Episode 95. Marylin, awakening!
I don’t know the details, but it has been confirmed that Jean and Marcus are spherical.
Afterwards, Marcus, who had let go of his hostility, talked a little with Jean and then gave instructions to the soldiers guarding the checkpoint.
“Open the way.”
“Are you okay? Identity verification is still…….”
“I take responsibility. “Open the door.”
Soldiers salute and open the entrance following repeated instructions.
Although identity verification is essential as it is a place strictly under the guidance of the Empire, those who listened to Marcus’ instructions showed no hesitation at all.
That must be a factor proving that the corps commander, Marcus Cradle, has built up trust in the military over a long period of time.
“hehehe, thank you. “Thanks to making good friends with his old friends, I was able to go in without any trouble.”
Jean expresses relief and gratitude at the fact that he has formed a relationship with Marcus.
However, the expression on Marcus’ face after receiving the favor was not very happy.
“… Make no mistake, Jean Cleo.”
A sharp voice.
In his attitude of giving not only first names but also last names, there was no trace of the joy shown when meeting an acquaintance whom you reunited with after a long time.
The gaze directed at him is the same.
“Your guy… ….”
That would certainly be called hostility, but it was a completely different definition of the concept than before when it was hostile to a suspicious person.
If the previous hostility was aimed at an unidentified target, the current hostility can clearly be said to be aimed at a ‘distrustful target’.
“Unlike me or the others, you didn’t do anything after that day. They did not fight to protect anyone or increase their power in preparation for the danger ahead. “Am I wrong?”
“… “I explained the situation honestly, but it seems I was not very trustworthy.”
“It would be strange to trust someone who has been a bystander for half a century when he boasted about following in her footsteps.”
Marcus Cradle said this and turned his fierce gaze towards me.
For a moment, I flinched, thinking that he might be turning hostile towards me, but then Marilyn began to quickly block my path.
“… “Marilyn?”
“Calm down.”
As soon as he feels any doubt, Airi grabs her hand.
Afterwards, Marylin turned to face her cold gaze, but Airi only spoke quietly in a hardened voice.
“It’s okay, Marylin. “There won’t be any problem if you just stay calm.”
As she is a prophet, she can guess what will happen right under her nose.
In reality, Marcus turned his gaze towards me for a moment, but he just continued his conversation with Jean without paying much attention.
“Is this ‘her successor’ you mentioned?”
“Yes, we are just at the starting point. “I chose this place to practice for that purpose, but could you guide me to a place where I can warm up for a bit?”
“… I’ll assign a soldier to guide you to the training ground. “You follow me for a moment.”
“Okay, I have a lot of accumulated stories, so let’s share them.”
Jean immediately pauses the conversation and approaches me.
Even though he was facing a person who was the commander of an imperial corps, he showed no signs of being intimidated.
“Then I will talk to an old friend for a while and come back, so you can go and practice first.”
“Are you talking about me alone?”
“You don’t have to worry. “The wife and daughter over there will know what I’m going to do.”
Jean said that and glanced back at Airi.
Airi, who received his gaze, nodded his head and immediately began to enter the interior of his stationed area.
“… “Please leave the rest to me.”
There was a strong sense of trust between the two people as they exchanged glances.
***
Why did Jean leave his absence to Airi?
It didn’t take long to realize the reason.
In reality, Airi is a prophet and has the ability to vaguely understand the past of the person she encounters.
In addition, since the future can be easily predicted a few seconds in advance, it will be easy to select an appropriate spot at the training ground without having to ask for the help of a soldier who is with you to guide you.
“It’s break time now, so people won’t be coming in here for a while. “It would be suitable to freely test new powers before starting full-scale training.”
After entering the empty training ground, Airi settles down in the middle of it without hesitation.
Looking at his unstoppable behavior, it seemed like he was ready to take over as a training agent, but since I didn’t know anything about the situation, I couldn’t help but have many questions right away.
“What do you mean, new power?”
“Now that I think about it, it’s too late to explain it to Hyosung.”
Airi glances back at me.
What caught my eye was the armor on my body, which, along with Philoi, was actually responsible for all of my power.
Of course, unless there are special instructions, it should be assumed that you will wear it during training.
“Hyosung, would you like to gather magical energy into the armor you are wearing?”
“Magic power?”
“You will feel it more clearly by feeling it rather than explaining it.”
“Ah, yes. Then… ….”
Whatever it is, right now Airi is in full charge of my training on Jean’s behalf.
For now, I decided to follow without saying a word, so I prepared to borrow magical power by borrowing armor like I did in actual combat.
It is not that difficult to use.
When I exert my will, this armor gathers mana on behalf of me, who does not have the skill to manipulate mana.
-Wow.
A haze gradually forms around the armor in response to that will.
Airi, who saw this and realized that Mana was attracted to me, then turned to Marylin who was watching next to her and said.
“Then, next, Mr. Marilyn, you will play…” ….”
“hehehe, please leave it to me~”
Marilyn lifted the lute in her hand as if she had been waiting.
I couldn’t help but feel doubt for a moment about that natural behavior.
Jean was in charge of this training, and Airi thought he was acting as his agent, but Marylin, who had a bad relationship with Airi, was cooperative.
Could this have been discussed with Jean in advance?
-Tiriring~♬
As soon as such a question was felt, the strings of the lute in Marylin’s hand began to pluck and a clear melody began to sound.
At the same time, I thought for a moment that I was intoxicated by the unique clear melody, thinking that it was definitely due to her performance that my heart was gradually being lifted.
-Wooow!!
Suddenly, I began to feel that the magical power of the armor I was wearing was growing abnormally, regardless of my will.
What is it? I didn’t really increase the output any more than this…
“Wow…!!”
No, it’s not an illusion.
The armor, which was relatively light and easy to move, has now doubled or tripled….
Soon, the weight was increasing to the point where I couldn’t move my body.
“What on earth…?” ….”
“It’s not that the armor has become heavier. “This is a phenomenon that occurs because the armor’s instincts suppress Hyoseong’s will.”
Iri answered my questions with a knowledgeable attitude.
It seemed as if my current reaction was expected, and I didn’t feel a single hesitation in the explanation that followed.
“What do you mean, armor instinct?”
“This is the result of some effort on my part to improve performance. “You must have actually felt that the armor’s magic power has increased significantly, right?”
Obviously, freedom has been suppressed since Marilyn’s performance began, but the output of magical power has also increased accordingly.
As if she thought that was the core of her training, Airi’s voice gradually became more serious as she continued her explanation.
“However, even though the amount of magical energy has become stronger, the conditions for handling it are also not easy…. From now on, Hyosung will resist the power of the armor stimulated by instincts in Marilyn’s performance, and will use its output with full confidence. You should aim to make it yours.”
“Your instincts are highlighted in your performance. Are you saying that your armor has developed an ego?”
“It is not a high-level concept like ego weapon. In any case, each demon has their own unique desire that forms the basis of their magical power, and since that desire remains even after being processed into equipment, it is possible to stimulate their instincts.
It’s different from the Ego Weapon, but it still has an instinct that increases the output of magical power emitted by the armor on its own.
After hearing those words, I realized that at this moment, I was hearing something like a voice coming from the armor.
-Ear… ….
A low-pitched voice that makes the listener feel weak.
Yes, it was a memorable voice.
It was clearly produced by ‘Sloth Sloth’, which was the material for this armor.
-Troublesome, ah… ….
Although all that remains is a corpse, the desire still remains in the armor and exerts its will.
The magic power that grew as I was driven by that will was weighing more heavily on my body as the current murmur became clearer.
-Moving is annoying…. I just want to lie down…….
… But even though this bastard’s corpse is all that’s left, it’s still the same.
I wonder why it’s so hard to move, but is it because this guy’s instincts are lazy?
“This is my first time improving it and testing it myself, but I can anticipate future risks, so you don’t have to worry too much. “Let’s give it a try and move.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll give it a try…….”
I took a deep breath, grabbed the training spear in my hand, and prepared to swing the spear at the scarecrow.
Okay, let’s not think too hard about it.
Airi strengthened my armor with good intentions, and the armor itself did not become heavier.
In any case, the desire of the armor is merely suppressing the action itself.
As I was able to overcome it by using my mental strength, this training could be said to be a fight that requires more mental strength than physical strength.
-Do you want to lie down? ….
But now that Marilyn’s will is growing stronger through her playing, I can feel her laziness growing stronger to the point where it surpasses mine.
At first it was difficult to move, but now it was crushing my body and crushing it…
Damn, how much does this guy hate moving?
-Beep, beep!
The creaking of the joints that occurs just by ignoring that and trying to move the body.
Even the joints of the armor became so hard due to the mana emitted by the armor that it took a lot of strength to force them to move.
If I had been prepared from the beginning, it wouldn’t have been easy to show off my momentum since I started with a very disturbed posture.
“Mary Lynn….This is hard to bear, could she please stop playing for a moment?”
So, let’s take a breather for now, and then let’s get started in earnest after we get our hands on the village.
Thinking like that, I urged him to quickly stop playing.
-Tiring, tiring~
Despite what I said, Marylin continued to play and repeatedly emphasized her emotions.
No, rather than just continuing, we gradually increase the tempo.
“Marilyn. Wait a minute, play…. Ugh!!”
Could it be that he was so focused on playing that he couldn’t hear what was being said?
No, actually, her eyes while playing are pointed straight at me.
At the same time, the faint smile on his lips made it seem like he was enjoying watching me suffer.
“…hehehe.”
Yes, it is not an illusion.
That was a fact I could see just by looking back at the unique playfulness he had shown me so far.
-Tiri-Ri-Rin~ TIING~♬
I realized the fact too late and tried to express my desperation, but it was already too late.
The excitement of the performance increased my weight more than ten times, and my body, unable to withstand it, soon collapsed! It fell to the floor with a sound.
“Marilyn, why on earth…?”
“I’m sorry, Hyosung. I also want to cooperate with you, but seeing you suffer somehow makes me get excited, right?”
Nevertheless, rather than stopping her playing, she instead puts more force into her fingers on her lute, as if driving her momentum.
She narrowed the distance to her in that state and soon turned her bright eyes towards me and began to shed her passionate heat.
“So, I’m thinking of raising the tempo of the performance just a little, just a little more…”
“Please don’t give up and hold on till the end? hehehe~♡”
As if he saw me suffering.
As if something dormant inside had opened its eyes.