Chapter 10

The sun rose and set countless times.

Shuu continued to drift through the forest, slaying any stray monsters he encountered. Although he showed no signs of evolving into a spirit, he didn’t mind. This place was sufficient for his life.

(Hmm? Is this Iris’s magic power?)

Feeling a powerful presence approaching, Shuu immediately materialized. A few seconds later, Iris Silverblade emerged, pushing through the grass.

“I found you, Shuu! It’s been a month!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is!”

Iris had grown taller and more mature. She wore loose clothing, perhaps to hide her figure, a dress-like robe in navy blue. At first glance, she looked like a witch.

It had been two years since Iris and Shuu first met. Although Shuu had no sense of time, this was based on what Iris had said.

“What do you mean there’s nothing more to teach! I haven’t learned that magic yet!”

“You mean *Sword Air Domain*? I don’t intend to teach you that.”

“Why not! It’s fine to teach a cute disciple a secret technique or two!”

“Who’s a cute disciple? You’ve already learned up to the seventh tier, which is enough.”

Shuu sighed, looking troubled.

About two years ago, Shuu had given Iris a hint about magic, and since then, she had started visiting the Eldera Forest every few days. Each time she got lost, Shuu would find her and teach her more about magic. Shuu didn’t want her to discover the monster village deep in the forest, so he taught her a bit to quickly send her away. It was a sweet deal, and it also became an unexpected pastime for Shuu.

Iris quickly mastered one magic after another, reaching the seventh tier, known as the upper-level magic. It was a remarkable achievement for someone who had once been a failure.

“*Sword Air Domain* is a technique that only I can use due to its mechanism. You should give up.”

“But you won’t know until you try!”

“Impossible is impossible.”

“Please, teach me!”

*Sword Air Domain* works by activating the magic ‘Life Absorption’ in an atom-thin domain to drain magic power, thus producing its effect. If the magic power inside the opponent’s body isn’t removed, the magic interference will prevent the spell from working properly. Since Iris couldn’t absorb magic power, she couldn’t use *Sword Air Domain*.

However, Iris was stubborn.

“I’ve decided. I won’t leave until you teach me!”

“That’s just a nuisance.”

“Hehehe. Then teach me quickly!”

Is this girl really fifteen? Shuu thought. Her mind was completely that of a child.

There was no helping it.

Shuu decided to demonstrate *Sword Air Domain* using a magic array. Thanks to two years of magic control training, the effective range had expanded. A twenty-meter magic array spread out from Shuu.

“Listen, Iris.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t intend to teach you. If you want to use it, steal it.”

Shuu activated *Sword Air Domain*. The decomposition magic activated in the thin domain, breaking molecular bonds one after another. The trees within the magic array’s range were instantly sliced and fell with a loud noise. Since the targets were inanimate objects, there was no need to combine the magic.

By spreading the decomposition magic thinly in a plate-like form in all directions, it created the effect of a slash in space.

Iris’s eyes sparkled.

“Amazing! I have no idea what’s happening.”

“Of course not.”

Humans didn’t understand the regularity of magic arrays. The classification based on the four elements and two poles had its drawbacks.

While simple magic arrays were manageable, complex ones were impossible to analyze.

“Teach me how to do it.”

“I said I won’t. I developed this magic independently. If you can, you should be able to do it too.”

“That’s unreasonable. I’m a failure!”

“No, you graduated early after reaching the seventh tier.”

“I was held back once, so it balances out.”

Iris was no longer a magic engineer candidate but a B-rank magic engineer, Iris Silverblade.

However, she had been held back once before skipping a grade, so she became a magic engineer at the same time as her peers. She planned to join the church, not the military.

That’s why Shuu was trying to distance himself from her.

Shuu was a monster, and Iris was a church member. They were fundamentally incompatible.

“Anyway, stop meeting me. It’s for the best.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you going to become a holy knight? You shouldn’t have time to bother with me.”

“I haven’t been assigned yet, so now is the best time to learn.”

Shuu had known for two years that Iris was stubborn. She wouldn’t give up and would never leave. He couldn’t take her to the monster village, so he decided to compromise a little.

“Fine. I’ll visit occasionally.”

“Really?”

“Iris, you’re joining the church in Ildana, right?”

“Yes. I plan to work in my hometown.”

Ildana was a large city right next to the Eldera Forest. It was visible from the forest. The city had a significant number of mid-level monsters, so the holy knights and military actively hunted them. Shuu didn’t want to be hunted, so he decided to visit her to keep the monster village a secret.

When materialized, he looked like a human, so there was no risk of being recognized as a monster.

(Plus, I need to gather information on humans. This is a good opportunity to enter the city.)

Over the two years, Shuu had received some information from Iris.

The Demon God Cult, which considered monsters a threat, was particularly concerning.

“Go home today. I’ll visit next time.”

“Understood. Then come in five days! There’s a holy knight inauguration ceremony at the church that day. I’ll be there, so I want you to come.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Promise! If you break it, I’ll come to you!”

Satisfied with that, Iris left.

After confirming she was far away using magic perception, Shuu dematerialized.

(Five days. I shouldn’t forget.)

Lately, he had lost track of time and might forget. If he did, Iris would come to him, causing trouble.

Thinking about this, Shuu returned to the village.

◆◆◆

Five days later, Shuu arrived in Ildana. The city was known for its herbal processing, with herbs from the Eldera Forest being a crucial resource. In the fertile land of the Ramza Kingdom, this area was the only place where herbs grew in abundance, so the kingdom invested heavily in it.

For example, by setting up a magic engineer training institution in Ildana, they produced many magic engineers capable of dealing with monsters. They also made large donations to the Demon God Cult to keep holy knights stationed there.

The inner part of the Eldera Forest was safe for monsters, but the outer part was patrolled by holy knights, making it quite dangerous.

However, it didn’t matter to Shuu.

When materialized, he looked like a human.

“Quite a festival atmosphere.”

Shuu dressed to blend in with the civilians, wearing a long robe that reached his ankles, a belt, and a black jacket. For spirits, clothing was part of their ethereal body, and he had recently realized he could manipulate it freely.

Today was the inauguration ceremony for new holy knights.

Only the most outstanding graduates from the magic engineer academy were allowed to become holy knights. In terms of rank, they had to be at least B-rank magic engineers, with the potential to reach A-rank in the future. It was a highly competitive field.

Incidentally, one in a hundred people had the talent to become a magic engineer, and one in ten of those had the talent to become a B-rank magic engineer. Not all B-rank magic engineers became holy knights, so the difficulty was clear.

“That’s the Ildana Cathedral where the inauguration ceremony will take place.”

The ceremony was about to start, and a large crowd had gathered. The cathedral, a massive building several dozen meters tall, was a symbol of Ildana, easily visible from a distance. Despite the clear path, the crowd made it difficult to move.

Using a movement magic spell would have been easier, but it was unclear if it was allowed in the city, so he refrained.

“Just in time.”

The ceremony began when the sun was at its highest. Feeling a sense of urgency he hadn’t felt in a long time, Shuu headed to the cathedral.

◆◆◆

The inauguration ceremony took place in a square in front of the cathedral. More accurately, the official ceremony by the Demon God Cult’s bishop had already been completed in the morning, and this was the public disclosure.

Many people had gathered around the stage, eagerly watching the new holy knights.

Five people stood on the stage, the most outstanding graduates from the magic engineer academy. Of course, some of the best graduates joined the military, so these five weren’t the only ones. However, being a holy knight was a prestigious position for the strongest magic engineers.

They were highly admired and popular among the people.

(Ugh... I’m nervous.)

Among the five, Iris was tense, standing on her first big stage. From a failing magic engineer who had been held back, she was now an elite holy knight. It was a touching moment.

Iris believed it was all thanks to Shuu.

(I wonder if Shuu came to watch.)

Without moving her head, she scanned the crowd with her eyes. With so many people, it was hard to spot Shuu.

As she searched, the sun reached its peak, and the public inauguration ceremony began. The orchestra played, and the bishop of the Ildana Cathedral appeared.

The ceremony had already been completed, and the new holy knights had been given their uniforms, so they had nothing to do but stand. Iris ignored the bishop’s speech and continued searching for Shuu.

When she couldn’t find him, she discreetly used magic perception.

Shuu, being a high-level monster, had a significant amount of magic power. Even with the crowd, his magic power could be detected.

(... Hmm. It’s not him.)

There were A-rank magic engineers in Ildana, so it wasn’t easy to find him. However, after searching persistently, she detected a strong magic reaction from a tree at the edge of the square.

Looking in that direction, she could see Shuu, even from a distance.

His black hair and eyes weren’t rare, but Iris immediately recognized him.

“He came to watch.”

Iris whispered, a secret smile on her face.

It felt like her master was celebrating her departure.

That day, Iris Silverblade became a holy knight.