Racing toward the giant monster, I draw out more stellar magic to enchant myself.
I only had around 15 minutes to finish this, so I'll do some hit and runs to charge up Strike of Hope, and then focus on taking it down.
Luckily, I didn't have to worry about running out of mind.
With my very high magic stat, Spirit Pleasure development ability, Magia Imperium, and the natural mind reserves that Ryuu described as 'monstrous', it had been a long while since I had a mind down.
I'm shaken out of my thoughts as a wave of spikes rises from the ground toward me.
Dodging to the side, I begin chanting Elemental Orb with the water element.
Balor is resistant to fire, much to Alise's chagrin, and both lightning and wind attacks wouldn't penetrate its defences.
I could use space, but it's a little too slow in terms of speed and still requires immense concentration.
I need a lot of attacks, fast, so that I can charge Strike of Hope as soon as possible.
With stellar magic swelling in Infinite Eclipse, giving off a bright golden flame, I begin racing up its large back, slashing with every leap, before jumping over its head with my sword raised.
Now, while showing off attack names was a horrible strategy for combat, that was only against human opponents.
And while it had no practical use whatsoever, it was, once again... a man's romance.
"Downpour."
The orb of water explodes, sending tiny pressurized droplets speeding toward Balor's head.
"GROAAAH!!"
A cry of pain resounds through the entire floor, the vibrations penetrating my very bone.
I guess it hurt the bastard, huh?
Still at the apex of my leap, I look over the aftermath of my attack, seeing that the monster's entire scalp is riddled with holes, blood oozing down its neck.
As I thought, its defences are weaker up here.
I then feel the familiar pressure of my skill building up from my barrage.
Just as planned.
Hehe, while I might not be at the level of Finn or Lyra, I'm somewhat of a strategist myself.
Suddenly, I feel a searing headache, my raw instincts urging me to defend.
And luckily, I comply.
Stellar magic coating my entire body, I raise my sword just in time to be impacted by its arm.
Time slows as I feel the shock of the collision spread through my body.
Ah... this is gonna hurt.
A sonic boom erupts as I'm flung toward the ground, slamming into the rocky earth a moment later.
First is the dulled ringing.
Then, the pain.
Barely staying conscious, I let the stream of Aqua Corona that was in wait flood my body, causing the numbness to slowly fade away.
Fuck... that hurt.
And I probably worried everyone too.
But damn, why did it remove its arm from the ground so early?
Could it be that my damage made it go to 'stage 2', so to speak?
Well, no matter.
Getting out of the small crater my impact had created, I crack my neck to the side before flooding myself with stellar magic once again.
"Alright, you fucker. Let's try this again." I mutter under my breath.
My body feeling rejuvenated, I leap toward Balor, jumping over a surge of earth spikes.
I release a few ranged sword slashes, using both the illogical pure power attack and the slightly more understandable ranged stellar magic as I circle around the beast.
Making sure to stay close enough for my slashes to have an effect, I start speed-chanting another water Elemental Orb.
Speed-chanting.
A rare skill much like concurrent chanting that allows someone to, as the name says, chant faster than normal.
The downside is that it's fairly inefficient on mind usage, making it unusable for many mages.
But for someone with mind reserves like mine... it was perfect.
"-Aqua."
Not giving it any time, I let loose another barrage of water droplets, concentrating on making each drop extremely pressurized and powerful.
Another increase in pressure.
I could feel it.
Strike of Hope is getting close...
"GROAAAAA!"
...Although it seems I've also enraged Balor with that too.
A wave of spikes rushes towards me, and even with my enhanced leap, it still was able to dig into my leg, tearing the skin across my shin.
Grunting at the pain, I speed-chant Aqua Corona, one stream being sent to my injury as the other wraps around my torso in wait.
Just as I land on the ground, I feel another urge from my instincts, prompting me to dodge yet again.
Haa, this is becoming troublesome.
It's been, what, 5 minutes? 10 minutes?
My concept of time is becoming blurry, especially with every injury and the adrenaline pumping through my system.
I should finish this quickly.
The level of Strike of Hope... should be good enough if I use 'that'.
Hmm, maybe I could also use Longsword of Light too?
But I haven't tried splitting the released power of Strike of Hope yet...
Assuming it worked, would it split the power between the two attacks or would it enhance both with its full power...
Well, I guess this is the meaning of an 'adventure', breaking through the realms of the unknown.
So let's do it.
Chanting Elemental Orb, I continue to pepper Balor with ranged sword slashes, slightly increasing the charged power of Strike of Hope with the time I had left.
"-Spatium."
The familiarly whispy element of space, or rather, antimatter coils around my hand before concentrating above my head.
Focusing, time slows down to a crawl.
Alright.
First, I set my posture.
Every muscle coiled in anticipation, begging to be released while my sword was held tightly yet gently to my side.
Then, I flood my body and sword with stellar magic.
Well, this will be my last attack if everything goes well, so might as well use everything I have left.
The intensity of my golden aura increases, the ground cracking and the air trembling due to the pressure.
Okay... posture and enhancement, done.
Next, I take a mental hold of two large clumps of space element, essentially dividing the orb in two as I start to rapidly spin both sides in opposite directions.
Separating the two, both rotating balls are now levitating at both sides of my head, barely in view to my side.
I then focus on the pressure of Strike of Hope, noticing that it's located on, or rather in, my back.
Must be my falna, no?
Well, thoughts for later.
I guide- no, force it towards both my sword and my space magic, causing my back to feel as if it's on fire.
Ignoring the burning sensation, I notice that not only has my stellar magic been tinged with a whitish blue, but my space magic has gained a purple hue, the light around both balls bending inwards like a black hole.
Magic and Strike of Hope, done.
Now there are only two things left to do, simultaneously.
Releasing the tension in my body, I begin to shoot forward, time still slowed.
Every practice strike, every trained movement, every minuscule gain in power from a status update...
Every memory concerning my sword technique and the steps I took to form it runs through my head.
The essence of my sword, the main factor in creating those insane, illogical sword slashes of pure power, done.
Slowly getting closer to the monster, I remember exactly what I'm doing this for.
Strength.
But why?
To defeat the Black Dragon.
Again... why?
To follow the wishes of the goddess of Earth?
While I am extremely thankful, I had already done my job by simply surviving, and now I had a family to take care of.
Yes... family.
That's why I'm doing this.
To cleave through any disaster and keep everyone I hold dear safe.
To save others that also share this beautiful emotion called love.
To protect my home and all the beautiful sights this world has to offer.
To make them happy!
To make them smile!
To never need to grow stronger out of vengeance!
To have no regrets!
My smile turns fierce at my self-motivation, the burning on my back increasing even more as I feel the pure power of my being become enhanced.
Is this what enhances a protagonist in those animes?
Well, not that I mind at all.
The burning flame of my passion ignited, the power of emotion and pure determination that grants me strength, done.
Drawing increasingly closer to the monster, I release both balls of space magic, both shooting forward to collide just in front of the monster.
In a moment- no, a fraction of a moment, the world shakes.
The colliding balls of space shrink to a nearly imperceptible orb, before expanding and launching toward Balor's torso, cleaving into it without regard for its prided defences.
No matter how strong, it's still made of matter after all.
While this is happening, colour begins to fade from my vision as I speed forward with my sword tracing a practiced arc.
Starting at my side, it cleaves cleanly through the atmosphere as it moves upward, my body turning slightly to the side to accommodate the path.
As it reaches over my head, the blade is twisted to point forward before being brought down, not completely horizontally, but rather at a slight angle.
A clear, clean slash, devoid of impurities.
The whitish-gold aura emanates from the tip, tracing a clear line across my vision.
A line that extends forward to cut into the monster.
But before I can see the fruits of my efforts, I suddenly find myself behind the monster.
Time slowly returns to normal as my senses return.
First, I hear a harmony of buzzing and ringing, before being drowned by the loudest crash I have ever heard.
My fingers twitch as the feeling of touch returns, and with it, the pain.
My entire body feels sore as if I had just run through 20 floors of the dungeon on my own with no rest.
Especially on my back, no, not my back per se, but rather my falna.
Burning hot as if I had just been branded.
Trying to stand up straight, I stumble forward, only to be caught by my lovely Elven wife.
Looking up at her, she isn't even paying me a glance, only looking behind me with an expression of complete shock.
What, was I that good?
My latent stream of Aqua Corona healing my body, I'm just able to turn my head to see the aftermath of my attack.
A giant cloud of ash is the first thing that enters my vision.
That must be Balor... or, was Balor.
So I did it, huh?
Good, I don't know what else I could have done better for that final attack.
I then notice the line- no, the small canyon that was etched into the rocky ground, starting from the cloud of ash all the way to my current position.
...I really hope that didn't spawn a Juggernaut.
Feeling my lightheadedness getting worse, I force myself to speak, ignoring the pain of the parched dryness.
"R-Ryuu, I'm gonna take a rest..."
"T-That is fine, husband. You've done more than enough to deserve that."
Smiling at her, I let myself drift into the land of dreams.
----- Lefiya POV -----
Throughout this expedition, particularly today, I came to a realization.
I was weak.
No... weak wasn't the right word...
I was vulnerable.
But I already knew that, and I was fine with it before.
Content using my archive of spells on the backline, protected by my Familia.
But today, after being saved by my teammates so many times... being such a burden on Ais...
That had changed.
It was vexing... extremely vexing, to be so helpless and need to rely on them for my own protection.
Ais and Tiona had said it was their job to protect me, while I would protect them with my skills in turn.
I was content to believe in that.
By believing in my Familia and doing my job as a mage, I would be useful.
But then my mind thought back to Ariel, my rival, and her battle the night before.
She had gotten strong, incredibly so, and had caught up to me in levels.
But that wasn't the shocking thing.
When the Amphisbaena had shot its fire breath, she had dodged.
She didn't inconvenience anyone and her teammates trusted her and believed in her to dodge it without their help.
I was envious.
To be trusted by her teammates to not only protect them, but to also protect herself...
Extremely envious.
And today, I was able to see the skills of both Gale and Scarlet Harnel, known for being the greatest magic swordsmen alongside Hedin and Hogni of the Freya Familia.
It was... beautiful, how they danced through the air, coordinating swordplay and magic so skillfully.
And there was another that opened my eyes to my own weakness.
Sirius, the famous Celestial Sword.
While I had seen him train at their mansion many times, and I did respect him from what I had heard... I had underestimated him.
His revelation to fight the Balor alone, even with a boosted level, was something unthinkable.
To fight such a monster two levels above your own...
One would believe they had a death wish.
But here, in front of my eyes, he was once again shattering everyone's expectations.
Rushing past the Balor at high speeds... using sword skills I couldn't even begin to understand... and all while chanting or using powerful magic, both his enhancement and his ranged one.
It was absurd.
As a mage, not only could I see the skill and strength of the magic he was using, but I could also see the magic power around him.
Both in the air and within his spells, the magic power was simply... obeying him.
Only something I'd seen when Riveria used her highest tiers of magic.
A phenomenon that had only been told in legends in my home forest, one where the mage could be so in tune with magic power that they act like a wand themselves.
And that guy wasn't even a mage!
"What..." I'm interrupted by Riveria's hushed exclamation.
Even Riveria is in shock.
"Husband is quite amazing. While his skills and magic have certainly been a blessing, what makes this possible is his dedication and determination. It's what charmed me, after all." Gale, no, Ryuu says with a proud smile.
"Are you sure it wasn't from our first meeting, Ryuu? Weren't you already holding his hand on his first day?" Alise says with a smirk.
"S-Shut up."
"Hmm~? Sure~ But yes, my Sirius is quite amazing, no? He's likely the strongest person in Orario, or on his way to it." Alise says.
"I think you mean our Sirius." Ryuu responds.
"Of course! Of course!"
Finally, the battle came to its climax, with Sirius forming another spell while setting himself into a stance.
T-That magic... so that's the legendary space element?
The complexity of the magic power... it was like nothing I'd seen before.
His magic power then got even stronger in a way that reminds me of when Riveria used her Alf Regina skill.
Suddenly, his space magic collides together, collapsing into a ball too small to see before expanding.
Insane would be the only proper word to describe it.
The amount of magic power is unmeasurable.
It was almost as if it was...
Infinite.
A white flash dances across my vision, causing me to close my eyes momentarily.
Opening them once again, I see that Sirius has moved to the other side of Balor while the monster in question has a large line traced across its side, blood dancing through the air.
But what had overtaken my focus was the giant ball of seemingly infinite magic power, carving through the Balor like nothing before dissipating in the air.
Just as Ryuu leaps toward Sirius, creating a gust in her wake, the Balor bursts into ash, signifying the death of the monster rex.
"He actually did it."
This is the first time I've heard Finn's voice tremble like that.
And I knew exactly what he was feeling, as I was possessed by a similar emotion.
Pure, unbridled awe.
Moving my gaze back to Sirius, who had collapsed into his wife's arms, I can only feel an overwhelming sense of admiration.
Even covered in blood and dirt, unable to stand on his own, I could only think of one thing when looking at his figure.
A true hero, just like in the stories I had read as a child.
Could I... be like him?
Protect myself- no, protect everyone from such overwhelming odds?
The dazzling display of skill both in combat techniques and magic control...
Yes.
From seeing Alise, Ryuu, and even Iris to a lesser extent.
And especially from what I had just witnessed.
Even if it's hard, even if it's impossible... I want to do it.
I want to be a magic swordsman.
I want to be strong too!
"Lefiya."
Looking over to Finn, I notice that the rest of the expedition force that had been watching are in a state of stunned silence.
Well, except for Alise... she just looks proud.
"Yes, captain?" I respond.
"Your thoughts are clear on your face. Well? With their captain here, you should state your desire." He says with a knowing grin.
Uuu, don't put me on the spot like that captain!
Glancing over at Alise, I see that she's looking at me with a similar expression.
Haa, am I that obvious?
"U-Umm, do you think I could ask Sirius for, uh, some training?"
Closing my eyes, I await the eventual refusal.
Asking someone for training is stupid enough, to do so from another Familia is simply something impossible-
"Hmm... Sure!"
Wait, what?
Was it that easy?
"You're a good girl, and it would keep Sirius busy at home, so I don't mind. You'll have to ask him though." Alise continues.
Uhh, okay?
"Alise, me too?"
Ais says, her golden eyes brimming with what I could only describe as passionate zeal.
"The Sword Princess? If you want, then sure. But again, you have to ask him. Anyway, I'm gonna go collect the loot that big guy dropped. Maybe Sirius will get me another gift?"
Alise then starts walking over to the Balor's ash cloud as the rest of the expedition force starts moving forward.
"Lefiya."
Turning to Finn, he then continues.
"If you do end up training with him, make good use of it. Within Orario- no, the world, the Astraea Familia are the undisputed kings of concurrent chanting, and have three of the strongest magic swordsmen. Just make sure to not have our Familia owe any favours."
"Of course captain!" I respond with enthusiasm.
"Good. Grow stronger with this possible opportunity. After the expedition of course."
Giving me a nod, he then runs forward to the front of the force, guiding us toward the stairs to the 50th floor.
Yes... I promise.
Both to my Familia and myself.
I'll make sure he teaches me, and I'll make sure to grow strong.
Strong enough to not trouble Ais, to not trouble anyone.
And next time we're in danger... I'll protect them.
-A/N-
Explaining why Finn would allow members of his Familia to be trained by another Familia:
Astraea and Loki Familia are tight, in regards to information being leaked, They have gone on so many expeditions and missions together that they all know the others' magic and skills, or at least have ideas on them.
Also, Loki does not have any (high-level) magic swordsman or sword users, apart from Ais, so of course he would want his two members with the most potential to grow under the tutelage of people who actually fill those niches.
Lastly, unlike with Ais going over to Freya/Ottar for training, Astraea and Loki Familia are, once again, tight, and Finn trusts them to not take advantage of their position (in regards to training two of their members).
Racing toward the giant monster, I draw out more stellar magic to enchant myself.
I only had around 15 minutes to finish this, so I'll do some hit and runs to charge up Strike of Hope, and then focus on taking it down.
Luckily, I didn't have to worry about running out of mind.
With my very high magic stat, Spirit Pleasure development ability, Magia Imperium, and the natural mind reserves that Ryuu described as 'monstrous', it had been a long while since I had a mind down.
I'm shaken out of my thoughts as a wave of spikes rises from the ground toward me.
Dodging to the side, I begin chanting Elemental Orb with the water element.
Balor is resistant to fire, much to Alise's chagrin, and both lightning and wind attacks wouldn't penetrate its defences.
I could use space, but it's a little too slow in terms of speed and still requires immense concentration.
I need a lot of attacks, fast, so that I can charge Strike of Hope as soon as possible.
With stellar magic swelling in Infinite Eclipse, giving off a bright golden flame, I begin racing up its large back, slashing with every leap, before jumping over its head with my sword raised.
Now, while showing off attack names was a horrible strategy for combat, that was only against human opponents.
And while it had no practical use whatsoever, it was, once again... a man's romance.
"Downpour."
The orb of water explodes, sending tiny pressurized droplets speeding toward Balor's head.
"GROAAAH!!"
A cry of pain resounds through the entire floor, the vibrations penetrating my very bone.
I guess it hurt the bastard, huh?
Still at the apex of my leap, I look over the aftermath of my attack, seeing that the monster's entire scalp is riddled with holes, blood oozing down its neck.
As I thought, its defences are weaker up here.
I then feel the familiar pressure of my skill building up from my barrage.
Just as planned.
Hehe, while I might not be at the level of Finn or Lyra, I'm somewhat of a strategist myself.
Suddenly, I feel a searing headache, my raw instincts urging me to defend.
And luckily, I comply.
Stellar magic coating my entire body, I raise my sword just in time to be impacted by its arm.
Time slows as I feel the shock of the collision spread through my body.
Ah... this is gonna hurt.
A sonic boom erupts as I'm flung toward the ground, slamming into the rocky earth a moment later.
First is the dulled ringing.
Then, the pain.
Barely staying conscious, I let the stream of Aqua Corona that was in wait flood my body, causing the numbness to slowly fade away.
Fuck... that hurt.
And I probably worried everyone too.
But damn, why did it remove its arm from the ground so early?
Could it be that my damage made it go to 'stage 2', so to speak?
Well, no matter.
Getting out of the small crater my impact had created, I crack my neck to the side before flooding myself with stellar magic once again.
"Alright, you fucker. Let's try this again." I mutter under my breath.
My body feeling rejuvenated, I leap toward Balor, jumping over a surge of earth spikes.
I release a few ranged sword slashes, using both the illogical pure power attack and the slightly more understandable ranged stellar magic as I circle around the beast.
Making sure to stay close enough for my slashes to have an effect, I start speed-chanting another water Elemental Orb.
Speed-chanting.
A rare skill much like concurrent chanting that allows someone to, as the name says, chant faster than normal.
The downside is that it's fairly inefficient on mind usage, making it unusable for many mages.
But for someone with mind reserves like mine... it was perfect.
"-Aqua."
Not giving it any time, I let loose another barrage of water droplets, concentrating on making each drop extremely pressurized and powerful.
Another increase in pressure.
I could feel it.
Strike of Hope is getting close...
"GROAAAAA!"
...Although it seems I've also enraged Balor with that too.
A wave of spikes rushes towards me, and even with my enhanced leap, it still was able to dig into my leg, tearing the skin across my shin.
Grunting at the pain, I speed-chant Aqua Corona, one stream being sent to my injury as the other wraps around my torso in wait.
Just as I land on the ground, I feel another urge from my instincts, prompting me to dodge yet again.
Haa, this is becoming troublesome.
It's been, what, 5 minutes? 10 minutes?
My concept of time is becoming blurry, especially with every injury and the adrenaline pumping through my system.
I should finish this quickly.
The level of Strike of Hope... should be good enough if I use 'that'.
Hmm, maybe I could also use Longsword of Light too?
But I haven't tried splitting the released power of Strike of Hope yet...
Assuming it worked, would it split the power between the two attacks or would it enhance both with its full power...
Well, I guess this is the meaning of an 'adventure', breaking through the realms of the unknown.
So let's do it.
Chanting Elemental Orb, I continue to pepper Balor with ranged sword slashes, slightly increasing the charged power of Strike of Hope with the time I had left.
"-Spatium."
The familiarly whispy element of space, or rather, antimatter coils around my hand before concentrating above my head.
Focusing, time slows down to a crawl.
Alright.
First, I set my posture.
Every muscle coiled in anticipation, begging to be released while my sword was held tightly yet gently to my side.
Then, I flood my body and sword with stellar magic.
Well, this will be my last attack if everything goes well, so might as well use everything I have left.
The intensity of my golden aura increases, the ground cracking and the air trembling due to the pressure.
Okay... posture and enhancement, done.
Next, I take a mental hold of two large clumps of space element, essentially dividing the orb in two as I start to rapidly spin both sides in opposite directions.
Separating the two, both rotating balls are now levitating at both sides of my head, barely in view to my side.
I then focus on the pressure of Strike of Hope, noticing that it's located on, or rather in, my back.
Must be my falna, no?
Well, thoughts for later.
I guide- no, force it towards both my sword and my space magic, causing my back to feel as if it's on fire.
Ignoring the burning sensation, I notice that not only has my stellar magic been tinged with a whitish blue, but my space magic has gained a purple hue, the light around both balls bending inwards like a black hole.
Magic and Strike of Hope, done.
Now there are only two things left to do, simultaneously.
Releasing the tension in my body, I begin to shoot forward, time still slowed.
Every practice strike, every trained movement, every minuscule gain in power from a status update...
Every memory concerning my sword technique and the steps I took to form it runs through my head.
The essence of my sword, the main factor in creating those insane, illogical sword slashes of pure power, done.
Slowly getting closer to the monster, I remember exactly what I'm doing this for.
Strength.
But why?
To defeat the Black Dragon.
Again... why?
To follow the wishes of the goddess of Earth?
While I am extremely thankful, I had already done my job by simply surviving, and now I had a family to take care of.
Yes... family.
That's why I'm doing this.
To cleave through any disaster and keep everyone I hold dear safe.
To save others that also share this beautiful emotion called love.
To protect my home and all the beautiful sights this world has to offer.
To make them happy!
To make them smile!
To never need to grow stronger out of vengeance!
To have no regrets!
My smile turns fierce at my self-motivation, the burning on my back increasing even more as I feel the pure power of my being become enhanced.
Is this what enhances a protagonist in those animes?
Well, not that I mind at all.
The burning flame of my passion ignited, the power of emotion and pure determination that grants me strength, done.
Drawing increasingly closer to the monster, I release both balls of space magic, both shooting forward to collide just in front of the monster.
In a moment- no, a fraction of a moment, the world shakes.
The colliding balls of space shrink to a nearly imperceptible orb, before expanding and launching toward Balor's torso, cleaving into it without regard for its prided defences.
No matter how strong, it's still made of matter after all.
While this is happening, colour begins to fade from my vision as I speed forward with my sword tracing a practiced arc.
Starting at my side, it cleaves cleanly through the atmosphere as it moves upward, my body turning slightly to the side to accommodate the path.
As it reaches over my head, the blade is twisted to point forward before being brought down, not completely horizontally, but rather at a slight angle.
A clear, clean slash, devoid of impurities.
The whitish-gold aura emanates from the tip, tracing a clear line across my vision.
A line that extends forward to cut into the monster.
But before I can see the fruits of my efforts, I suddenly find myself behind the monster.
Time slowly returns to normal as my senses return.
First, I hear a harmony of buzzing and ringing, before being drowned by the loudest crash I have ever heard.
My fingers twitch as the feeling of touch returns, and with it, the pain.
My entire body feels sore as if I had just run through 20 floors of the dungeon on my own with no rest.
Especially on my back, no, not my back per se, but rather my falna.
Burning hot as if I had just been branded.
Trying to stand up straight, I stumble forward, only to be caught by my lovely Elven wife.
Looking up at her, she isn't even paying me a glance, only looking behind me with an expression of complete shock.
What, was I that good?
My latent stream of Aqua Corona healing my body, I'm just able to turn my head to see the aftermath of my attack.
A giant cloud of ash is the first thing that enters my vision.
That must be Balor... or, was Balor.
So I did it, huh?
Good, I don't know what else I could have done better for that final attack.
I then notice the line- no, the small canyon that was etched into the rocky ground, starting from the cloud of ash all the way to my current position.
...I really hope that didn't spawn a Juggernaut.
Feeling my lightheadedness getting worse, I force myself to speak, ignoring the pain of the parched dryness.
"R-Ryuu, I'm gonna take a rest..."
"T-That is fine, husband. You've done more than enough to deserve that."
Smiling at her, I let myself drift into the land of dreams.
----- Lefiya POV -----
Throughout this expedition, particularly today, I came to a realization.
I was weak.
No... weak wasn't the right word...
I was vulnerable.
But I already knew that, and I was fine with it before.
Content using my archive of spells on the backline, protected by my Familia.
But today, after being saved by my teammates so many times... being such a burden on Ais...
That had changed.
It was vexing... extremely vexing, to be so helpless and need to rely on them for my own protection.
Ais and Tiona had said it was their job to protect me, while I would protect them with my skills in turn.
I was content to believe in that.
By believing in my Familia and doing my job as a mage, I would be useful.
But then my mind thought back to Ariel, my rival, and her battle the night before.
She had gotten strong, incredibly so, and had caught up to me in levels.
But that wasn't the shocking thing.
When the Amphisbaena had shot its fire breath, she had dodged.
She didn't inconvenience anyone and her teammates trusted her and believed in her to dodge it without their help.
I was envious.
To be trusted by her teammates to not only protect them, but to also protect herself...
Extremely envious.
And today, I was able to see the skills of both Gale and Scarlet Harnel, known for being the greatest magic swordsmen alongside Hedin and Hogni of the Freya Familia.
It was... beautiful, how they danced through the air, coordinating swordplay and magic so skillfully.
And there was another that opened my eyes to my own weakness.
Sirius, the famous Celestial Sword.
While I had seen him train at their mansion many times, and I did respect him from what I had heard... I had underestimated him.
His revelation to fight the Balor alone, even with a boosted level, was something unthinkable.
To fight such a monster two levels above your own...
One would believe they had a death wish.
But here, in front of my eyes, he was once again shattering everyone's expectations.
Rushing past the Balor at high speeds... using sword skills I couldn't even begin to understand... and all while chanting or using powerful magic, both his enhancement and his ranged one.
It was absurd.
As a mage, not only could I see the skill and strength of the magic he was using, but I could also see the magic power around him.
Both in the air and within his spells, the magic power was simply... obeying him.
Only something I'd seen when Riveria used her highest tiers of magic.
A phenomenon that had only been told in legends in my home forest, one where the mage could be so in tune with magic power that they act like a wand themselves.
And that guy wasn't even a mage!
"What..." I'm interrupted by Riveria's hushed exclamation.
Even Riveria is in shock.
"Husband is quite amazing. While his skills and magic have certainly been a blessing, what makes this possible is his dedication and determination. It's what charmed me, after all." Gale, no, Ryuu says with a proud smile.
"Are you sure it wasn't from our first meeting, Ryuu? Weren't you already holding his hand on his first day?" Alise says with a smirk.
"S-Shut up."
"Hmm~? Sure~ But yes, my Sirius is quite amazing, no? He's likely the strongest person in Orario, or on his way to it." Alise says.
"I think you mean our Sirius." Ryuu responds.
"Of course! Of course!"
Finally, the battle came to its climax, with Sirius forming another spell while setting himself into a stance.
T-That magic... so that's the legendary space element?
The complexity of the magic power... it was like nothing I'd seen before.
His magic power then got even stronger in a way that reminds me of when Riveria used her Alf Regina skill.
Suddenly, his space magic collides together, collapsing into a ball too small to see before expanding.
Insane would be the only proper word to describe it.
The amount of magic power is unmeasurable.
It was almost as if it was...
Infinite.
A white flash dances across my vision, causing me to close my eyes momentarily.
Opening them once again, I see that Sirius has moved to the other side of Balor while the monster in question has a large line traced across its side, blood dancing through the air.
But what had overtaken my focus was the giant ball of seemingly infinite magic power, carving through the Balor like nothing before dissipating in the air.
Just as Ryuu leaps toward Sirius, creating a gust in her wake, the Balor bursts into ash, signifying the death of the monster rex.
"He actually did it."
This is the first time I've heard Finn's voice tremble like that.
And I knew exactly what he was feeling, as I was possessed by a similar emotion.
Pure, unbridled awe.
Moving my gaze back to Sirius, who had collapsed into his wife's arms, I can only feel an overwhelming sense of admiration.
Even covered in blood and dirt, unable to stand on his own, I could only think of one thing when looking at his figure.
A true hero, just like in the stories I had read as a child.
Could I... be like him?
Protect myself- no, protect everyone from such overwhelming odds?
The dazzling display of skill both in combat techniques and magic control...
Yes.
From seeing Alise, Ryuu, and even Iris to a lesser extent.
And especially from what I had just witnessed.
Even if it's hard, even if it's impossible... I want to do it.
I want to be a magic swordsman.
I want to be strong too!
"Lefiya."
Looking over to Finn, I notice that the rest of the expedition force that had been watching are in a state of stunned silence.
Well, except for Alise... she just looks proud.
"Yes, captain?" I respond.
"Your thoughts are clear on your face. Well? With their captain here, you should state your desire." He says with a knowing grin.
Uuu, don't put me on the spot like that captain!
Glancing over at Alise, I see that she's looking at me with a similar expression.
Haa, am I that obvious?
"U-Umm, do you think I could ask Sirius for, uh, some training?"
Closing my eyes, I await the eventual refusal.
Asking someone for training is stupid enough, to do so from another Familia is simply something impossible-
"Hmm... Sure!"
Wait, what?
Was it that easy?
"You're a good girl, and it would keep Sirius busy at home, so I don't mind. You'll have to ask him though." Alise continues.
Uhh, okay?
"Alise, me too?"
Ais says, her golden eyes brimming with what I could only describe as passionate zeal.
"The Sword Princess? If you want, then sure. But again, you have to ask him. Anyway, I'm gonna go collect the loot that big guy dropped. Maybe Sirius will get me another gift?"
Alise then starts walking over to the Balor's ash cloud as the rest of the expedition force starts moving forward.
"Lefiya."
Turning to Finn, he then continues.
"If you do end up training with him, make good use of it. Within Orario- no, the world, the Astraea Familia are the undisputed kings of concurrent chanting, and have three of the strongest magic swordsmen. Just make sure to not have our Familia owe any favours."
"Of course captain!" I respond with enthusiasm.
"Good. Grow stronger with this possible opportunity. After the expedition of course."
Giving me a nod, he then runs forward to the front of the force, guiding us toward the stairs to the 50th floor.
Yes... I promise.
Both to my Familia and myself.
I'll make sure he teaches me, and I'll make sure to grow strong.
Strong enough to not trouble Ais, to not trouble anyone.
And next time we're in danger... I'll protect them.
-A/N-
Explaining why Finn would allow members of his Familia to be trained by another Familia:
Astraea and Loki Familia are tight, in regards to information being leaked, They have gone on so many expeditions and missions together that they all know the others' magic and skills, or at least have ideas on them.
Also, Loki does not have any (high-level) magic swordsman or sword users, apart from Ais, so of course he would want his two members with the most potential to grow under the tutelage of people who actually fill those niches.
Lastly, unlike with Ais going over to Freya/Ottar for training, Astraea and Loki Familia are, once again, tight, and Finn trusts them to not take advantage of their position (in regards to training two of their members).
