Chapter 702: Good Things Must Be Shared Together

In the front courtyard of the Hestia Familia Headquarters, the wind blew through, and what stirred the wind were the two girls fiercely sparring in the courtyard.

One once held the title 【Gale】, one could use 【Wind Spirit Magic】; though the swordsmanship the two used differed, both had magic related to wind on their persons.

The battle from seven years ago that failed to decide a winner seemed to have found its continuation in this moment, yet as the silver blade rested beside the elf lady's neck, this practical swordsmanship spar still produced a victor.

"I lost."

Ryu let the wooden sword in her hand drop with some helplessness; her stats having stagnated at Lv. 4 for five years now meant she could no longer match a Lv. 5 Sword Princess.

【5】 "Your sword is light, and fast."

"Your Sword is very light, and also very fast."

Ais also retracted her sword, speaking those words with a calm expression — Bathing Master Aqua's Life, without much tonal fluctuation.

Only those familiar with this girl would know she was comforting the defeated opponent and expressing appreciation for the other's swordsmanship.

"But I still lost; your sword is faster than mine, and your battle rhythm is better than mine."

Crossing blades with the Sword Princess made Ryu realize the Sword Dance she learned yesterday also had a counter.

As long as the swordsmanship technique wasn't inferior to her own, just like the Sword Princess before her eyes.

Upon realizing she was borrowing her power, the opponent deliberately used feint swordsmanship to induce misjudgments in her.

Not only did she fail to borrow the power, she nearly lost her bodily balance and exposed an opening, thereby causing this spar's defeat.

"This is also thanks to Mr. Broly's guidance these past days."

Ais answered with a serious face; if it were the her from before who hadn't accepted the Saiyan boy's guidance, facing the elf lady's (master of Phantom Sword Dance technique) swordsmanship, even if she could win in the end, it would be impossible to do so as easily as now.

"I believe that after undergoing Mr. Broly's guidance, Ryu-san, you too can quickly grow strong."

Pausing a beat, the Sword Princess girl added another sentence.

"That, I don't doubt."

Ryu nodded; if it were the untrained her from yesterday, she probably wouldn't have lasted this long before falling to the Sword Princess's blade.

Simply, whether she grows strong or not now — for someone like her who has already abandoned justice and left her original Familia — what meaning does it hold?

"Once you grow strong, let's cross blades again."

"Eh?"

"Crossing swords with you, I can feel my swordsmanship growing; I hope Ryu-san can bring me even more pressure."

The Sword Princess girl said, and Ryu didn't know what to say — is the other party enjoying this because her swordsmanship technique has improved?

"Fine."

However, it did let the female elf glimpse a sliver of the meaning of raising her strength and growing stronger.

Unrelated to justice, merely to answer a girl who holds expectations for her swordsmanship.

Compensation for once venting her emotions groundlessly and seeking the other out for a fight.

"Come, wipe your sweat."

The Pallum girl handed over a hot towel; wiping down after training feels very refreshing.

"Thanks."

The female elf took the hot towel and offered a word of thanks.

"By the way, Ais-san, do you really not remember me?"

She wiped her face, then asked the Sword Princess girl across from her who had also just wiped her face.

"I of course remember you."

【Already recognized me?】

"You are Ryu-san of the Hostess of Fertility."

【Uh...】

"No, I mean your other identity."

"Ryu-san, do you have some other identity?"

Looking at the Sword Princess girl's naturally airheaded puzzled expression, the female elf sighed.

"Forget it, it's not anything important."

No need to bring up the past; if one really must speak of it, the 14-year-old me seeking out the 9-year-old her for a fight wasn't anything honorable — like bullying a child — and what's more she didn't even win, going fifty-fifty with a 9-year-old little girl.

"Rest a bit, I'll explain the shortcomings in your swordsmanship, then we'll start the second round of training."

Broly clapped his hands and said; what "grow strong then cross blades again" — that means continue crossing blades right now.

"Eh?"

Ryu looked over in surprise.

"There's a second round too?"

She asked.

"Does Ryu-san have to go back to the tavern to help out?"

Broly glanced at the Crystal Palace Panel's time, finding there was still a stretch until noon.

"That's not it; I took the day off today."

Ryu shook her head in reply.

"Then do you have something else to do?"

Broly asked again.

"Uh, that neither."

She in Orario now is just an ordinary tavern waitress.

"Then is Ryu-san out of stamina?"

"I'm not that delicate."

"So why stop training? You came to find me for swordsmanship training, didn't you?"

Or is it that you hate failure, and dislike the feeling of falling to defeat once again?

If that's the case, I can arrange for you to train on the side, and have Lili serve as your sparring partner."

The Saiyan boy's words left the elf young lady speechless.

"Not needed, just Miss Ais will do."

Ryu shook her head; compared to a Lv. 4 bullying a Lv. 1, she would still rather fight a Lv. 5 opponent.

Broly walked over and broke down in detail some of the swordsmanship issues the two had just now.

And whether it was the Sword Princess or the elf young lady, both had the details of their movements adjusted hands-on by him.

After the two started fighting again, only then did he come over to Lefiya's side.

"Miss Lefiya, would you like to come help out a bit?"

"Eh, Mr. Broly, what do you need me to help with?"

The elf girl, who had originally been admiring her admired senior's sword-practicing heroic bearing, reacted and hurriedly asked.

"It's not any big favor; it's just that Lili hasn't fought a pure Mage before, so I wanted to ask you to use magic to train her actual combat capability."

"Ah, but I'm a Lv. 3 Adventurer, while Miss Lili is only Lv. 1, right?"

"It's fine; it just so happens to also test Miss Lefiya — the results of your desensitization training these past days, whether you can, without a vanguard, defeat an opponent two levels weaker than yourself without getting nervous."

"Miss Lefiya, if you don't have the confidence, Lili can also train alone."

The Pallum girl said very thoughtfully.

Lefiya: "..."

A Lv. 3 fighting a Lv. 1, even if it's a rear guard fighting a vanguard, but if she shrinks back, it would really be somewhat shameful.

"But the magic I know all has somewhat great power; if I'm not careful I might end up harming you."

Lefiya reminded; she is the Loki Familia's famous magic cannon, possessing firepower output comparable to a Lv. 5 at Lv. 3.

"That is indeed a problem; I wonder, Miss Lefiya, do you know water magic?"

"Uh, I haven't learned it."

"Then how about trying to learn it?"

Broly condensed a water ball at his fingertip.

"Eh, Mr. Broly, did you originally know magic too?"

Lefiya was somewhat surprised.

"Know a little."

Broly nodded.

"But if you yourself know magic, couldn't you just train Miss Lili yourself?"

The elf girl was somewhat curious.

"My magic ability, compared to my personal swordsmanship level, can only be described as ordinary; it doesn't reach the level of being able to train others."

Broly explained the reason for asking the elf girl for help; of course the even more main reason was still that he wanted to produce more intersection with the other party.

If he could do everything himself, and presumptuously struck up a conversation with the elf girl, Broly also wouldn't know what he should say to her.

Better to borrow the pretext of magic training and have something to do.

"I see, then I can try learning it."

Lefiya did not refuse; these days she had received care, and just sending a thank-you gift yesterday felt still not enough.

Now that Mr. Broly had a place where he needed her help, she would naturally do her utmost to help; Lefiya asked for pointers on the release key points of the basic water magic Water Ball Technique.

Magic, this kind of thing, for elves, is an ability that belongs to not needing to become a Familia member, yet can be attempted to learn and use.

Different from ordinary humans and Pallums, this led to not a few elf race members being born with some racial superiority complex, treating races other than gods as inferior people.

Of course, Lefiya does not belong to this category of elves; she is still very good at learning, and as a former graduate of the School District, her learning talent is also not bad.

"Mr. Broly, look, I've learned Water Ball Technique."

In just ten-odd minutes, the most beginner-rank water magic was mastered by the elf girl; Lefiya held up the small water ball floating in her hand, and said somewhat happily to the Saiyan boy.

"Miss Lefiya, your magic talent is truly surprising."

Broly praised the elf girl a sentence; the fastest magic learner he had seen last time was still the Six-Faced World's little brother Rudeus.

"Ah, this is still thanks to Mr. Broly teaching well; you actually analyzed the release and circulation of magic power so clearly, I just followed along."

Lefiya scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly; although many people had praised her, perhaps because she entered a top-tier faction Familia like Loki right from the start, it led to her having no real sense of others' praise, always feeling others were just praising her out of politeness, not because she really did well.

However, this current one, Lefiya actually felt a bit happy; after all, magic actually used out won't deceive, she truly mastered a new magic within ten-odd minutes.

"Alright then, Lili's training, I'll have to trouble Miss Lefiya."

"Eh, I just learned this, still not proficient..."

The elf girl was somewhat nervous.

"Get proficient in actual combat, Miss Lefiya."

Liliruca walked to her opposite side, said a sentence of "please guide me," and then charged toward the elf girl.

"Ah, incantation, may the great water's divine protection descend upon the place you seek..."

Perhaps because she knew the charging Pallum girl was only Lv. 1, the elf girl, though somewhat panicked, could still clearly recite the Water Ball Technique's incantation.

"Casting speed is too slow, Miss Lefiya!"

However, Liliruca, who had heard the Water Ball Technique incantation from the side, felt she could completely make it in time to arrive before the elf girl's casting finished and subdue the other party.

"Ah—"

Reality was also so; Liliruca approached a step ahead, but different from the imagined scenario where she subdued the elf girl, Lefiya, in her panic, waved her staff and actually beat her up a bit.

"Hiss, Miss Lefiya, wasn't it agreed to use magic? Why did you use the staff for melee attacks?"

Liliruca, whose head had taken a staff hammer blow, was being treated for the big bump on her head by Broly with healing magic, and looked somewhat resentfully at the elf girl beside her.

"Ah, I'm very sorry, Miss Lili, I was a bit too flustered; compared to magic I couldn't cast in time, I subconsciously used my staff..."

The facts proved that desensitization training was effective, letting the elf girl learn to adapt to circumstances, but her easily nervous personality still couldn't be completely changed; it was just that she would no longer fall directly into stagnation, freezing up in a daze because of nervousness.

"Lili, how could magic be such an inconvenient thing? Miss Lefiya's act of striking you with her staff was clearly using the staff's physical method, and this also counts as one of the magics; you were a bit careless."

Broly had a different opinion on this, feeling it was because the Pallum girl let her guard down after approaching the other party due to the elf girl being the caster, which led to her defeat; he educated the Pallum girl thoroughly.

"Ugh, Broly-san, I understand."

Liliruca shrank her neck; she actually also felt that if she had been a bit more careful, with the elf girl's messy staff-waving behavior, she fundamentally could not have been defeated.

"Miss Lefiya, from the movements of you waving your staff, I sense you also have the talent to be a battle mage; want to learn close-quarters combat from me?"

After finishing educating the Pallum girl, Broly looked at the elf girl and asked.

"Ah, I, a battle mage?"

Lefiya pointed at her own nose, then reacted.

"No, Mr. Broly, are there mages who do close combat?"

"There are, there are. Magic, in the end, is merely one application method of the energy known as magic power; we only need to change the application method to use it as a close-combat weight. For example, one can first use magic power to strengthen one's body..."

"Ah, this works too?"

"Of course."

"But how to strengthen it?"

"This, we can investigate later."

Broly only knew how to use Ki to strengthen the body, and had never tried using magic power.

But different paths lead to the same destination; both are a type of body energy, so they should be about the same.

As long as we research it, we can definitely resolve any technical problems that may exist within.

"Before that, Miss Lefiya, do you want to follow me and learn some swordsmanship?"

Investigating magic power body strengthening can be taken slowly; Broly prepared to first establish an intimate teaching relationship with this easily nervous elf girl before him.

"Once you've learned swordsmanship, perhaps you can be like Miss Liu and train swordsmanship together with Miss Ais."

Lefiya originally wanted to refuse; learning swordsmanship or the like really didn't suit a rear-line mage turret like her, and she didn't feel she could learn it; however, before she could refuse, she heard the Saiyan boy's words.

【Eh, I can train swordsmanship together with Miss Ais?!】

The elf girl looked at the two still practicing sword combat over there, and a scene instantly surfaced in her mind; she put herself in Liu's perspective, and even used daydreaming to add a happy filter to the Sword Princess girl: 'Ah, Lefiya, your swordsmanship is so great, so fast; training sword with you, I'm so happy~'

【Ehehe~】

Thinking of this scene, a silly, delighted expression appeared on the elf girl's face.

"Broly-san, what happened to Miss Lefiya?"

Liliruca looked over strangely, always feeling this elf girl was a bit weird.

"Mr. Broly, please, teach me swordsmanship!"

Lefiya, having come to her senses, also didn't care about the Pallum girl's strange gaze at her, directly requesting the Saiyan boy; she looked full of motivation.

"Mm, no problem, leave everything to me."

Broly nodded in agreement.

"Broly-san, I'll come help too."

Liliruca volunteered.

"That works too. Miss Lefiya is a swordsmanship beginner yet has Lv. 3 stats; you can teach her some basic swordsmanship, let her team up with you and train together first."

The Hestia Familia Headquarters' courtyard was instantly divided into two areas; one area was the expert training ground, training targets being Liu and the Sword Princess.

One area was the novice training ground, training targets being Liliruca who has swordsmanship basics but insufficient stats, and Lefiya who has no swordsmanship basics but sufficient stats.

When Bell came over this way, what he saw was the Saiyan boy standing in the middle of the field paying attention to both sides' training situations, looking like a head coach.

Because the Pallum girl had a sparring partner, the white-haired boy could only find an open space alone and practice empty sword swings by himself.

"Speaking of which, this isn't our Battle Wilderness, is it?"

The Freya Familia's Chief Healer, Haize Belpet, watching the training situation in the courtyard from outside, couldn't help but ask the Goddess Attendant girl beside her.

"It isn't."

Helen shook her head in reply.

However, although that's what was said, that blazing training atmosphere inside did indeed resemble it somewhat.

Of course, for the Freya Familia, it's naked mutual slaughter.

Although everyone fights for the Goddess, they treat each other as competitors, as enemies.

There's simply no coach like Broly who would guide the trainees on their shortcomings.

Want improvement? Then comprehend it yourself in the Battle Wilderness's slaughter from morning to night; and as long as the spirit doesn't collapse, those who can persist are basically strong ones on the average level compared to Orario Adventurers.

Time quickly reached noon; when it was time for lunch, everyone stopped.

Because Ais and the Sword Princess were sudden visitors, there was no lunch prepared for them.

"I can share a portion of my bento with Ais and Miss Lefiya."

Regarding this, Broly was very generous.

"Ah, eating your bento, how embarrassing is that?"

Lefiya became somewhat embarrassed; coming here and learning new magic and swordsmanship notwithstanding, she was even treated to a meal.

This taking both food and knowledge really was too much.

"It's fine, Miss Xier prepared more bento for me today than usual."

Broly waved his hand.

"Then I'll accept respectfully rather than decline."

Ais, however, wasn't polite; she accepted the bento the boy handed over.

Lefiya, seeing this, followed suit and sat down on the grass.

"Miss Liu, you should have one too."

Liu originally wanted to stop it, but a bento was also shoved into her hands; she actually hadn't considered eating lunch on This Side.

"Uh, but this is the bento Xier carefully made for you before dawn, and the taste might be Somewhat different from the usual bento."

"Is that so? Then I suppose I must Properly savor it."

The bento box was already open; the smell was still quite fragrant, the Ingredients used were also very Not Bad, and at a glance they looked very fresh and bright.

【Xier said she Intentionally made it Difficult to Eat, but looking at it like this, no matter what it shouldn't be Difficult to Eat to that extent, right?】

Liu thought this, and together with the few people sitting beside her, started eating.

"Uh……"

Then, they At The Same Time Sent Out Strange sounds.

(Chapter End)