Move Names

After dealing with the minor distraction of the gargoyles and Mimic, the party continued deeper along the passage behind the newly discovered hidden chamber. The labyrinth did indeed have three levels, as Lowell had said, but it posed no real threat to the party. The monsters they encountered along the way—whether Shadow Bats lurking in the shadows or Rock Golems emerging from underground—were quickly brought down by Himmel's precise swordsmanship, Eisen's powerful axe blows, Heiter's holy-powered punches and kicks, and Ruby's dazzling magic.

"Take this! Flame Vortex!" Ruby cried, waving her staff as scorching flames engulfed several Goblins gathered together.

"Arcane Missiles: Rapid Fire!" Several bolts of light whistled after the monsters trying to flee.

"Ice Arrow!" A shard of ice pierced a wolf-shaped monster's throat with precision.

Watching Ruby cast one spell after another, Lowell grumbled inwardly: You're only ten. Don't you have a few too many spells up your sleeve? Ordinary mages have a hard enough time mastering even one school, but you've got fireballs, ice arrows, and arcane missiles—you're like a mobile artillery battery.

Every time she cast a spell, she called out its name in a clear, ringing voice, as if it were an indispensable ritual. Her little figure leaped through the light of her magic, red curls flying, her face brimming with the excitement and pride of battle.

After they cleared out another wave of monsters, peace returned to the passage for the time being. Looking at Ruby, who had just finished casting and was breathing a little hard, Lowell finally couldn't resist speaking, his tone purely curious with a hint of laziness:

"Ruby, there's something I've been curious about for a while."

"Hm? What is it, Lowell?" Ruby turned, her green eyes shining.

"Why do you have to shout the name of every spell you cast?" Lowell rubbed the spot between his brows. "The flow of mana doesn't change whether you call out the name or not. Wouldn't casting quietly take less effort and be more... surprising?"

Ruby immediately put her hands on her hips and puffed out her little chest, her face plainly saying, "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Obviously, it's to show everyone how cool the great Ruby is! You have to shout the move's name to give it impact! Mana surges through your body, and then you guide it out with a powerful voice and defeat the enemy with a boom! That's the aesthetic of magical combat! Hehe~"

As soon as she finished, Himmel's eyes lit up. As though he had found a kindred spirit lost for years, he immediately came over, his handsome face glowing with remarkable enthusiasm:

"Ah! Exactly! That's it! Ruby, you're absolutely right!" He seemed inspired, his voice growing passionate. "Splendor! Impact! That's the fighting style worthy of a handsome man like me! How did I never think of it before? Silently swinging my sword is far too plain. It doesn't show off a hero's flair at all! I should come up with some move names that are both cool and suited to my swordsmanship..."

Having found a supporter, Ruby grew even more pleased with herself. "Right? Right? Big Brother Him... Uh, Himmel, you really do have an eye for these things! Battles should be splendid! They need a sense of ceremony! Hehe~"

Watching the adult and child instantly reach their "splendid combat consensus," Lowell sighed deeply in resignation, feeling his headache worsen. He rubbed his temples, and for some reason, a vague impression flashed through his mind, as if it were a snippet about a certain "flashy ninja who gave things long names."

Feeling a little mischievous and thinking that, since they liked it, they might as well go all the way, he made a casual suggestion:

"Oh? Since you're so set on splendor and impact... why not make your move names longer, more specific, and a little more evocative? For example..."

He paused to think, then made up a few extraordinarily overblown, long-winded names on the spot:

"Ruby, your fireball spell, for instance, could be called... 'Burn the Eight Wastes: Red Lotus Karmic Fire: Vortex Burst Super Invincible Flame Spell'?"

"Himmel, for your thrust, you could try... 'Sacred Sword Judgment: Piercing the Darkness of Dawn: Meteor Flash: The Hero's Punishment'?"

"Or how about a name for an area attack: 'Radiance Cascades: The Brilliant Waltz of Whirlwind Slashes'?"

"For a defensive move, how does 'Eternal Protection: Arcane Barrier Like a Goddess's Tear' sound?"

Lowell had meant to tease them a little and see how they would react. Yet before he had even finished speaking, he saw Ruby and Himmel freeze at the same time. Then their eyes erupted with a dazzling light, like stars being set ablaze!

Ruby's mouth fell open in a little O, and she murmured to herself, "Burn the Eight Wastes... Red Lotus Karmic Fire... Vortex Burst... Wow... It sounds so powerful! It has so much more impact than plain old 'Greater Fireball'!"

Himmel placed one hand over his chest and gripped his sword hilt with the other, as though he could already see the shock on his enemies' faces when he announced his move. His expression was full of longing and serious thought. "'Sacred Sword Judgment: Piercing the Darkness of Dawn: Meteor Flash: The Hero's Punishment'...? It's both splendid and impactful! Mr. Lowell, I never imagined you had such profound insight into the aesthetics of combat! You've been hiding your talents!"

The two exchanged a look, each seeing the eager gleam in the other's eyes, and spoke in unison:

"Ooh! That could work!"

"It feels like the whole battle would instantly be on another level!"

Watching the two of them immediately become absorbed in a frenzy of brainstorming, Lowell's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Their reaction seemed to have strayed somewhat from what he had expected. He silently turned to Frieren, who had been observing quietly beside him, his eyes conveying the resigned sentiment, "I think I may have created some kind of monster."

Frieren was studying a somewhat unusual-looking piece of metal she had broken off a collapsed golem. Sensing Lowell's gaze, she looked up and glanced at Ruby and Himmel, who were heatedly debating which name sounded more imposing, World-Destroying Black Dragon Wave or Aurora Heaven-Soaring Sword. Then she lowered her head expressionlessly and resumed studying her fragment, offering only one indifferent comment:

"Humans really are hard to understand sometimes."

At the very back, Mina, wearing her enormous helmet, watched everything through its slit with her purple eyes. She still showed no change of emotion, though it seemed her understanding of humans had grown... deeper?