Chapter 28 TUS Vol. 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – I Used the Thunder God Emperor’s Authority and She Instantly Warmed Up

The training camp was finally starting tomorrow, but—

“Listen here, mongrel. When you return from the training camp, your new home will be over there. From now on, you’ll eat your meals outside, too.”

It was at dinner that evening that Merlin suddenly announced this to Anastasia.

“Um, excuse me… what… what is this?”

At Merlin’s prompting, Anastasia and I turned to look out at the courtyard.

There, visible from the dining hall window, a brand-new doghouse was under construction in the middle of the courtyard.

“Merlin? What is the meaning of this?”

Merlin looked up at the ceiling and said with a pained, delicate tone.

“Ephthal-sama? I have kept silent about this until now, but the truth is, I saw everything. Now that the arrangements for the doghouse are in order, I felt it was time to make things perfectly clear.”

“You saw? Saw what?”

“After the incident with the Blue Dragon (Seiryū), this… this mongrel… dared to… to… Ephthal-sama’s… l-l-li… lips…!”

Ah. So she saw Anastasia catch me off guard with that kiss.

It seems she witnessed a rather embarrassing moment.

“Ephthal-sama! What was that? I demand an explanation!”

“Well, it was hardly something I could control…”

Merlin’s shoulders slumped in exasperation, and she shot a sharp glare at Anastasia.

“In any case, the mongrel belongs in the doghouse. And she will take her meals outside.”

“Isn’t that a little cruel?”

“I am merely concerned for your virtue, Ephthal-sama. This is an absolutely necessary measure.”

“My virtue? You don’t need to…”

Giving me no room to argue, Merlin pressed on relentlessly.

“You are not only a beautiful young man, Ephthal-sama, you are one of the strongest beings in all of humanity! To have your virtue squandered on a mongrel like this… I implore you to reconsider the value of your virginity.”

“Merlin, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The value of my virginity… Well, she’s not wrong. In this current life, I am technically a virgin.

“I absolutely refuse to allow your virginity to be taken by such a mongrel!”

“Even if—hypothetically—Anastasia and I were to enter that kind of relationship, wouldn’t that be my own choice?”

“It is not! This is the virginity of the Thunder God Emperor! There is such a thing as a suitable partner! If that’s the case… if that’s the case, then perhaps it would be better if—”

“Better if…?”

Merlin fell silent. She paused, took a deep breath, and declared:

“I shall be your partner for the first night!”

I instantly brought my fist down on Merlin’s head with a solid thunk.

“Stop saying ridiculous things, Merlin. Are you trying to make me angry?”

“But, Ephthal-sama… the first partner of the Thunder God Emperor must surely be someone of great magic ability!”

“I really don’t think ability has anything to do with it…”

“A-anyway! I cannot consent to a young man and woman of impressionable age living under the same roof.”

“Well, if we were in the same room, I’d agree that’s a problem. But can’t she just stay in the room next to mine, like she does now? Aren’t you being a little too strict?”

“No.”

Her rejection was sharp and final.

“Then what if I sleep on the second floor and Anastasia stays on the first?”

“No.”

Again, a sharp refusal.

“Can’t we at least eat our meals together?”

“Absolutely not. I am the headmaster of the academy, an educator. I cannot permit such an unhealthy relationship between the sexes.”

“Ah… right…”

She’d completely steamrolled me. Then again, once she makes up her mind about something, she never listens to reason.

I remember when I got sick, she forced me to quit smoking…

“By the way, what exactly do you mean by making Anastasia eat ‘outside’?”

“She will be eating this outside.”

Merlin snapped her fingers. A maid appeared and placed a single dish on the table.

“Pet food?!”

“This is more than sufficient for a mongrel.”

Oh, no, no, no… She’s really angry.

“But why are you suddenly acting so hostile about what happened?”

“As I just said, I was holding my tongue, intending to deal with this after the doghouse was ready. And now… well, now I’m remembering it all over again, and it’s making me furious!”

I mean, I can’t deny that ‘getting angry all over again just by remembering’ is a real thing.

Still, she doesn’t need to get this angry over a simple kiss… In fact, come to think of it, why is Merlin the one getting angry about this at all?

Just then, Merlin produced another suspicious item from her robes.

“What’s that?”

“Cat ears.”

“C-C-Cat ears?”

“Yes, precisely. Cat ears. Beast ears are fitting for a mongrel.”

“Even if that’s your logic, shouldn’t they be dog ears?!”

“Regardless—”

And with that, Merlin forced the cat ears onto Anastasia’s head.

“There, mongrel! Now you are truly a dog! Say ‘woof’ immediately!”

A bewildered Anastasia looked over at me. Blushing deeply, she tilted her head, clearly embarrassed—

“…w-w-w… woof…!”

I have to admit, I found it just a little bit cute. But I’m pretty sure that look was a plea for help.

I gave a firm nod and said to Anastasia,

“Anastasia, this treatment is just too cruel. I’ll have a word with her later, but you need to stand up for yourself and talk back to Merlin. Don’t be afraid just because it’s her. I’m on your side in this.”

Hearing this, Anastasia looked at me nervously.

“Is it really okay for me to talk back?”

“Yes. Talk back.”

“Is it really, really okay?”

“Yes. Actually… it might be better if you say it with some menace.”

“M-M-Menace?”

“Yes. Merlin may be your superior, but this is going too far. If you let her walk all over you, it’ll never stop.”

“But, but, I…”

“I told you before, didn’t I? You have to say ‘no’ when you don’t like something.”

“…I’ll try. I’ll try my best to stand up to Merlin-sama.”

This crippling shyness of hers is a really bad habit. That’s why I decided I had to harden my heart and make her fight this battle for herself.

“That’s it! That’s the spirit! You can do it, Anastasia!”

But despite my encouragement, Anastasia was still clearly terrified of Merlin, her expression timid and anxious.

“Menace… and I’m wearing cat ears… No, right now, I’m a beast… If that’s the case, there’s only one way for a beast to show menace… This is it!”

She seemed to be steeling her resolve by talking to herself, but… what on earth was she talking about? What does she mean, ‘the way for a beast to show menace’?

And then, she took a deep breath. Still visibly terrified, she let out a timid, reserved—and mosquito-quiet—sound:

“…r-r… roar…!”

Merlin and I were speechless. We both nearly fell over right where we stood.

Anastasia, however, turned to me with a surprisingly confident expression.

“I did my best!”

“W-W-Well… I can certainly see you gave it your all.”

Just then, Merlin glared at Anastasia and clicked her tongue.

Wait, why is Merlin picking on Anastasia so much?

Come to think of it, Merlin was incredibly rebellious toward my wife, too, back in the day. Is she just bad with other women? While I was wrestling with this indescribable feeling, Anastasia spoke up, a half-smile on her face.

“Merlin-sama? I’ve gotten over my fear now. So, what is this? Are you still treating me like a slave?”

“No. I’m treating you like a criminal.”

A criminal… As I reeled back, Anastasia glared right back at Merlin.

“I am a human being. Ephthal-sama told me before… that I don’t have to endure things anymore. That I should be honest and say ‘no’ when I hate something. So from now on, I intend to state my opinions clearly.”

“Oh? Are you saying you’ll defy me, little girl?”

“I don’t care if you are Merlin-sama, this treatment is too… cruel!”

“Very well. Allow me to carve the pecking order of this house directly into your body.”

“I’ll at least… get one hit in!”

And with that, the two of them disappeared down into the underground training facility.

In the meantime, I took the opportunity to ask a maid to ensure that, whenever Merlin wasn’t around, Anastasia was served the same food as us, inside the mansion.

Also, the doghouse was just too pitiful, so I arranged for a carpenter to change the plans to a small, six-tatami-mat-sized cottage instead.

It’s true that Anastasia is the kind of girl who’ll spring a surprise kiss on you, so I can’t say with total certainty that nothing would happen if we lived under the same roof.

This was probably Merlin’s way of declaring her intention to rigorously train Anastasia as her junior disciple from now on.

To do that, she’s deliberately playing the villain.

That must be it. Yes, that’s what this is all about.

—Thinking about it any deeper seemed like a pain, so I decided to just leave it at that.

And then, late that night—

Merlin came to my bedroom, her expression unusually serious.

“Hm? You don’t seem to be in the same joking mood as you were at dinner.”

I let Merlin into the room and used magic to heat the teapot.

I was about to get two cups, but Merlin hurriedly stopped me, saying, “Please, allow me,” and began preparing the tea herself.

After we’d taken a sip of the warm tea and relaxed for a moment, Merlin broke the silence.

“Um… why are you so partial to that girl?”

“You mean Anastasia? Or Maria?”

“Maria, I mean. It seems to me, Ephthal-sama, that she’s wrapped you around her little finger.”

I tilted my head and let out a small chuckle.

“If you ask why I’m partial to her, the simplest answer is ‘because I decided to be.’ Besides, you already know the reason, don’t you, Merlin?”

Merlin lowered her gaze to her teacup, her eyelashes fluttering down.

“Your wife… isn’t it?”

“She’s an elf from the same forest, and she looks so much like her. Don’t you think it would be harder to not get involved?”

“Well, they are likely distant blood relatives.”

“Yes. This must be some kind of fate. I want to help her accomplish her goals, if I can.”

Merlin bit her lip for a brief second, her brow furrowing—but it was immediately replaced by a gentle smile.

“You always were soft when it came to your wife, Ephthal-sama. Heh, if the current Magic Society ever found out that one of the Four Emperors, the legendary founder, was completely wrapped around his wife’s finger, it would cause an uproar.”

“Haha. As always, you’re particularly harsh when it comes to Bridget, aren’t you, Merlin?”

We laughed together for a moment before Merlin’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“However, even if that’s your reason… was it really necessary to accompany her to the training camp? You are aiming to become the strongest in this life; I question the wisdom of taking such a detour.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “Of course, Maria isn’t the only reason I’m going to the camp.”

“And that is?”

“The Fire God Emperor is a serious threat. Even I, in my prime, was no match for him, and there’s the issue of my magic aptitude. As I am now, even if I master magic, the absolute best I can be is as strong as I used to be.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But in this life, I’ve gained the power of the sword. I want to hone that skill and gain the power to oppose the Fire God Emperor as a magic swordsman. To that end, I looked into the ‘Thunder God Emperor Ephthal Festival.’ The final winning team of that tournament becomes the academy’s official representative, correct?”

At this, Merlin nodded. “I see.”

“You intend to win the Ephthal Festival and participate in the inter-academy tournament held at the Magic Society headquarters.”

“All the important figures in the Magic Society gather there at the same time, don’t they?”

“It’s more that the Magic Society’s schedule comes first, largely for the awards ceremonies. The inter-academy tournament and various other magical events are all scheduled to align with it. The main purpose is to gather outstanding young talent for the society’s leaders to encourage and inspire.”

“That’s what I figured. I’m also curious to see what the current Four Emperors look like, but more importantly—”

“The guest, the Sword God Emperor?”

“Yes. I need to somehow make contact with the Sword God Emperor and ask him to teach me. I hear he lives like a hermit, right? It seems even your connections can’t get me a meeting, so this tournament is my most reliable chance. That’s why Maria’s interests and mine are aligned.”

“But those two are only first-years. I admit they are exceptionally talented for their grade, but… the main Ephthal Festival tournament is a five-on-five team competition. Your strength alone won’t be enough to win, Ephthal-sama.”

“If it were just an elimination-style tournament, I could just defeat everyone by myself. But… even if we forfeit two matches due to a lack of members, if the other three of us win, we can still take the championship. That’s why I decided I need to whip those two into shape before the main event.”

“I see. I understand. …However,” Merlin said with a sharp smile.

“Why would you do something that amounts to abandoning the life of this Maria you claim to support? You are aware of the connection between elves, the Divine Beast, and the living sacrifice, are you not?”

“Of course I know. But there is a reason why I cannot interfere with that fate.”

“A reason why you cannot interfere?”

“Yes. It’s because—”

—It became a rather long story.

It was a story from my days in the Adventurers Guild, from before I met Merlin, even before the war against the Demon King. A story from over four hundred years ago, an era that now sounds like a fairy tale.

It was from around the time I met my wife, Bridget, and fell in love… a rambling story of a past failure.

When I had finished telling her everything, Merlin was speechless.

“That… happened?”

“Yes. That’s why I can’t interfere right now.”

And, well…

For one reason or another, it was decided that Anastasia and I would begin our life at the training camp the very next day.

☆★☆★☆★

And so, our group set off for the training camp.

By the way, each group was assigned a different starting point and was required to cross the Great Forest independently to reach the camp.

It was basically survival training, much like you’d get at the Adventurers Guild; being ordered to reach the camp under our own power was the whole point of this excursion.

In terms of the model course’s difficulty, it was at a level where even a second-year class representative from the magic academy could get injured.

It seems we’ll be forced to do joint excursions like this frequently during the camp, which is probably why they warned us at the briefing that first-years were likely to get hurt.

Another training objective was clearly to give us experience with camping and setting up a night watch.

In fact, the standard route was timed so that we would definitely have to spend at least one night in a tent.

We were heading toward the camp, when—

“Huh? Why should I have to follow a training menu you put together?”

Maria said this just after we’d left the academy, when I handed her a paper with her training regimen during our first break.

“Jeez, I’m nice to you for one second and you get full of yourself… Sure, you might be more talented than me, but we’re supposed to be equals, you know.”

“Then would you prefer to learn from that instructor of ours?”

Ah, by the way, our homeroom instructor is under orders to remain shut in his room at the training camp.

After the camp, he’s scheduled for ‘corrective guidance’ from Merlin. If he shows sufficient remorse, he’ll be allowed to return to teaching.

Well, he’s seen enough pain that he now lets out a little “Eep!” every time he sees my face, so let’s just pray he becomes a decent human being.

Anyway, setting that aside, my words clearly flustered Maria, but she quickly regained her composure with a small cough.

“For a genius of my caliber, it’s common sense that self-training is more effective, don’t you think?”

For someone who already has a certain level of skill and knowledge, that’s true. It’s more efficient to actively study texts and practice on your own, finding the methods that suit you best, rather than just being passively taught by someone else.

However… I sighed.

“That only applies to those who have already mastered all the fundamentals. I really don’t think you’ve reached that level, Maria.”

At my honest assessment, Maria’s face turned bright red.

“Huh? Are you trying to be obnoxious? We’re the same age, but you talk like some adult instructor… It’s so annoying!”

Fuming, Maria shot up from where she was sitting.

“Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. You got a problem with that?”

I couldn’t really argue with that.

And with that, Maria disappeared into the bushes.

—One hour later.

“Well, this is a problem.”

Maria hadn’t returned, so I went to look for her. All I found was a letter.

It read:

‘I can do anything by myself. As proof, I’m going to reach the training camp all on my own. This is a challenge! You’d better try to get there before I do. If you manage that, I’ll listen to what you have to say!’

…What a pain.

She really has a difficult personality… As I let out a deep sigh, Anastasia asked timidly,

“This is a forest with monsters, isn’t it? Will Maria-san be all right?”

“Normally, with her level of power, she’d be fine. But things aren’t normal right now, which is why I sighed.”

“What do you mean?”

Just as I expected, a massive monster stampede is imminent, triggered by the Divine Beast’s influence. Or rather, the powerful magic energy emanating from one area has driven the really nasty creatures from the depths of the forest all the way out here.

I’ve had my detection magic active for a while now… and it looks like I hit the jackpot. Maria hasn’t noticed, but she’s already surrounded from a distance.

The second-years are actually being protected by Sasha from the shadows, so they’re fine. The reason Merlin called her master here was likely to ensure the students’ safety during the impending stampede. Especially since Sasha isn’t the type to give lectures.

And where I am… is outside Sasha’s protection range.

“Level 9: Sanctuary.”

I cast a monster-repelling barrier over our location. Now, any low-level monsters will evaporate the instant they touch the barrier. And even if a monster on the level of that Blue Dragon (Seiryū) we fought earlier appeared, as long as Anastasia stays quiet inside this barrier, it won’t be able to detect her.

“Is this… a barrier?”

“Yes. Do not, under any circumstances, leave this spot until I get back.”

“What about you, Master?”

“I’m going to retrieve Maria.”

That said, Maria is surrounded by some truly nasty monsters. We’re talking creatures that Level 3 or 4 magic won’t even scratch. In that case… I guess that’s my only option.

I never thought the fact that Sasha is my master would come in handy like this.

The thought made me shrug, completely fed up.

A few minutes later.

Having used flight magic to get ahead of Maria on the path, I settled down heavily on a tree stump.

Soon enough, Maria came walking down the path, humming to herself as she passed through the sun-dappled forest.

“Hey, you there, girl.”

“Yes? Can I help you?”

It feels a little strange, having Maria use such polite language with me.

Then again, given this form, I suppose it’s unavoidable.

“…Um, have we met somewhere before?”

Maria tilted her head, her expression suspicious. I cleared my throat once.

“No, we haven’t. Tell me, why is a young girl like you out here all alone?”

That’s right. I was currently using illusion magic to take on the form I’d had in my previous life.

The monsters surrounding us right now would be difficult to exterminate discreetly. So, if I was going to cause a commotion anyway, I figured I might as well use the authority of the Thunder God Emperor.

This forest is, after all, where my master Sasha lives. And Sasha is well-versed enough in necromancy to have turned herself into a vampire.

—In other words, the excuse that Sasha had summoned the Thunder God Emperor Ephthal to this world for a limited time would be plausible.

As for the reason for the summoning, something like “Sasha was too strong and needed a sparring partner” would probably work.

Of course, summoning a dead person back with their mind and reason intact is an enormous feat. Theoretically, it’s impossible, but… when dealing with Maria, the ‘Sasha’ excuse would probably be enough to fool her.

After all, Sasha is so far beyond the norm that even I sometimes wonder if she could actually pull something like that off.

That aside, I really didn’t want to stand out if I could help it. If I could avoid revealing I was the Thunder God Emperor, I would.

And so, I cleared my throat again.

“I’m a solo adventurer. I usually spend my time hunting monsters deep in this forest.”

“Alone? Then you must be incredibly skilled. Um… should I call you ‘Grandfather’? Or ‘Mister’? Which do you prefer?”

Well, I did die at an age and with an appearance that’s… ambiguous.

Still, being called ‘Grandfather’ stings a little.

“‘Mister’ is fine. And to me, a student like you walking out here alone looks like a suicide attempt. You should wait until you’re a full-fledged adult before trying to go solo.”

“A suicide attempt? The monsters around here are weak. For an elf, this place is like my own backyard.”

Maria puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her flat chest defiantly.

“Besides, it’s rude to say I’m not an adult! Don’t look down on me just because I’m a kid—Eek!”

I dashed toward Maria, grabbed her, and leaped away.

A shadow zipped past with incredible speed, right through the space where Maria had been standing a second ago.

“Is that… a Demon Bird Garuda?”

The black bird was about twice the size of a large eagle.

Just as Maria said, that was definitely a monster that shouldn’t be appearing in this area.

What’s worse, its eyes were bloodshot. It had clearly been driven from its feeding grounds deeper in the forest and was starving.

In terms of danger, even a fairly talented student from the modern magic academy would be torn to shreds in minutes.

“Well, then…”

As I glared at the Garuda circling in the air, Maria stepped in front of me to face it.

“I can handle this myself, so don’t worry. Besides, my weapon is a bow, so I have the advantage.”

As she spoke, Maria loosed an arrow at the Garuda.

“Level 1: Grant Wind.”

It’s true that most bird-type monsters are speed-focused and specialized in evasion. They tend to have low durability, so if you can just land a hit, they often go down easily.

Maria’s skill with the bow was solid, and she’d effectively imbued the arrow with magic, but—

“…Huh? No way… It hit, but…”

But the Garuda was capable of using defensive magic, even if it was low-level.

Maria’s arrow did indeed strike the Garuda, but her firepower was desperately lacking. The wound just barely pierced its flesh. It was nowhere near a fatal blow, and it hardly even slowed the monster down.

In retaliation, the Garuda dove at Maria, slashing at her shoulder with its talons.

“Aah!”

“Hey, girl. Are you still going to insist you can handle this alone?”

In response to my question, Maria just grinned.

“Yes, I am!”

“Hey, you idiot!”

Maria lunged, grabbing the Garuda with both hands and seizing it by the neck. Naturally, it countered with its beak and talons, covering her in lacerations from head to toe in an instant. And yet… while tanking the blows, Maria plunged a short knife deep into the Garuda’s stomach.

“Gugegoh!”

As the Garuda let out a strangled cry, she struck again with the knife, severing its neck.

I sighed.

—A kamikaze fighting style, plain and simple.

To grapple an opponent that uses talons and its beak as weapons, just to get in close for a one-hit kill. But that put her right in the monster’s kill-zone, too. If that thing had struck her in the eye, she would have been fatally wounded, if not killed instantly.

I don’t hate that way of fighting. But it’s not a way to live a long life. And this wasn’t even a situation that called for risking her life… What a foolish kid.

“Hey, girl. You’ll die young if you keep fighting like that.”

“Unfortunately for you, I don’t have it in me to run from a fight I can win. This proves it, doesn’t it?”

“Proves what?”

“That me being out here isn’t a suicide attempt. That I have the skills of an adult.”

What a foolish kid. She knowingly fought that recklessly just to prove a point to some passing adventurer?

Just then… more black shadows began to circle through the forest.

Before I knew it, five Garudas were circling us. A sideways glance confirmed that even Maria’s expression was now tinged with fear.

“I can still… I can still do this. I can do anything by myself… No, I have to. I can’t run from an opponent I can beat…”

More shadows appeared.

The number of shadows in the air multiplied instantly. When the count passed ten, I called out to Maria again.

“Even now… is this still a fight you can win?”

“…Why are there so many… Garudas in a place like this? There’s no way… a student can handle this many…”

“Then it’s time to switch players.”

I tapped the stunned Maria on the shoulder. Then, I held my palm forward and intoned.

“Level 6: Thousand Slash.”

Countless lances of wind appeared, unleashing a thousand piercing thrusts within a contained area. It was, for all intents and purposes, a barrier of wind spears. Naturally, the Garudas were instantly pierced through and through.

“Gya!”

“Gih!”

“Shaaaa!”

The Garudas fell to the ground, one after another. I turned and smiled at Maria.

“First, you need to learn your own limitations.”

“L-L-Level 6…?”

Maria fell onto her backside, her eyes wide in disbelief.

If I stick to using Level 6 magic, I can pass myself off as a simple, high-ranking adventurer.

If I use anything stronger, I’ll have a hard time explaining it without revealing I’m the Thunder God Emperor, which I really don’t want to do… Just then, I clicked my tongue.

It seemed things weren’t going to be that easy.

“It’s just one thing after another… Hey, girl. Don’t let your guard down. It’s not over yet.”

At the end of our gaze, a disaster-class monster known as a Cockatrice stood, its eyes glowing red. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a bird, and it was an incredibly powerful monster.

In this day and age… you’d probably need a dozen of those Fraser brothers to take one down.

—In other words, even for me, this was a major pain.

“Well, can’t be helped… Guess I’ll have to get a little serious.”

“It doesn’t matter how strong you are, Mister… that’s a Cockatrice! It’s reckless to fight it without requesting a full-scale dispatch from the Knight’s Order or the Adventurers Guild!”

So now it takes the full might of the public safety organizations to deal with one?

Back in my day, it was the kind of monster a few high-level adventurer parties could handle…

Feeling strangely sad about that, I moved to draw my sword—just as the Cockatrice’s pupils turned purple. Our eyes met.

“Aaaaaaaaaah! The petrification! The Petrification Eye! M-M-M-Misterrrrrr!”

As Maria’s scream echoed, the Cockatrice began to cackle.

“My name is Cockatrice. I am an ancient demon bird.”

The Cockatrice stared me down with its purple eyes, taking one step after another toward me.

“My Petrification Eye is an absolute power. None who meet my gaze can escape turning to stone.”

“I-I-It talked?! The Cockatrice talked!”

“High-level monsters understand human speech. From the looks of you, you’re a mere student of magic. To think that those who don’t even know that much have increased… the world of men is truly in decline. In the past, there were plenty of warriors who truly threatened us.”

The Cockatrice closed the distance between us and reared its head back. It was probably winding up for a beak attack.

“This one is caught in my gaze… He cannot move as the petrification takes hold. I shall wait for it to complete, and then shatter him to dust. And after that—you’re next, little girl.”

The Cockatrice cackled and continued.

“His heart will stop at any moment. The petrification will spread throughout his body, and in just a few more seconds—Gah?!”

Sorry to interrupt.

—I planted a full-power front kick right in its stomach.

“Gobuh—!”

The Cockatrice went flying back about ten meters, and I drew my sword.

“Unfortunately for you, ‘evil eye’ abilities don’t work on me.”

In the end, a petrifying gaze is just another form of status-effect magic.

There was no way I, having mastered magic to the extent of being named one of the Four Emperors, wouldn’t have a resistance to it.

Still, this was far too shocking for a normal person to witness. My excuse of being a high-ranking adventurer wouldn’t hold up anymore.

“Conversely, this means I don’t have to hide anymore. In that case, I’ll be coming at you with everything I’ve got.”

“M-Mister! No! It’s no good! Run! We have to, we have to ru—”

Maria’s scream cut off.

Ah, I see. No wonder she’s terrified. Three more Cockatrices had just appeared.

Hmmm… These four were probably the ones ruling the monster hierarchy in this forest.

The fact that they’ve been driven all the way out here… it’s safe to assume the Divine Beast in the depths is on the verge of a full revival.

But that’s a problem for later.

“Well, this is sudden, but… goodbye, you bird-brains!”

Even for me, fighting multiple opponents of this caliber head-on is a massive pain. And I already knew there was a total of four.

That’s why, while I was pretending to be paralyzed by the Petrification Eye, I was busy formulating a spell.

—A spell to end this all in a single blow.

I held my palm forward and pronounced the Thunder God’s sentence of death upon every Cockatrice present.

“—Level 10: Thunder God Emperor Ephthal!”

The entire area was engulfed in a blinding, pale-blue flash and a deafening roar.

☆★☆★☆★

“And so, that’s the reason I’m here.”

“But… how is that even…”

I’d fed Maria a complete lie.

Something along the lines of me being revived every Friday of my death month, just to be Sasha’s sparring partner.

It was a completely absurd and preposterous story. But I did have the hard evidence of having just used “Level 10: Thunder God Emperor Ephthal.”

“Nngh… but Level 10… coming back from the dead… is that… is that even possible…?”

Well now, she still looks skeptical. How is this going to play out…?

Just as I was wondering, Maria thought for a moment—thought long and hard about it—and then gave a deep, decisive nod.

“I see. That makes perfect sense.”

—Yes! She’s as gullible as I thought!

When you get right down to it, this kid’s thought process seems to be surprisingly straightforward.

And then, Maria gasped, “Oh!” as if she’d just realized something. She suddenly became flustered—

“Wait? Wait? Does that mean… you really are the Thunder God Emperor? The legendary Ephthal-sama? Right here, in front of me? No, not just that, you talked to me—?”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden, Maria?”

“Wha- wha- wha-! You spoke to me… No way! You’re kidding! Did the Ephthal-sama really just say myname!?”

What is this reaction?

I’m the one who wants to say “Wha—”!?

As we both stood there acting flustered, Maria suddenly had an idea and pulled a pen and a book from her bag.

“P-P-Please sign this! I’ve admired you for so long!”

Admired me… Ah, come to think of it, she did say something like that before.

An autograph? I’m not some pop star. …Although, I guess I’m just as ridiculous for actually agreeing to it.

“Th-Th-Thank you so much! I’ll treasure this forever!”

“By the way—”

I brought my fist down on Maria’s head.

“Ack!”

“Why did you fight so recklessly? You’re old enough to know the difference between foolishness and bravery, aren’t you? I’m the Thunder God Emperor. I have a duty to guide fledglings who study magic. Now that I’m involved, I can’t just walk away.”

Maria looked dejected and bowed her head to me.

“There’s… a reason for that.”

“A reason?”

“I’m originally an elf from this forest. From… a rather special bloodline.”

“And?”

“The truth is, my clan… was massacred ten years ago.”

“Massacred…?”

I thought about it for a second. Yeah, that sounds about right.

I’ve understood her situation ever since I caught the scent of that perfume. Considering the chain of events, that outcome was certainly possible.

“So I became an orphan and was taken in by another clan. But that’s where the problems started… My clan was one of the magic-warrior bloodlines responsible for protecting all the people of the forest. But the clan that took me in… their livelihood was hunting.”

“Right. And?”

“Hunting requires hounds. The ability to tame demon dogs with Monster Taming is essential. As an orphan who was completely alone and indebted to them, I couldn’t just refuse to work because I was a child. The problem was… I had zero talent for Monster Taming.”

That figures.

As a member of a clan that protects the forest, her blood has been altered. Monsters would never take to Maria. In a sense, her very blood is harmful to them.

“So, after all that, I passed the magic academy’s entrance exam, and… well, here I am.”

“And how does that connect to the way you were fighting earlier?”

“…I can’t let anyone look down on me. Not ever again.”

Maria clenched her fist tightly and nodded, her eyes filled with powerful resolve.

“Back then, a monster stampede on an unprecedented scale was about to happen, with no warning signs. If that stampede had broken out, every elf clan in the forest would have been annihilated. Monsters would have flooded out of the forest and devastated the surrounding regions. That’s why… our clan stood in its path.”

“…An old custom, was it?”

“You knew about it? Yes, just as you say, our clan is a family of the forest’s guardians. For generations, we have always been the ones to prevent the great stampedes. But a disaster… if it doesn’t happen for long enough, it’s as if it never existed at all. And over time, the people who were preventing it… they started to be taken for granted.”

“The old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem.”

“That’s exactly it. In the end, my clan was wiped out ten years ago stopping that stampede.”

“But…” Maria bit her lip, her expression full of regret.

“The… other elves in the forest showed us no gratitude. It even got to the point where some of them started questioning whether our ‘duty’ was ever real to begin with.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are even those who say we didn’t stop a stampede at all. That we were just… a bunch of idiots whose village got attacked by a monster horde and was wiped out. I lost my parents, all my relatives, and even when I was taken in by another clan… I was mocked for being ‘one of the idiots’…”

“So, you feel like you have to prove them wrong.”

“Yes. I have to prove them wrong. I have to prove… that my mother and father, and everyone in my clan… they weren’t idiots. I have to prove, by showing how exceptional I am, that they were incredible people who gave their lives to protect something. I have to make everyone see the truth.”

“…”

“I studied so hard. I managed to get into this academy as an exchange student, tuition-free, with special treatment. But this is just a stepping stone. That’s why I can’t lose to anyone. I can’t show any weakness. I have to keep walking this path… as a perfect, flawless elite!”

Suddenly, her eyes welled with tears, but she shook her head fiercely.

It looked like all sorts of distant memories were flashing back at once, and she was almost overwhelmed. But she held on with sheer willpower and refused to cry. That part, I thought with a wry smile, was very like her.

“Then you’d better make sure you prove them all wrong, Maria.”

“Yes…” she nodded.

“Well, I get the situation now. That’s why you were fighting like that. Trying to act tough and puff yourself up, even in front of a random guy you just met…”

What a pitiful kid. Still, I don’t dislike kids with that kind of strong core.

That said, this is a separate issue from that.

Which is why I gave her cheek a hard pinch.

“Ow!?”

“Don’t you ever treat your life so carelessly again. If you die before you can restore your clan’s pride, it’ll all be for nothing, won’t it?”

“…I’m sorry.”

I gave another wry smile at Maria’s uncharacteristically meek attitude.

“But, I don’t dislike people who value their pride. You don’t need to change that fundamental part of yourself.”

“You mean… it’s fine for me to be this way?”

“There are good sides and bad sides, aren’t there? That’s something you have to learn for yourself from now on, not something anyone can teach you.”

“…Good sides?”

Maria looked startled, and then her entire expression lit up like a flower blooming.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… no one’s ever told me that any part of my personality was ‘fine as it is’ before… For you, Ephthal-sama… to validate my way of life… it just makes me so happy!”

No one’s ever told her that, huh? Well, that’s not surprising.

Her attitude toward her peers is way too intense, and there are definitely a lot of things she needs to work on.

“So, first things first: stop treating your life so lightly. Got it, Maria?”

“Yes.”

Just then, I noticed her shoulders were trembling.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Haha… I guess… the terror of facing that Cockatrice is just hitting me now.”

That’s a common reaction for rookie adventurers after a life-threatening encounter.

She was probably running on adrenaline, and once that wore off… well, this reaction made sense.

Seeing her start to tremble violently, I tried to recall what I used to do in situations like this…

“I… I can’t stop shaking. Huh? What is this? It’s weird… Huh? It’s getting stronger… I’m sorry, I can’t… I can’t stand up… I’m going to fall…”

Just as she was about to collapse, I gently placed my hand on her head.

“I’m right here. You don’t have to be afraid.”

When Merlin was a child, she often came to my room after having a nightmare.

Back then, doing this would always calm her down right away.

“Ephthal-sama’s hand… it’s so big and warm.”

As I stroked her hair, Maria’s trembling gradually subsided, and her expression softened with relief.

Just as the shaking stopped completely, Maria spoke to me, her voice hesitant.

“Um… I’m sorry. Could you please… stop stroking my head now?”

“Hm? You don’t like it?”

Maria immediately shook her head back and forth.

“I-I-I’m not saying I don’t like it! Q-Quite the opposite… I don’t dislike it at all! I’m happy. So happy… I never want to wash my hair again.”

“No, you should definitely wash your hair. So why ask me to stop?”

“Ephthal-sama’s hand is so warm and big. When you stroke my hair, I feel so safe… and, well, how do I say this…”

Hm? What’s she getting at? I tilted my head.

“I… I lost my parents a long time ago, and I’ve spent my whole life trying to be strong… I never had anyone who approved of me or… or was gentle with me… I think that’s why. That’s why I’m feeling so… strange right now…”

“Oh?”

“…I’m going to say something strange now, but please don’t think I’m weird, okay? Um… for someone like you, Ephthal-sama, to be so gentle with me… it feels so strange, and I know it’s presumptuous, but… I… I feel like… I want Ephthal-sama to…”

Her face turned bright red as she looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

“…I feel like I want you to coddle me.”

I was caught off guard; for a second, I actually thought she was cute. And just then, Maria—

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for saying something so childish! But I don’t know why, that’s just what I felt! I’m sorry for feeling that! Please don’t think I’m weird!”

Well, from Maria’s perspective, I’m probably the first truly, overwhelmingly powerful person she’s ever met.

She probably sees me, the Thunder God Emperor, as a father figure, or maybe her admiration for me has translated into a feeling of safety.

She seemed fine now, so I took my hand away. The moment I did, Maria’s face fell.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Um, when you take your hand away, I suddenly feel really anxious again… The fear from those monsters… it’s like it’s flashing back… I… I think I’m going to start shaking again.”

“…Make up your mind. Do you want me to stop or not? You’re such a handful. Sigh… Fine. You want me to do it again?”

Maria fell silent. Unable to look me in the eye, she averted her gaze, her face turning as red as an apple.

“…Please… do.”

If only she were always this endearing…

The thought left me with complicated feelings.

Ah, that’s right. While I’m at it, I might as well solve that other problem.

“By the way, you’re a magic academy student, right? Heading to a training camp… is that correct?”

“As expected, Ephthal-sama, you know everything.”

“Right. So, what kind of training regimen do you have at this camp? I’m curious to know what methods they use these days.”

Maria gloomily handed me a piece of paper—the very training menu I had spent so much time putting together.

“Some kid in my class is trying to boss everyone around and make us do this. It’s a ridiculous menu… I have no intention of following it. Sure, he’s more skilled than me, but a student trying to teach other students? He’s getting way too full of himself…”

All right, time to invoke the authority of the Thunder God Emperor. Then again, it’s not even authority. This is just the plain truth.

“Maria, are you in your right mind?”

“…My right mind?”

“This is perfect. If you follow this obediently, there is no better training regimen for someone at your current skill level.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, it is.”

With that, I gave Maria a pat on the shoulder.

“Well, we can’t stand here talking all day. I’ll see you to a safe spot, and then that’s it.”

“What? We’re… we’re done talking… already?”

She looked as if her world had just ended.

A mixture of reluctance and sorrow. It seemed that story about her admiring me was true after all.

“Well, I’m already involved. I’ll be in the cabin near the magic academy’s training camp on Friday evenings. If something comes up, I suppose I can lend an ear.”

I told Maria the location of the cabin—the one Merlin normally uses for administrative work when she visits the camp, which meant I was free to use it this time.

I wasn’t sure why I’d even said that. But, just as Merlin said… I suppose I really do feel something for Maria.

—Even though I know perfectly well that Maria is not Bridget.