“Whew! Whew! Whew!”
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
With each breath Rosaria took, the sound of her sword slicing through the air echoed.
“Hoo… How about it? Don’t you think I’ve gotten much stronger by now?”
Rosaria, having made the final strike of her hundredth sword swing, wiped a single drop of sweat from her forehead lightly and looked around proudly, as if asking for confirmation.
“You are excellent, Miss. Although the trajectory of your sword swings is inconsistent, and each swing is different…”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
Gordon, who had been watching her, lightly clapped and replied. Rosaria frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable, and retorted sulkily.
“Of course. You haven’t trained in swordsmanship, yet you can swing the sword this well without difficulty. It’s truly impressive how much your stamina has increased in such a short time.”
“Well, I was such a weakling that running alone used to tire me out. And that sword is quite heavy, you know?”
However, both Gordon and Dariann, who understood how remarkable Rosaria’s progress was, sincerely agreed that it was an impressive feat.
Rosaria, who had initially struggled with basic physical exercises like running laps on the training grounds due to her lack of stamina, had never been able to train alongside Dariann. However, today, after finishing her regular running routine, she swung the sword a hundred times despite it being a practice sword, which weighed the same as a real one, yet there was no sign of fatigue on her.
“It’s all because of this.”
Rosaria, having set the sword down, showed the back of her left hand with a smile. On her left hand, there was a symbol etched, almost like a tattoo. The symbol resembled a windmill, symbolizing wind, which was a mark that Rosaria had made a contract with the Sylph, and now with Ariel.
“By the way, spirits are really amazing. It feels like I’ve taken some kind of medicine.”
“I’ve never seen a spirit user before, so it’s quite fascinating. But to think you have talent in spirit magic… It’s truly remarkable.”
“Hehe, of course~!”
While Dariann and Gordon marveled at Rosaria’s dramatic improvement in stamina due to the spirit, it was Shalle, who felt a bit more smug, who shrugged her shoulders and said.
“A spirit mage can share the power of the spirit they’ve contracted with. It’s similar to how humans strengthen their bodies with mana or the physical enhancement magic used by wizards, but because it’s the spirit’s power rather than the caster’s, it doesn’t cause any strain on the caster!”
“Hehe!”
Although Rosaria couldn’t awaken her magical powers like Dariann or Felix, she was able to use the strength of Ariel, with whom she had made a contract. The most basic effect of this was enhanced stamina.
“Mom! Did I do well?”
“Hmm… It’s impressive, but why did you have to call me ‘mom’…?”
While Rosaria was swinging her sword, Ariel, who had been flying above her head, swooped down and nuzzled her cheek with her own, saying, “Mom!” Rosaria chuckled awkwardly and asked, somewhat put off.
After their contract, Rosaria had given the nameless Sylph the name Ariel, and in turn, Ariel began calling her with a special title.
“At least you could have called me something else, or given me a nickname, right?”
“Mom is mom, hehe!”
“…Sigh, I don’t know anymore.”
But since the title she used was “mom,” Rosaria couldn’t help but express her frustration, while Ariel, having no clue why, simply kept giggling, leaving Rosaria with no choice but to give up.
“…Pfft! Must be nice, Ariel’s mom?”
“…..”
“Hey, what are you going to do if you glare at me like that? Ariel’s mom?”
“Seriously… is this what parents are like…?”
With that look, Dariann, who was busy teasing his son (now his daughter), burst into laughter.
Rosaria, glaring at Dariann with a fierce look, was unable to say anything, because the person standing in front of her was truly her parent, and she was just left feeling frustrated.
“Ahem, well, I think the young lady can now begin her training in earnest.”
“That’s right! I don’t know about Sword Aura, but I want to become strong like Dad! You know? Flashy, powerful!”
Gordon, who had been managing the situation, announced that Rosaria could now start her training, and she responded by clenching her hands tightly and shouting as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Now I can become strong like the protagonists in those web novels!”
Until now, compared to her family members, who were ahead of her, Rosaria, who had done nothing (or rather couldn’t do anything), was finally feeling like she, too, might experience something protagonist-like, just like her family.
Her heart raced with excitement.
Though she didn’t express it openly, she had been hiding her anxious feelings until now.
Her mother, with a strong martial aura and great combat power.
Her father, who led the territory with wisdom.
Her younger sibling, who was skilled with magic.
A high school boy, the strongest in the world.
And even her grandfather, the elf princess, appeared—she had been feeling a bit anxious about it all.
Thus, even though she was thankful to Ariel for coming to her, she also thought that she, too, could now become strong, and her hands were itching to get started.
“Then, young lady, I believe it would be a good idea to choose your weapon.”
“Weapon…? A weapon, huh… sword, of course—ah.”
At Gordon’s remark, Rosaria, who had been about to lift her sword, suddenly looked at Dariann, as if realizing something.
“I find this comfortable~”
Dariann, who had decided to learn swordsmanship but had ended up wielding an axe, lifted the thick, one-edged axe in his hand as he spoke.
“There’s no need to pick a sword as your weapon. It’s better to find one that suits you.”
“Right, there’s no need to stick to a sword, huh?”
Dariann, who had manifested his Sword Aura using an axe, had shown that one didn’t have to be bound to a sword.
“May I humbly suggest a dagger? It’s easy to hide, can ease tension, and is perfect for taking down enemies with precision in critical situations.”
“By the way, my specialty is also daggers, so how about learning some stealth techniques?”
“Ugh! What’s so cool about fiddling with such a small thing? A weapon should be thick and powerful! If you swing this, most people would just be a mess!”
“Then let’s learn to wield an axe!”
“Ahem… Personally, I think a bow is a great weapon. Archery, which allows you to pierce your target from a distance, is truly formidable!”
“If Rosaria learns archery, I could teach you the secret archery techniques passed down through generations in the elf clan!”
“Archery isn’t suited for battles with people, so stealth techniques…”
“None of that matters! Strength is what counts! So let’s go with the axe!”
“Archery, which allows you to defeat enemies in a stylish and graceful manner…!”
“Wait! Wait! I get it, so calm down everyone!”
As Rosaria was deep in thought about which weapon to choose, three people, each strongly advocating for their preferred weapon, were momentarily removed from the scene. Rosaria began to ponder seriously.
‘Stealth skills… it feels like something a legendary assassin would use, mysterious and cool…’
‘But an axe isn’t bad either. When you think of a tough guy, an axe is the weapon…’
‘Still, archery does seem kind of cool…’
“Ugh… what should I choose?”
At that moment, as Rosaria was lost in deep thought, someone appeared in the distance and ran towards them.
“Oh, you guys are all here?”
“Huh? What’s up with you?”
It was Felix, approaching quickly after spotting Rosaria and the others.
“Well, I was trying to use the new staff I modified, but I couldn’t find Tene. Has anyone seen him?”
“Are you going to use Tene as a test subject again?”
“Well… hehe…”
It seemed that Felix had been looking for Tene to conduct another experiment when he happened to run into Rosaria’s group. Tene, noticing this, had apparently hidden himself in advance.
“So, what’s this about this time?”
“Oh, by the way, Rosaria, you’re just in time.”
Felix, having been caught off guard, smiled awkwardly before pulling out something wrapped in cloth that had been securely tied in the back. He began unwrapping it as if it were a perfect opportunity.
“This… this is the gun you made last time, isn’t it!?”
“A gun? Please, call it the ‘Matan Projectile MK II (Improved version)’!”
“By that logic, you could call a gun a lead projectile launcher, right? In the end, it’s the same thing!”
Upon seeing the weapon, Rosaria screamed in shock. It was similar to the magical gun Felix had made for her before. She had nearly forgotten about it after its immense destructive power caused it to break apart, but seeing it again brought back vivid memories of the time the training field had been nearly destroyed.
“Ah… this is the one from back then? The one that almost destroyed your mother’s house?”
“Hoh… is this it?”
While Rosaria was trembling at the memory, Dariann and Gordon, who hadn’t witnessed the destruction firsthand, found Felix’s new staff (the Abracadabra Instant Death Magic Launcher) quite intriguing.
“Hmm? The material feels familiar… Could it be…?”
Shalle, who had also been observing the staff with interest, suddenly gasped in realization.
“Ah, if you’re an elf, you might recognize it. It’s made from the World Tree’s branch.”
“Just as I thought! That’s why it felt familiar! I knew it!”
Felix, noticing their recognition, raised the staff and commented.
“Hm… definitely looks different from the last one you made. Last time, it was rough and poorly crafted, just some wood carved into shape. This one, though, the quality is much better.”
Rosaria, too, nodded in agreement, seeing that it was much more refined and well-crafted compared to the crude MK I she had seen before.
“Oh, you did a good job. Is that a gun? Does it shoot bullets too?”
At that moment, Dariann murmured thoughtfully while examining it.
“Wo, Wo… World Tree…!?”
“Huh? Gordon? What’s wrong?”
Unlike those who nonchalantly handle Felix’s staff, there was one person who stood with his mouth agape, unable to even string words together, as if he were in shock.
“Is it really… the branch of the World Tree?!”
It was Gordon.
“What’s wrong? Is it that surprising?”
“Master, the World Tree… the World Tree! The one called the creator god of the Elves!”
“A branch of the World Tree, which creates immense value even with a single leaf…?! A thing of that level, the only comparable item would be Rahelar’s staff, which became famous during the great war a thousand years ago!”
The branch of the World Tree was a dream material: it had excellent elasticity, was harder than most metals, had excellent magical conductivity, and even amplified magic. It was a material of unimaginable value.
Even just a leaf from the World Tree could buy an entire mansion, so for Gordon, the value of a branch was almost beyond imagination.
“That much? How much would it be worth in money?”
“No! It’s not just that! This alone would be almost a national treasure!”
“Something that could elevate the nation’s prestige… A treasure of that level… *cough! cough!!*”
Gordon was beside himself, pulling at his hair, his veins bulging, coughing as he passionately explained.
“Mithril? That precious metal, which is so rare that they say its price is whatever you ask, can barely make something like this!”
“Is it really that valuable? I just asked for one and they gave it to me.”
“In the human world, it’s that expensive… How strange.”
“…What?”
However, despite Gordon’s shock, Felix and Shalle just responded indifferently, as if it were nothing special, leaving Gordon dumbfounded.
“But to us, branches of the World Tree are pretty common…”
Shalle’s reaction was understandable.
Since the Elves lived in harmony with nature, they made things with minimal impact on the environment. For example, rather than cutting down entire trees for houses, they would hollow them out to use as homes (ordinary trees would die, but due to the power of the Great Forest, they grew without issue). The same principle applied to their furniture.
For detailed tools, they even used branches of the World Tree, as they regenerated in no time, with a branch about the size of a human arm growing back in less than an hour, as long as they didn’t overuse them.
Once made, these items lasted a long time, and Elves could use bows made from the World Tree’s branches for almost their entire lives.
Thus, they didn’t overuse them, and due to the Elves’ low birthrate, items like these were passed down through generations, remaining abundant and not depleted. In this sense, the material was quite common.
Therefore, while Shalle respected the World Tree, she didn’t hold the branches or leaves in any particularly sacred regard.
It was similar to how in modern Christianity, the bread and wine are considered the body and blood of the Lord, yet they aren’t viewed as untouchably precious items.
“When I asked if I could take some for research, they handed me a whole pile of firewood. I probably have about ten or so branches in my room.”
Felix, knowing this from the original story, had shamelessly asked for branches before leaving the Great Forest. Of course, as Felix was blessed by the Dragon, the Elves generously gave him more than enough.
“Hah, if it’s that valuable, it’s almost on par with a dragon’s scales…”
“Dragon scales? I could just ask Tene to spare one, right?”
“Ah.”
Gordon, who felt his head spin at the thought of the incredible treasure scattered all over Felix’s room—something he would never even see in his lifetime—muttered weakly.
However, those words were quickly refuted in an instant.
At the Evergarden mansion, the situation was so absurd yet shocking: if two materials were needed to create the legendary weapons, they could be taken out and used at any time.
Gordon recalled the time when he first met Tene and how the mithril dagger, which had shattered to pieces, still lingered in his heart.
In a situation where even mithril could be casually dismissed as ‘nothing,’ Gordon, who had once cherished and treated that ‘nothing’ as his number one treasure, couldn’t help but picture himself.
In that instant, Gordon nearly collapsed from shock and almost fainted.
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