Wind Spirit Sprint

In the morning courtyard, an unknown yet beautiful scene quietly unfolded.

Wind began to form.

Wind began to gather.

Visible currents of air danced like mischievous fairies, suddenly blowing in from every direction and wrapping around Ais.

Within that visible wind, the girl enveloped by the gentle breeze had her golden hair—shining as brilliantly as placer gold—rise and fall.

The sight was beautiful enough to be a painting.

"This is my magic."

With wind swirling around her entire body, as though she had become a wind spirit herself, Ais spoke to Riezel.

Riezel stared intently at the wind around Ais, the memories in his mind stirring as well.

—Wind Spirit Sprint.

This was the only magic Ais could use, an enhancement spell.

An enhancement spell was magic that bestowed a certain magical attribute upon oneself or an object one touched, granting magical power that enhanced one's abilities.

Ais's Wind Spirit Sprint was that sort of magic, a wind-element enhancement spell.

Its chant consisted of only one line. It was an Ultra-short incantation among Ultra-short incantations, making it exceptionally quick to cast and surprisingly easy to activate compared to most magic.

Once this enhancement spell was activated, the caster gained the protection of the wind and wind-element magical power, able to control Wind Power and wrap it around their body and weapon. It could protect the caster, support attacks, increase speed, and even grant the ability to fly short distances. Combining offense, defense, acceleration, and support, it was nearly all-powerful except for its inability to attack at long range.

Now, that magic was displayed before Riezel's eyes.

And at that moment, Riezel felt it.

His memories were stirring.

"Awaken, Tempest."

As if inspiration had struck, Riezel naturally chanted the ultra-short spell he had heard only seconds ago.

His stirring memories immediately responded to the chant.

"Whoosh—"

The wind swept forth again.

Only this time, the tangible wind formed from atmospheric currents surged in from all directions. It began weakly, then grew increasingly magnificent, wrapping itself around Riezel's body as he stood before Ais.

"My magic."

Ais's beautiful eyes widened involuntarily.

Watching Riezel become wrapped in gentle wind like herself, draped in flowing air, Ais was speechless for a long while.

And it was not just Ais.

Neither of the two in the courtyard noticed that several windows above them had been opened, gazes peering out from within and watching them.

"He actually succeeded?"

Watching Riezel successfully use Ais's magic, Loki wore such a comical expression that it was impossible to tell whether she was laughing or crying.

"That newcomer really used Ais's magic?"

"This is going to be interesting."

The Amazon twin sisters were also peeking from their room, clearly witnessing everything.

"Tch."

The Werewolf Youth clicked his tongue quietly and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth had gathered in the same room. Looking at the man and woman entwined in wind below, they exchanged glances.

"He succeeded." Finn sounded almost emotional as he said, "It seems that, in terms of sheer uniqueness, our newcomer's magic might be the greatest in the entire Familia."

"Isn't that obvious?" Gareth said in a muffled voice, folding his thick arms. "He can even learn Ais's magic. Could that kid, like Ais, not be purely human?"

Hearing that, Riveria said nothing. She simply watched Riezel, then Ais, her brows faintly furrowed.

She knew very well just how special Ais's magic was.

At a glance, it seemed like an ordinary enhancement spell with nothing particularly remarkable about it. Enhancement spells were not especially rare either. Even if there were not a hundred adventurers in Orario with enhancement magic, there were surely dozens. Even within the Loki Familia, Ais was not the only one with enhancement magic.

Yet compared to those enhancement spells, Ais's enhancement magic was fundamentally different.

Its ultra-short chant was merely one of its characteristics.

The true uniqueness of this magic was something that could never be seen with the naked eye.

"Riezel Brihaut..." Riveria murmured. "I wonder whether letting him learn Ais's magic is truly a good thing or a bad thing."

Both Finn and Gareth fell silent.

It was only after a while that Finn broke the silence first.

"No matter what, it is a good thing that our Familia has gained a genius with such enormous potential." Finn smiled faintly. "If we nurture him well, he may become another pillar of the Familia capable of taking our place someday."

"Yeah." Gareth stroked his long beard and smiled. "I get it now. Loki gathering all of us together and introducing that kid to us was definitely not just so we could teach him magic."

"She wants us to focus on nurturing him, doesn't she?" Riveria looked at Finn. "What are you planning to do, Finn?"

"For the moment, I do not intend to do anything special." Finn bit his thumbnail and considered for a moment before saying, "He has only been in the Familia for two days, and he has only received his Falna for two days. This is the stage where he needs to build his foundations and clarify his own path. If we rashly interfere, it may do more harm than good."

"Oh?" Gareth raised a brow. "You're worried we might lead him astray?"

"That is true." Riveria agreed with Finn. "We still do not know enough about him, and his combat style has yet to take shape. If we interfere carelessly, we may influence him too strongly."

One person's path was not necessarily suitable for another.

Or rather, everyone should have their own development and their own path. That path was what suited them best.

Riezel was still too inexperienced and had been growing for too short a time. If he was overly influenced by others before determining his own direction and role, he might end up on a path utterly unsuited to him.

That would be bad. It had to be prevented.

That was why Finn did not intend to interfere with Riezel's growth too soon.

"Later, I'll go sound Loki out and see if she is willing to reveal anything." Finn smiled. "Judging from her attitude yesterday, there should be something else special about Riezel that we do not know. We should understand it first before making plans."

"That kid is hiding something else, isn't he?" Gareth said expectantly. "What could it be? I'm really curious!"

"Perhaps a Skill, perhaps another kind of magic." Riveria looked thoughtful. "In any case, there is definitely something strange about Loki's attitude."

In just a few words, The Big Three decided how they would handle Riezel.

This also meant that from that moment on, Riezel had officially entered the sight of the Familia's upper ranks and gained their attention.

However, The Big Three and those secretly watching did not know that they had still underestimated Riezel.

What happened next would shatter their understanding of him and make them recognize his true uniqueness anew.

Ais continued looking at Riezel, who was wrapped in wind and examining his current state, with a complicated expression.

"He really learned it..."

Ais found it difficult to describe how she felt at that moment.

Seeing someone else use the magic of "wind" just like her, she found it hard to feel happy. Instead, the sight stirred painful memories.

After all, this magic held extraordinary significance for Ais.

Ais could only suppress the emotions about to burst from her heart, her gaze shifting toward the sword in Riezel's hand.

After her eyes flickered, Ais pondered briefly before looking directly at Riezel.

"Want to try?"

Ais spoke those words.

Riezel, who had been curiously observing the changes in himself, immediately understood what she meant.

"Draw your sword." Ais said, "Let me see what your 'wind' is like."

As she spoke, Ais drew her own weapon, the bright Silver Sabre sliding free of its sheath.

However, Ais did not grip the sabre. Instead, she held the scabbard and raised it before her, while tossing the sword aside.

At that sight, Riezel's eyes flickered as well.

The person before him was Orario's strongest Female Swordsman, a genuine First Class Adventurer.

She was powerful.

At least, to the current him, she was someone completely beyond his reach.

Leaving aside anything else, the gap between their levels was like heaven and earth. They could not possibly be compared.

One had to know that once someone underwent a Level Up, the growth in strength could practically be called an evolution of both body and soul.

Therefore, in this world, even a single level of difference was enormous.

Forget a Lv. 5 First Class Adventurer—even against a Lv. 2 Third Class Adventurer, the current Riezel would have almost no chance of winning.

But so what?

A powerful opponent stood before him, and he could challenge her whenever he wished. Wasn't that exhilarating?

Riezel's heartbeat began to quicken, and a familiar thrill surged within him.

"Please guide me."

As he drew his longsword, Riezel assumed his stance without the slightest hesitation, pointing the sharp tip at Ais's throat.

In his eyes, a trace of coldness gradually emerged alongside the excitement completely opposed to it.

"..."

Ais, who had merely been holding a casual stance, seemed to sense something. Her heart tightened, and her body tensed slightly.

It felt as if she were being watched by a wild beast.

Though it was neither especially intense nor especially dangerous, the feeling still made Ais instinctively tighten her nerves.

Bang!

At that instant, Riezel stomped hard on the ground and charged toward Ais, wind wrapped around his body.

The airflow exploded. Enhanced by magic, Riezel's body became a bullet, shooting toward his opponent as her pupils contracted, declaring the start of the battle.

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