Volume 1 Chapter 24 Proud Student
We moved from my house, and now we're outside.
We arrived at a square located in a corner of the East District residential area.
Usually, this square is a playground for the kids living around here, but since it's getting dark, there's no one around now.
It's surrounded by a simple wooden fence, and inside, there are swings, benches, and flower beds.
Since we can't break any of that, we decided to face each other at the edge of the square.
"I said it before, but it's fine if the one who hits first wins, right?"
"Yeah, that's okay with me."
With Cosmos's agreement, I focused on getting ready to fight.
The goal of this mock battle is to show my skills.
It's a test to see if I can properly help my client grow as a Nurturer.
At the same time, I can check this kid's strength with my own eyes.
It's better for me to know how strong Cosmos is at this stage as a Nurturer.
I'm glad we decided to do this mock battle after all.
Just as I was thinking that, Ms. Terra, the referee, signaled us.
"Alright, we're going to start the mock battle now. Are both of you ready?"
Cosmos and I nodded silently.
Ms. Terra confirmed that and raised her right hand, then brought it down sharply.
"Then, let's begin!"
As her voice echoed through the square, Cosmos readied her large staff with her right hand.
"[Meteor]!"
In an instant, a purple magic circle appeared at the tip of the staff.
Almost at the same time, a stone about the size of a fist shot out from the magic circle.
From what I saw earlier with Cosmos's Divine Revelation, this must be the 'Meteor magic' she has.
The power and speed seem decent.
It shouldn't be too hard to dodge.
However, I haven't seen the detailed effects of the magic, so I don't know what kind of tricks it might have.
Most likely, that stone has some special effect attached to it.
Thinking that, I tried to dodge the stone while being cautious...
"Hmm?"
The stone just passed by me without any change.
Then, it went 'thud' as it hit the ground and rolled 'roll roll' across the square.
"..."
That was it.
It didn't suddenly explode like a bomb or change into something else.
The stone remained just a stone, becoming part of the ground.
"...Huh, is that all?"
"W-What's wrong with that! This is my magic!"
Cosmos showed her anger at my unexpected words.
I felt bad for interrupting the mock battle, but I never thought she would just throw a plain stone.
When you think of "magic," everyone imagines something flashy.
Like shooting fireballs, causing floods, or blowing sharp winds like blades.
Healing magic and support magic are just supplementary, so they don't count, but if it's attack magic, most people would think of those flashy things.
But Cosmos's magic was just throwing stones.
I had never seen such "plain" magic before.
I wondered if there was some hidden effect, but there was no sign of that.
In fact, it was probably because Cosmos's magic was extremely low.
I thought the same when I first saw her Divine Blessing...
[Job Class] Stardust Magician
[Level] 15
[Skill] Spell Chanting
[Magic] Meteor Magic
[Divine Blessing]
- Strength: F80
- Agility: E120
- Resilience: F50
- Magic: D250
- Holy Power:E150
This girl has low values for all her divine blessings.
It's understandable that her Strength and Resilience are low because she's a magician, but even her Magic is quite low.
I thought maybe it was because her level was low, but she was already level 15.
At level 15, it wouldn't be strange for her to be a rank 4 adventurer, and it wouldn't be surprising if her divine blessing evaluation reached B.
Even though she had a divine blessing, everything about her was just low-level, around E rank.
As a result...
"[Meteor]!"
She ended up being a magician with really low physical ability, only able to throw pebbles.
If her magic was at least higher, maybe these pebbles would have been more useful.
Well, with this, she could probably take down weak monsters, but...
there's no way I'd get taken down by just this.
As the pebbles came flying at me, lacking in power and speed, I easily dodged them.
Unintentionally showing off my ease to Cosmos, she clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Ugh, if it's come to this... [Meteora]!"
This time, it wasn't just one shot but a barrage.
From the magic circle at the tip of her staff, pebbles started popping out one after another.
So, she can shoot magic continuously.
This definitely looks harder to dodge.
But, that's all there is to it...
I felt bad about making a mess in the square, so I decided to wrap this up quickly.
"[Accel]."
I cast a support magic on myself to boost my speed.
Feeling my body become as light as a feather, I kicked off the ground.
In the blink of an eye, I zipped through the barrage of pebbles and circled around behind Cosmos.
She turned around, startled, and I clenched my right fist tightly.
And then...
"Here goes!"
I snapped my fingers and gave her a single flick on the forehead.
"Ouch!"
Cosmos let out a silly sound and stumbled back.
I quietly smiled at her as she gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Alright, I win. Do you get my strength now?"
"..."
"I don't have enough power to brag about, but I think I'm still stronger than you right now."
I conveyed that as a fact.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ms. Terra busily collecting the scattered pebbles in the square while I picked up a nearby stone and continued.
"So, about helping you grow, do you think you can trust me now?"
I still didn't quite feel that way, though.
Cosmos looked down, frozen in place, and eventually let out a small voice.
"...Can I really become strong?"
"Huh?"
"If I trust you and leave it to you, I can really become strong, even as 'this me,' right?"
...This me.
It's surprising to hear such a weak line from someone with such a strong personality.
She seems to have some kind of issue.
I wish I could offer some comforting words, but I decided to just stick to the facts.
"Unfortunately, I can't guarantee that you'll become strong."
"...Huh!? Then what's the point of relying on you...?"
"But as long as you want to become strong, I will do my best to help you. That's the one thing I can absolutely guarantee."
"..."
If that's okay with her, I indirectly conveyed that I would cooperate.
Cosmos didn't say anything, but eventually gave a weak nod, showing a positive attitude.
For now, it feels like I've landed my first job as a Nurturer.
It seems like Cosmos has a lot going on, so I'll need to ask her about it later.
Alright, time to clean up the square and head home, I thought, when...
"Hey, Mr. Roezé?"
From outside the square, I heard a familiar voice.
Turning around, I saw Rose Vermilion with her striking red hair flowing.
"Oh, welcome back, Rose. Wow, is it already that time...?"
It seemed like it was the usual time for Rose to arrive.
I quickly started tidying up, and then suddenly had a thought.
"Oh, Cosmos, that girl is the first person I helped grow, so she's like my very first customer."
"First customer...?"
"How about you try sparring with her?"
"Huh?"
"She's just starting out as an adventurer like you, but you're become really strong with my help. I think seeing Rose's strength would show her my skills as a Nurturer better than just seeing mine."
I thought it was a pretty good suggestion.
Cosmos still seems to have doubts about my abilities as a Nurturer.
I thought it would be best to clear that up completely before we got into serious work talk.
So, I suggested having a little spar with Rose, who could be considered my very first student...
"...You have a point there."
Cosmos nodded, seeming convinced.
And just like that, we were suddenly starting the second mock battle.
"But, I won't lose to such a young kid. We're both starting adventurers, and she looks so weak."
Slowly, Cosmos was regaining her confident attitude.
While I was really happy about that, I couldn't help but think, "Who's calling someone 'young'?".
"Alright, then Rose, make her say 'Kyaah'!"
"Uh, um, I don't really get what's going on here..."
That was totally understandable, so I quickly explained the situation.
Rose understood right away and agreed to help out to gain the Nurturer's trust.
In fact, she seemed a bit frustrated with Cosmos for continuing to doubt me.
"It's really frustrating that Mr. Roezé is such an amazing person, yet he's not being believed. I'll prove it for sure."
"...I know I said it, but take it easy, okay?"
With that advice in mind, the spar between Rose and Cosmos finally began.
The two stood a good distance apart, facing each other at the edge of the square, each readying their weapons.
At that moment, I thought...
"Alright, let's go!"
I regretted asking Rose for this spar more than I could say.
As soon as the signal was given, Cosmos readied her staff, pointing the tip at Rose.
"Meteor..."
In an instant, Rose, who had been standing right in front of me, vanished.
Just as a gust of wind blew, I realized she was now standing behind Cosmos.
And without a sound, she drew her sword, placing the blade against Cosmos's neck.
"...Please don't move."
"..."
Rose's soft voice sent a chill down my spine.
Her speed was so incredible that even I couldn't see it.
Plus, the overwhelming presence she had while standing behind Cosmos was intense.
Just seeing the blade pressed against her neck sent a chill down my spine.
"Uh, um, does this mean I win... right?"
Rose looked completely relaxed, not a hint of fatigue on her face.
On the other hand, Cosmos, who couldn't do anything and lost, just slumped down as if all her strength had left her.
Then...
"U...u..."
"Huh?"
She let out a groan, then suddenly opened her mouth wide and looked up at the sky.
"Waaaaahhh!!!!"
""What the──!?""
She was crying for real.
Honestly, it was no surprise; there were hardly any people who could handle the intensity of Rose up close.
Plus, feeling the overwhelming gap in strength and having a blade at her neck would make anyone break down in tears from sheer fear and despair.
Even I, watching from the side, felt a chill run down my back.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry at all...!"
Cosmos was bawling, while Rose was flustered.
Seeing them like that was kind of funny, and I couldn't help but feel a bit mischievous.
"Ah, Rose made her cry!"
"What!?"
Anyway, the sudden mock battle came to an end here.
...It feels like it highlighted Rose's terrifying strength more than my own abilities.
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