The next day, we resumed our journey. We wanted to start by seeing the results of Sofia and the others, but… since there might be some trouble near the Town, we decided to leave the Capital City.

“The next time we return will be when everything is over.”

“Lord Kuuza, what about Lady Arete?”

When Sofia asked, Kuuza shrugged her shoulders.

“Whatever I say won’t mean much. Besides, from now on, they should be wary, including of the traitor. The same thing shouldn’t happen again.”

“I hope so… but if that’s the case, it seems they’ll participate in the Southern Invasion battle.”

“I think that’s certain. If it comes to that, I’ll just fight alongside them.”

If Kuuza is fine with that, then we have no complaints… and so, we left the Capital City, but—

“We need to decide on a destination, at least.”

I said to my companions.

“First, we’ll confirm the results at the Academy, but let’s decide what to do afterward now.”

“Are we heading straight for the Sacred Tree at the western edge?”

Sylvie mentioned it. But I shook my head from side to side.

“The Five Great Wars with Demons haven’t started yet, but I think it wouldn’t be strange for someone to get involved at any time… so, at present, I even think it’s better to avoid going to the Western Edge.”

“If Ruon says so… then what should we do?”

I considered the question. Continuing our journey without a goal… then something came to my mind.

“…Right, I do have a candidate in mind, but can I decide after seeing Sofia’s results?”

“Ruon, does it require a certain level of skill?”

“Well, yes.”

I replied to Sylvie’s comment and then told my companions.

“First, let’s look for a place where we can test it… I’d like to find one today if possible.”

Leaving the Capital City, we arrived at a sparsely populated Mountainous Area. It wasn’t particularly high in elevation, but there were no people around because it was off the Highway.

It was around noon. The weather was mild, so it felt like it would be pleasant for a picnic, but what we were about to do was a battle.

“So, who’s going first?”

“Then, I will.”

Sofia raised her hand. As I faced her, I sensed that the Magic Power she was clad in was different from before.

“Are you already preparing?”

“Yes. The change in the quality of the Magic Power lets enemies know what I’m going to do. It probably can’t be used in actual combat yet.”

“And, what about its actual power?”

“How, indeed.”

She drew her sword. Her movements were very slow, as if she was checking the feel of the refined Magic Power.

“Then, Lord Ruon.”

“Alright, come at me anytime.”

At the same time as she spoke, Sofia sped forward. Perhaps due to the combination with Spirit’s Power, her Body Enhancement was also definitely increasing.

First, I took it head-on. A metallic clang echoed, and birds flew from nearby trees.

“It’s not simply brute force, is it?”

“No.”

Sofia nodded and retreated once. She probably tested how far she could go with Body Enhancement.

She regulated her breathing and poured Magic Power into the blade. Her movements were incredibly quiet, and while I could feel the Magic Power, I could tell she was converging it so as not to create any ripples.

As it stands, I can feel a special Magic Power just as Sofia said, so it’s difficult to use considering the possibility of exposure to enemies. But at this rate, it seems it won’t take long to bring it to a usable level.

Eventually, the flow of Magic Power from Sofia stopped. It seemed complete, but visually, she didn’t appear to possess very strong Magic Power.

“……Lord Ruon.”

“I’ll respond with commensurate power. Come.”

When I told her, Sofia nodded and charged. In an instant, Magic Power burst forth from the blade.

I thought the amount of Magic Power was not so different from when she used Magic or skills, but in this case, the quality was different. How much effect would it have? I took it head-on, feeling the desire to confirm.

Immediately after, a heavy sensation was transmitted from Sofia’s blade. I wasn’t pushed back, but I felt like I would be flung away if I let my guard down.

And above all, the converging Magic Power—the Power of the Four Spirits—swirled, adding force to the sword in my hand as if it had a will.

No, perhaps the emotions of the four Spirits were dwelling in the blade—as I intuited, a crack appeared in my sword.

The sword I was using was just a longsword. I usually use it by pouring Magic Power into it, but of course, there’s a limit to the Magic Power that can be poured into a weapon, so if it can’t withstand the Magic Power, it will crack.

However, I was maintaining the Magic Power close to the limit that could be poured into a longsword… but the sword that would have withstood it before apparently couldn’t handle this technique.

“Oops.”

I immediately parried the sword and retreated. Sofia, perhaps because she was concentrating power in her blade, couldn’t react to my movement and momentarily lost her balance.

The sword in her hand also cut through the air—the next moment, the Magic Power left the blade and touched the ground.

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet exploded.

The aftershock of the Magic Power hit the ground as a shockwave—I commented while retreating to avoid the kicked-up earth and sand.

“It seems you used explosion magic.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Perhaps it was an unexpected result for Sofia too, as she immediately stopped converging her Magic Power.

“No, it’s fine. That technique isn’t complete yet, but it cracked my sword and, moreover, the shockwave from the aftereffect gouged the ground. It’s quite powerful.”

“Um, about the sword—”

“Don’t worry. I have spares.”

I summoned my Storage Box and swapped swords. Afterward, Sofia spoke again.

“However, there are two problems.”

“What are they?”

“One is, as Lord Ruon must have understood, that fusing the Power of the Four Spirits emits a very special Magic Power. If this isn’t properly resolved, it will be difficult to elevate it into a technique.”

“We’ll just have to be careful with it. What’s the other one?”

“It’s this sword.”

Sofia pointed her sword at me. Does that mean—

“That sword isn’t enough to use this technique, then?”

“Hedda said that the Magic Power is too special, and if I used it at full power, the sword wouldn’t be able to withstand it. I wasn’t even at full power just now.”

“You don’t need to worry about the weapon.”

Here, Sylvie interjected.

“Eventually, something that combines the Spirit God and Spirit’s Power will be created. Wouldn’t that be able to handle Sofia’s technique?”

“…Well, that’s it. As for the weapon, I’m not worried either.

Having said that, I then spoke to Sofia again.

“What Sofia needs to do is further improve her technique of fusing Spirit power… but she also needs to learn other magic and skills. She mustn’t neglect those.”

“I understand… Is this good enough?”

“From my perspective, I think it’s a good method to counter the Demon King. What do you think, Garuku?”

“I agree.”

Garuku, who had appeared on my shoulder, spoke to Sofia.

“As Hedda also said, it’s not something just anyone can do. And by fusing, you’re further enhancing your Spirit’s Power. Without a doubt, it will become a Trump Card.”

“Thank you very much. Hearing that from Lord Ruon and Lord Garuku has given me confidence.”

That’s good. Now, next is–

“Then it’s my turn.”

Kuuza came and took Sofia’s place. Focusing on the staff he held in his right hand, I asked him,

“What were you doing at the Academy, Kuuza?”

“First, I considered if a technique like Sofia’s was possible, but I realized it wasn’t, so I switched to another candidate.”

“Another candidate…?”

“Since I was originally involved in research, I have a certain understanding of what magic I excel at… and what kind of fighting style suits me best. Based on that, I considered how to create a Trump Card—it’s still far from complete, but I’ll show you what I’ve managed to achieve so far.”

He had an air of confidence. So, the moment I nodded, Kuuza moved.

“Alright then—let’s begin.”

With those words, he—threw away the staff he was holding.