Episode 3: The Cheerful Shielded Man and a Clumsy Combat Training Morning
The small training ground on the outskirts of the port town was filled with the mingled scent of dust and wood chips—truly “a place that smells of sweat and magic.”
The ground was packed dirt. Wooden targets stood in rows‚ and a faint glow came from a simple barrier. At the edge of the barrier hung signs reading “No Magic Runaway” and “Strictly No Misfires at Seagulls.” The latter probably existed because someone had messed up before.
(...I don’t have the accuracy to hit a seagull with magic anyway.)
Aria Aadel stood quietly in the corner of the training ground. In his hand was a magical power control device. Without it‚ using magic would be far too unstable. Actually‚ even with it‚ it was unstable.
Staring at the target‚ he tapped his fingertips lightly. A habit of thought. As he tried to assemble the formula for magic in his mind‚ memories of failure got in the way.
(...That target is swaying in the wind. My hit rate will drop.)
It was when he was thinking that—
“Hey! You there with the ‘overthinking face’! Are you ready?!”
A cheerful voice echoed from the entrance of the training ground.
The one who appeared was a young man with spiky red hair. He carried a sword over his shoulder‚ smiling. Rather than walking‚ he seemed to bounce. His energy was high—no‚ way too high.
“You’re Aria Aadel‚ right? I’m Cross Valentine! In charge of combat training—and the ‘energy representative’ of this port town!”
“…Energy representative?”
“Yep! This town’s too quiet! If I don’t make noise‚ only the seagulls will cry!”
(That sounds peaceful in its own way‚ though.)
Aria gave a slight bow.
“Nice to meet you. I don’t have much combat experience…”
“Leave it to me! I’ll teach you everything from the basics of combat to the ‘oddities of the battlefield’!”
“…You don’t need to teach me the oddities.”
“Oh! You can do retorts too! Nice‚ that’s important!”
Cross planted his sword into the ground and patted Aria on the shoulder. The strength was just barely acceptable. Probably.
And so‚ Aria’s “combat training” began with his cheerful partner.
“First‚ the basics of the front line! Positioning‚ evasion‚ and ‘coolness’!”
“…Is the last one necessary?”
“It is! Making the enemy think ‘oh‚ this guy’s good’ is part of strategy!”
(Isn’t that just self-satisfaction…?)
Holding his control device again‚ Aria listened to Cross’s passionate lecture.
The air in the training ground mixed dust with sea breeze‚ creating a strange atmosphere of a “salty battlefield.”
“First‚ when the enemy comes‚ you do this!”
Cross suddenly leapt high and spread his arms.
The pose was flashy. The movement was fast. But it completely missed the target.
“…That’s not evasion‚ that’s a ‘dance‚’ right?”
“No! This is ‘showy evasion’!”
“…Do you need to make it showy?”
“Yes! I’m the man who ‘shows off while dodging’!”
(I’ve never heard that before—and who decided that?)
Cross stood before the target and this time readied his sword.
“Next‚ how to use the simple barrier. Can you see it?”
He pointed to the faint glowing line of the barrier.
Aria nodded.
“This barrier absorbs some of the impact of magic. So if you fight with your back to it‚ you’ll feel a bit safer. Well‚ it doesn’t work on seagulls‚ though.”
“…Are seagulls really that much of a threat?”
“Yesterday‚ when Linne fired a magic bullet‚ a seagull reflected it back. They’re evolving.”
(How far are seagulls going to go…?)
At that moment‚ Linne‚ who had been watching from the edge of the training ground‚ waved from afar.
“Cross‚ you’re not teaching weird stuff again‚ are you?”
“It’s not weird! My teachings are ‘soul tactics’!”
“That’s the most suspicious kind!”
Aria couldn’t help but laugh.
Cross’s instruction had parts that didn’t make sense logically‚ yet somehow it was oddly convincing.
And above all—fun.
(...Being able to talk about magic like this while laughing…)
It was a fresh feeling for Aria.
“Alright‚ let’s try a mock battle!”
Cross grinned as he rested his sword on his shoulder.
In the center of the training ground were wooden targets and a simple barrier. The air tightened slightly‚ and sand danced in the wind.
“Um… am I your opponent?”
“No‚ no‚ I’ll take the front. You support from the rear. Even if your magic is unstable‚ you can cover it with movement and judgment. I’ll be the decoy‚ so just go ‘pop’ and fire!”
“…What kind of magic is ‘pop’?”
“The kind that feels good!”
(That explains nothing…)
Aria equipped the control device and took a deep breath.
His magic was unstable. But with Cross standing in front‚ he felt a bit reassured.
“Let’s go‚ Aria! Give off that ‘you can trust my back’ vibe!”
“…Do we need that vibe?”
“Yes! Atmosphere is important!”
Cross charged forward. He weaved between targets and swung his sword.
The movements were flashy but efficient—more than enough to draw the enemy’s attention.
From the rear‚ Aria channeled his magic. He pictured the formula.
But his fingertips trembled. The magic snagged midway.
(...Again.)
At that moment‚ one of the targets moved toward Aria—a magically controlled “moving target” for training.
“Aria‚ right!”
At Cross’s shout‚ Aria instinctively pulled back and released magic.
A light bullet grazed the target’s feet and burst.
“Nice! That was a ‘pop’ just now!”
“…That was luck.”
But even if it was luck‚ it hit.
Something inside Aria shifted‚ just a little.
The target moved again. Cross stepped forward and struck. Aria released magic in sync with his movements.
His magic was unstable‚ but Cross’s actions showed him what came next.
(...I can match him.)
Tap‚ tap—his fingertips.
A habit of thought. But now‚ instead of “construction‚” he was moving by “feeling.”
“Aria‚ next‚ upper left! Fire it like ‘whooosh’!”
“What is ‘whooosh’!?”
“The kind that feels good!”
(That again!)
But he fired. The magic flowed just a little more smoothly.
The light bullet struck the target directly‚ scattering wood fragments.
For a moment‚ silence.
“…You did it.”
Cross grinned broadly.
Aria nodded as he caught his breath.
(...That wasn’t luck.)
His magic was certainly unstable. But with someone else—maybe it could move.
By the time training ended‚ the sky had turned a deep sunset color.
The wind from the port town cooled the heated air of the training ground.
“Phew~ I was cool again today!”
Cross rested his sword on his shoulder‚ puffing out his chest proudly.
Beside him‚ Aria quietly drank water‚ the breeze cooling his sweaty forehead.
“…Your standard for ‘cool’ is unique.”
“Oh‚ your retorts are getting sharper! That’s training成果 too!”
“…Does that have anything to do with combat?”
“It does! ‘Vibe’ is important on the battlefield too!”
(...I can’t tell if this person is serious or joking.)
At that moment‚ Linne peeked in from the edge of the training ground.
“Good work. Cross‚ you were doing that ‘showy evasion’ again‚ weren’t you?”
“I was! And I showed it off again today!”
“…Aria‚ you held up well.”
“…Yes‚ somehow.”
Aria gave a wry smile.
But inside‚ he felt strangely calm.
His magic was still unstable. But by moving together with someone‚ he felt like something was gradually changing.
Tap‚ tap—his fingertips.
A habit of thought. But today‚ the sound felt just a little lighter.
(...Today was a little different.)
Cross’s voice‚ Linne’s laughter‚ and the feeling that his magic had “connected with someone.”
All of it left a small stir deep in his chest.
“Aria‚ let’s do this again tomorrow! Let’s go ‘pop’!”
“…Please tell me the definition of ‘pop’ by tomorrow.”
“No can do! Feel it!”
(...As expected‚ he has no intention of explaining.)
Aria‚ in the evening sun‚ softly
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