Psycho wasn’t the only one stinging from her lack of combat abilities. Tsutsumi looked upset as well. Her poison could do nothing against opponents who were immune, and if she wasn’t careful when she used it, her friends could get caught up in it. For a living weapon of mass destruction, it hurt not to be useful.
“However,” Seigrat said, seeing their reactions, “in the Phalanx of Blades, support roles are extremely important. Phalanx squads fight far from home. There is no guarantee that support will be in place for them, as it is for the Aegis Guard, which protects our bases. Healers and support units are crucial for soldiers fighting on the front lines.”
They might not be able to fight, but they still had roles to play. Psycho and Tsutsumi reacted to his news in different ways. Tsutsumi, who was still sitting on Falmeyr’s lap, began to think about her own attributes and what she could do to help. Psycho, however, was still dissatisfied.
“That’s not even the issue…,” she muttered.
“You really are strong, though, aren’t you, Seigrat!” said Homura. “You didn’t even use your magic against us like you did last time, when you defeated that dragon!”
Seigrat had fought this whole session using nothing but his wooden staff. Of course, he was probably buffing his physical attributes with magic, but not to any serious level.
“Against the dragon…? Oh, that. That was just self-buffing magic. I just use it in a somewhat unusual way.”
“But didn’t you coat your spear in some kind of energy before throwing it?”
Homura remembered the red spear that Seigrat had thrown, which had completely decimated the dragon’s head with a single blow. Seigrat looked uncomfortable.
“You know that magic is generally divided into spells and benedictions, right?” he asked.
“Yeah. Spells are like a hotbar ability, and benedictions are like passive skills, right?”
It was just like Homura to explain things in game terms.
“Sometimes I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, Homura…,” Seigrat said, smiling uncomfortably. “In any case, unlike spells, which are used intentionally, benedictions are activated automatically whenever certain conditions are met. While the name benediction might sound nice, not all of them are actually beneficial.”
“Oh…”
Homura wasn’t sure where this was going.
“Whenever I use magic to buff myself, my magical power overflows. It’s a benediction that shows up in some people. People usually laugh and call us ‘leaky faucets.’ But in my case, the magic is so extreme it can even be used offensively.”
“So if your magic didn’t leak, you might be even stronger?”
“No, not necessarily. Thanks to my benediction, I’m able to do things that I wouldn’t normally be able to do with self-buffing magic alone.”
Seigrat glanced toward Psycho and Tsutsumi, as if lost in thought.
“What I’m trying to say is, if you can identify what you’re good at, it could lead to great things.”
“I guess that’s pretty convincing coming from someone who became so powerful he was able to turn a weakness into a strength…,” Homura said.
Psycho, however, was still down in the dumps.
Falmeyr added her own two cents. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Psycho, but your ability with healing magic is beyond compare. The Resurrection ability that I use is one example of the heights healing magic can reach, but your ability to adapt healing magic in order to join together souls, or create new limbs out of pieces of monsters, is also highly advanced. Not that I entirely approve of the way in which you use that skill, which is a little too close to black magic for my comfort.” She grimaced. “Like my Resurrection ability, however, the way that you adapt healing magic is something peculiar that doesn’t actually fall within the framework of a spell.”
“Peculiar how?”
“A spell isn’t just magic used intentionally. To elaborate, a spell is something that anyone can cast so long as they have sufficient magical aptitude and knowledge. On the other hand, my Resurrection skill is only possible with the assistance of Eirene, the creator of this world. What you do with healing magic, Psycho, should usually be impossible as well. I mentioned earlier that it resembles black magic, but you don’t actually change the quality of a soul, which is what black magic does. You join souls together, or change their form, as an extension of healing. Nothing more. But that goes beyond simple adaptation, however clever. It is a unique magical skill.”
Falmeyr began to speculate on Psycho’s abilities.
“Perhaps the fact that you died once has caused your soul to transform, and this is what allows you to use such unorthodox magic. Either way, it is not a spell. It is your own unique healing magic.”
So that was what Falmeyr meant by “peculiar.”
Psycho listened quietly, trying to think about what she might be good at.
“My own unique kind of healing magic… So if no one else can do it, I ought to do something really big with it!”
Falmeyr quickly nipped that thought in the bud.
“Yes, but don’t get me wrong! You still need to develop your ability in a way that is healthy and productive! Anything else would be a waste!”
“Homura, Psycho, Tsutsumi… There’s not much that I can do specifically to help you three, but I can give you general advice. You will have to work on your specialties on your own. I will still help train all five of you here on occasion, though. We can reserve the grounds regularly, I presume?”
Seigrat’s last words were directed toward Ieskha.
“I will arrange the schedule.”
They now had a Holy Protectorate of the Shield as their own personal trainer. What more could they ask for?
“It’s a relief to know you’ll be training us, Seigrat, sir,” said Homura.
“I’m hoping you understand now that they don’t just hand out the title of Holy Protectorate of the Shield to anyone,” Seigrat said, pleased as punch.
“Absolutely! You were incredible! Even Ieskha looks proud!”
Homura cast a quick glance toward the stands.
“What?! Really?!”
Seigrat turned to look at Ieskha, who was as stone-faced as ever. While he was distracted, Homura wound up with her staff and landed a good hard thwack straight to Seigrat’s groin.
“……D…dirty…trick…”
Seigrat clutched his groin and toppled over. Homura hadn’t given away the surprise this time!
Falmeyr did her best to hold back her laughter, while Ieskha pressed a hand to her head in exasperation. Homura, meanwhile, threw her head back and shouted at the sky.
“We won! We…WOOONNNNNNN—!”
Seigrat had promised he would put in a good word for them if they beat him. Homura’s teammates lifted her on their shoulders. Three cheers for Homura!
But of course, the promise did not apply.
“That wasn’t what I meant!”
That wasn’t what Seigrat had meant at all!