In fact, Mira currently had the backing of the Spirit King, who was a being that transcended reality. And so, he strongly suspected he might be able to figure something out when it came to things like spatial coordinates and inertia.
And yet, in this case, Wallenstein emerged the victor.
“Hrmm… I guess you don’t have a choice, then…” Mira said, pulling back.
The reason she did this involved what the Spirit King had said. Apparently, such matters belonged to the domain of Rieslein, the progenitor spirit of space-time, and so they weren’t within the Spirit King’s area of expertise.
Judging from how dangerous it was, the risk of allowing a single individual to investigate such a thing as much as they pleased was far too high. Even though she knew this, Mira still hadn’t given up completely.
The progenitor spirit Rieslein, huh…? I heard that after leaving behind the Ring of Parting that I got before, they fell into a long sleep. But maybe if I use this, they’ll wake up…!
Recalling what she’d heard before from the Spirit King and Martel, Mira smirked in glee at having discovered a new lead.
After handing over the fragments of the Monster-Ruling God’s sword and learning of the dangers of warping…
“Heeey, Bruceee!”
After leaving Wallenstein, Mira once more returned to Valhalla. Finding Bruce face down on the floor of the training area, Mira gently tried waking him up.
Apparently, he’d fully completed his warm-up exercises along with the ashen knight that Mira had lent him. Judging from how exhausted he seemed, Mira had the feeling that he might’ve overdone it a bit, and yet it didn’t make much of a difference to her.
“All right, how about we get started?” Mira said with a smile the moment Bruce awoke, before handing him a mana potion. Indeed, they were to begin their special training right there and then.
Staggering to his feet, Bruce grabbed the mana potion, then downed it and enthusiastically replied, “Let’s… Let’s do it!”
He’d been completely worn out, and yet the prospect of undergoing intensive training from one of the Nine Wise Men had seemingly given him his second wind.
And so, they began Mira’s intensive training on how to use partial evocation in combat. They were both equipped with gear and stocked with potions that’d help regenerate mana, and the training was nonstop.
Closely watching the spells that Bruce cast, Mira checked their composition and flow while giving pointers as he went. She instructed Bruce this way because he was already so well-versed in evocation, and his techniques became visibly more and more polished as they went.
Hrm, indeed. As one would expect of one of my tower mages, he excels in every way.
Surely, if he continued growing at this rate, he’d be able to do very well in the tournament. Mira was so convinced of this that she started thinking he ought to make it through to the very end rather than just doing very well.
That said, this was difficult considering that Meilin would be participating as well. In which case, he ought to at least make it to the finals so as to show off just what evocation was capable of.
Thinking as much, Mira considered Bruce’s combat prowess once again. Against the type of goons or adventurers that one often ran into, he possessed unrivalled skills. Belonging to one of the towers, Bruce was a mage who could very well be considered one of the best of the best, and so he wouldn’t likely go down easily.
However, word of this tournament that he’d be participating in had already spread to every corner of the continent, and so a good number of the strongest contestants in the land would most likely be there.
“By the way, Bruce. Just how strong are the Valkyrie sisters you made a contract with?” Mira asked, as if suddenly curious. When it came to powerful summons, Valkyries were near the very top of the list. They were powerful enough that they could well be considered a summoner’s ace in the hole.
And yet, she had one concern. That was just how strong they were at the moment.
Back when Mira had made her contract, Alfina and her sisters could’ve well been considered to only be of middling power. That said, while they were much stronger than most warriors, they weren’t quite strong enough to make it to the finals of such a tournament.
And yet, because they’d fought alongside Danblf on the battlefield, they were now the most powerful Valkyries in Valhalla.
Meanwhile, Bruce had only just made a contract with his Valkyries. And so, all the growing and evolving that they’d be doing together still lay before them. Therefore, Mira was curious as to whether they were currently strong enough to reach the finals of the tournament.
“How strong? Let me think… They certainly aren’t as strong as Alfina, but they’re pretty tough. Enough so that my dark knight didn’t stand a chance against them,” Bruce declared proudly.
Cutting straight to the point, Mira told him, “Hrmm. That doesn’t tell me much.” She continued, “Why don’t we go ahead and see for ourselves?” gesturing for Bruce to summon them.
“Sure thing!”
Mira had implied to Bruce that he still wasn’t powerful enough, and yet this didn’t cause him to feel angry or hurt in any way. That was because, above all, the one who’d implied this was one of the Nine Wise Men. Reigning supreme when it came to evocation, Mira had both the right and the skills to say such a thing. Clearly understanding this, Bruce realized that she must have had a point and, rallying his spirits, he began preparing to summon his Valkyries.
Oh ho… Not bad at all.
Using Summoning Arts Bound Arcana, he then transitioned into using Summoning Arts Mark of the Rosary. This was a necessary step when using high-level evocation magic, and it was therefore also very important to do so speedily. Furthermore, the skills he demonstrated when it came to the composition, incantation, and summoning portal of the following spells impressed even Mira.
“Having answered your summons, we three Valkyrie sisters have arrived,” Helknae, the eldest of Bruce’s Valkyries, said, dropping down from the summoning circle’s portal.
Elenae and Raglinae then followed soon after her. And so, standing before the three sisters, Bruce trembled.
“Aah… I finally managed to do it…”
Apparently, he’d finally pulled off casting that evocation spell, which left him overcome with emotion. Then he looked up to the heavens, as if it’d all been worth it.
“No way, are we…?”
“Huh, can it be…?”
“By any chance, are those…?”