Look, Mr. Yenika (2)
“Whew… .”
The terrace of the staff room of the Ophelis building.
Basically, due to the nature of maids who have to deal with frequent tasks throughout the working hours, it is important to take a break whenever there is free time.
It was Bell Maia, who was leaning on the terrace for a while to get some fresh air, leaving only the tidying up after finishing the dinner business at the Ophelis Hall.
Evening schedules that come to mind right away are tight. Before the students went to bed, they were going to check whether the bedding was changed, and they had to check whether the final cleaning was done neatly.
And I had to prepare for tomorrow’s academic examination.
Since it is usually kept neat and well maintained, there is no need to respond urgently, but as it is the day the Vice Principal Rachel comes and inspects it… It was necessary to ask the student representatives to behave.
“In the morning… Is it the day you get homework? .”
Although she became the top manager of the Ophelis Hall, she does not miss a full-time job. At first, there was no sign of difficulty.
On the contrary, when he enters, the number of days on duty of general maids decreases and the time to rest increases, which can contribute to the overall increase in work efficiency.
“Previously… I’ll have to bring Miss Lucy first… .”
After being released from prison, I had to bring Lucy, who had been out and about, and put him to sleep in the Ophelis Hall.
This is because, in order to prepare for the examination at the academic level tomorrow morning, it was necessary to start with Lucy, the senior representative of the school year.
Once you get it, it won’t be a big deal as she’s an obediently sitting girl, but I still had to go pick it up myself to Ed’s camp in the North Woods.
Even if I just want to send the maids under my control because I have quite a lot of work and work in the evening… Soon, Bell changed his mind to go by himself, even if he had time to spare.
Bell was certainly shocked when he heard about Ed’s death, but was deeply relieved to hear that he had come back to life. Although there was no time to find out the details of Lucy, who was playing chess.
Since my work has been normalized, I thought it would be better to go and ask if Ed was okay while I was on the way to pick up Lucy.
“Hmm… .”
However, when you think of Ed Roth-Taylor, what comes to mind is his complicated relationships.
I would like to think that it has been sorted out to some extent, but considering his actions, it is not very positive.
Take off the headband for a moment and lean against the railing of the terrace and look up at the starry sky.
As I sit quietly in the cool night breeze of late spring, I suddenly realize that there is no other pleasant time than this to lead a wild life among the four seasons.
What kind of human is Ed Roth Taylor?
Wasn’t he the kind of man who was always in a corner and couldn’t afford to pay attention to other human relationships because he was living his life with his own life?
However, as I am feeling this cool night breeze, new thoughts arise.
Looking at his camp recently, my thoughts are, as expected, that there has been a lot of stuff.
Compared to the past when they struggled with this clenched wildness with only one wooden shelter left at the campfire… A plausible hut, a simple timber warehouse, a fairly large campfire site, and various tools and various materials piled up. Fishing tools and net farms along the river, well-organized hunting traps here and there in the forest, and various tech supplies that are useful for life.
There are many kinds of food materials, so they seem to be cooking and eating, and the Ophelis Hall is helping out with clothes management.
In short, after more than a year of hard work, Ed Roth-Taylor… . It’s ‘just enough to live on’. Although the environment is still relatively poor, the environment has been improved to the extent that it is not enough to live with clenching teeth. It was completely the result of hard work.
The relaxation of the body and the leisure of time… It will soon lead to peace of mind. It means that he has more time to think about things other than survival.
“I do not know… .”
However, Bell raises his doubts again. Wasn’t he a man like an iron wall in the first place? When I think about whether there is someone who can somehow get my heart into it, I can’t think of anything. If that were to be possible, mere inner intimacy would not be enough.
An anomalous attack from a different direction. I wonder if relationship formation from an unfamiliar and new point of view would be more effective… I couldn’t think of anyone who could carry out such a high-level attack.
It’s not something anyone can do. If someone did it, it would have been eaten by accident rather than intentionally. That is to say, the chances are slim.
“It’s a pity… .”
With the cool breeze of late spring, Bell Maia prepared to go out.
Anyway, if that man has the temperament to lower the iron wall even a little, then wouldn’t now be the right time to attack? There is hope, whoever it is, to draw some conclusions. Because it feels like the blood is draining out just by looking at it.
“Will it be joint combat training soon? . I hope no one gets hurt this year… .”
Hoping that the relationships around Ed will be sorted out… Bell prepared to go pick up Lucy.
* * *
“For multiple manifestations, the sensitivity itself is important, but it is more influenced by the ‘spirit understanding’ that is separate from the sensitivity. In other words, the more you deal with it, and the more it manifests, the better the efficiency of the magic that goes into the manifestation of that spirit.”
day is long It is a sign that summer is approaching.
Even after eating dinner and cleaning up the bonfire, the spirit response training was started, but the sky was still slightly bluish.
The sun immediately disappeared into the western sky, but there is still no sign of the moon taking over its territory. The temperature is rising little by little, and the sound of grass insects softly spreading through the forest is also increasing.
It’s not that hot either. The cool breeze wafting through the trees with the scent of grass made me feel very good.
It is now late spring. There’s no better time to camp outdoors.
“If the understanding of the spirits is low, the efficiency of manifesting the spirits itself decreases, and when several spirits are summoned at once, the efficiency and combat power of each spirit often decrease.”
“Is Yenika too?”
“Ugh… .”
Across the bonfire, Jenika, who had been thinking while twisting the hem of her blouse a few times, finally answered.
“Actually, I… Because it is a style that comes naturally to manifest multiple spirits with complete efficiency… .”
“Awesome.”
“All of these things are very different from person to person. Ed, I’m sure it’ll be possible after trying it a few times. If you think about Ed Style, I think training like this would be much more effective.”
“okay?”
Yenika nodded, then raised both hands and opened each index finger.
“The spirits are… An outsider can only say that he is a person who deals with spirits, but in fact, if you think about it carefully, it can be divided into two types. Mainly for combat.”
“Two kinds?”
“yes. There is a style that directly entrusts the whole battle to the spirit itself, or there is a style in which the spirit is assisted in battle with various unique abilities, spirit expressions, and partial manifestations.”
“If Yenika is the former, I have a strong feeling that I am the latter.”
Yenica briefly summarized the descriptions of the two types of Elementalists by flicking each index finger.
“Of course, it is not unconditional. It’s simply a matter of weight and inclination. It’s not that you can’t use spirits or unique abilities just because you’re a country, you use water spirits like Eddo Laysia as combat agents yourself, right?”
“It is not.”
“It’s not a concept that separates things like that of a knife, but… Ed usually feels strongly supported by his original fighting style, so it’s good to pay attention not only to his sensitivity to the spirits, but also to his understanding of the spirits. It directly affects the spirit ritual and unique abilities.”
After talking up to that point, Yenika gathered magic power at her fingertips.
The wind energy gathered there for a moment, and then the lower wind spirit Charis in the shape of a sparrow appeared and sat on her fingertips. It is a spirit that I have encountered several times in the forest.
“For reference, when the understanding of the spirits reaches the highest level, the magic power required for manifestation itself becomes almost non-existent. All of the sub-spirits I signed with have the highest level of understanding, so I am able to manifest all of the sub-spirits without any restrictions.”
As Charis flew into the sky flapping her wings, all kinds of spirits appeared and started to stand by. Sparrow, squirrel, rabbit, snake, dog, deer… Various types of spirits have manifested in their own form, but there is no feeling that Yenika’s magical power is being overworked.
“Hmm… I knew that understanding itself had an effect on various places, but I didn’t know such a specific part.”
I focused my mind on the forehead and tried to manifest the lower fire spirit mug.
A flame blazed in the air, and soon spread its wings and a bat bloomed.
[Oh-! ]
He flapped his wings and sat down on my shoulder.
[ There is no need to worry too much about the degree of understanding, Master Ed… ! Who am I, isn’t it the right arm mug that has been fully fulfilling my role as the master’s limb despite all the prenatal and antenatal experiences since last winter! ]
“Sub-spirits are relatively quick and easy to understand. Ed spends a lot of time with Mug, so he has become quite proficient at dealing with lower-level spirits, right?”
I glanced at the bat sitting on my shoulder with dry eyes. It’s a spectacle whether you’re very happy that your eyes are focused on it, or how you take a pose by folding your wings to and fro.
“By the way, it’s been a long time since Mug signed a contract, and Ed and I really get along well. If you can see that you can match the sum in every battle without any loss of magical power, you have a really good contract. Usually, when I don’t have experience, I often don’t handle the spirits I signed with for the first time.”
“I think I’ve heard quite a bit about that for sure.”
“yes. There are some things that Ed is very good at for the first time, and even though Mug looks like that, there are parts that are very efficient spirits.”
[ This bonfire mug is just an honor! When I get compliments like this, I just don’t know where to put myself… ! ]
Seeing the mug making the fuss as usual, Yenika smiled amusedly hahaha.
“The last thing to point out is… It’s about elemental phase shifts.”
“You mean going up to the next level? Lower spirits become lieutenants, and lieutenant spirits become higher spirits.”
“Oh, I know Ed very well. After all, it’s been a while since I’ve trained my spirits.”
At those words, Mug’s eyes began to shine brightly. Perhaps for the spirits, a phase shift may be like a dream.
“but… I’m not sure if Mug will ever be able to become a lieutenant. Nadu, I deal with so many spirits, but I have never seen a spirit whose abilities have grown to the extent that her status changes during the time she signed a contract with me.”
“What level is a mug?”
“Well… Although quite versatile for a sub-Elemental… I don’t know if it’s comparable to a Lieutenant Spirit.”
[ K ᴏᴏᴅ… Thanks for being straight-forward! I will devote myself to this fire candle mug more… ! of course… It doesn’t hurt, but… !! ]
‘Yes, yes… .’ ‘ Yenika smiled as if smirking.
“There is a theory that the phase shift is affected by sensitivity and understanding, but the most important thing is to grow the ability of the spirit itself… . I guess I’ll just have to watch it a little slower.”
“okay… Anyway, a lot of things have become clear. Thank you, Yenika.”
“Oh, no… . I’m just repeating what I’ve learned… .”
Yenika was just fiddling with my fingers, pulling her chin, and pouting.
＜ Advanced Crafting Skill Slot: Elemental Infusion >
Skill Mastery: 25
Power Amplification: 5
Injection success rate: 95
― Fire Spirit Skill Proficiency: 7
― Water Spirit Skill Proficiency: 3
― Wind Spirit Skill Proficiency: 5
Contract Elemental: Lesser Fire Elemental Mug
Elemental Sensitivity: 31
Elemental Understanding: 34
Unique Skills: Blessing of Hwabok, Explosiveness
Contract Elemental: Lieutenant Water Elemental Laysia
Elemental Sensitivity: 12
Elemental Understanding: 10
Unique Skills: Friar’s Blessing, Suwon Appearance
Contract Elemental: High Wind Elemental Merylda
Elemental Sensitivity: 5
Elemental Understanding: 3
Unique Skills: Protection of the Storm, Updraft
As the stats are mainly related to the spirits, information on the level of understanding of the spirits could be found in the elemental injection part of the skill item in the production world.
It’s something I’ve already pointed out several times while training the spirit ceremony, but I didn’t think that it would have such an impact on direct combat use.
“I know that the level of understanding of a spirit increases the more you spend a lot of time with the spirit, use it in battle, and usually join forces more often. As I said before, the lower the spirit’s rank, the better it feels.”
“Certainly, Mug has been working together for a long time, so his understanding has been sharpened. But Laysia-ya, even if you just signed a contract, your understanding of Merylda is horrendous.”
“Ugh… To put it mildly, the problem is that Ed is not yet a Elementalist at the level of dealing with Merylda… .”
What I signed with Merylda was almost half a trick.
The high spirits have such a high status that they have to concentrate quite a bit on making even that Yenika manifest.
“Initially, Ed’s level of responsiveness to this level in just one year is unbelievable… . It usually takes three to five years for a spirit sergeant who first awakens to the spirit to deal with a lieutenant elemental.”
Of course, I’m used to drawing an efficient growth curve and training by properly distributing stats through a lot of experience with playing ＜Failed Swordsman of Sylvania>.
In addition to that, he was given the help of various magical engineering supplies, so it is true that he was in a fairly advantageous position.
“So, it would be good to raise as many sensitivities and understandings to high spirits as possible. Ordinary people can’t even access it because the contract itself doesn’t exist. That’s Edman’s advantage.”
“okay… You can use it a lot and try it again and again… ? But, Merylda disappears from time to time and doesn’t appear.”
“Ahaha… Merylda is a bit of a wanderlust… .”
Even now, thanks to Yenika, the camp is full of all kinds of spirits, but Merylda is nowhere to be seen. I knew that running around was a hobby. When it’s really important, it doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t matter… .
“Anyway, as long as I can steadily raise my understanding of Merylda, it will be a really big power in the future. Ed knows the power of high spirits.”
It’s definitely as powerful as that… I was feeling it too.
* * *
– Tick, tick.
After completing the basic spirits training, it was already getting close to midnight. The curfew of the dormitory where Jenica was living was soon to come.
After slicing various ingredients in an iron pot and boiling the meat soup, it was tea that sat next to Yenica and shared it in a bowl to solve a late-night snack.
“hello.”
Bell Maia always appears without a foreboding.
The characteristic of maids is that they are always quiet and attentive. Thanks to that, it’s so quiet, I can’t help but be surprised when I run into it in the forest. It was only when I was a senior maid that I used to come to collect various medicinal herbs and plants, but after I took up the position of chief maid, I really rarely stopped by the northern forest.
Even after ascending to the position of head of maid, do you always take care of Lucy yourself? Sometimes they come to this northern forest to find Lucy.
The same is true for suddenly appearing in the camp like this.
“… Did you come to find Lucy?”
“… Yes. There will be an inspection of the Ophelis Hall at the academic level tomorrow. Vice-Principal Rachel is coming, so Miss Lucy, who is the head of the grade, must also be present.”
By the time I said that, Lucy had already been pulled out of the hammock and held in Belle’s arms.
… It was already a liberated expression that showed no will to resist. For Lucy, what is the maid of the Ophelis Hall? ?
While holding Lucy in her arms in a courteous manner, Bell greeted her with her elegant hair hanging around her neck.
“When I heard the news of his death, I was very surprised, but seeing that he is alive and well is reassuring in many ways. I feel like I have finally lost my mind.”
“I am sorry for worrying you, Bell. There was something wrong with this one.”
“Do you have anything to apologize for? By the way, do you know that? Another official notice was issued at the academic level, and it seems that the disciplines of the lower end maids who assist students have loosened up a lot. It is a virtue to always take a low position in the position of being a maid. It is deplorable.”
“okay… Still, I’m not going to say anything… .”
“… In any case, it is a sensitive issue even at the academic level, so it is necessary to take advantage of this time to reestablish the upper and lower employment relationship between maids and students, and thoroughly check the contents of work. Especially when it comes to raising and lowering the horse.”
“indeed… okay… . I will still respect you though… .”
silence for a while.
It’s refreshing to see someone staring at someone with their ax eyes open like that, because Bell always has his eyes closed, or has a modest expressionless appearance.
How long will this meaningless nerve war last? . That no one can say for sure. After coming this far, it feels like it has spread to an unknown fight for pride.
Who the hell are you fighting for? . I don’t know, but I also don’t want to lose strangely.
“I am glad that Ms. Yenica seems to be in good health ever since she was transferred to the Dex tube.”
“yes… ! There are a lot of inconveniences compared to being in the Ophelis Hall, but I don’t think it’s bad to live with friends… !”
Yenika smiles brightly and shows her anger towards Belle.
Belle was the maid that Yenica knew most particularly when she was in the Ophelis Hall. At the time, they were not the maid chief but senior maid positions, but it seems that they are happy to see each other after a while.
“Anyway, I have to prepare for the inspection, and Miss Lucy needs to be redecorated, so let’s go. I hope that both of you take good care of your health and that there will be no major problems in your studies.”
Bell said hello once more while holding Lucy like that, and left the camp through the grass.
Even just sitting as the maid’s position would have piled up a lot of ceremonial duties for all kinds of paperwork. At the undergraduate level, there will be no other manpower like this gold nugget.
There must be a reason why he is treated well compared to his age group and the income is quite good. He was a person who wondered what he would do with his life after retiring from the position of chief maid someday.
All of a sudden, Yenika slapped her palm as if thinking of something, and then she started twisting herself.
“You know, Ed.”
Then he called me again.
Sitting side by side on a large tree stump, I tilted my head and looked at Yenika. After all, it is the two of us left in the camp now.
“that… Can I ask you a strange request?”
“A strange request… ?”
“that… What should I say… . I feel like I’m just joking… ? like play… What a feeling… why… Anyways… It’s a strange request, but… .”
Yenika spins her braided hair, puts the bowl of stew on the fire, and speaks.
“Wow, let’s try our respectful words… ?”
“Polite word… ? Why? why?”
“Well, you just have to try it. Redefining Relationships… Such a grand word is a little different… ! I just try to widen the sense of distance and try to narrow it down again… Anyway, it’s fashionable… ! It’s like role-playing… !”
“… Everything is fashionable. And in the first place, we are friends. What to do… .”
Yenica swishes and grabs my forearm, grabs my attention, shakes her head, and begs me to do it just once.
As for me, I have received so many things from Yenica, so it is a bit difficult to reject it even if I say it like this. In the first place, it’s not like Yenika is the type to express her opinion like this to others without any reason.
“Well, it’s not that difficult… .”
“right? I’m just trying… ! I’m just doing this for a little while as a joke, so there’s no need to take it too seriously… !”
I wonder what the heck it means, but it’s kind of rude to grunt and say something disgusting when Yenica talks like that.
I nodded, and Yenika twisted her body again… Suddenly, I sat up straight. It hurts my knees for nothing.
“So… Rather than just saying respect… Well… You’re acting like you haven’t met in a while… . Rather than feeling like we’re the same age we met at school… . just… It’s not awkward… Respect each other and respect each other… ?”
“… I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t respect you and not respect you… . I did it because I thought we were friendly, but if you think I’m not interested in that part… .”
“No, no, I don’t mean that… ! You know I’m not the type to talk like that… ! Don’t get me wrong, it really isn’t… !”
Yenica was startled and made a fuss and dissuaded her.
“That, just… I’ve always wanted to do something like this.”
“… … .”
I nodded, and Yenika kept her face down.
What is so shameful is to keep your head down for a long time as you sit still and only to keep quiet.
It’s not a big deal, it’s just something you can do with it.
I said, ‘I’ll say goodbye a few times and then send it back.’ It was just a thought. Dex’s curfew is short, so we have to let it go.
Yenica took a few deep breaths to say that she was doing something great, then suddenly put her arms on her knees and cleared her neck in a respectful manner.
The heat was already welling up on his face. He is very shy about the subject he was going to do. Even when he finally speaks out, his voice sounds like an ant crawling, so the gap from his usual youthful appearance is too extreme.
I underestimated the destructive power of the following words.
“Ah, hello… Ed.”
Is it a problem to keep my head down like that and look around me in an attempt to show off even a little bit of embarrassment?
In the first place, emotions are contagious. No matter how much you think about it, it seems like it’s not a big deal, but since the person involved is twisting their body like that, it is inevitable that this side will also be affected.
“Ah, yes… .”
Saying that, silence again.
Even if you ask anyone in the world what is your reason to be ashamed of the large joint, it’s a situation where you can’t help but tilt your head… The cause of the lack of voice is not easily identified.
Above all, although she has simply changed her words, the sense of distance and distance makes the relationship between her and I objectified once again.
They were close and special, so I didn’t realize it at some point… When we reconsider our relationship with each other in this state of being one step apart, we are from one to ten different human beings.
Yenika always smiles brightly and is friendly, but from an objective point of view, she is not easily approachable.
To say that she has a beautiful appearance is nag to say the least, and in fact, that is only a secondary issue.
She is one of the talented people who can handle high-ranking spirits casually, and is recognized as one of the most talented even in a bachelor’s degree, and she is sure to do something after graduation.
The reason I forgot that fact was because the relationship became comfortable like a family. When you look at the girl with the glasses of familiarity down, the strange tension that comes from that unfamiliar feeling makes you aware of your current state again.
After exchanging only one word at a time, we had been quiet for almost three minutes.
“Uh… that… .”
I felt obligated to say something because I had cooperated so far, so Yenica tried to raise her voice… .
“Oh, no… .”
I can see the ants slithering around my fingertips and bowing my head with a creeping voice again… Of course, I can’t help but be nervous. Although my sister and sister are talking, I can’t quite understand why Yenika is so nervous just because they are polite and respectful to each other.
I held my breath for a bit. I don’t know why, but it feels like we’re fighting over who can hold our breath.
First, from over there, ‘Pahat.’ exhaling and laughing bashfully saying that we should just do it this far… It would be nice if there was a scenario in which people say it’s late, put away the dishes, and go back to the dormitory after chatting about tomorrow’s schedule… .
How long will he hold his breath?
By this time, I realized that too. The flow of emotions has already crossed the line. It is clear to see Yenika, whose face has turned red like an apple, is holding her knees together with her head bowed.
Yenika herself, who suggested it, did not expect it to be this much heartbreaking, but after putting it into practice, the emotional gap is deeper than I expected, and I don’t know how to fix it. It looks like a novice driver who can’t find the brake position.
Here, I decided that it was right for me to clench my teeth and strike first, so the moment I was about to say something… .
“Ah, look at me! It’s almost dorm curfew… !”
Yenika got up and kicked the floor, quickly put on a shawl emblazoned with cosmos embroidery, and picked up an oak wand.
“ah… I… that… .”
And he chooses the worst option, running away, that is, ‘maintaining the situation’.
“Oh, thank you for today. See you again tomorrow.”
Grasping the cane with both hands, bowing his head to say hello, he quickly ran away through the grass.
So Yenika disappeared out of sight in an instant.
“… … .”
A camp with only the sound of stinging grasshoppers.
After sitting alone for a while in front of a bonfire… Then I wiped my face once.
“Do this… to continue… ??”
A cold sweat ran down my back.