Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata ~Senjou wo Kakeru Kaifuku Youin~

　Be aware of the release of magic power.

　Instead of releasing the magic gathered in the right arm as it is, weave and layer it.

　Make the most of the gauntlet’s magical auxiliary capacity to the maximum extent.

　You have to concentrate a lot, but you feel a different sensation than before, and you feel a faint sense of control.

“……”

　After a minute or so of weaving, the magic is released from the palm.

　Feeling that the magic power has enveloped you from the wrist onwards, you open your eyes.

　In your open vision, you see your right hand covered in the same green magic as usual.

“…… looks normal, doesn’t it?”

“Mmm, yes.”

　The eyes of the senpai, Kazuki and Leona gather on the hand covered with magic power.

　It looks nothing special, but you can try it out and touch it.

　When I touched the magic of my right hand with my left hand, it returned with an elasticity that almost sounded onomatopoeic: ‘Puyot’.

“Y-You can do it, Usato!”

“Is it working?　Is it working?　It’s so puffy!

　When I am impatient with the delighted Kazuki, the magic power in my palm instantly fizzles out.

　As Kazuki and I are stunned by the magical power that has vanished into thin air, a senpai speaks to us with a difficult look on his face.

“Apparently, if you relax, it will unravel. No, maybe it’s simply a short duration.”

“You mean ……?”

“I guess that means you just have to practice.”

　I knew that would be the case.

　It takes some getting used to before you can activate it, and still, it’s far from a real battle.

“But I’m impressed. I can’t believe you almost got it right the first time.”

“It’s because of Leona’s explanation. It was so easy to understand that even I could understand it.”

“Oh, really?　If you say so, it was worth it.”

　It was the same with Mia Rak, but Leona-san is still teaching me all the time.

　Now, thanks to Leona, I’ve got a good start, and all I have to do now is to do it in numbers, just like before, until I get it right.

　Fortunately, I don’t have to hurt my own hands every time I do it, like I did when I was strengthening the lineage, and it’s a lot easier on my mind.

“I’d like to try the elasticization as soon as possible.”

“Oh, you’re using it right away, aren’t you? Elasticizing.”

“It’s inconvenient without a name.”

　It’s easy to understand, and it’s not always easy to say “elasticity” to the magic power.

　While smiling at the senpai who looks awfully happy, I clothe my palms with magic power that has given them elasticity.

　As much as possible, I try not to lose my concentration and hold my gauntlet in front of me in the shape of a hand sword.

“I was thinking about ……, how does Usato-kun intend to use it?

“Senpai, right now, Usato is concentrating on …….”

“Hmm, that’s something I’m curious about too ……”

　Watch the space in front of you and imagine the enemy.

　The image is of Koga, the most memorable demon tribe as an enemy.

　The black-masked one is about to swing its claws down towards you, and you hit it with your elasticised gauntlet as if you were trying to dispel it.

“Hmmph!”

　I move my right arm as if it were played with the magic power of the elasticity grant, without exerting any force.

　If the Healing Accelerated Fist is a technique to add changes to my movements, the Elasticity Grant is a technique to eliminate waste from my movements.

　It is a fighting method for conserving magic power, replacing the outburst of system reinforcement, which consumes a lot of magic power, by repelling the opponent’s attack with the minimum amount of magic power and movement.

　Aiming at the gap where my arm is forcibly and significantly bounced by the elasticity, I thrust my left fist into the defenceless bosom of the opponent with a step forward.

“……”

　After all, an image is an image.

　Ideally, this is how it should be, but it doesn’t work like this as it is.

　……The current sequence of movements must be incomprehensible from the other side.

　What if the three of them look at me strangely?

　With this anxiety in mind, I dispelled the magic power in my right hand, which had burst, and turned to the three of them.

“You force your opponent to roll over with your right gauntlet, and then you can use your free left fist to knock him down with your left fist.”

“You’ve become even stronger in close combat. Usato.”

“That’s the kind of skill the enemy wouldn’t want to deal with. ……”

“Aree?!”

　It’s not too much of an insight, is it?

　I didn’t have to explain it to him, he understood the full extent of the technique.

　My cheeks twitched with so much comprehension.

“Anyway. The purpose of the training has been achieved sooner than I expected. Now we can work on the areas we want to improve?”

“That’s right. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works for you.

　Kazuki and senpai nodded at his words.

　As expected, I didn’t want him to ruin his training time just for me, so I agreed with him.

　Then, senpai turned to Leona-san, who was watching where the conversation was going.

“Leona-san. Can you tell me about systematic strengthening?”

“Hmm? Yes, that’s fine. But do you mind if I take some risks?”

“I know it’s dangerous!　In the future, if we want to fight against the Demon King’s army, we’ll need techniques like system strengthening!”

　Senpai makes a clenched fist with strong-willed eyes.

　Her enthusiasm seems to motivate Leona, too. …… I can tell.

“What do you really mean?”

“I want to use a special technique like the two of you!　……?

　When I spoke to her in a voice that sounded like a blur, I was immediately ragged.

　Senpai makes a huffing face, but Leona is somewhat taken back when she hears this.

“No, I’m the only one who hasn’t mastered the system reinforcement, or else I’d lose all face as a senpai!　Or rather, I was told not to practise because it’s dangerous, but Kazuki-kun was practising behind my back, isn’t that unfair!”

“So you’re jumping on my bandwagon?”

　　Kazuki, who was watching our exchange with a smiling face, is surprised, as if he didn’t expect the story to come round.

　But it was only for a moment that Kazuki took the brunt of it, and the senpai’s gaze immediately turned to me.

“In the first place, it’s not fair that Usato-kun learned it first!”

“No, I didn’t have any prior knowledge of it, I just noticed it when I let my magic outburst on my own.”

“No idea! How did that happen?”

　When I was in Olga-san’s clinic, I was trying to darken the colour of healing magic.

　Well, when I think about it, that was probably the beginning of my current fighting style.

“Wait a minute, Usato. What did you just ……?　I’m sure you’ve heard of it. What were you trying to do when you didn’t know how to strengthen the system ……?”

　Oh no, I’ve dug my own grave ……!

　I try to change the subject, laughing and fooling around with Leona, who looks at me with suspicious eyes.I try to change the subject, laughing and fooling around with Leona, who looks at me with suspicious eyes.

“Kazuki!　I heard that senpai and Leona-san are training to strengthen their lineage, so why don’t we do something together?”

“Ah, Ouh. Then will you accompany me in my sword training?　Because in the fight with Koga, I felt I wasn’t strong enough in melee combat.”

　I nodded at Kazuki’s words and hurried him to get started on his training.

　The training was to end before dusk.

　After that, we had to train with different training partners, but the training in lineage strengthening with senpai was full of surprises.

　By surprise, I don’t mean that the senpai had a hard time learning the systemic strengthening, but on the contrary, they were acquiring it at an unbelievably fast pace.

　I don’t know whether Leona’s teaching was skillful or whether senpai was a genius, but even including that, I was surprised.

“Hmmmmm.”

“You are in a good mood. Senpai.”

“I’ve finally learned to strengthen my system. I’m sure you’ll be happy.”

　On the way back from the castle, he smiled at her, because she was in a good mood.

　I don’t know why she said “I’ll walk you home! I don’t know why. I agreed without question, but I wondered if there was something she wanted to talk about.

“Well, partly because I’ve included it, but also because the lineage enhancement was a necessary technology for me now.”

“……?”

“In the fight with Amira, I found out that just being fast is not enough against certain people. I thought I needed a special move.”

“Was she as strong as you thought she was?”

　I’ve only met her twice.

　I knew she was strong, but I didn’t know what she was capable of.

“She was a tremendous opponent. He had more experience, more swordplay, more magic than I did. I think it was the power of Falga-sama’s armour that allowed me to win. …… In that sense, I guess you could say I’ve been saved by you again.”

“No, that’s not true …….”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. It was the same in the first battle, and it was the same in the second.”

　With that, the older woman turns her attention to the ribbon around her wrist.

　She touches it with her left hand and utters the words as if muttering.

“I am still weak. So I have to become more …… stronger.”

　As I walked next to her, I didn’t know how much meaning she had put into those words.

　　At this time, the image of the previous generation of heroes that I was made to watch in Samaria flashed through my mind.

　The previous generation of heroes who fought alone against the tyrannical wicked dragon.

　The overwhelming power and lonely back.

“Hey, who’s the one in the wrong? The king? The scary dragon? Or the …… hero?”

　I remember the words of a nameless girl, one of the souls bound to Samarial by the sorcerer’s magic.

　A force to be feared even by those who try to help.

　I don’t want…… senpai to become like that.

“Then I have to train myself to be as good as my senpai.”

“Yeah, why do you do that?”

　Senpai’s face turns pensive at my sudden words.

“Because if I leave you alone, you might end up in a strange situation.”

“Strange? You don’t trust me, do you?

　I shrug my shoulders, feeling the sunken air lighten.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to understand why I’m so excited about this.

“I was being serious!　I’ve been doing it, I Need More Power!”

“Oh, I don’t look good like that, so I’m usually in trouble.”

“You don’t like me being serious, do you?”

　I don’t understand why you don’t like me.

　But I don’t think it’s typical for senpai to be gloomy.

　I open my mouth, while passing over the senpai who are poking at me with a bit of a bite.

“We won’t let you fight alone like the heroes before you. You have us with you.”

“!”

　I think there was someone else next to the previous hero.

　I think the owner of the “Memoirs of a Hero” about him is that “someone”, but that person was solemnly regretting letting the previous generation of heroes fight alone.

　The previous hero who fought alone was betrayed by the people who believed in him, the people who were supposed to protect him, and he himself could not believe in anyone, he became lonely.

　I can’t imagine how painful that must be for you.

　But I don’t want senpai or Kazuki to feel that way.

“Let’s be strong together and face it together.”

“…… Yeah. Thank you, Usato-kun.”

　Reassured by the cheerful smile of senpai, I walked through the city, which was getting dark.

　Then a senpai walking on the left side of the road noticed something and pointed to my right hand.

“…… Huh?　Usato, you’re still wearing your gauntlet?”

“What?　Oh, you’re right.”

　Looking at his right arm, it was indeed still deployed, with Lady Falga’s gauntlet still in place.

　I thought I put it away at the end of training, but maybe I took it out unconsciously or didn’t put it away in the first place?

　At any rate, I put the gauntlet back in the form of a bracelet.

“…… I’m sure I unequipped it …….”

“I didn’t pay much attention to it either, so I didn’t notice it until now.”

　So much has happened today, I guess I must be tired?

　Well, it’s probably nothing to worry about.

　I thought lightly about this, and after once looking at the bracelet on my right hand, I turned around to face forward again.

Author’s Note:

–What was he really looking at?