Chapter 21

“Yet, within the gigas, there were a few with a strong sense of reason. They chose to live with the weaker beings. It’s an ancient tale. The grandchildren of those who chose to live with humans—including myself—are now known as giants. That is why…you should not confuse giants with the gigas. You will invite unwanted strife.” “I-I’m so sorry… I didn’t know.” Limis quickly bows her head. Clearly amused, the town headman curls his lips into a sneer. “Heh-heh. Wurtz is especially intellectual among giants. At any rate, many of his ilk are extremely hot-blooded and fearsome.” Wurtz closes his eyes and speaks with great emotion. “I was once the same way. But…I have changed. That, Holy Warrior, is why I laid down my sword.” Just as he says, Wurtz only carries a ceremonial mace on his waist and does not have an actual weapon. In all honesty, with muscles evolved to that level, it doesn’t matter if he carries one or not. “I am level sixty-five. I haven’t gained a level in quite some time, but… I know how to fight in this region. Since you seem to have only just arrived here…I may be able to assist you. Though I’m not very familiar with the art of sorcery…” “…That’s fine. We’ll wield magic of our own accord, so…” “I see… Not a problem, then.” Just then, the door swings open. The town headman gleefully greets the individual who enters. “Ah, Madam Carina. It’s been so long. We’ve been waiting for you.” Madam Carina. Toudou and Aria have heard the name before. She’s the most famous person in all of Golem Valley, a matron of many legendary tales. “So you’re the Holy Warrior, eh…?” The woman who appears before them looks starkly different from what Toudou had expected. She has vibrant purple hair and skin creased with wrinkles, appropriate for her age, but her eyes burn with a distinct fire. She looks like a witch. This may be the town headman’s house, but she is leagues more dignified and impressive than him. Even the overwhelming Wurtz somehow looks small next to her. She’s half his height but still dwarfs him with her stately presence. Toudou is speechless. The witch bares her teeth and grins at her, laughing. “I have heard your tale. Even without a priest, you’ve been quite active all throughout the Kingdom, haven’t you?” “Huh…? Um… W-well… I suppose…” Carina nods with satisfaction and stares directly into Toudou’s eyes, announcing with a grand gesture, “Yet, for the Church this is a cause of great regret. This is a fine opportunity, as we were the ones who requested you train here. Once your training is complete, you’ll be the strongest warrior on earth.” “Strongest…on…earth?” “That was a joke. You are still weak. It’s a great inconvenience to us. We need you to at least be capable of slaying golems with ease.” Toudou stares wide-eyed as Carina, having said her piece, turns on her heel. She walks briskly to the door and goes to open it before yelling at Toudou, who is frozen stiff. “Just what are you doing?! Get yourself to the training grounds, now! You get yourself ready, too, Wurtz.” “Understood, Madam.” Wurtz nods and thrusts his chin at Toudou, directing her outside. After receiving some words of encouragement from the town headman, the party quickly follows after Madam Carina. “To begin, we’ll get an idea of your present abilities.” “Uh—okay.” The training grounds are at the highest point of the village in a wide-open area, over one hundred meters in all directions. On one side of the cliff is a wall full of innumerable holes. The other three sides are hemmed in by a tall fence that prevents anyone from falling off. The wind howls fiercely as Wurtz stands, looking the exact same as earlier. The only difference is that he’s switched his white gloves for a thick pair of gauntlets, and his boots have been replaced by a sturdy pair of greaves. Toudou’s equipment, however, has not changed. The only difference is the steel longsword hanging from her belt—the holy sword Ex is not used for training purposes. Live combat training. The steel longsword is much heavier than what she’s used to, and she furrows her brow as she asks Carina standing nearby, “Four versus one—are you sure?” “If you’re uncomfortable, you can go one-on-one. But at your levels, I think this should be just right,” she replies casually. Toudou’s eyes grow wide. Training that uses a many-to-one formulation is only feasible in extreme cases of discrepancy in prowess. Toudou has been treated with care by Carina until now, but this is putting a real thorn in her side. “…Can I take the exercise on by myself, for starters?’ Carina gazes at Toudou and cackles, expelling hot breath. “Heh-heh-heh, fine by me. The Holy Warrior should have a certain measure of foolhardiness, in my view.” Foolhardiness… Toudou repeats the word in her head. She clenches her small fists as Limis and Aria look on with worry. Carina shouts to Wurtz, who has his eyes closed as if asleep. “Wurtz! Take care not to…kill this young boy, eh? He still doesn’t know how to unleash his true potential!” “…But of course, Madam. I’m not…the same as before.” Wurtz opens his eyes and stares silently down at Toudou. Emotion smolders in his eyes and sends shivers down Toudou’s spine. In that moment, Toudou almost instinctively shuts out all the emotions that have bubbled up from what others have said to her. Toudou takes shallow breaths and psyches herself up. She draws her sword from her belt in a single fluid motion and manifests her shield, riddled with cracks, in her left hand. She’s always been adept at concentrating. Her field of vision is completely clear, and the only thing that remains is the towering man in front of her. Unlike her fights with the golems, she now only has one opponent. He’s level 65. Toudou has no intention of losing to him without putting up a real fight. “How will we determine the winner?” “The first one unconscious is the loser. No killing allowed. We want you to give it everything you’ve got, young warrior.” “…Got it.” Toudou has had only two weeks of official swordsmanship training, but she’s honed her skills along the path in her quest. The steel longsword is the same length as the holy sword Ex, and although slightly heavier, it’s not cause for concern. Toudou stares at the massive boulder of a man in front of her, calculating. The gap between them is ten meters. Wurtz’s arms are far longer than hers, but he’s unarmed, so there isn’t a big difference in their reach. It’s plain as day that Wurtz dwarfs her in size, but that’s not an explicit advantage for him. He has a wide field of vision but, in turn, larger blind spots. For Toudou, small in stature, sliding in to take advantage of them shouldn’t be difficult. A powerful gust blows through. The chilly air sends a cool bead of sweat down Toudou’s body, and Carina raises her voice to begin the match. Toudou takes a preemptive stance. As she steps in toward Wurtz, his expression changes drastically. His eyes burn bloodred, and his unaffected countenance morphs into something demonic. His vicious howl rips through the air. “OUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!” I suddenly feel a subtle ripple in the air and lift my head up. “They’re at it already…” Even here, far from the training grounds, I can feel the impact of the same spell that Toudou cast in the Great Tomb—Howl. Wurtz must have used it during training. The spell’s power decreases drastically with distance. The average human would never be able to reach this far. Wurtz, a half giant, has a mix of human and giant blood. As a result, he’s inherited a fine balance of both races’ powers. He can level up, just like a human, but has the sheer physical strength of a giant. In general, anyone with the mixed blood of a human and a demi-human is a formidable warrior. Wurtz is a fine example. A giant’s Howl is nothing like a human’s. The fact that Wurtz’s reached all the way here speaks to this fact. To distinguish from a normal Howl, this version is often called a Gigas Howl. This was one of Wurtz’s foremost techniques—before he became a priest. It seems that even a few years passing hasn’t robbed him of his true nature. One of Toudou’s party’s biggest problems is their lack of a single high-level member. The capacities that increase with leveling up are not simply limited to physical strength. There’s a knack to unleashing the amount of power relevant to one’s level. The reason I’ve asked the madam to train Toudou is so that he can learn how to harness this power. Wurtz is already a seasoned veteran—he’ll temper Toudou’s battle readiness, for certain. At that moment, the weapons shop owner returns from behind the counter. “Sorry to keep you. I searched high and low, but…this’s the only one we got.” He produces a thumb-tip-sized bullet with his gnarled fingers and places it on the counter. It flashes silver-white and has a unique glint—it’s a mythril bullet, a rarity in this world. I’ve heard of such a thing, but forcing the rare element mythril into disposable artillery is not a sane course of action. “We rarely see mythril weapons brought in here. This is the only one we got, and it’s only a sample.” I observe the bullet on the counter. What I’m really after is something I can use as a medium for a prism, so anything mythril will do, but this can hardly be called a bullet. Mythril is, by nature, a metal that requires extremely high precision technology to process. “Do you have a gun that can fire this?” “Nope. Even if there was one, the bullet can’t be recreated. It was made for hobbyist purposes.” The weapons shop owner spits out the words distastefully. Mythril, with its incredible effectiveness against demons, is supremely rare. In our current era, when the Demon Lord has invaded once again, the price of a gram of mythril is the highest among any known metal. I originally used a mythril knife as a medium for prisms. I had spares, but I lost four in the battle with Zarpahn, and I currently retain two for personal use. Creating a barrier requires four separate items as mediums. Using my mace and this bullet makes four exactly. I would be left empty-handed in that case, but until the Church can replenish my mythril knife stock, this should suffice in the meantime. “…Okay. I’ll take it.” “You’re a curious one, too.” I place some coins on the counter. It’s an extraordinary price for a bullet, but necessity knows no bounds. If anything, I’m extremely lucky to have found this piece. The blacksmith counts my coins and looks up at me. “Anything else you need?” Prompted by his question, I remember what Gregorio used when we last fought. “Yes, perhaps… Do you have any heavy-duty demon skins?” “Demon skins? What the hell for?” “I’m gonna stretch it tight, wrap my mace in it, and whip it at someone’s face.” “The hell’re you on about?” The owner looks at me as if I’ve got two heads. Well, I guess there’s no reason a weapons shop would have one anyway. Demons are God’s natural enemies. I wouldn’t be able to procure demon skin from the Church even if I tried. There must be somewhere else… I ponder the issue as I step outside and happen to run into Amelia and Stey. I asked them to speak with the local mercenaries and merchants and see if anything unusual has happened here recently. Stey looks at me and breaks into a smile, running toward me. She’s more and more over-friendly by the second. “Oh, it’s Ares! Good work today!” “Did you find anything out?” “No, not particularly… It seems that nothing major has happened here lately,” Amelia replies. “Hmm… I see.” That matches the intel the madam provided me. No formidable monsters have appeared, and nothing out the ordinary has happened. However, “nothing out of the ordinary” feels far more ominous than “the world’s falling apart” at this point in time. There’s a reason, something gnawing at me, which prompted me to ask Amelia to conduct a survey, even though the madam already told me that nothing is amiss. Golem Valley is the foremost area for leveling up in all of the Kingdom of Ruxe. If I were the Demon Lord, I wouldn’t choose to dispatch demons to the Great Forest of the Vale only to completely ignore this place. “Continue to survey the area, just in case. In the end, we’ll at least have a specific grasp on how the monsters are distributed and their tendencies for spawning.” “…You’re quite the worrywart.” I’ve asked the madam to look after Toudou and company. This is a matter of having the right people in the right place. We won’t leave any stone unturned. My resolve freshly renewed, Stey tries to get a peek at what I’m holding in my hand. “Oh? Whatcha got there, Ares?” “…It’s a piece of mythril I’m going to use as a medium for a barrier. I finally managed to find one.” “…I can’t believe they had any for sale,” Amelia pipes up, curious. These days, demand for mythril is exceedingly high, and even putting a request in through the Church doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get any. It was the last one in the weapons shop, and it was only there because the shop had no gun to fire it with. Compared to Amelia, Stey—who asked me about it in the first place—looks completely perplexed. “I mean, it’s still not enough. I don’t want to give up my mace as a medium if I can avoid it.” Especially here—we’d be screwed. My mace, Wrath of God, was developed using the full extent of the Church’s technical engineering. It’s irreplaceable. If it falls to the cliffs below, I will have no choice but to climb down after it. For that reason, I’m relieved that all I lost in the battle with Zarpahn were a few mythril knives. Suddenly, Stey’s dark eyes stare at me earnestly, and she cocks her head to the side. “So you need mythril?” “…That’s right. I’ve made a request to the Church, but…” As the words leave my mouth, I hear a snapping sound, like something being torn off. My eyes bulge out of their sockets. Stey beams from ear to ear as she rips the top button off her mage’s robe, the robe that’s so damn short it can’t possibly be something an actual sister would wear. Without the button, her robe pops open slightly, and I can see the white swell of her bosom. “…What are you doing?” “Here you go, Ares!” I’m staring at her with ice-cold eyes, but she takes my hand and places the button inside. The white button is inscribed with a pair of scales. I squint and hold it up to the light for observation. Suddenly, I feel my face freeze. A white button inscribed with a pair of scales. “…Whoa… It’s…myth…ril…” “Huh?” There’s no mistaking it. The original luster has worn out from being handled, but it is undoubtedly holy silver. I look Stey over from head to toe again as she smiles bashfully at me. Black miniskirt. Knee-high socks. Her black robe has buttons numbering one, two, three, four… Wait, she’s even got some on the sleeves?! Stey shyly repeats what I’ve already heard from Amelia. “My robe is…custom-made!” “Amelia, strip her bare. Her robe’s…fitted with mythril.” “Huh…? Um, okay.” Amelia knows the robe is custom-made, but she must not have known everything about it, given how she’s staring blankly, mouth agape. Well, I can’t really blame her. There’s no way I would have noticed without being told, either. What dumbass decided to make buttons out of something as exceedingly rare as mythril? Since its trademark luster has been rubbed off, it’s impossible to tell unless you look very closely. Now that I think about it, when Amelia complained to Creio about Stey being dispatched to us, he said something about how Stey has something I need… Did he really mean—? “U-umm… But… I don’t have anything else to wear!” My face dead serious, I grab Stey by the shoulders and give her an order. “Stephenne Veronide. I’m giving you an order, one that you and only you are capable of doing.” Stey gulps audibly. “What… What is it?” “…Your father, the cardinal— Ask him for a spare robe.” “Huh? …Ask Papa?” Stey’s tense expression finally relaxes. I guess she was expecting a different demand. “…Yes. Ask your papa.” “Well… Okay, I guess.” Stey wrings her hands restlessly and pouts, looking displeased. I’ve never met Sylvester, but he’s most definitely spoiled Stey rotten. There’s no way a normal father would give his daughter a mythril-laden robe. Not to mention, Stey claims this robe is approved under Church regulations, but he obviously made that happen, too, given the mythril-tinted circumstances. He really is a big-time former merchant… The guy’s absolutely loaded. I clench my fists and peer deep into Stey’s eyes before adding, “And make it three.” The second they arrive, I’ll strip them all bare. Am I sure I’ll make good use of her? Yes, indeed. I’ll make plenty good use of her… “Ares, you’re evil…” Amelia’s whole body quakes from having realized my intentions, and her face is full of terror. Giants possess the highest physical capabilities among all demi-humans. Wurtz, who is mixed with human lineage, doesn’t have the same level of sheer strength as a pure giant, but his power is amalgamated with the merits of a human being. Therefore, because Wurtz is blessed with incredible physical strength and the ability to level up, he considers human beings synonymous with frailty—at least, he used to. His magic-infused Howl is full of murderous intent, rocking the earth and tearing through the sky above. Whenever he enters his battle stance, the blood rushes to his head. He sees red flashing in his mind, yet he doesn’t take a step forward. Instead, he simply peers down at the tiny human in front of him. A thin adolescent with black hair, named Naotsugu Toudou. Only level 29—and the Holy Warrior. Howl cast by a predator such as a giant strikes primitive fear into the hearts of most living beings and renders them immobile. Losing the ability to move during battle is on par with suicide. Against an ordinary human being, this fight would have already been over. However, the adolescent in front of him has only stiffened a bit, and his appearance has barely changed. “The Holy Warrior… So this is the Holy Warrior… Hmm.” Wurtz has heard the rumors, but he never imagined he would be tasked with training the Holy Warrior himself. Wurtz nods deeply toward Toudou without saying a word. He has true capacity. The capacity to become a true warrior lies in one’s ability to overcome fear. Conquering the fear of death, and having the courage to march onward—possessing those qualities outweighs any latent talent. Increasing your level might heighten your abilities, but it doesn’t strengthen the workings of your inner spirit. The rippling air ceases, and Toudou’s tense expression fades. Wurtz breathes heavy, hot breaths and cools the fire addling his brain. Toudou asks suspiciously, “Why…didn’t you attack me when you had the opening?” “This is…training, Sir Holy Warrior. But make no mistake… I do not take you lightly.” “Take me…lightly?” Wurtz quells his heightened combative instincts and smiles. “Indeed, Sir Holy Warrior… In the past, I fought another who was able to withstand Howl as you just did. Back then—I attacked the moment I cast Howl and…took a severe counterattack. Ever since then…I’ve remained vigilant.” “…I’m…only half your level.” “Level is merely…a standard. Even with our vast differences, Sir Holy Warrior, nothing is for certain.” Wurtz takes a single step toward Toudou, enough to cause the ground to rumble. His gauntlets creak from the force of his clenched fists. Toudou’s brow spasms, his expression stiffening once again. “That is why…I will not let my guard down around you. My arms, my legs—my entire body howls for me to unleash its power. However, I am keeping it under control. It’s a matter of reason—and proof of my cowardice. Laugh all you want! Giants are known for their dauntless courage in the face of formidable foes, but as for me—” There are approximately two meters between Wurtz and Toudou. Toudou steps in closer, to the point where he can draw his sword and make a direct hit. Wurtz looks down at the weakling in front of him and grins fiendishly. “—I refuse to take the chance of losing, no matter how slight.” Wurtz’s remarks spring Toudou into action, his eyes wide as he draws his sword. In the same moment, Wurtz lunges forth like a cannonball and smashes his fist down toward him. This is bad. The moment the thought crops up in Toudou’s mind, Wurtz’s fist rains down on her like a boulder falling from the sky. Toudou herself has ample confidence in her own prowess, but she’s not conceited enough to think she can easily defeat someone of such a higher level. Find the enemy’s blind spots. Counterattack. Stopping to aim will leave her unprepared. She must put her sights on the minute openings that occur in the course of being attacked. That is Toudou’s plan, but she was completely shell-shocked by Wurtz’s statement. A massive fist raining down on her. She thinks about meeting the fist with her sword but at the last second lunges to the side to avoid his attack. “?!” Despite having evaded his fist, the resulting impact of Wurtz’s strike sends Toudou rolling. Her ears ring and her vision blurs. Wurtz does not pursue Toudou as she bounces along the ground. “Ugh… What the hell was that—?” “Your decision to evade was…a sound judgment.” Toudou was hit with the force of the impact of Wurtz’s strike even though it hadn’t connected. She would have been knocked off her feet had she tried to counter with her own blade, and there’s no way she could’ve blocked him with her shield. Toudou quickly realizes she’s misjudged the difference in strength between them. Their bodies are on a different scale, along with their level. And just as Wurtz said—it would be negligent to think there are any blind spots. The man in front of Toudou is a far more accomplished warrior. Toudou stands up and staggers, raising her sword and shield once again. She simply can’t receive his attacks. She would need to sidestep every single one. Toudou purses her lips, and Wurtz smiles, his voice mellow. “You knew our difference in strength, yet, you still chose to attack me solo. I admire your spirit. Let us begin, young warrior.” “Bring it!” shouts Toudou. The next moment, Wurtz vanishes into thin air. Life force. Toudou has heard the words so many times since coming into this world. Wurtz Beld is double Toudou’s size and more than twice as heavy. When the mountain of a man towering before her suddenly disappears, Toudou realizes in the next instant that she’s suspended in the air. She didn’t even have the chance to blink. She saw his first attack coming, but the second blow is on another level. Wurtz was still reining in his strength, so Toudou only took a small amount of damage, but if this were a real battlefield, she would have been grievously injured. Toudou stares up at the sky, sprawled across the ground, faceup, body splayed out. Wurtz speaks to her in a deep voice befitting his massive stature. “Holy Warrior. You don’t yet understand yourself. The reason you’re laid out right now is because you, as a pure, unadulterated level twenty-nine human don’t understand…what it is you’re capable of.” “You mean…my technique is lacking?” Toudou has learned swordsmanship, magic, and holy techniques. Every other apprentice knew her as top of her class. Of course, she still lacks experience, but she has self-confidence. Toudou herself knows she’s grown during the course of her party’s quest. Wurtz receives Toudou’s jet-black gaze and shakes his head. “No, Sir Holy Warrior. The opposite.” “The…opposite?” “Yes. Level is only a measure of your acquired life force. You must never forget this, Sir Holy Warrior.” Wurtz stomps both feet on the ground, and in the next instant, he disappears. Limis and Aria are wide-eyed on the sidelines—Wurtz has teleported to just a few meters away from them. Toudou can move quickly, too, but escaping someone’s field of vision in an instant is not typical. Wurtz continues to speak to Toudou, who’s flabbergasted. “You, Sir Holy Warrior, must know thyself. Your level is only indicative of what you’re capable of in this world. Before you raise your level, you must come to understand just how different you are.” “How different I am…” Wurtz’s words remind Toudou of her showdown with Gregorio in Purif. Gregorio hadn’t done a thing to her, and yet, she had been unable to move even a single finger. He had said something similar. “Toudou, there are so very many things that I, far above your level, can do that you cannot.” “Indeed, young warrior. You are still so unaware of what you can do, the things you have become capable of.” Wurtz nods deeply and rests his kind eyes on Aria and Limis before continuing. “These are things you must discover through live combat. Now, then—who’s up next?” Toudou raises herself up off the ground. Just as Aria takes a step forward to announce herself as the next candidate, a small, silent shadow darts out in front of Wurtz and raises her hand. “Hmm…?” “I’ll…do it…” Glacia’s long, dark-green hair grazes the ground. Wurtz’s massive bulk completely dwarfs her. Her left hand drags the gargantuan metal hunk—the war hammer that was purchased for her—behind her. Toudou’s eyes fly open as Wurtz observes her with his gentle eyes. “Glacia?!” “……Very well.” Wurtz clenches his fists and drops his shoulders. Even staring up at his gigantic body, Glacia is unfazed. Both Limis and Aria start to call out to her, but they hold their tongues when they catch a glimpse of her fearless expression. “Come at me whenever you’re ready.” Glacia slowly raises the weighty war hammer aloft. Watching her lift it with her arm—thinner than the handle itself—is nothing short of an incredible joke. Of course, Glacia tested her ability to lift the war hammer before purchasing it, but Toudou is still wide-eyed at the immensely improbable scene playing out before her. Wurtz’s expression changes. He realizes that Glacia still has plenty of strength left over. “Hmph… Surely, you are not human.” Glacia refrains from answering and brings up the war hammer with ease—like wielding a twig. Glacia is an absolute powerhouse. When she lived in the Great Forest of the Vale, she didn’t have a single enemy. She was bigger than everyone and simply more powerful. Back then, she lived a quiet life, with nobody to ever challenge her prowess. Yet, right now, all that is meaningless. She chose the war hammer because it was the biggest weapon. Glacia knows her own strength. She looks up at the giant man in front of her. His body is extraordinarily massive and his battle prowess exceptional. Yet—he’s nothing like that deranged priest. Glacia had been no match for the priest. He’s an insurmountable foe, though it pains Glacia to the core to admit it. Of course, even she knows pride, but pride goes out the window when it comes to that man. Her only choice regarding him is to show her hand and feign allegiance. Glacia stomps on the ground with all her might. Her body feels light next to the incredible weight of her war hammer, but she takes advantage of the fact and brings it down on the ground in front of her with full force. She intends to crush anyone who stands in her path. The war hammer thunders uproariously, but Wurtz has already sidestepped the blow. Glacia lifts the war hammer again, like a feather, and stares at him. “Here I come!!” Wurtz roars, stepping forward. Glacia brandishes her weapon and says a little prayer to herself: At the very least, don’t let my efforts go unnoticed. Having finished her first day of training, Toudou lays sprawled out on her bed and sighs deeply. Wurtz’s movements defied all common sense. His muscles are like steel, his speed dizzying. In the end, having gone through a number of battle simulation exercises, Toudou was unable to land a single blow on Wurtz. “He defies…the law of physics. Even with my magic… Not that it’d make a difference.” “Giants have a particular aptitude for combat. But he is truly something else…,” replies Aria, a grim look on her face—just like Toudou, she couldn’t land a single blow. Toudou stares at the ceiling as she whispers, her voice brimming with raw emotion, “The world is full of powerful beings…” Everywhere she’s visited thus far, Toudou has only met people far more highly leveled than her. She couldn’t lay a finger on Gregorio back in Purif, and in the Great Forest of the Vale, she lost consciousness after getting involved in a fight against a demon. Toudou sighs dejectedly, and Limis sits down next to her on the bed. “What are you talking about, Nao? You’re the one who has to become the most powerful of all of them.” “…I wonder if I can.” Limis meets Toudou’s gaze as she stares up from the bed. “You have to. Even Glacia’s giving it her all.” Glacia, standing around absentmindedly, hears her name and looks at Limis. Her deep green eyes flicker; it’s impossible to read what she’s thinking. However, she’s the only member of the party who could go pound-for-pound with Wurtz. He evaded her attacks, and hers alone, so seriously. “Glacia used to be a demi-dragon, so it’s not far-fetched to think that she could fight… But why so suddenly?” “It’s a good thing, this sudden burst of motivation. Are you worried or something?” “…I suppose you’ve got a point…” As usual, Glacia looks wistfully at Limis and Aria, giving no indication of answering their question. Toudou thinks for a second and then perks up, saying, “Well, looks like I’ll have my work cut out for me if I wanna keep up with Glacia…” Although she wasn’t able to land a single hit during today’s training session, she was told that her movements were improving little by little. In truth, Toudou herself can feel her movements becoming quicker as well. Yet, Wurtz’s form is tremendous, and going head-to-head with him is like standing on the precipice of death. Toudou continues to aimlessly stare at the ceiling, stifling the profound exhaustion wracking her entire body. “For the record, I have to ask—is he still alive?” I ask right away. I’m visiting the local church for a report on the training session. Shocked, the madam responds, “What on earth are you on about?” I guess…Wurtz must have learned how to control himself. I wasn’t actually that worried since the madam was also present, but at the end of the day, giants are hotheaded. In the heat of battle, they tend to forget everything else. Wurtz looks up at me and says in his typically unaffected tone, “He has…talent.” “So he lost?” “Ares… If you were level twenty-nine, do you think you could defeat me?” Fair enough. The half giant is already far superior to Toudou in physical prowess, and on top of that, he’s over twice his level. In all honesty, there’s no way Toudou would stand a chance against Wurtz. Neither would I. “Yeah, but I’m not Toudou.” He’s the hero. I’ll be damned if I’m lumped together with someone who has the protection of the Three Deities and Eight Spirit Kings. Wurtz gives an affected nod in response. His eyes seem to be staring into far-off space. “That’s correct. You are not the Holy Warrior. He is…committed to fighting fair and square.” Fair and square, huh…? That’s a wonderful thing. The people will never recognize a cowardly hero. No need for the Church to spin things, either. That’s all predicated on the Holy Warrior’s success, of course. “He has a lot of potential for growth. If he trains hard…he could be very powerful.” “Perhaps, but he doesn’t have the time to lollygag.” I already know that Toudou has massive potential. I want him to level up and become powerful as quickly as possible, to slay the Demon Lord. I’m really pulling for him, here. The madam contorts her lips into a smile and chuckles before chiming in. “Impatience is a sin, boy. Human beings are resilient. We won’t easily lie down without a fight.” “Madam—it is my responsibility to get Toudou to slay the Demon Lord as quickly and safely as possible.” “This I know full well. Yet, this Holy Warrior is rather…peculiar.” The madam puts a well-used, luxurious pipe to her mouth and sparks it, puffing away. She may be referring to someone else, but the madam is plenty peculiar herself, as is everyone around me. Wurtz continues, talking rapid-fire. He’s in incredibly high spirits. Purple smoke wafts gently toward the ceiling and disappears out a vent. “I will be of service to the Holy Warrior as long as he’s here. However, once he learns the bare minimum, we should really move on to leveling him up. At level twenty-nine, there’s a limit to how much he can learn in training.” “Thanks… I appreciate it.” This means I can leave Toudou and his party’s battle prowess up to Wurtz. It’s a perfect arrangement, since I can’t make my presence known. I’ve struck gold—or not quite, but these connections are working out… Whoa, we’re actually doing pretty well. Has my luck turned around…? There’s always a snake in the grass, however…always. I let the potential vision of reality go for now and turn to Wurtz, asking jokingly, “By the way, you had a chance to train everyone, right? Who showed the highest potential?” Wurtz screws up his face and grumbles for a moment before telling me. “Glacia.” “…I forgot to tell you, but she’s only in the party for internal information-gathering purposes. You don’t need to train her.” That was not the answer I’d hoped for…