I left the training ground once, bought some water at a stall, and returned. Training had already begun, and for some reason, the receptionist woman was instructing Sofia on various things.

Eiley watched from the side. I approached her and asked,

“What are you doing now?”

“Training in magic power control. Just doing this properly will increase her sword’s power by about twenty percent from now.”

“That much?”

“Her talent is definitely genuine. But she isn’t fully utilizing that talent.”

Eiley turned her head towards me.

“Because she has talent, she can use powerful techniques, but… she can only use about sixty to seventy percent of the magic power she infuses into her blade right now. With proper guidance, she can quickly get to about eighty percent.”

“And to get to ninety or a hundred percent?”

“Further training. Although, the limit for humans seems to be about ninety percent.”

Saying that, she smiled.

“Her foundations are solid, so it shouldn’t take long to reach the target. If I also teach her the linked technique of swordsmanship and magic power control… she should improve dramatically.”

“How long will that take?”

“Are you short on time?”

“Not exactly.”

“Hmm… well, it won’t take long. Seven days at most.”

Eh, that’s quite fast… It must have shown on my face, because Eiley laughed.

“It’s proof that she’s been training diligently… However, something is bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“Her swordsmanship is clearly not that of a warrior, but rather the type that knights acquire. Just by her appearance, she looks like a young lady from a good family, but was she born into a knightly lineage?”

“…Something like that.”

I can’t tell the truth, so I decided to make an excuse.

“Leave her to me while you’re here… By the way, what will Ruon do now?”

“I’ll look for companions.”

When I answered immediately, Eiley murmured, “Oh.”

“Companions, huh… Any candidates?”

“None yet. Do you have any candidates?”

I asked somewhat casually, but Eiley shrugged.

“Hmm, there are some likely individuals… but I’ve also heard that they’ve already left the town.”

“Have they become someone’s companions?”

“I’ve heard that they’ve been invited by various knight factions. Of course, there are still some formidable fighters among the warriors who remain.”

I see… I need to check if there are any companion characters I’ve made candidates… I thought to myself, then told her,

“For now, I’ll wander around the town. I’ll be back by sunset.”

“Alright. Leave this to me.”

So, I went outside. As I pondered what to do, I started thinking about finding companions.

Whether I should talk about Sofia’s background, or how much of my strength I should show… Even with various challenges, it’s true that if I don’t add companions, I won’t be able to proceed after the discussion with Lefin and the restrictions placed on the Five Great Wars with Demons.

If they were characters who became companions in the game, they should be able to follow Sofia’s growth… I walked out onto Main Street, thinking about various things. From there, I followed the flow of people and walked through the town.

In this town, there are events at key locations. There are several patterns where you encounter a character who becomes a companion when you enter a specific place, and then an event unfolds. However, such events often have deadlines or require various conditions, so not all events can be triggered just by visiting the town.

Among the game protagonists I’m observing with Familiar, there are some who have acquired companions in this town, but they’re not the ones I had in mind as candidates… I thought that since other protagonists haven’t made them companions, there’s a high possibility they’re still in this town… Hmm, from Eiley’s story, it’s undeniable that potential companions might also be taking action. Should I start by gathering information on that?

“Even so, I don’t think I can just talk to them as easily as in a game…”

Well, it is what it is. Thinking that, I headed towards the arena where my candidate was.

I started searching the town, and by the time noon passed… I felt it was quite difficult.

“Quite a few are gone.”

As expected, it seems things are different from the game. There are cases where characters who were supposed to join as companions are no longer in town… This significantly narrows down the options for who I should make my companion. It’s very troublesome.

The person I personally thought would be the best had also left this town. Hmm, this is a dilemma.

There were other characters who were easy to use in the game who had stayed… but when it came to making them companions, I hesitated. What should I do—

“Huh?”

Suddenly, my gaze fell upon what looked like warriors happily walking down a side street. And there were several of them. I became curious and peered down that side street.

The warriors continued deeper, talking about something… When I visited Ganaize for training before, I saw what lay beyond where those warriors were heading. Betting matches.

Currently, there are no large-scale tournaments in Ganaize, but there are people fighting in the arena. Besides that, warriors sometimes make various bets and fight each other.

According to rumors, there are even cases where lives are lost… Incidentally, there were no such events in the game.

“…Maybe I’ll take a look.”

I was curious, so I took a side street. After walking a bit, the street noise faded, and a booming cheer came from straight ahead instead.

It seems my prediction was right… I arrived while thinking. Apparently, Warriors are in the center of a circle of spectators and are currently fighting.

“Alright! Go! Push him back!”

“What are you doing! There!”

I heard an excited man’s voice. I figured he must have bet a lot of money and then… since I couldn’t see through the crowd, I started looking for a spot where I could.

As I walked, the cheers grew louder. I also heard the clang of metal… they seemed to be fighting with real weapons.

I found a slightly open spot and squeezed through. Most people were focused on the fight and didn’t pay much attention to me.

As I made my way through the crowd, I got a full view of the inside. Of the two fighters, one was a giant of a man, easily two meters tall. He wore bronze chest armor and gauntlets, but his longsword was distinctive. Its length was proportionate to his body, and the way he held it truly made him look like a great warrior.

A weapon with a longer reach than a regular longsword would undoubtedly appear as a threat to an opponent. I don’t know the betting situation, but if the audience is judging solely by appearance, then it’s likely many humans are betting on the man.

And the person he’s facing… wait a minute.

I squinted my eyes. From my perspective, I could only see the back of the person facing the giant… a slender figure, even too delicate to be called a graceful man. He held a longsword in his right hand, but his physique was so disproportionate to it.

Furthermore, his blonde hair was tied back and hung down his back. And he wasn’t wearing any armor—he was clad in brown, blade-resistant clothing, which I knew well.

There’s no mistake, this person is—

“Come on!”

The giant moved. He swung his longsword horizontally—aiming for the opponent’s shoulder. The other person raised their sword and blocked it.

She couldn’t have completely defended against a simple display of brute strength—but the person skillfully parried it, avoiding the attack. Then she moved out of the opponent’s range.

It might have been more about catching her breath than being cautious… Seeing her back, I was once again convinced.

The person facing the giant is a character called “Three Powers” in the game.