Chapter 52: Comforting companion
(Rudeus POV)
I felt warm. My body ached, but not like the same feeling I got when burning alive. It was more like the kind of heat your body produces when you're getting nervous. It felt a bit sticky from all the sweat I have accumulated over myself.
I already could tell that I felt nervous about the encounters I would be making with people around me.
That damn shitface planted that fear inside my mind, and now I can't stop thinking about it. Even when I wake up, this anxiety hits me from something I never had before.
Despite all that, I forced my eyes open and saw that I had my face full of my pillow. I was laying on my stomach at the edge of my bed.
It felt a little uncomfortable but also nice. I never knew that I moved so much around when I'm asleep. It makes me think of the times when I couldn't fall asleep because I wasn't tired enough for the day, and how I spent those nights on the internet.
Getting up, I felt every inch of my body having been soaked in my fluids again. Did I wake up to my old blob of a body this time?
Nope. Looking at myself, I saw a teenage body with barely any fat. Thank goodness.
"Good morning." A voice, startling me awake, just greeted me.
I looked over and saw Sara sitting on the edge of my bed.
"Morning… wait! How long was I asleep?"
It was still noon when I went and took a rest for the day. But looking outside, it was still daytime.
"Have I been asleep the whole day?"
"It's already the next day. So, yeah."
Wow. Who knew you could get this tired from scanning a large area for the whole night?
"Are you okay? You have been squirming a lot in your sleep."
"Just… another nightmare." I said as I rubbed my eyes a bit.
There was nothing else but a nightmare to call that unwanted meeting.
As I got my eyes to become clearer, I noticed something when I looked at where Sara was sitting on my bed.
"Did you give a lap pillow?" I said slowly.
At my question, she looked away for a bit and blushed.
"I-I thought that it would help you sleep better for a bit, even if it was just for a few minutes."
Ah, right. I did tell her about my never-ending nightmares before Hiryū attacked me.
In moments like these, both parties would feel embarrassed about this kind of situation that you would only ever see in fiction.
But, the only one feeling embarrassed was Sara. I felt something entirely different that showed yet again how much of a degenerate I am.
'FUCK! I should've enjoyed it more. No, I should've pretended to still be asleep and take in the sensation of her thighs on my face as long as I wanted. My salvation. Now gone~'
As I was cursing at myself for letting my internal instincts not kick in, I realized the less important but still obvious thing here.
"Wait, why are you here in the first place? Did I miss something yesterday?"
Coming back to her senses, she instantly had a serious face and looked at me straight in the eye.
"Soldat already informed us about the situation. North God as well has told the higher ups about the monsters on the outskirts.
Because of the disappearance of scouts the city has sent, they were already planning to send bigger groups for investigation because of the increase in monster activity.
Only now with North God's confirmation have they fully decided to mobilize their forces. It was already being told that you volunteered your assistance for this."
Seriously? Things have progressed faster than I had predicted. But it seems natural that they would send people to investigate this much of an anomaly.
If Anastasia did what I had asked her for, then my new staff should be made over the following days. That is, if the colony doesn't get active until then.
"Rudeus, are you sure you can do this?"
Sara's worried question brought me out of my quizzed haze.
She is worried that I might have to go as far as using [Bright Sky Wave] again. And truth be told, I'm scared about that too.
Last time it was just the arm for one target. This time there are hundreds of them lying low underground. I can't tell what I will lose this time.
"I would be lying if I said that this can become a clear victory. But we don't have exactly a choice."
"Then, are you okay with not getting the credit?"
"It was my idea in the first place, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, playing as a contributor will get my name spread too."
"… if you say so."
She still seems skeptical, and I could pick up signals of worry coming from her, showing that she actually cares about me.
That can also be considered a bad thing, as she may have PTSD after having lost her parents from the monster attack on her village.
It reminds me of how I left Eris. I really should've been more considerate of her feelings back then and not leave when things between us were still unresolved.
Then again, she could've gotten contacted by Hitogami and been told to do what she did.
No no no no no. I would have noticed such a… couldn't have noticed it after all the work I gave myself from having insomnia.
Damn it. That damn piece of trash has me all riled up again.
"Aren't you gonna change? It's starting to smell a bit."
She's right. I began to notice how my sweaty clothes stuck on to my skin already.
"I'm gonna go ahead and change now. Anything else I may have missed?"
"Well, there is. But you're not gonna like this."
She hesitated for a bit before telling me.
"Another Great World Power is on its way here."
"Wait, is it Dragon God?!"
I thought Nanahoshi told me he left to do his personal errands after he dropped her here. Has she been lying to me?
Wait. Maybe I'm the errand he's looking for? Oh crap. He is hunting me!
"What? No. I'm talking about Sword God. A message to him was already sent a few months ago for requesting stronger swordsmen for assistance. Swordsmen should arrive any day now."
"Oh, thank goodness."
Alright. Calm down. Just don't get too carried away this time, and everything with Orsted should go smooth.
Hopefully telling him about Hitogami's busted Future Sight may convince him to spare me?
I couldn't help but touch the spot where my black scar is. It's supposed to remind me how I will never be able to beat him even if I wanted to.
In my cursed form, I still had trouble defeating Randolph, proving just how inexperienced I am when it comes to going all out.
"Is he really that strong? I feel like you're exaggerating."
"He was the target of my second [Bright Sky Wave] and still survived after getting directly hit by it."
My instant answer to her question caught her off guard, but soon she understood the meaning behind those words.
There is no way she didn't feel the tremors the first two have made all over the world.
But right now, I really need to change. The stickiness of my shirt is already starting to make me feel cold.
I didn't really bother asking Sara to go outside, as I intended to change my top and rinse the sweat off with Water Magic.
After a quick fresh up, I was about to change into my gear, but Sara put her bare hand on my back.
"The scar on your back is almost as nasty as the one on your chest."
"You mean the one that aligns with my bones, or perhaps another one I don't know of?"
"…"
Her silence was answer enough.
I hate that scar, but I wouldn't want to remove it. It's supposed to remind me that strength means nothing in the face of someone several times stronger than you.
I'm not even sure if I have this scar because my King class Healing Magic wasn't fully done yet, or if this is an effect from my curse, since the aftermath of using it comes as a heartbeat.
Either way, I'm not getting rid of it any time soon.
Sara removed her hand from my back to allow me to get dressed again.
I put on my robe and was about to ask Sara what she would be doing for now, but she asked something first.
"By the way, I heard that you unlock someone's ability the other day."
"Ah, yes. It was to showcase it in front of some students and the vice principal. That way, I got the news about it to spread further by demonstrating it to more people that have authorized personnel Magicians in case of emergencies like this."
"Did you tell them about all the requirements and restrictions?"
"Yes. I even showed them my veins."
"That's… a little extreme."
I just shrugged and said:"Better than letting another [Bright Sky Wave] user roam around."
"And what about success rate conditions?"
"The person I used it one was advanced at least on one element and had enough mana for a dozen advanced spells and…"
I stopped once I realized my mistake. Once that kicked in, I threw my head back and groaned.
"I totally forgot about that part."
The one thing that mostly determines the success rate of my method on unlocking is how well the body lets mana flow.
A normal person who never used magic before will obviously fail. But a person who is well versed in it has a better body composition to notice the change in mana within themselves.
However, someone who, let's say, uses magic as a secondary source of prowess has a minor chance of getting the ability unlocked.
Those, of course, are just theories that haven't been fully explored yet. The reason for that is with me in this room.
Even though she never used Magic before in her life, her understanding of the mechanisms of wind resistance when she shoots her arrows gives her the advantage to overcome that hurdle.
We tried teaching Patris, but it never worked, making us think that Sara was perhaps a lucky one.
And now, I failed to tell Jinas about that. If he suggests the higher ups to unlock their knights this ability, then a lot of time may be wasted.
It costs me a lot of mana to just push the mana of another person, and I can't retract it back into my body once it's inserted into another body.
"I really need to go and explain it to them."
"Can I come too?"
"Honestly, that would be very helpful. Showing to them that there are exceptions may help just a little."
I feel grateful that she offered her help without me asking. Letting her demonstrate that it's not impossible for none Magic users to unlock their ability will be a great way to show it.
Understanding of elements like water or wind seems like they can be easier taught, but we'll get to that later.
"You wanna tell the others before we go?"
"Susanne is visiting Timothy's parents again together with him. Mimir and Patris are looking for any jobs they could do to help with the preparations. So, I'm basically on my own."
Oh, yeah. Timothy did say something about coming from Sharia. Moreover, it's quite commandable how Mimir and Patris are assisting in the matter of those monsters at their own accord.
That means me and Sara have the day for each other... if it wasn't for me being a major character in this predicament.
Hopefully, after this, I get the break time I deserve.
But for now, let's get smaller steps done to get to make the next ones get done smoother.
As I got myself dressed properly, Sara and I headed for the university to further explain my ability to unlock someone's chantless Magic.
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