Bang, bang...
Inside the Training Ground, Mick and Ray sparred as usual, the occasional crisp clash of weapons ringing out.
Sylutia stood behind the railing not far away, her gaze following the two as they shifted positions, watching them employ various tactics and use their strengths to seize opportunities.
("Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +2) ("Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +1)
At this point, she was gaining less and less from watching them.
After observing them for a long time, she had formed a rough model of their swordsmanship. She closed her eyes slightly, and Sylutia reconstructed their approximate movements using only the sounds and her memory. When she opened her eyes again, she found that their reactions and movements had matched her predictions perfectly.
In that case... She rested a finger lightly against her chin, thinking about how to guide them.
Her swordsmanship was not far beyond theirs, but her keen powers of observation made it easy for her to spot their shortcomings.
Generally speaking, a person's powers of observation or appreciation had to surpass their current abilities for them to keep improving. If someone's abilities matched their insight and they couldn't see any flaws, yet still fell short of someone else, that was the most frustrating and dangerous state to be in.
After two months of training, both of them had reached what they considered their ideal state. But from that point on, they found it difficult to improve further and had hit a bottleneck.
Thinking back over the few months since she had awakened, Sylutia felt that what had influenced this life the most wasn't the still-unknown talents of "Cornflower Attachment" and "Stars," but the powers of observation and understanding she had never been able to attain in her previous life.
She could clearly hear ten people speaking at once and understand and remember what they said. She could also notice subtle changes that ordinary people would miss. These two abilities let her learn skills at an astonishing pace.
A few minutes later, the two stopped sparring. They returned to the rest area to drink water and wipe away their sweat, then asked the black-haired girl.
"So, Tia, did you understand what you saw?" Mick still didn't think the quiet girl could follow what happened during his fight with Ray.
"I understand the gist of it." The girl nodded, then thought for a moment before adding, "I can offer you some advice, but don't tell anyone I taught you."
"Why not? All right, Ray and I won't say anything." Mick didn't understand, but he agreed after a moment's thought.
"But your advice has to be useful. Otherwise, I won't listen."
After spending this time together, his formerly impatient temper had been gradually mellowed by the girl, and he had become more even-tempered.
Sometimes, he also remembered that sweltering, hazy afternoon when Sylutia had touched his forehead to check his temperature. Perhaps that was when he stopped wanting to lose his temper with her.
Am I in love? No, that didn't seem right. He didn't feel the kind of fiery, overwhelming longing Jero had talked about. It was more like the scent of flowers and greenery drifting in during an afternoon nap: faint and lingering, coming to mind whenever he quieted down.
While Mick's thoughts wandered, Sylutia sketched on paper, calculating and thinking things through. After more than ten minutes, she finally settled on a general plan.
"Here." She went to the blackboard and began drawing their movements in battle with chalk, along with the ways they wielded their weapons.
"This is a private lesson, so don't tell anyone about it, and don't get distracted." The girl had already mastered the art of keeping them focused with her gentle, melodious voice.
...(Mick "Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +12) ...(Ray "Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +9) ...(Mick "Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +11) ...(Ray "Basic Swordsmanship" proficiency +8)
The lesson passed in the blink of an eye. When Sylutia finished, Mick and Ray felt as if a door had opened in their minds, giving them fresh perspectives and new insights into many things.
"So it turns out you can do it that way." Mick rubbed his chin.
"Ray understands." Ray grinned sheepishly.
Whew, that's two blockheads taught, Sylutia thought, letting out a breath of relief as she gave a little shake of her head.
She had only managed it because she had spent a long time teaching them and knew how they understood things and how they thought, allowing her to tailor her explanations to them. Otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known how to teach them certain things.
At this rate, their Basic Swordsmanship would probably reach Lv. 4 after a while. Lv. 5, however, would be difficult, since Sylutia hadn't reached that level herself.
"Then there's Karen." She looked toward the girl listening nearby.
"Your Spearmanship could use some adjustments too." She blinked, beckoning her good friend over to give her some one-on-one instruction.
After the day's lessons and training ended, Sylutia returned to her lodgings that evening.
The moment she stepped inside, she sensed something was different. Following that subtle feeling, she hurried to the backyard and found that one of the "Swan Orchids" inside a glass cloche had fully bloomed.
Its long stamen extended from the unfurled petals in an S-shaped curve, dipping down before arching upward like a swan's graceful neck. The five green-white petals around it lay naturally spread, slightly curved like a swan's wings and symmetrically arranged around the stamen. It was so natural, yet so strangely beautiful.
[Swan Orchid] (Perfect-91): Blooming. Thanks to your careful cultivation, this Swan Orchid has bloomed almost perfectly. As a reward for your meticulous care, nature has bestowed upon you a condensation of the Aspect Power "Emerald Nectar." [Swan Orchid Flower] (First Order · Emerald Nectar): A testament to the gardener's devoted care and patient cultivation. It can be used to purify other Aspect Powers and create a quiet, undisturbed environment.
Carefully bending down to kneel on the flagstones, Sylutia examined the blooming Swan Orchid. A faint, almost imperceptible golden glow seemed to appear around its elegant, swan-neck-like stamen, then drift down and disperse into the surrounding air.
When she gently rested her hand on the Swan Orchid's bulb again, a strange ripple traveled through her fingers and into her mind and body. It was the condensed Aspect Power of "Emerald Nectar," like scattered fragments pieced together into a complete picture. The Swan Orchid's own free-floating, fragile Aspect Power no longer dissipated so easily. It became condensed and resilient, and could even act like a magnet, guiding and manipulating the latent, unseen Emerald Nectar Aspect Power in the surrounding flowers and plants.
As Sylutia let her consciousness sink into the Swan Orchid, a sudden realization came to her. If she used guidance, she could draw the newly condensed "First Order—Emerald Nectar" within the Swan Orchid into her Fate Disk, advancing the Fate Card [Sleeping Maiden] (Aspect Power Rank: None) and granting it the "First Order · Emerald Nectar" Aspect Power.
Should I advance it now? She thought it over and decided to wait a little and ask Teacher Heide first.
Besides, the other two Swan Orchids would bloom soon as well. She turned her gaze toward them. Their buds had also begun to unfurl, and they were starting to condense "First Order—Emerald Nectar" Aspect Power.
The first Swan Orchid had been the hardest to get to condense Aspect Power. With the first one there to guide and assist them, the other two would have a much easier time.
She definitely couldn't disturb the first one now. She would decide once all three had bloomed. The girl got to her feet.
As usual, she watered the Swan Orchids again, replenished their nutrients, and carefully loosened the soil.
When she had finished, she washed her hands and sat in the backyard with a book, reading by lamplight. Every so often, she looked up at the blooming Swan Orchid, which gave off a faint golden glow in the night.
The patient cultivation and the reward for all those hours of tending brought her a quiet sense of happiness and contentment. Even if she took a nap in the backyard right now, she would feel much more at ease.
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