On the night that I exchanged greetings with the people of Rezaira, there was a feast.
It was a feast to welcome me, a friend and guest of Ellen.
Game was hunted, prepared, and roasted whole, and the village people gathered to eat and drink.
The people of Rezaira lived by providing for themselves, and it seemed there were no problems with their self-sufficiency.
They welcomed me simply because I was Ellen's friend.
The adults knew that the world was currently in great turmoil, but they did not mention it.
And most seemed to know nothing about the Sun and Moon clan.
Although everyone worried about Ellen, they seemed to believe that nothing bad would happen to her.
Would the people of Rezaira be born here and live here until they die?
Did outsiders ever drift into the village?
"What's really going on outside? We're so deep in the mountains that nothing happens here, and the adults don't say anything. They just tell us not to go too far from the village."
Lena.
The one who was introduced as Ellen's childhood friend asked me this.
Arta, sitting on the other side, seemed to be focusing on me as well.
These guys didn't know the details either.
It seemed they didn't realize that it was very strange for Rezaira to have no problems at the moment.
"It's dangerous, very dangerous."
"Tsk, you're not going to tell me properly either?"
There was no reason to tell those who didn't know the specifics that the outside world had turned into hell.
I smiled quietly, watching the chattering village adults and Ellen's parents.
There's no need to die for someone else. Just because one has power and ability, it doesn't mean they must do such things.
However, I couldn't feel comfortable seeing these people living hidden from the world like this.
I didn't know exactly what kind of power they possessed.
But if their powers were combined, wouldn't the situation be resolved more quickly?
In the end, I couldn't erase such regrets and doubts.
-...
As if she could read my thoughts, Ellen's mother, Luna Artoleus, glanced at me from afar.
She soon turned her gaze elsewhere, but I could feel that she had looked at me precisely just now.
"Follow me, Reinhardt."
After the feast ended, she called me aside after tidying up.
Without a word, she led the way over the slopes of Rezaira.
Soon, we arrived at a clearing with a small storage shed.
Luna didn't bother to explain what this place was.
I could tell without an explanation.
It must have been the place where Ragan and Ellen practiced swordsmanship.
I didn't know how the two heroes practiced swordsmanship here. Perhaps Ragan taught Ellen the sword. I didn't know if Ragan learned the sword from Luna or from Ronan.
However, I could tell that I was now at a historic site of some kind.
What could she teach me?
What could I learn from Luna?
"You can't possess the power I use."
It wasn't that she couldn't teach me, but that I couldn't possess it.
At that definitive statement, it felt as if the air was suffocating.
"I may not be able to teach you anything properly."
I didn't know what her constraints were or what her situation was. It just seemed that even trying to teach me something was a great adventure for her.
As if I could not turn away from the world.
Perhaps she couldn't turn away from me either, and that was the story.
"Just promise me one thing."
"What... are you asking?"
"Trust me."
"..."
"Can you do that?"
Trust me.
I didn't know what that meant.
Why would she say this before teaching me something?
Perhaps, it's a hint that situations where I can't trust her will continue to arise.
But why, as if foreseeing a situation where I can't trust her, would she say such a thing?
Still, she had accepted me, who had abruptly sought her out.
Moreover, she intended to teach me something.
"Of course, I should."
"..."
She stared at me quietly.
I had to trust her.
Only then could I take something away and be prepared for what comes later.
I had to trust her.
After all, there's nothing to gain from doubting Luna at this point.
What would she think of my words of trust?
She didn't express any particular opinion.
She simply nodded her head quietly.
"Try Magic Body Strengthening."
"Yes."
-Zrrrring!
Magic Body Strengthening itself had become as easy as breathing.
The explosive release of magic flowing through my body, and the enhancement.
Could she lead me to the next level?
About three seconds had passed since I used the Magic Body Strengthening.
"That's enough, stop."
At her command, I stopped releasing the strengthening magic.
Could she discern my problems just by watching? Luna turned her body.
"Your mana flow is overly emotional."
She left me with just that remark and added,
"Let's go back."
Trust me.
It seemed I now understood what that meant.
How much time was left?
I thought there was plenty of time before the final battle.
However, since the situation differed from the original work, unexpected events could happen at any time.
In Edina, I could get a rough idea of the continent and empire's conditions through the information that Antirianus gathered.
But in the isolated world of Rezaira, I couldn't hear news from the outside.
Though I arrived in Rezaira to find a breakthrough, I learned nothing.
All I heard was that my mana flow was overly emotional.
Several days passed.
Luna prepared meals for me and busied herself with village tasks alongside Ronan.
It was evident at a glance that their self-sufficient lives were hectic.
I couldn't help but grow anxious watching this scene.
I didn't have time for this.
I didn't have time to waste.
Even now, countless people were dying, I didn't know what was happening in Edina, and I was unaware of the empire and continent's current state.
I should be swinging my sword without pause, but instead, I was forced to watch the rural villagers go about their lives.
Mother, don't you worry about Ellen?
I felt the urge to scream this dozens of times a day.
But she didn't even tell me to try Magic Body Strengthening again since that night.
Being isolated from the world in Rezaira, I couldn't even hear about the world's events.
I felt like I was going mad from frustration, and although Luna and Ronan took good care of me, they didn't provide what I truly wanted.
Feeling like I was going insane, I spent the entire day swinging my sword in the empty field.
She might have expected me to find a breakthrough on my own.
Exhausting my vast magical power, I drew it out until I was on the verge of collapse. When I reached that state, I leaned against a tree, resting blankly.
Once recovered, I focused my mind to find the next level of Magic Body Strengthening.
There was no progress.
A week since arriving in Rezaira.
Although I became somewhat acquainted with the people of Rezaira, Luna and Ronan still did not teach me anything.
In the end, I had no choice but to make a decision.
Breakfast time.
"Excuse me… Can I return for a while and come back?"
"Return? Where do you mean?"
At Luna's words, I sighed.
"I have people and matters I need to look after. I think I need to assess the situation and then return."
She looked at me quietly upon hearing my words.
"You may return. However, if you do, I won't allow you back into Rezaira."
"…"
Why?
Is it such a big problem to leave for a while and come back?
Those words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say them.
Luna told me to trust her.
But a week.
I felt like I was losing my mind in a situation where she didn't pay any attention.
It would be nice if she at least gave me a task, even if it was something I couldn't handle.
But instead, I was just left neglected, doing nothing.
No matter how much I struggled alone, I couldn't grasp a clue. And that was something I could do anywhere, not just in Rezaira.
Not knowing what was happening in Edina without me, how events were unfolding and rolling, I felt like I was going crazy.
I initially intended to be away for a while, but upon leaving, I realized that it was not Edina that needed me but that I desperately needed information about the world.
Unable to know how the world was turning, I felt like I was going mad with anxiety.
That's why, for just a moment.
It would only take a few hours to travel back and forth via teleport.
If I leave, she won't let me back in here ever again.
I couldn't understand what Luna was thinking.
"What will you do?"
As if to say it's your choice, Luna looked at me quietly.
Time was passing.
Irreversible events must be happening.
Can I really gain something from Rezaira?
"…I will stay."
Luna just nodded her head silently, as if to say, do as you wish.
Two weeks since arriving in Rezaira.
It had been well over a month since I left Edina.
As the end of the gate incident approached, the destruction of the gates slowed down, and we had to be careful when approaching each gate to prepare for the big battle.
I had that thought hundreds of times a day, like a fit.
Isolation. And anxiety.
I was going crazy because of the unknown events happening in my absence.
Was Charlotte taking care of Edina's affairs well?
Would there be any trouble with Liana, Olivia, and Harriet caught in the middle?
Was Ellen okay? Was she involved in any overly dangerous operations?
Not knowing what was happening in the world, my stress caused me to feel nauseous from time to time.
At least yesterday, Luna told me to do Magic Body Strengthening once again.
This time, she didn't say a word. As soon as she saw me using my Magic Body Strengthening, she said it was done, then abruptly turned around and left.
If it's hopeless, it's hopeless.
If it's rough, it's rough.
If it's severely lacking, it's lacking.
If there's a problem, at least tell me what the problem is.
I wanted to shout that out, but I couldn't say a word.
Something is missing.
Wondering if I had to realize it on my own, I relentlessly practiced Magic Body Strengthening in the vacant lot.
"Ha... hah..."
Even the most powerful magic has its limits.
Having exhausted all my magic, I leaned against a tree stump, my entire body drenched in sweat.
Through the process of depleting and recovering my magical power, the amount of magic was indeed increasing.
But I have to move on to the next stage.
This no longer has any meaning.
Talent.
The talents are ready.
No one but Ellen has the optimal conditions to become a master class.
I don't know what the problem is or what's missing.
It seems like I only need to take one step.
But I don't know how to take that step.
"Want some water?"
"…Huh?"
Turning my head at the sudden voice, a short-haired girl was holding a water bottle out to me.
"…Thanks."
Without any particular reason to refuse, I opened the canteen Lena handed to me and drank the water.
The cold water felt like it was cooling my brain in one gulp. It might be more than just the water being cold; my head had become excessively hot.
I had become somewhat acquainted with the villagers while staying here for two weeks.
However, I spent almost all day in this vacant field, so I rarely encountered anyone.
This was only the third time I had a conversation with Lena, Ellen's childhood friend.
Lena tilted her head as she looked at me.
"You're always here, aren't you?"
"…Yeah."
"Actually, I've been watching you from a distance for a while, and you seem really skilled."
"…Really?"
I could suppress master class opponents with just my Magic Body Strengthening output. My physical ability is exceptional, and that fact remains unchanged.
It's just that it doesn't suit my nature.
I stared at Lena.
This is no ordinary village called Rezaira.
Could Lena also know how to use weapons, like a sword?
"Do you know how to use weapons, too?"
"Me?"
Lena pointed at herself with her finger, then shook her head vigorously.
"Not really? I did learn a bit with Ellen and Arta from big brother Ragan, but I had no talent for it."
This villager casually mentions the names of two human heroes.
Rezaira is indeed a very strange village.
"Come to think of it, you seem to handle a sword better than Ragan or Ellen."
"No way…"
"Is that so? I saw Ragan and Ellen wield swords a long time ago, so maybe that's why. I wonder if Ellen is amazing now?"
Lena seemed to have no talent for handling weapons at all.
It was my prejudice against Rezaira, but aside from a few people, the residents of Rezaira might be more ordinary than I thought.
Anyway, Lena's evaluation was wrong.
I don't know what Ragan Artorius's achievements were when he faced the Demon King, but Ellen is stronger than me just considering her swordsmanship, and I'm no match for her when she uses everything she has.
Lena took the canteen I was holding and drank the water, gulping it down. After drinking, Lena looked at me and crossed her arms.
"I don't really know why you came here."
"…Yeah."
"You know, when I watch you, I feel really uneasy."
"…Uneasy?"
At those words, I felt something hit me in the heart.
"I don't know what's happening outside, or why you, Ellen's friend, came here without her... but when I look at you, I feel anxious too. I don't know what you're doing or why you're here."
Anxiety.
Impatience.
Was it so evident?
"What's the rush?"
It's entirely possible for Lena, who knows nothing of my circumstances, to say such things. She knows I have some unknown situation, but she doesn't know the specifics, nor what's happening outside.
What's the rush?
I'm in a situation where I can't afford to be leisurely.
However, I had no intention of explaining my situation to Lena.
"If you rush too much, you'll be unable to do even the things you can."
"…What?"
Lena looks at me as she says something unexpected.
"Don't push yourself too hard. I'll be going now."
As if it were just an offhand remark, Lena left those words behind and got up from her spot, disappearing into the distance.
I silently watched Lena's retreating figure.
What should I say?
It seemed that Lena wasn't the only strange thing in Rezaira.
"…"
I sat quietly in the vacant field, lost in thought.
Magic Body Strengthening.
The master class that surpasses that.
And the anxiety and impatience that dominate my entire body.
Quietly, I draw out the magical power from my whole body and activate it.
The turbulent flow of mana that fiercely enveloped my body was clearly visible even to my own eyes.
It's rough.
"…"
Luna had said something similar as well.
'Your mana flow is excessively emotional.'
Perhaps there's something fundamentally wrong with my Magic Body Strengthening.
