After sparring with Nezha and passing out, I lay in bed for several days in agony. It was because the muscle pain and overload caused by excessive use of magical power came at the same time.
“I cooked porridge. I will feed you, so open your mouth.”
“All right, all right. Eating is something I can do by myself. I will eat it myself.”
While being nursed by Katyusha, who looked strangely excited, I thought in bed.
i am weak
Of course, I would be much stronger than the average aristocrat or knight academy students, but compared to the people around me, I was so weak.
As far as magic power goes, I feel like I’ve grown, perhaps because I’ve been overdoing it lately. Looking good, S rank… … It might be an A rank that is infinitely close to . The application is clumsy, but if you only look at the output.
But the swordsmanship is still poor. Could it barely be a B rank? didn’t grow at all.
With this level of specs, neither Katyusha nor Mustafa, who were nearby, could win. Although Neza won, it was honestly more of a fluke. Right after I won, I was so excited that I made fun of him.
‘It’s good to have things that will happen a year later in advance, but I didn’t expect my skills to catch up… … .’
At this rate, they cannot survive the storm of Iron Blood. You have to find a way to become dramatically stronger somehow.
‘There’s so much to do. Even while resting, he was uneasy.’
I let out a deep sigh and fiddled with the jar of soil that Mustafa had given me by my bedside. There were many things to do, but while lying down, all I could do was read a book or stare at this bottle.
After barely getting better, I had tea time with Mustafa in the garden.
“It’s good that it’s rumored, but the problem is that I’m not that strong yet.”
Katyusha told me that while I was lying down, the story that I struck the lightning spread all over the place. I don’t know in what form it spread, but from what I’ve heard, there are words like ‘He inherited the emperor’s blood’ or ‘He secured legitimacy as the next emperor’.
“Honestly, I am embarrassed. I’m not that strong yet.”
“If you have talent, you will become strong in no time. You’re still not that weak. Also, since he actually used lightning, there is nothing to feel burdened about.”
“I’m glad you said that.”
After listening to Mustafa, I felt much more at ease. I felt a little more comfortable, so I decided to write something I was itching to show Mustafa.
“And speaking of the secret arts of the earth… … .”
I stretched out my hand toward the ground next to me. And after a few seconds of concentration——.
“… … !”
I was able to raise up a knee-deep wall of dirt.
“I think I know a little bit.”
Of course, compared to what Mustafa used before, it was an insignificant size, but for me, this was the limit. It had the effect of lying in bed and glaring at Mustafa’s dirt all day.
“this is… … That’s great.”
Mustafa said, squatting in front of the small dirt wall I had made. It’s an unreasonable size, but since I got so much attention, I became a little embarrassed.
“Coming to think of it, this is a similar principle to the one that threw lightning at Neza.”
“A principle similar to that of lightning… … ? If it’s okay, could you explain?”
Mustafa, who was fiddling with my dirt wall with a serious expression, asked. After clearing my throat, I began to explain.
“At that time, the negative charge in the air… … Mmm. Roughly speaking, ‘outside magic’? I wrote it by amplifying it. After writing it, I thought that the secret art of the earth might be similar. In terms of using external magic power. What would happen if the proportion of the user’s magical power was reduced as much as possible? I wanted to.”
This is a world where magic and science coexist in an awkward way. If you do this in moderation, isn’t it possible to do it this way? If anything, it was possible.
“… … indeed. I roughly understood it.”
Mustafa nodded with a serious, incomprehensible face. Maybe you didn’t understand. It’s okay though.
“Even so, it’s growing much faster than I thought. To be honest, I thought it would take at least half a year to achieve this much.”
“It is not yet ready to be used in practice. I want to build up to the earthen wall you built.”
“At this rate, it won’t take long. You should be able to reach it in at least a year. Among the Amerians, there were few people who learned so quickly.”
“Is that enough? hmm. is it. I mean.”
I didn’t think it was a big deal, but in fact, it seems to be at a pretty great level. I felt like I was going to laugh inadvertently, so I covered it up with a clearing of my throat. No problem if it looks light.
“But to what extent can a person who has completely mastered the secret art of the earth do it?”
Mustafa was silent at my question. And after thinking for a while, he opened his mouth.
“… … The old man who taught me and my older brother was able to build a house in an hour.”
“That’s great. If alive, it would have been useful.”
“It is. It would have been nice if he was alive.”
Mustafa smiled bitterly. Even if it was a bitter smile, it was the first smile I had ever seen. Maybe your vigilance toward me has softened a bit?
“Well, anyway, I need to get stronger. Is there any groundbreaking great training method? Is there a training method passed down from generation to generation among the Amerians?”
“doesn’t exist.”
It was a short answer.
“Training is something you have to do consistently and for a long time. There is no way to become stronger overnight.”
Even if his vigilance had softened, he was a resolute Mustafa. No, I feel more determined than before. If it had been before, I think I would have pretended to think while feeling troubled. This is a quick story, so it’s rather easy to deceive.
“Is that so… … . I just have to work really hard… … .”
It’s not that I don’t like moving my body or using magic. rather enjoyable. It’s just that I’m not sure if I can keep up with the normal training method, so it’s just difficult.
“Here, I brought you a cake.”
As I was sighing, Katyusha brought me a cake. It’s a simple sponge cake, but in Iron Blood, where sweets are rare, this was enough luxury.
“Um, thank you. Katyusha.”
Mustafa expressed his gratitude by calling Katyusha by name. What is it, did you become quite close while I was down? It’s nice to get along, but I feel a little left out… … .
“Say respectful words. I am not your servant.”
“… … Thank you.”
… … I almost heard it, but I don’t think it’s very friendly. Rest assured… … does it work?
“Do you have anything in mind of Katyusha? It’s like a training method that can make you dramatically stronger.”
“Training method, you mean?”
“Like the method used by the institution.”
The organization Katyusha was trained in was not explained properly in the original work, but everyone vaguely thought it was an organization that fostered assassins.
“… … It’s a method I can never recommend, but if you’re curious, I’ll let you know.”
That’s why I asked without thinking as much as I didn’t know,
“I don’t have touch among my five senses.”
The answer that came back far exceeded expectations.
“what? I have no sense of touch… … ?”
“yes. It was cut off after receiving an operation from the institution. That’s why I can receive the sword with my bare hands without feeling any pain.”
It wasn’t about training or anything like that. It was close to conversion.
“Wait a minute, then even when you sparred with me, you were calm because you had no sense of touch… … ?”
“That’s right. To be precise, it would be correct to say that it is infinitely dull. I don’t feel soft or hard, warm or cold. You can only feel pain that is suppressed to the minimum necessary to react.”
I had no idea. This fact was not revealed at all in the original story.
‘Looking back, there were enough descriptions that felt like that, but I thought it was because it was just an expressionless character… … . I never thought there would be a setting like this.’
I was extremely confused by the shocking fact that was suddenly revealed.
“Because I cut off another sense, the other sense developed just as much. The other five senses are sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Due to this, I was able to have a reaction speed that is more than twice that of an ordinary person. It took me a while to get used to not being tactile.”
Katyusha continued talking calmly, as if talking to someone else.
“You might think of what use it has because it has a developed sense of taste, but it can be used conveniently when detecting poison. It is also possible to determine the condition of a subject by tasting bodily fluids.”
“is it. That’s what it was… … . I had no idea.”
“… … And, the tea is very delicious.”
Perhaps it was because my expression was unusual, Katyusha added with an awkward smile. But I couldn’t laugh at all.
“As I said before, it will not serve as a reference. At this point, there is no one who can perform the procedure. I just want you to regard it as an interesting story that there is such a thing.”
It was a story that would have been easier not to know. The story, which would be a fun setting if it were a sentence from a novel, has a completely different weight when it comes to reality.
‘but… … . but.’
And even in the midst of that, I——
‘What if I could turn it on and off when I want the sensation.’
I was thinking of a way to use it.
It is said that the human senses work with weak electrical signals flowing through the nerves.
‘If that’s possible. No, anyway… … . but… … .’
With the magical power of lightning, I can sense the electricity flowing through my body very minutely if I concentrate. If you can focus on it and control it, it might be possible to control your senses. Like turning an electric switch on and off.
“… … Katyusha.”
However, the electricity flowing through the body is a very minute current. If done wrong, it may be a self-destructive act. It might burn your nerves.
“Can you tell me more about that story?”
Even so, it was a very engaging story.