Ritsuka rubbed her forehead with a sigh. Teaching an airhead wasn't easy. Fortunately, aside from her naturally clueless personality, Ais was exceptionally gifted.
She was far, far stronger than Ritsuka had once been. It was the difference between an ordinary person and a genius.
Ritsuka used the hilt of the projected Despair Sword in her hand to tap Ais on the head. With a crisp bonk, Ais reflexively covered her head, then looked at Ritsuka with timid eyes.
"You can create weaknesses."
The helpless look in Ritsuka's eyes suddenly turned serious. The sword in her hand instantly left its sheath and struck toward Ais.
As if by reflex, Ais drew the weapon at her waist. The Despair Sword rose, barely catching the ambushing blade at the last possible moment.
At that moment, the edge of Ritsuka's sword was only a few centimeters from Ais's throat.
"If I remember correctly, the Guild records say your magic is Wind Spirit Dash, right?"
"...Yes."
Ais struggled to hold back Ritsuka's sword. The gap in their strength was so great that Ais could barely hold her weapon, while Ritsuka's speed made her afraid to recklessly retreat and disengage.
If she did that, she would definitely be utterly defeated.
Without using her full strength, Ritsuka took a step forward, then stepped back and withdrew her weapon.
With a swaying step, Ritsuka darted forward like a phantom. Sword shadows flickered before Ais's eyes, leaving her hard-pressed to defend herself.
"Have you ever considered wrapping the wind from your magic around the blade, creating spiral cuts to make your thrusts more threatening?"
The inspiration came from King Arthur's King's Wind Barrier. Ais possessed an almost identical ability, one that was even more practical. She should be able to achieve an effect beyond King's Wind Barrier.
Hearing that, Ais retreated to open up some distance, then tried raising her sword. "Like this?"
"Awaken—Wind Spirit Dash!"
Using an extremely short chant as the trigger, she activated her magic.
The wind took shape.
A visible current of air danced around Ais's body. Her golden hair, gleaming as brightly as gold dust, rose and fell on the wind.
Wind Spirit Dash.
The only magic Ais could use.
It was an enhancement spell that wrapped wind around her body, protected her weapon, aided her attacks, and increased her speed.
Ais struggled with an extremely precise manipulation, directing the wind around her body onto the unbreakable blade. A spiraling vortex gradually formed around its tip.
Its cutting power instantly rose dramatically, and constant sizzling sounds filled the air.
"So you can use it, Ais. Looks like I worried for nothing..."
"It's a very useful combat method. If you use it often enough to make it instinctive, piercing monsters' hides will become much easier."
Their swords clashed. Ritsuka relied on her superb technique, using comparable strength and speed to firmly suppress Ais.
"Besides magic, there's also the art of the rapier. I can teach you that. How much you learn will depend on you."
Since she was destined to leave, Ritsuka wanted to find a way to repay the Familia for their help. Improving Ais, a new-generation first-class adventurer, was a good choice.
Besides, Ais did not seem far from Level 6.
With a faint smile, Ritsuka took several steps back and lowered her body slightly, like a lioness about to begin her hunt.
A frigid killing aura flashed and vanished. As the entire plaza fell silent, a fierce glint flickered in Ritsuka's eyes, and the corner of her mouth curled upward—
"Hundred-Beast Slayer!"
"!!"
Ais's expression changed drastically. She instinctively raised her sword to block as a barrage of light-like thrusts surged toward her. For a moment, all she could see were sharp flashes of swordlight.
A nine-hit Divine Speed strike, a finishing move of the style transformed into thrusts, had achieved an equally stunning effect.
With a kick against the ground, Ais vanished amid a thunderous boom and a cloud of dust. Borrowing the wind wrapped around her entire body, she gained fierce acceleration.
She intended to directly withstand Ritsuka's ultimate technique.
Ais literally transformed into a gale, pushing her speed to its greatest height yet. Even then, she could barely catch traces of the sword.
In the instant of Lightning Flash, the clash of steel produced a shower of astonishing sparks. The Despair Sword flew from her hand, and Ais, her palm torn open, was blasted backward and rolled across the ground several times.
"Ais!!?"
Everyone at the edge of the plaza panicked. Almost no one had seen the trajectory of that unparalleled sword, and Ais had already fallen to the ground.
However, everyone quickly calmed down, because Loki stood at the front, watching with complete composure.
If even Loki, who adored Ais most, was not worried, then what the hell were they panicking for? They might as well watch the outcome. Anyone even slightly weaker would not have noticed that attack being launched.
"Ugh..."
Ais let out a pained sound and raised her head from where she lay sprawled on the ground.
A faint mark had appeared on the unbreakable Despair Sword. Beside it lay scattered fragments of a blade. The projected Despair Sword had shattered after colliding with the genuine article.
Of course, the counterfeit had also damaged the original.
"Ais! Are you all right?"
Ritsuka stepped forward and helped Ais up. Under her original control, Hundred-Beast Slayer had been held back enough that it should not have hurt Ais. She had not expected this stubborn girl to directly take it head-on at the first opportunity.
The result was that one weapon had been knocked away and the other shattered, while the fragments had also cut Ais.
"Ais!!!"
Riveria, Finn, Tiona, and Tione all rushed over, while Lefiya followed close behind with a bottle of healing potion in her hands.
"I... I'm fine..."
Ais's gaze was firm. Ignoring the concern of her companions around her, she stared intently at Ritsuka, who was supporting her.
The seriousness in her eyes made Ritsuka pause.
"I didn't... see it clearly... Can we do it one more time?"
"Your body can't take it. Another day. I'll do my best to teach you that move."
At daybreak, the exhausted Ritsuka crawled out of bed, opening her bleary eyes to look around her room.
After stretching and getting out of bed to wash up, Ritsuka yawned and held out her hand.
With a swish, the Despair Sword appeared in her hand.
Ais's genuine weapon was now in her hands. Ais had fainted during last night's battle, and her weapon had also suffered a bit of damage.
In the end, Loki decided that Ritsuka would take it to the place where the sword had been forged for maintenance. Naturally, she would have to pay for the repairs herself.
Fortunately, the Magic Stones and materials she had previously turned over to the Familia had been converted into Valis with an additional twenty percent bonus.
Ritsuka still did not know that the sum was a terrifying amount far beyond what a Level 1 could afford...
"Did Loki notice my interest in the word 'unbreakable'? Gods really are scary."
Ritsuka voiced her thoughts aloud. Failing to see Loki's second intention, she changed into casual clothes. Her nearly waist-length hair hung loose, tied into a ponytail on one side.
"Mm—so sleepy."
Life in the Familia was simply too comfortable. Ritsuka had even developed the rare habit of laziness. Back at Emiya Residence, she had still been able to wake early every day and train her magecraft.
Because of that, using Reinforcement Magic in battle had become especially easy for her, nearly instinctive.
Long-sleeved shirt, jacket, black stockings...
After confirming there was nothing wrong with her outfit, Ritsuka hung her sword at her waist, pushed open the door, and headed outside.
Incidentally, she actually lived quite close to Riveria and Ais.
Knock, knock.
Ritsuka lightly knocked on the door, but received no response from Ais. Yet when she applied the slightest bit of force, the room's door actually opened a crack.
"It wasn't locked? Lefiya should have brought Ais back last night..."
Silently criticizing Lefiya's carelessness, Ritsuka quietly entered the room.
The situation was probably more or less what she imagined. Lefiya had been alone with the person she admired, gotten carried away with wild thoughts, blushed herself to pieces, then fled from the room at top speed.
She had pulled the door shut without checking whether it had actually closed.
The room was dark. Ritsuka did not turn on the lights and instead walked toward the bed. Ais was still resting.
Her body must have been exhausted. Otherwise, with how little Ritsuka restrained her movements and noise, Ais could not possibly have failed to notice her.
Ritsuka extended a finger. Specks of light flickered in her hand as the Crystal Dice touched Ais's forehead.
... Ais Wallenstein (Sword Princess) Synchronization Value (47%) ...
It worked.
Ritsuka narrowed her beautiful eyes as she examined the Crystal Dice in her hand. This was a method she had suddenly "realized" last night, one that could greatly increase Synchronization Value.
The instant she touched Ais, she had sensed how to use it.
The Crystal Dice, which could not be perceived by any existence other than Ritsuka, could be placed against a corresponding character without harming them. In return, the Synchronization Value would rise.
It was a very strange method.
Once Synchronization Value crossed the thirty percent threshold, Ritsuka would gain an inferior version of that character's core abilities.
In other words, she would be unable to draw out their full power.
"Swordsmanship, experience fighting monsters, and... the magic Wind Spirit Dash."
The low-level version of Wind Spirit Dash would not be too powerful, but it was still quite good. Ritsuka was very satisfied with this gain.
After all, she had not done anything extraordinary and had still received an improvement.
"Sweet dreams, Ais."
After leaving the room, Ritsuka carefully shut the door, then carried her sword out through the Familia's main gate.
She exchanged greetings with the companions guarding the Familia, then left beneath their admiring gazes. Because of how she had suppressed Ais last night, along with that stunning sword technique, she was now respected as a strong person.
It felt a little strange. The odd gaze from a certain male wolfman made Ritsuka uncomfortable.
Without paying much attention to Bete Loga, that level 5, Ritsuka walked onto the street, quietly blending into the crowd of ordinary people as she headed toward the address Loki had given her.
The Familia's activities were highly diverse.
Orario truly deserved its title as the City of Labyrinths. Exploration Familias that made their living by delving into the Dungeon made up more than half of them, but there were also quite a few commercial factions.
If one left Orario, one could even find national Familias in the outside world that had established major powers such as kingdoms and empires. Some of these were enormous forces formed by gods who had been expelled from Orario.
Some chief gods hated one another, occasionally causing minor unrest.
It could be said that, to avoid more conflicts, every faction sought to strengthen its own fighting force. Few gods did not want their Familia to grow stronger.
The concept of a Familia balanced the chief gods' interests with practical benefits.
"It's kind of gloomy. Why does this place feel so creepy?"
Ritsuka arrived before a one-story stone building.
It was located between North Street and Northwest Street, not far from the Loki Familia.
Because it stood deep within an alley, not only were the buildings arranged haphazardly, but the passageways were narrow enough that sunlight could not reach inside.
Calling it creepy was not wrong at all.
"Ganesha Familia... this should be it. Is anyone here?"
After lowering her head to confirm the address, Ritsuka called out, but no one answered immediately.
This was a smithing Familia that repaired and produced equipment such as weapons and armor. Its fame and scale were nothing remarkable, and compared with the Hephaestus Familia in the same trade, the gap was enormous.
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