was happening to me. The shock from Asarina's attacks was too much for my arm to handle.

If I can't use my full strength in a crisis, it's a serious issue. When I asked Asarina to use her full power, despite her reluctance, the result was me writhing in pain with both my wrist and elbow injured. It was a sight that was hard to bear.

"Master..."

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

I stroked the one-centimeter protrusion on the back of my hand, where Asarina had shrunk. While this action brought me some comfort, the headache remained.

Asarina is trying to be my sword, but with this, I can't fully utilize her power.

"...What should I do?"

Sitting and deep in thought, I eventually scratched my head and sighed, unable to come up with any ideas. I looked at Lily, who was beside me, her finger on her lip, deep in thought.

"Do you have any good ideas, Lily?"

When I asked, Lily turned her large black eyes towards me.

"Hmm. I do have one idea, but I'm not sure if it will work. I think it's worth a try, though."

Given that she was still thinking, her idea wasn't fully formed yet. However, even a small possibility was worth considering.

"Can you tell me more?"

"Of course. But, I'll need some help for this."

"Help... from who?"

"From Gaberla. Her help is necessary. It will be a bit of extra work, so let's talk to her about it."

With that, we decided to move to the campfire where Rose and Gaberla were. We sat in a circle around the fire. Lily and Gaberla were on my left and right, Rose and Kato in front, and Ayame, who seemed to be asleep, was snoring softly on Gaberla's spider abdomen.

"So, what's the matter?"

Gaberla asked immediately. Lily explained the problem I was facing with the combat training with Asarina.

"I understand the situation. I don't think I can do much about it, though..."

Gaberla looked troubled after hearing the story.

"Lily, do you have a plan?"

"Yes. I need to ask something of Gaberla."

Gaberla nodded in response to my confirmation.

"Actually, I want Gaberla to help with Master's magic training."

"Magic training?"

This seemed completely unexpected, and Gaberla's red eyes widened.

"But, wasn't Lily supposed to be the teacher?"

I had started receiving basic magic training from Lily three days ago, after making Gaberla my familiar. This training was scheduled to follow the combat training with Asarina, and it was planned for tonight as well. Lily was now asking Gaberla to take over this role.

"Magic is more Lily's forte than mine. Shouldn't Lily continue teaching Master?"

"Teaching basic elemental magic is best done by me, I think."

As she spoke, Lily reached across my body and took Gaberla's wrist, who was sitting on the opposite side.

"Hmm?"

"Look, Master."

"..."

I tilted my head in confusion and extended my arm.

"Let's see."

Lily pulled our hands together, pressing our forearms against each other. I could feel Gaberla's slightly lower body temperature from her wrist to her elbow. It felt a bit awkward, and Gaberla's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Gaberla's arm is so beautiful. No scars, smooth, slender, and soft."

"Yours is the same, Lily. If anything, yours is even more delicate."

"Mine is just a mimicry. Compared to Gaberla, I can't compete."

Lily chuckled, inheriting the beauty of her former self, Mizuho Mima. While there were some differences, her appearance was mostly a precise copy of a delicate and beautiful girl. However, compared to Gaberla, she was at a disadvantage. Gaberla's beauty was on a different level, a beauty that transcended human standards.

Of course, these things shouldn't be compared, but if I had to, I would say that Lily's delicate beauty was more familiar to me as a Japanese person, and many men would likely support her. This was purely a matter of personal preference.

Putting that aside...

"Are we getting off track?"

"Ah, right."

Lily stuck out her tongue and refocused the conversation.

"Master, I want you to compare your arm with Gaberla's."

"Compare our arms?"

I looked at Gaberla's arm as instructed. It was a slender, feminine arm, smooth and supple, a stark contrast to my scarred and burned arm.

"Gaberla's arm is so slender. It's much more delicate than Master's arm, which can't withstand Asarina's attacks."

That was true. I was a man, and Gaberla, despite being a monster, was a woman. Regardless of the inner strength, her appearance was naturally more delicate.

"But, if we had an arm wrestling match, Master would lose, right?"

"Probably."

This was a fact, and I nodded without resistance.

"It's not just about winning or losing; Master's arm would be crushed."

"I wouldn't do that!"

Gaberla immediately protested, but I think Lily meant something else. I recalled Gaberla's recent display of power, where she uprooted an entire area of iron vines. It was a fierce and beautiful sight. No matter how much I trained, I couldn't do something like that.

...Or could I?

I had a vague understanding of what Lily was trying to say.

"The quality of muscles is different between us monsters and humans, but Gaberla's slender arm and her immense strength are clearly out of proportion. This is due to a phenomenon unique to this world."

"Meaning, magic power."

In this world, even if something is impossible according to physical laws, it can be achieved if it follows the unique rules of this world.

"Exactly."

Lily nodded and released our hands, leaning back.

"I, a Mimic Slime, maintain this form with magic power. Rose, a Magical Puppet, moves her doll body. Asarina, a Parasitic Vine, also uses magic power. Ayame, a Balloon Fox, can create fire with magic power. And Gaberla..."

"Yes. I constantly enhance my physical abilities with magic power. However, this is something all monsters do unconsciously."

Enhancing physical abilities with magic power. This reminded me of the student who killed a dragon with his bare hands shortly after being transported to this world. Such extraordinary abilities were the result of a combination of vast magic power and the ability to use it. From what I understood, this skill didn't require any special talent.

If that was the case, I had a chance. Even if I couldn't achieve the same level, making my body more resilient would significantly improve the situation.

At the very least, if my fragile body could serve as a solid foundation for Asarina, that would be enough. The question was how difficult it would be.

"Based on this, I think the best approach is for Gaberla to teach Master how to enhance his physical abilities using magic power. But..."

Gaberla looked confused.

"Couldn't Lily teach this? This isn't a skill exclusive to Gaberla."

Gaberla had a point. In theory, anyone could teach this.

"Of course, I don't mind teaching. However, Lily was originally supposed to teach everything. ...Is it okay to give up the opportunity to teach Master to someone like me?"

"That's not a good idea."

Lily chuckled at Gaberla's concern but didn't deny it. She seemed to enjoy teaching me magic. This made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Despite this, Lily believed that Gaberla should teach me physical enhancement.

"I think Gaberla is the most efficient teacher."

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"Most of Master's magic power comes from Gaberla. I think the best way to start is to follow Gaberla's method."

My magic power increased when I made Gaberla my familiar. This was because part of Gaberla's magic power flowed into me through the path. While Asarina's presence constantly drains some of this magic power, it's only a fraction. Given my initial low magic power, most of my current magic power is essentially Gaberla's.

Since I was using her magic power, it made sense to learn how to use it from its original owner, Gaberla.

"I see. That makes sense. But, I have one more question."

Gaberla, understanding Lily's explanation, asked a new question.

"Master has started learning elemental magic from Lily. What about that? Will he learn both in parallel, or will he give up elemental magic to focus on physical enhancement?"

"That's up to Master. I was just asked for a good idea to help him withstand the recoil from Asarina's attacks."

Both Lily and Gaberla turned to me.

"What do you think, Master?"

I thought for a moment.

Elemental magic.

Physical enhancement.

Or both.

Considering the conversation with Lily and Gaberla, I decided on a course of action.

"I think I'll learn physical enhancement from Gaberla."

I decided to go with Lily's suggestion.

"I have Asarina in my left hand. Learning elemental magic would certainly provide support and possibly defensive capabilities. However, I still have concerns about defense. If my physical abilities are enhanced, I should be better equipped to handle attacks. If I want to fight from a distance, I can rely on Asarina."

It's important to understand that my role is not to be useful in combat. My job is simply to survive. By doing so, I won't be a burden to my companions. I learned this the hard way when I nearly died in a Balloon Fox's trap.

Lily's point about physical enhancement being easier to achieve than elemental magic also resonated with me. Focusing on physical enhancement would allow me to see results more quickly, and I could always learn elemental magic later.

After explaining my thoughts, I looked at Lily apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Lily, for taking away the opportunity to teach me magic..."

"Don't worry. I suggested it, so it's fine."

Lily smiled, showing no ill will. I returned a light smile and then turned to Gaberla.

"Thanks, Gaberla. I appreciate the effort."

"It's no trouble. Teaching Master something is a pure joy for me."

Gaberla's cheeks turned a rosy red, and her childlike openness made her seem even more endearing. This wasn't a bad thing.

"Thank you."

I felt a warm sense of gratitude as I thanked her and prepared to stand up.

"Since we've decided, let's start now..."

"Master, wait."

Just as I was about to start the training, I was interrupted.

The voice belonged to Kato, who had been listening to our conversation.

"Sorry, but can I have a moment?"

Across the campfire, Kato looked at me directly through the flickering orange flames.

I felt my body tense.

"...What is it, Kato?"

It had been a long time since I had a direct conversation with Kato. The last time we talked was when we named Asarina and Ayame. Even then, it was more of a group discussion rather than a direct conversation.

This was the first time in a long while that we were talking directly. It seemed I had been unconsciously avoiding her.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your training. I have a request."

Kato slipped out of her dirty sheet and sat up straight next to Rose. It seemed to be a serious matter.

"I have a favor to ask, Master."

Her request was something I hadn't expected.

"Can I learn magic from Lily when she's available?"

"...Magic?"

"Yes. If I put in the time, I should be able to learn magic, right?"

It was possible. According to the colony's consensus, even non-cheaters could learn magic. In fact, some people, like me, discovered their cheater abilities later. As a transfer, Kato met the conditions.

It was possible, but I couldn't immediately give a positive response.

"Can you not?"

"..."

For a non-cheater like Kato, the magic she could learn would be limited. It would be difficult for her to master even basic self-defense spells. Like me before, there was no point in her spending so much time learning magic.

If her magic worked, it would only be effective against humans, and even then, only if she caught them off guard.

...For example, if she attacked me from behind.

That was about the extent of its usefulness.

Thinking this, I wanted to hit myself. How could I doubt someone who had risked her life to save me?

However, the fact remained that Kato's magic would be limited to such uses. This made it difficult for me to dismiss my doubts.

Allowing Kato to learn magic was essentially giving her a weapon. If I could trust her completely, I wouldn't be having these doubts.

"..."

My mouth remained sealed, unable to give her permission.

Seeing this, Kato spoke quietly.

"Healing magic."

"Huh?"

"Healing magic. I want to learn healing magic."

This was a statement that alleviated my concerns.

"Is that... not possible?"

"That... I..."

If she learned healing magic, it wouldn't be a weapon. I felt my guard lowering.

...If that's the case, there might be no problem with letting her learn magic, right?

At the very least, it seemed worth considering.

I was about to change my mind when I was interrupted.

"Can you wait a moment?"

Gaberla interjected.

"Gaberla?"

She looked apologetic, her red eyes fixed on Kato through the campfire.

"I need Lily's help to teach Master how to handle magic power."

"Help? What kind of help?"

Kato's expression hardened slightly, but she listened to Gaberla's explanation.

"I'm a monster. I don't understand human ways. I'm not confident I can effectively teach Master the nuances. Lily, who is both a monster and has human memories, would be a great help."

"I agree. At least at first, it would be better for me to be there as a precaution."

Lily also agreed with Gaberla's suggestion.

"Can't you teach both of us at the same time?"

Lily shook her head.

"That would be difficult. Kato needs to start by sensing magic power, which takes time."

Handling something invisible and intangible is impossible for anyone. To use magic, one must first be able to sense magic power.

"This will take some time. It might be too much to do it simultaneously with Master's training."

Lily's explanation made Kato frown.

"I understand that sensing magic power is necessary. But, isn't that the same for Master? If that's the case, why can't I learn with him?"

"Unfortunately, Master is a special case."

"Special?"

"Yes. An exception."