Cid, You Wouldn't Want Your Identity to Be Exposed, Would You? (5.7K) (Continued)

"No!"

Alpha refuted his words, "I am well aware that the enemy is powerful, so I must improve my combat capabilities as soon as possible."

"There's no rush. I'll teach you all the fighting techniques, don't worry."

"That's right, I can attest to that; Master's teaching abilities are truly remarkable."

Mahiro and Snow Woman comforted Alpha, one after the other.

However, the Snow Woman's meaning was more of a praise for Mahiro.

"Moreover, the three of us are not enough; we need to expand our manpower."

"Huh?"

Alpha's sudden suggestion took him by surprise for a moment.

"I believe we need to find other descendants of heroes and unite them before the cult forms its order, so they don't fall victim to its evil deeds!"

"Furthermore, while expanding our organization, we also need a covert base..."

Yotsuba Mahiro: "..."

For some reason, this girl seems to be full of energy...

Was Alpha really this energetic?

But it seems that's indeed the case...

"Right, the most important thing is the operational funding; we need a lot of operational funding..."

Just as Alpha was listing and planning what to do next, Mahiro suddenly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look up at him.

"Alpha, I think you can handle all of this, right?"

"Huh? Um... I can do it." Alpha nodded solemnly.

"Alright, then I'll leave everything to you."

As he spoke, Mahiro waved his hand, and a treasure chest fell to the ground. When he opened it, he found it was filled with gleaming gold coins and gems.

It was all stockpiled from thieves.

"You can use this money as you see fit, whether you use it to find a base or as operating funds, it's up to you."

The meaning is clear: he wants to be a hands-off manager.

Are you kidding me? You want him to build an organization from scratch?

Putting aside the question of whether they are good at it or not, this is a very laborious task, so it's better to leave it to someone who is good at it to take full responsibility.

But in Alpha's eyes, this was a test of his trust.

This must Mahiro test my abilities, right?

Alpha couldn't help but think this to himself.

The Snow Woman shares the same attitude regarding trust.

Just like now, she felt that she was not fully trusted, and looked at Makoto with a wronged Mahiro.

Those pitiful eyes seemed to say—

Master, look at me! What that elf can do, I can do too!

The next morning.

He arrived at the Kagenou Family early in the morning for class, as agreed yesterday.

And this was the first day of class.

The Cagaino siblings had also gathered early in the vicinity of the forest outside the mansion.

"It's quite early. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Yotsuba Mahiro days, instructing you in swordsmanship. If you have any questions before the lesson begins, you can ask them now."

"Then I'll go first."

Claire stared at Mahiro with her scarlet eyes, and stepped forward, saying:

"My name is Claire Cagaino, and I'm the daughter of the bald guy you played against yesterday. I want to know how you managed to appear in front of him instantly and defeat him."

Her tone was very serious.

After yesterday's game, she went to the woods alone to review it many times.

But no matter how she reviewed the process, she found that she could never reach that speed.

Is it because of the difference in magical power?

No, she hadn't sensed any magic from Mahiro before...

"Of course, it's pure physical strength," Mahiro said with a slight smile.

"Impossible! That's a speed that the human body can't achieve!" Claire immediately retorted.

"Really? Don't be so absolute... You know, the speed of using magic is much faster than that~"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Claire suddenly realizes that Mahiro has disappeared.

It vanished silently right before her eyes!

They didn't even notice any signs!

"See that? That's the speed at which you can use magic—faster!"

A voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

Then Claire felt a slight weight on her shoulder as a hand rested on it. She instinctively turned around, only to find a finger gently poking her face.

Claire's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately drew his longsword from his waist and swung it backwards.

It's empty.

"Oh dear, I didn't expect Miss Claire to have such a fiery temper. Her technique, however, is a bit lacking; she still needs to work on it."

"You unscrupulous teacher!"

Hearing the voice coming from behind her again, Claire's competitive spirit was immediately ignited.

He grabbed his sword and started slashing at Mahiro.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even touch the hem of Mahiro's clothes.

"Oh dear, is this the difference in strength? Well, then, this is my destined opponent as the Eminence in Shadow, how could he be weak?"

Cid thought to himself.

He stood to the side with his arms crossed, wearing an innocent expression, watching with naive innocence as Mahiro teased Claire.

Claire's attack quickly ceased.

I was completely exhausted and panting, as if I had just been pulled out of the water.

Drops of fragrant sweat trickled down her fair neck, down her collarbone, and finally soaked into her clothes.

"What, are you already tired, Miss Claire?"

"... You despicable, unscrupulous teacher, are you just going to hide?"

Claire, panting heavily, said indignantly.

But Mahiro seemed indifferent, spreading her hands and saying, "Claire, dodging is the most important and basic lesson. If you don't know how to dodge, how can you attack or counterattack? Are you going to rely on striking first to decide the outcome?"

"Like now, if this were a formal duel, you'd have died countless times by now."

Mahiro reappeared behind Claire, the girl's increasingly strong scent lingering around her nose, and whispered in her ear.

A gentle breath brushed against Claire's neck, causing her to blush and feel a slight tightness in her chest.

She immediately turned around and distanced herself from Mahiro, showing no trace of her previous exhaustion.

"Hmm, not bad, although you're still a bit green, but now you should understand the importance of dodging, right?"

"..."

Claire remained silent.

It was as if she was gathering energy; a pair of bright red eyes stared straight at him.

Just as he thought the girl was brewing some amazing move, Claire suddenly muttered softly, "... How can I become as fast as you?"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"I said, could you teach me this skill?"

"Hehe." Mahiro slightly and said, "Miss Claire, this doesn't sound like you're asking for a favor. Although your parents pay me for tutoring, that money is essentially for practicing with you and your brother, not for anything else."

Claire gave him a slight glare, then bowed deeply and said loudly:

"Master Mahiro, please teach me how to move quickly!"

Very decisive.

His decisiveness even surprised Cid.

This was the first time he had ever seen Claire bow her head to someone.

Hmph, so this is my nemesis? To actually make Claire submit, you truly are something else!

Cid was excited; in fact, the stronger Mahiro showed, the happier he was.

This is completely different from those thieves!

"Very well, since you've so sincerely asked me, then I might as well take pity on you and teach you."

Claire's sincere and decisive attitude pleased Mahiro.

While there's no intention to ask someone to expose their chest like some might, what's so interesting about a little girl who hasn't even grown her first hair?

If you want to watch something else, can't you just go home and watch Alpha and Snow Woman?

Oh right, they don't seem to be fully grown yet, but that's okay...

During the teaching process, Claire couldn't help but scream.

"What?! I have to take off my shoes too?!"

"Of course, otherwise how could I let you feel the flow of magic?"

Mahiro shrugged helplessly. "Or you can take off all your clothes, it's one of those two options."

"You depraved teacher!"

Claire glared at him fiercely, but in the end she had no choice but to obediently take off her ankle boots, then her white socks, leaving only her smooth, rounded feet on the cobblestone ground.

"... Then what?"

"Then just stand there, and carefully feel my hands."

Mahiro didn't forget to give a word of advice to Cid, who was admiring the scenery.

"Oh, by the way, Cid should also observe carefully and learn a lot."

"Yes~ Mahiro- sensei~"

The answer was weak and listless.

However, Mahiro didn't bother to pay attention, since the content he was going to teach was all basic, and this guy already knew it all.

"You must remember what I'm about to say: when it comes to determining a person's strength, magical power is only secondary; the main thing is how to use magical power."

Using magic to cover the entire body often results in a lot of unnecessary waste.

So, just use it when you need it.

As he spoke, Mahiro suddenly grabbed Claire's delicate foot and placed it in his hand.

She initially wanted to resist, but seeing how serious he was, she didn't struggle, though her body still tensed up unavoidably.

"If you want to move, simply cover the soles of your feet with magic; this will also achieve the same speed-up effect."

As Mahiro explained, Makoto admired the jade foot in his hands.