Morning light had only just spilled over the peaked roofs of Buena Village, but Rudeus had already swung his wooden sword three hundred times in the yard.
Sweat ran down his temples and into his collar, soaking his linen shirt.
Then, when the sun rose overhead, he would sit by the window with specks of magical light in every color swirling around his fingertips, practicing every spell Roxy had taught him over and over.
Another month passed at an unhurried pace, with sword practice in the morning and magic lessons in the afternoon.
With a thought, he summoned a pale blue system panel before his eyes:
Character: Rudeus Greyrat Health: 200 Mana: 1000000 Strength: 100 Status: [God-Caressed Cheeks] [God-Gushing Tear Glands] Emotion points: 967325
The corners of his mouth curved up of their own accord. His emotion points were about to break one million.
He flexed his wrist, knowing full well that in terms of sheer physical strength, Paul could still send him flying thirty feet with a single punch.
But if he added magic and battle aura-Paul would be the one sent flying.
That was how vast the gap was.
After all, Paul was still only an Advanced Swordsman.
Rudeus, on the other hand, had already reached the threshold of some God-Rank magic.
Even against an ordinary King-Rank swordsman, as long as he found a chance to launch a sneak attack, he could blow his opponent's head apart in an instant.
Don't ask why he didn't just fling a God-Rank spell at him.
Because if he did, everything for hundreds of kilometers around the point of impact would become a living hell.
As for Roxy's lessons... he stole a glance at the blue-haired girl helping Zenith prepare lunch in the kitchen.
She's been teaching me less and less lately, and there's always a barely perceptible hint of melancholy in her eyes.
Apparently, he had almost squeezed Roxy dry.
The final trial would probably come within the next few days.
He chewed his food as these thoughts ran through his mind...
Suddenly, a soup spoon clattered down.
Roxy set down her dishes and spoke in her usual gentle but unquestionable tone:
"Rudeus, we'll hold your final exam tomorrow. Once you pass, you'll be a true Saint-Rank mage."
Silence fell over the table.
There were no cheers as expected, nor any applause.
Zenith's hand paused as she held a plate, Paul's raised wineglass stopped in midair, and even Lilia, who had kept her head down while wiping the table, slowed for a moment.
A faint, indescribable sense of loss hung in the air.
It couldn't be helped.
What had to come would come eventually.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten.
Rudeus led Caravaggio to the door, where Roxy was already waiting with her signature staff on her back.
The morning mist had dampened the ends of her hair, and a few blue strands clung to her fair cheeks. She was as beautiful as a painting.
After mounting, Roxy gave Caravaggio a gentle squeeze with her legs, and he set off at a steady pace toward the small plain outside the village.
Rudeus sat in front of her. After hesitating for a moment, he finally couldn't resist turning around, reaching out and wrapping his arms tightly around her slender waist, burying his face deep in her soft breasts.
A familiar, faint scent of vanilla lingered at the tip of his nose.
Roxy's body stiffened for a moment. Then she gently raised a hand to stroke Rudeus's hair while quietly slowing the horse's pace.
Hooves rustled softly over the dew-covered grass.
The journey, which had always seemed impossibly long before, was absurdly short today.
It seemed they had only blinked before the open plain where they had practiced magic together countless times appeared before them.
Standing here with Roxy for the last time, Rudeus felt a jumble of emotions as the wind swept across the plain and lifted her long blue hair. His chest felt heavy, as if something were lodged inside it.
"The final exam."
Roxy turned around, looked Rudeus in the eyes, and said each word clearly:
"Cast a Saint-Rank spell-[Cumulonimbus]-and maintain it for one hour."
Instead of looking delighted and eager as he usually did, Rudeus fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently:
"All right, teacher."
Roxy smiled, her smile as warm as the morning sun:
"Then watch me demonstrate it first. Please keep your eyes on me, Rudeus~"
She stepped back a few paces and took her position in the middle of the plain. Holding her staff high, she stood proudly with her legs slightly apart.
Her formerly gentle gaze sharpened in an instant, and her clear voice rang out across the plain:
"O majestic spirit of water, prince of the Thunder Emperor who ascended to the heavens!"
"Grant my wish and bring forth your savage blessing. Show your power to these puny beings!"
"Strike the anvil with the hammer of a god, reveal your might, and let the flood engulf the entire land!"
As she recited the incantation, the once-clear sky rapidly darkened.
Heavy storm clouds gathered from every direction, and the air grew thick and oppressive, carrying a faint, raw scent of rain.
"Ah, rain! Wash everything away and drive all things before you! [Cumulonimbus]!!"
Boom-!
A deafening thunderclap exploded!
Torrential rain poured down in an instant, its dense curtain blotting out the view.
Fierce winds whipped the raindrops against the earth, and trees in the distance swayed violently in the storm.
Lightning tore through the pitch-black sky again and again, illuminating the entire world in a ghastly white.
Rudeus stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the apocalyptic scene as his heart began pounding beyond his control.
Was this the might of Saint-Rank magic?
It was breathtaking.
Roxy didn't maintain it for long. After only a dozen seconds or so, she withdrew her mana.
The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and sunlight fell on the earth once more. Only the soaking wet grassland remained as proof that the astonishing scene had really happened.
She shook the water from her staff and walked over to Rudeus. "All right, Rudeus, it's your turn."
Rudeus took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his staff.
"All right, teacher. This time, I'll do my very best."
I wasn't just saying that.
At the very least, I'd use ten percent of my strength.
He walked to the center of the plain, shut his eyes tightly, and slowly poured the ocean-vast mana within him into the staff in his hand.
The familiar incantation once again left his lips. This time, his voice was perfectly calm, yet carried an irresistible power:
"O majestic spirit of water, prince of the Thunder Emperor who ascended to the heavens!"
"Grant my wish and bring forth your savage blessing. Show your power to these puny beings!"
"Strike the anvil with the hammer of a god, reveal your might, and let the flood engulf the entire land!"
The sky darkened once more.
But this time, the storm clouds gathered more than ten times faster than they had during Roxy's demonstration!
Vast stretches of ink-black clouds churned and gathered wildly in the sky, like a gigantic black beast opening its bloody maw to swallow the whole world.
"Ah, rain! Wash everything away and drive all things before you!"
[Cumulonimbus]!!
Whoosh-!!!
A downpour a hundred times fiercer than the last came crashing down!
This was no longer rain, but countless columns of water pouring from the sky!
They slammed into the ground with loud smacks, instantly pounding small craters into the earth.
Deafening thunder rumbled without end, as if a rift had opened in the sky.
Purple lightning darted through the black clouds like wildly dancing silver serpents, so bright that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Water began pooling on the ground at a visible rate, muddy streams spreading in every direction. The mountain forests in the distance groaned in pain beneath the raging storm.