Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
「Ow, that hurt…」
Taking a band-aid from the first-aid box that Milia had brought me, I applied it onto Rabi’s forehead.
「And that’s why you should’ve hid.」
「That thing shot out from point-blank range. There’s no way I could’ve dodged it」, pouted the mage.
「Personally, I find the practical assessment to be more important than the magical one」, I said, ignoring her excuses. 「Another examiner might have failed you on the spot.」
「Eh… if I can’t pass, then the bar must be really high, isn’t it?」
「Confidence isn’t a bad thing, but hubris is another story.」
I had already sparred with Rabi once. Her lack of practical ability aside, I had used a ‘Dispel’ to counter every ‘Force Field’ she generated. In order to determine how durable it is under normal circumstances, I’ll have to do further testing.
「Now for the practical assessment. Let’s go outside.」
On top of my regular receptionist duties, I had a lot of verification work as well, so it’s been a while since I last conducted a practical assessment. When they saw what I was about to do, the adventurers began chatting among themselves.
「Hey, looks like Argan-san’s gonna fight.」
「Do we get to watch Argan-san put on a live show…?」
「I’d pay to watch it!」
Rabi and I left the guild with an entourage of twenty or so people following behind.
「Who even are you, Roland…?」
「What do you see me as? Aside from a guild employee, of course.」
「That’s all I see right now… but guild employees don’t resolve abduction incidents, do they?」
I continued walking, pretending not to hear her.
When we reached the grassy plain on the outskirts of the castle, the adventurers that had tagged along assembled a fair distance away from us.
「I know you can use magic. But what’s your skill called? It wasn’t written on the questionnaire.」
「Never had it tested, so I have no idea.」
As the name suggests, mages place a lot of emphasis on casting spells. Because of this, many of them tend to be unaware of the skills they possess.
[T/N Note: The Japanese word for ‘mage’ directly translates to ‘magic user’.]
「Anyway, I usually conduct this assessment either by measuring your ability or by making you realise your own ability through the use of force. There will be no winner or loser.」
「Okay.」
「I will try to attack you. Defend yourself in any way you like.」
The moment I ended my sentence, I circled behind Rabi, causing the crowd to go wild.
「That was fast… he’s right behind her!」
「Did you catch that?」
「Nope, not at all…」
「He’s behind you, Miss! Behind you!」
Their words took a moment to register, and she finally turned around.
「Fugyaaaa!? When did you –」
「It has already begun.」
I poked her forehead slightly above the bandaged area.
「Gyan!? Ow… at least declare that before you attack…」
「Do you expect a war horn to sound before every battle? Or a referee to declare who has won after?」
Getting into gear, Rabi began doing what she did best.
「‘Force Field’!」
The familiar hemispherical barrier quickly formed around her.
「Hm.」
I hit it a few times as I did a lap around it, observing its structure.
「You’re just gonna break it with ‘Dispel’, aren’t you?」, grumbled Rabi, squinting at me.
Just as I had expected, her force field impressed the crowd.
「Defensive magic? Pretty good, pretty good. Activated it quickly too.」
「Not the most flashy kind of magic out there. Doubt anyone learns it of their own accord.」
「Yeah. Even if they do, it only serves to tie them through the fight.」
Notwithstanding the utility of defensive magic, those who come to specialise in such techniques must have done so out of necessity.
「How wide can you make it?」, I asked.
「Hm? I’ll see what the limit is. Give me some space, will you?」, replied Rabi.
I retreated a few steps at first, then a full ten metres when she gestured for me to move further back. The hemispherical force field swelled with a rippling sound and stopped right in front of my nose.
「Ooh.」
「How’s it?」
The force field had a radius of about ten metres. Not bad. She appeared to be able to make it expand or contract at will.
I whacked it with great force for the next test, and had my blow noiselessly deflected.
「…」
I looked at my fist. I now had a rough idea of Rabi’s abilities. Her magic wasn’t defensive magic in the strictest sense, but nonetheless produced a similar effect. I tried hitting it with an entry-level spell and observed the same nullifying effect occur again.
「See? Not even Roland can break my force field!」, giggled the mage.
「‘Dispel’.」
The force field shattered.
「Fugyaaaaa!? Why did you do that!?」
「I’m just trying different things. That doesn’t mean I can’t break it if I really want to.」
「Could you be a sore loser, Roland…?」
I closed in on her to attack, making her generate another force field. When I shattered it, she set another one up. We repeated this cycle over and over again until I finally understood what she could do.
「I think I know what your skill is.」
「Eh?」
「You can convert magicka into spells directly with high efficiency. Not only can you cast them more quickly, but you have the ability to multicast as well.」
My ‘Faint Shadow’ works the same way. I can activate it without caring about the magicka conversion, even in multiple bursts. Rabi’s defensive magic isn’t as sturdy as Victor’s ‘Absolute Defence’, but it’s in the same ballpark.
「But that’s what Sensei taught me to do…?」
「Not many people acquire their skills through learning, but I can’t say it’s that rare either.」
I told her that my skill was of the same nature. In short, she had mistaken her magicka for magical ability. She was not a magic user, but rather a magicka channeler — that’s why she had measured poorly earlier. Treating this as a skill, this explained her short casting time and her ability to multicast.
「Huh. I wanted to learn other spells, but Sensei just told me that my current one is already good enough, and that I should learn to use it at a hundred and twenty percent!」
「A great teacher he is.」
Ideally, one should learn all the uses of their skill from the very beginning.
「The spell that you refer to as ‘Force Field’… well, now you know that it’s a skill. A sustenance skill. If it’s just a general barrier, the attacker will receive recoil damage and sound will be produced upon contact. Neither of those happen with yours, however. Therefore, it’s probably a defensive skill that sustains and preserves its state at the time of casting.」
To be precise, time stops for the force field itself and not what it envelops. Its dimensions can also be adjusted at will. With a hemispherical barrier of a ten-metre radius, the risk of the caster’s magicka being depleted is essentially negligible.
「Your skill is much more useful than what I believed at first glance.」
「Did you just… praise me…?」
I nodded.
「You pass.」
「Yay! I was so worried that my skill was actually useless…」
「I realised it only because I wasn’t going all out.」
「T-That’s great…」
As we walked back to the guild, I gave her a brief rundown of the admin matters to come. The spectators followed us and called out to Rabi.
「So you passed? How about you join our party? We could use your help –」
「Hold your horses. There’s no point joining that party of sweaty buffoons. Join us instead! From what I just saw, you would make a great addition to our party!」
Rabi looked around restlessly before finally looking at me.
「As I said, even you have a job.」
「Right… I see what you mean now. Even someone like me…」
「You don’t have to dabble in crime for people to recognise your abilities.」
About to cry, she sniffled.
「Thank you, Roland…」
「It’s all thanks to not only your skill, but also your hard work.」
Deep down, she had probably believed that she was a useless one-trick pony. She stopped walking, cleared her throat and finally let her tears flow.
「Really, thank you…」
Of course, a scene like this wouldn’t be complete without input from our onlookers.
「Argan-san made another girl cry.」
「If only more people did it that way.」
「Hear, hear.」
Seeing that Rabi was wiping her tears with her sleeves, I ruffled her hair and lent her my handkerchief again.
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
「Ow, that hurt…」
Taking a band-aid from the first-aid box that Milia had brought me, I applied it onto Rabi’s forehead.
「And that’s why you should’ve hid.」
「That thing shot out from point-blank range. There’s no way I could’ve dodged it」, pouted the mage.
「Personally, I find the practical assessment to be more important than the magical one」, I said, ignoring her excuses. 「Another examiner might have failed you on the spot.」
「Eh… if I can’t pass, then the bar must be really high, isn’t it?」
「Confidence isn’t a bad thing, but hubris is another story.」
I had already sparred with Rabi once. Her lack of practical ability aside, I had used a ‘Dispel’ to counter every ‘Force Field’ she generated. In order to determine how durable it is under normal circumstances, I’ll have to do further testing.
「Now for the practical assessment. Let’s go outside.」
On top of my regular receptionist duties, I had a lot of verification work as well, so it’s been a while since I last conducted a practical assessment. When they saw what I was about to do, the adventurers began chatting among themselves.
「Hey, looks like Argan-san’s gonna fight.」
「Do we get to watch Argan-san put on a live show…?」
「I’d pay to watch it!」
Rabi and I left the guild with an entourage of twenty or so people following behind.
「Who even are you, Roland…?」
「What do you see me as? Aside from a guild employee, of course.」
「That’s all I see right now… but guild employees don’t resolve abduction incidents, do they?」
I continued walking, pretending not to hear her.
When we reached the grassy plain on the outskirts of the castle, the adventurers that had tagged along assembled a fair distance away from us.
「I know you can use magic. But what’s your skill called? It wasn’t written on the questionnaire.」
「Never had it tested, so I have no idea.」
As the name suggests, mages place a lot of emphasis on casting spells. Because of this, many of them tend to be unaware of the skills they possess.
[T/N Note: The Japanese word for ‘mage’ directly translates to ‘magic user’.]
「Anyway, I usually conduct this assessment either by measuring your ability or by making you realise your own ability through the use of force. There will be no winner or loser.」
「Okay.」
「I will try to attack you. Defend yourself in any way you like.」
The moment I ended my sentence, I circled behind Rabi, causing the crowd to go wild.
「That was fast… he’s right behind her!」
「Did you catch that?」
「Nope, not at all…」
「He’s behind you, Miss! Behind you!」
Their words took a moment to register, and she finally turned around.
「Fugyaaaa!? When did you –」
「It has already begun.」
I poked her forehead slightly above the bandaged area.
「Gyan!? Ow… at least declare that before you attack…」
「Do you expect a war horn to sound before every battle? Or a referee to declare who has won after?」
Getting into gear, Rabi began doing what she did best.
「‘Force Field’!」
The familiar hemispherical barrier quickly formed around her.
「Hm.」
I hit it a few times as I did a lap around it, observing its structure.
「You’re just gonna break it with ‘Dispel’, aren’t you?」, grumbled Rabi, squinting at me.
Just as I had expected, her force field impressed the crowd.
「Defensive magic? Pretty good, pretty good. Activated it quickly too.」
「Not the most flashy kind of magic out there. Doubt anyone learns it of their own accord.」
「Yeah. Even if they do, it only serves to tie them through the fight.」
Notwithstanding the utility of defensive magic, those who come to specialise in such techniques must have done so out of necessity.
「How wide can you make it?」, I asked.
「Hm? I’ll see what the limit is. Give me some space, will you?」, replied Rabi.
I retreated a few steps at first, then a full ten metres when she gestured for me to move further back. The hemispherical force field swelled with a rippling sound and stopped right in front of my nose.
「Ooh.」
「How’s it?」
The force field had a radius of about ten metres. Not bad. She appeared to be able to make it expand or contract at will.
I whacked it with great force for the next test, and had my blow noiselessly deflected.
「…」
I looked at my fist. I now had a rough idea of Rabi’s abilities. Her magic wasn’t defensive magic in the strictest sense, but nonetheless produced a similar effect. I tried hitting it with an entry-level spell and observed the same nullifying effect occur again.
「See? Not even Roland can break my force field!」, giggled the mage.
「‘Dispel’.」
The force field shattered.
「Fugyaaaaa!? Why did you do that!?」
「I’m just trying different things. That doesn’t mean I can’t break it if I really want to.」
「Could you be a sore loser, Roland…?」
I closed in on her to attack, making her generate another force field. When I shattered it, she set another one up. We repeated this cycle over and over again until I finally understood what she could do.
「I think I know what your skill is.」
「Eh?」
「You can convert magicka into spells directly with high efficiency. Not only can you cast them more quickly, but you have the ability to multicast as well.」
My ‘Faint Shadow’ works the same way. I can activate it without caring about the magicka conversion, even in multiple bursts. Rabi’s defensive magic isn’t as sturdy as Victor’s ‘Absolute Defence’, but it’s in the same ballpark.
「But that’s what Sensei taught me to do…?」
「Not many people acquire their skills through learning, but I can’t say it’s that rare either.」
I told her that my skill was of the same nature. In short, she had mistaken her magicka for magical ability. She was not a magic user, but rather a magicka channeler — that’s why she had measured poorly earlier. Treating this as a skill, this explained her short casting time and her ability to multicast.
「Huh. I wanted to learn other spells, but Sensei just told me that my current one is already good enough, and that I should learn to use it at a hundred and twenty percent!」
「A great teacher he is.」
Ideally, one should learn all the uses of their skill from the very beginning.
「The spell that you refer to as ‘Force Field’… well, now you know that it’s a skill. A sustenance skill. If it’s just a general barrier, the attacker will receive recoil damage and sound will be produced upon contact. Neither of those happen with yours, however. Therefore, it’s probably a defensive skill that sustains and preserves its state at the time of casting.」
To be precise, time stops for the force field itself and not what it envelops. Its dimensions can also be adjusted at will. With a hemispherical barrier of a ten-metre radius, the risk of the caster’s magicka being depleted is essentially negligible.
「Your skill is much more useful than what I believed at first glance.」
「Did you just… praise me…?」
I nodded.
「You pass.」
「Yay! I was so worried that my skill was actually useless…」
「I realised it only because I wasn’t going all out.」
「T-That’s great…」
As we walked back to the guild, I gave her a brief rundown of the admin matters to come. The spectators followed us and called out to Rabi.
「So you passed? How about you join our party? We could use your help –」
「Hold your horses. There’s no point joining that party of sweaty buffoons. Join us instead! From what I just saw, you would make a great addition to our party!」
Rabi looked around restlessly before finally looking at me.
「As I said, even you have a job.」
「Right… I see what you mean now. Even someone like me…」
「You don’t have to dabble in crime for people to recognise your abilities.」
About to cry, she sniffled.
「Thank you, Roland…」
「It’s all thanks to not only your skill, but also your hard work.」
Deep down, she had probably believed that she was a useless one-trick pony. She stopped walking, cleared her throat and finally let her tears flow.
「Really, thank you…」
Of course, a scene like this wouldn’t be complete without input from our onlookers.
「Argan-san made another girl cry.」
「If only more people did it that way.」
「Hear, hear.」
Seeing that Rabi was wiping her tears with her sleeves, I ruffled her hair and lent her my handkerchief again.
