Vol 2 Chapter 24 (2/2)

The coe I mean, it wasn’t the Skill you manifested yourself, so when you tried to use soe

Using the past heads’ Skills, I understood the difficulty of that first-hand

Even the Skills linked to e were ridiculously hard for me to control

If I didn’t put soe, I would have destroyed e man

“Are you scared?”

“I-I’m not scared! If I used this, I’ll definitely be injured, so I don’t want to is all!”

Looking at Aria hiding her fear, I thought to myself, ‘so you don’t care if I’m injured’

I didSkills, Aria was probably weaker than that large bandit

It wasn’t because she was a wo lack of experience Having only learned ic and spearmanshi+p in theory, she couldn’t reach the level of the large man who practiced on monsters

“If you’re worried about injury, then there’s no probleerous, we’ll stop”

Perhaps out of anger for ed

She was clearly angry

“What’s with that? Do you think I’ But on’t know so like that unless we try!”

To Aria, who began to show determination, I proposed that if that be the case, why don’t we just fight?

“Then when Novem and Zelphy-san arrive, we’ll start I’m fine with a wooden sword”

“Just use your regular sabre! Even I’ve practiced to use Skills!”

Hearing that, I found it a little surprising

“Oh really?”

Not pleased with lared at me I had no idea just what I’d done to attract such a scowl

I hts

“Look down onhurt!”

Aria turned her back tostrides I saw her off and let out a sigh I was going to be fighting her at the First’s request, but I was starting to wonder whether or not this was really alright

I got the feeling I had made a fatal mistake as a member of the same party

Since there was no one around me, the Third spoke to me

His tone was fed up

『Lyle, have you ever seen your own face in a mirror?』

“What are you talking about? I see it everywhen I wash my face”

『That was sarcasm, you know Anyways, that aside, there’s clearly a problem with your current attitude』

Hearing about a problem, I tilted my head

An irritated Fourth spoke in a low voice

『Taking that attitude against a girl is one thing, but I wonder if you really should be fighting More importantly, you really are dense, Lyle Or could it be you’re doing all this on purpose?』

I couldn’t comprehend

I was unable to understand just what it was the Third and Fourth were trying to tell me In order to let Aria know her current skill level, and to get her to have a taste of what it felt like to use her Skills That e were fighting, was it not?

The Sixth, who didn’t speak up often dropped by for once

『You’re not noticing any of it? Lyle, you…』

The Seventh let out a remark, as if to pressure me

『That attitude right noas certainly rude Still, Lyle, I also think you need to look at yourself and reflect on it』

If I had to pick a side, the Sixth and Seventh usually supported

As I tried to recall whether I had said so bad, the Fifth entered the conversation

『If you didn’t notice, then that’s where it ends Well, you’re young, so I guess there are sos we cannot help Look, it’s about ti yourself as well Also, just as with Skills, don’t use ic』

While the Fifth said that, I didn’t have such intentions fro

“I won’t do anything like that I don’t want to injure her or anything”

『… Don’t want to injure her, is it? Well how grand of you』

The Fifth also sounded fed up

I returned to the house and started preparing I hung my sabre at my waist and decided to carry my spare as well

Perhaps because Aria had left first, there wasn’t anyone in the house

At times like these, I start to remember my lonely days back at the manor

“It’s really quiet Just like at that time”

Saying that, I looked around the roo to assist her That was the scene as of late

It was only recently that I started to take in that iery as if it were norhtly unsettling

(As I thought, hares Also, I don’t think that sort of thing will be pleasant)

It was s, and the First’s request that ledin Aria

But perhaps that was a ht

From the start, I didn’t think too ht of her

As I absent, I heard a voice

Zelphy-san and Novem were in front of the house

–

–

–

I headed to the vacant lot to find Aria waiting for me

Likely because she had finished war a little Perhaps because of deter will

Due to the redevelopment of the area, many evictions were carried out and houses were de a lot of empty space

In one of such places, the girl with a red orb hanging from her neck, Aria, faced me

The sun hadn’t even started to rise yet

(This’ll end before noon, wont it?)

In ht with Aria before noon came

“You sure look calm”

It sounded like she was provoking me, she let out those lines as I had a break in my concentration Without a doubt, Aria was mad

Looking at that, both Novem and Zelphy-san seemed fed up

Yesterday they were fed up with Aria, and today, it see to tell

“I’d like it if you notified ot my schedule to keep too Well, I’ll follow my client It probably won’t be a complete waste But Lyle, are you even motivated at all?”

Zelphy looked at me with doubtful eyes, and Novem was the same as she stood beside her

“Lyle-sa rude to Aria-san At this rate, you’ll be gravely injured”

I nodded to a worried Novem, pulled out my Sabre, and took a stance

Aria also held up her lance Her te a lot of needless power into her stance

“I’ll be going at you seriously”

As Aria declared her serious intent, I nodded

“Be careful not to injure yourself”

At that moment

Aria took a large step and suddenly started repeatedly thrusting out her lance as if to impale me

It was a Skill the large man displayed

I turned half my body to avoid it and used the hilt ofher stance destroyed, she fell forward, and I jumped aside

With one hand on the ground, she raised her head with her eyes wide open And she angrily gritted her teeth as she glared at me

“Why didn’t you attack me?”

She stood up and corrected her posture On the contrary, I was confused

“Eh? No, I h…”

As I stated s, Aria’s expression becarim

Looking at that expression, my heart suddenly started to hurt

(What is this?)

Aria swung her lance, and a shockwave shot at h, nor was its blade as sharp as the one the large ed

Returning the pole she had swung in a large arc back to her body, Aria looked out of breath

She forcibly used a Skill, and it looked like she was exhausting her stamina She had neither the technique nor power to use her Skills consecutively The proof was in the pudding

However, with her sweat pouring out and her breath cut short… she continued to come at me

“Not yet!”

Her weapon let off a faint light, but she just stabbed it at me normally I took the bloith the sabre, but the feel was different from before

Petrification…

This was likely a Skill as well As I dodged the next two blows, she likely realized I had seen through her movements

If I thought about the re as well It didn’t feel like she was using it, so perhaps she wasnt’ used to it yet

I dodged her thrust spear, stepped close to her, and grabbed the shaft with my left hand

“Ku!”

She struggled to o, and I was about to tell her the match was over already But I couldn’t let out my voice

(Why…)

Aria thrust out her weapon to create distance and glared at me

“What’s with that posing… If I’m really that weak, then just end me already!”

Out of breath, and with a despaired expression, tears began to flon her face

Looking at that, I was able to slightly co to tell me

(I see, so the attitude I showed Aria was… the same as Celes’s)

I got the feeling I knew the source of the pain in my chest

I understood the ancestors’ intent

I could grasp the reason for Novem’s and Zelphy-san’s eyes

I could even nod at Aria’s mortified face

“I see So I was never really looking at you, was I”

I get the feeling that the figure of the girlup her spear, about to burst into tears, had overlapped with mine own