Following Luna, I too tried using the magic gun, but only managed to destroy the wooden dummy to the right of the one I had aimed for.
It had missed by about 1 meter.
‘Is the power of skills absolute in this world?’
During my time in the military, I had boasted a hit rate of 90%, even if not perfect.
But to see such a difference now.
It was a moment to feel the power of skills once again.
“Ahem, anyway. You did well, as I taught you. There’s a suitable weapon for everyone, after all. Good job, Zero.”
Luna patted my shoulder, offering encouragement.
“Yes, it’s definitely Luna! Finding the perfect weapon for me!”
…Why is Luna receiving the praise when I did well?
It felt strange, but I was satisfied that Rezé decided to use the magic gun.
However, it was too early to be surprised.
The reason Rezé is called the Spear Rezé. There was now a chance to glimpse, even if only fragmentarily, that reason.
“Keke, Miss Rezé. Would you like to pull this lever?”
“Le, lever? Ah…”
A very small lever on the magic gun. Rezé pulled it back and flinched.
“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”
“Ma, mana is… leaking out. A lot of it.”
The skill attached to the magic gun was [Overcharge].
It was the lever for using that skill. It seemed to require more than twice the usual amount of mana.
Blue energy began to swirl around the magic gun.
It wasn’t the same faint energy as before. The mana was dynamic.
Like a small storm.
“Hey! Isn’t it going to explode like that?”
“Keke, it should be fine.”
“Really?”
“If you shoot quickly.”
“Yo, you’re crazy! Re, Rezé! Shoot it quickly!”
Luna, flailing both arms in panic. But Rezé was not.
“…”
She was calm.
So determined to hit the target that I could feel it myself.
At the moment when Rezé’s eyes shone through the bangs that covered her face like a curtain.
Bang!!
The mana bullet that escaped from the barrel grew larger and turned into the size of a human head.
It headed straight for the torso of the wooden dummy.
Crackle-!!
Despite the noisy preparation, the sound was not loud compared to the size of the giant mana bullet.
However.
Thud— Crack-.
As the mana bullet vanished upon touching the wall, the head and some of the lower body of the wooden dummy fell to the ground.
What was astonishing was that, unlike before, wood splinters did not scatter.
The overwhelming density of mana evaporated everything without leaving a trace.
The part hit by the mana bullet and its surroundings had completely vanished.
“Cra, crazy… If you got hit by that…”
Just as Luna murmured. If you got hit by that, you wouldn’t even be able to pick up bones.
The bones themselves would vanish along with the mana.
‘This is why Rezé is called the Spear Rezé.’
Although not now, [Overcharge] will become a basic skill in magic guns that appear later.
But it’s not just [Overcharge] that shows such power.
It’s important that Rezé possesses the [Concentration S] skill.
It increases the efficiency of skills like [Overcharge].
According to experiments by veterans, about 5 times for [Overcharge].
Making [Overcharge], which is already stronger than a normal attack, five times stronger.
‘And I haven’t even given her an artifact to increase attack power yet… Such power.’
It was fitting for the Spear Rezé.
“Aah!!”
“Rezé?”
Turning around, I saw Rezé rolling on the ground, holding her right shoulder.
Was the recoil strong because it used several times the mana?
We carefully approached Rezé, who was crying and complaining of pain.
“Is, is this a dislocated shoulder? Zero, do you know how to set bones?”
Set bones? Of course.
“…I don’t know.”
“Damn! Rezé, get on my back! Let’s go to the infirmary quickly!”
“Aah!!”
Rezé screamed in pain.
Only then did we realize. Carrying a patient with a dislocated shoulder was a crazy act.
It also meant we were that panicked.
“Te, teacher! We need to bring a teacher!”
“I, I’ll go. Please stay with Miss Rezé.”
“Quickly!”
Just as we were about to leave the training ground.
Someone rushed past me in a panic.
Black hair with a blue glow like the night sky.
Lucia, Rodelin’s sister and one of the Empire’s Ten Swords.
“What a mess, what a mess. Do kids these days not know how to set bones? They live too comfortably.”
Lucia grabbed Rezé’s arm and shoulder. Then.
Click-.
“Ha… Ha…”
Rezé’s screams stopped. The shoulder bone was set in one go.
“Lu, Lucia? Thank you. You saved my friend! You’re amazing!”
“No, it’s not something to be praised that much. Just give her some water.”
“Yes, yes!”
Rushing to get a water bottle, Luna carefully poured water into Rezé’s mouth.
Meanwhile, Lucia’s gaze turned to the scattered magic gun.
“Hmm… A magic gun, huh? You were doing something interesting?”
Lucia picked up the magic gun and pointed it towards the wooden dummies.
Whoosh-!
Crackle-!
Once again, a storm of mana swirled.
Lucia winked and pulled the trigger.
“Fire~.”
Bang!!
A loud noise that required covering ears filled the training ground.
The mission completed, and the mana dispersed into the air.
We couldn’t help but open our mouths wide.
Because the place where the two wooden dummies stood was now clean.
The two wooden dummies, standing 1m apart, had vanished without a trace.
“Wow~ If we had something like this in our time, we would have killed ten times more. It’s the end of the world, the end.”
Lucia clicked her tongue.
One funny point was that she completed the process with just one hand.
Not only did she hold and shoot the large object with one hand, but she also ignored the recoil of the [Overcharge] state mana bullet.
‘I knew it… She’s a monster.’
Behind the innocent appearance and clumsy demeanor.
A lion with shining eyes, hidden behind.
‘To be acknowledged by such a person? What a crazy quest.’
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
“But it lacks the feeling of impact. Not very satisfying. You, your accuracy seems quite decent. I’d recommend sticking to archery.”
“…Were you watching?”
“Not from the start. Since when you pulled that filthy thing from your lower half?”
What? So, she was watching from the beginning?
Even if I look good, this is a bit much.
“In my time, using something like this would have gotten you ostracized. A true Annwood Academy student should wield a cold, long weapon.”
“…”
“Anyway, kids these days only want convenience. What’s becoming of the empire… Eh, tsk tsk!”
What is it with her? Is she not in her mid-thirties but rather a 90-year-old?
Such an old-fashioned view.
‘An 8-star knight and now this old-fashioned attitude?’
To be recognized by Lucia.
That’s when I realized.
There’s no way I could complete this quest by ordinary means.
‘Even if I give up on the quest… it wouldn’t be a loss if I could learn from her.’
Lucia, who can spot talent in children at a glance and offer advice.
It would be natural to improve rapidly under the tutelage of such a being.
I casually approached Lucia.
“Keke, would you mind taking a look at my swordsmanship? You’ll be surprised.”
“Really? Let’s see it.”
The second secret technique of the Fleur family.
Steel Storm’s Blade.
Lucia widened her eyes and held her breath.
As if she was genuinely surprised.
About 3 seconds later, Lucia exhaled a heavy breath and said,
“Wow, I was so shocked by how bad it was. I nearly died.”
“…”
“I hope to see some proper swordsmanship next time. Though it seems impossible.”
In truth, Lucia is as naive as Rodelin.
Teasing Lucia is very easy for me.
I can think of 999,000 ways right off the bat.
But doing so would not only jeopardize the quest but also any chance of receiving her teachings.
I had to endure. Just endure it, thinking about tormenting Lucia when the month is over.
“Luna, I’m fine now.”
“Huh?”
“So, go on. You want to be guided by Lucia, don’t you?”
After a moment of hesitation, Luna stood up as Rezé gently grabbed her hand.
“I’m next. I’ll redeem myself for what happened during this morning’s class.”
“Your spirit is commendable. That’s why I like kids.”
Luna immediately demonstrated her swordsmanship.
Cutting, slashing, stabbing.
Lucia, surprisingly, observed Luna closely.
And then.
“Hmm… You’re hitting the right spots, but your developed muscles are too small. Maybe she’s not the one? Then…”
Lucia murmured something indecipherable.
She then stepped back and whispered to me,
“Hey.”
“Keke, what is it?”
“You’re the one who used One Flash, aren’t you?”
…One Flash? Why is that coming up here?
I was genuinely surprised, but it seemed my reaction didn’t show, thanks to [Mental Defense].
It’s only problematic in specific situations.
“…”
Glancing sideways, I saw Lucia’s eyes shining.
Like a lion about to pounce on its prey.
I hadn’t anticipated this situation.
It was perplexing, but not without a way to handle it.
Even Caron couldn’t overcome ‘this’ of mine.
“Keke, what do you mean all of a sudden? One Flash? If only I could perform such a magnificent technique.”
“…”
“Ah, are you referring to the technique I just displayed? Indeed, even I think it’s impressive. So it seemed like One Flash to you? To deceive even Lucia into mistaking it. Keke, I must be truly remarkable.”
I brazenly proclaimed my greatness.
Then Lucia, who had been staring at me, irritably scratched the back of her head.
“Ha… Not it? Weird. Then who could it be…”
Lucia scratched her head for a while.
“Eh, I give up! I need some sleep.”
Suddenly, she laid out a few training mattresses and sprawled on top.
“That’s all the guidance for today. I’ll see you again tomorrow, so practice well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Just don’t tell anyone I’m here. I’ll check on you guys once a day, and you keep my presence here a secret. How’s that? Fair deal?”
“Is it really okay?”
“Yes. Now, I’m going to sleep. Make as much noise as you want, just train hard.”
“Yes, yes! Looking forward to tomorrow!”
Luna clasped her hands together, moved.
Even the fierce Luna was tamed.
It was a testament to Lucia’s heroic stature in this world.
Snoring-.
Lucia fell asleep instantly. Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief.
‘Really caught me off guard. What was that about?’
After some thought, I managed to piece together a few parts of the puzzle.
During the battle against the 4th demon, Bineus, Lucia came as reinforcement.
Most traces were erased by [Demon Slave], but the trace of [One Flash] wasn’t removed.
And Lucia found that trace.
‘Since she’s Rodelin’s sister, she must have heard about that day in detail.’
With many eyes on me, I couldn’t use [One Flash] after entering Bineus’s 2nd phase.
In this process, Alex, Rodelin, Raymon, and Yuridia were quickly ruled out.
Rezé, of course, was not considered.
Leaving only Luna and me in the equation.
‘But no matter how much I looked, it wasn’t Luna, so it came down to me?’
Sweat trickled down my back as this realization hit me.
It was a more dangerous situation than I thought.
‘There are a few questions… but not enough pieces to the puzzle.’
The only thing that’s clear is this:
‘Lucia is looking for the person who used One Flash.’
Besides earning Lucia’s recognition, a new situation has arisen.
Whether Lucia’s search will turn out to be positive or negative for me.
I had to find out.
–TL Notes–
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