[Side Selma] Gears starting to shift
Even though I struggled and could only defeat a few of them, Orn wiped them out in the blink of an eye.
Orn is our ace.
It's only natural that he would take less time to eliminate them than I do, so I’m no longer surprised by that.
(But still, what was that movement of his just now...?)
The way Orn wiped out the wolves earlier was just too fast.
It felt as if he was using Space Leap repeatedly, so fast that I couldn’t even track his movements.
However, if he were using magic, there should have been a magic circle appearing.
While some magic can hide the magic circle by making it small enough to be invisible, complex magic like Space Leap would not be able to hide the circle that much.
In other words, the instantaneous movement I saw from Orn must have been achieved purely with his physical abilities.
Well, he’s probably receiving a buff, though.
As I was thinking this, a different voice from behind me spoke.
"I heard about Orn's high learning ability... but even so, to have mastered Shukuchi in just two months after seeing it? That’s incredible."
I turned my head toward the voice, and there stood Haruto and Fuuka from Copper Sunset.
Shukuchi...!
That’s a technique considered the pinnacle of martial arts, one of the ultimate secret arts.
As a secret technique, it's said that very few people, both in the present and the past, have been able to use it.
I’ve heard the rumors that Fuuka has reached the peak of martial arts.
If that’s true, then it means Orn must have been taught Shukuchi by Fuuka.
"I just tried copying it. I know full well that my Shukuchi is nowhere near Fuuka's level."
"I see. By the way, Fuuka, if you were to grade Orn’s Shukuchi, how many points would you give out of 100?"
"…Sixty points."
"Oh, more than half. What’s the passing score?"
"At least eighty. His movements are too wasteful. His weight shifting needs a lot of work. It might work against weak opponents like those wolves, but it’s not at a level where it can be integrated into a strategy against strong enemies."
I was surprised to hear Fuuka say all this.
She’s generally quiet and only speaks when necessary, so I didn’t expect her to talk so much.
It seems that over the past two months, Orn and Fuuka have become quite close.
...Huh? Why am I concerned about their growing closeness?
"Ah, I get it. —By the way, Selma, are you alright? That nosebleed is from overusing magic, right? We’ll keep watch around here, so rest for now."
After cutting off his conversation with Haruto, Orn kindly sat me down on the ground and surrounded me with a magical barrier.
Since we were in a wasteland, sandstorms were frequent, but Orn's barrier protected me from the wind and sand.
"Ah, yeah. Orn came and saved my life. Thank you."
As I looked up at Orn to thank him, he gave me a reassuring smile, as if to calm me down.
"There’s no need to thank me. If you knew the danger, Selma, you would have done the same as me, right?"
While talking to Orn, I took out a towel from my storage magic item and wiped my nose. The bleeding had already stopped, so no more blood flowed.
"Yeah, that might be true... So, why are you guys here?"
"I heard from Princess Lucila that you were here. After that, we rushed to catch up with you."
"Ah, so it was Lucy. Does that mean she also told you the reason I’m here?"
"Yeah, she did. She mentioned that Sophia and Baron Emert's eldest son are getting married."
"I see. Then I can count on you to help, right?"
"...I’ll do what I can to bring about the result Sophia wants. But aside from that, considering there’s a chance of flooding in this dungeon, I’ll still be clearing it."
I see. That’s a typical way of thinking for Orn.
"Yeah, that’s more than enough. Thank you, I appreciate it. —Now that you’re all here, let’s quickly clear this dungeon."
Though I still had a headache, I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
"...Got it. Can I take the lead on this? You probably don’t know much about Fuuka or Haruto yet."
When I mentioned resuming the dungeon exploration, Orn looked like he wanted to say something but then held back.
He probably wanted to send me home since I’d be a burden, but he respected my feelings. In that case, I shouldn’t push my luck any further.
As Orn said, I only knew what I’d heard about the two of them, not their actual abilities.
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Orn."
"Then first, we’ll descend to the twenty-first floor. We rushed here so quickly that we’ve only confirmed the bare minimum about this dungeon. So I’d like you to fill in the details for us."
Orn’s instruction was accepted not just by me, but also by Fuuka and Haruto.
"Regarding combat, I’ll be clearing out the magical beasts with Fuuka. Haruto will protect you and keep an eye on the surroundings. You can rest. As for buffs, we can all manage them ourselves, so it’d be helpful if you could keep us connected through telepathy."
Hmph, so my support isn’t needed, is that it?
I understood why they said this—it was because I had overexerted myself with magic and couldn’t properly construct spell formations right now.
Even so, I couldn’t help but recall it.
That fight last year during the training expedition, where Orn faced the black dragon.
Back then, too, when I tried to cast support magic on Orn, he told me it wasn’t necessary.
<I’ve established the telepathic link. Can you all hear me?>
Using my special ability, I reached out to the three of them through telepathy.
“Oh? So this is Selma’s special ability. You can hear clearly, even at a distance?”
Haruto sounded impressed as he voiced his thoughts aloud.
“Yes. As long as it’s within my ability’s range, you should be able to hear me regardless of distance. If you want to respond via telepathy, just imagine your voice reaching the other person and speak in your mind—it will reach them.”
<Like this?>
Following my advice, Haruto tried telepathy, and his voice resonated clearly in my head.
<That’s perfect. It’s just like speaking normally—once you get used to it, you won’t even need to think about it for your thoughts to reach someone.>
<Haha, this is incredible! I see now why Selma is called the Continent’s Greatest Enchanter. I’d heard the rumors, but this telepathy is just too convenient!>
“...Haruto, stop yelling inside my head.”
As Haruto grew increasingly excited about telepathy, Fuuka quietly reprimanded him.
Her expression didn’t change, so it was hard to tell if she was serious or joking.
“What a harsh thing to say! It’s only natural to get excited about something this useful. Come on, Fuuka, you think it’s convenient too, don’t you?”
Haruto didn’t seem particularly bothered and sought Fuuka’s agreement about telepathy’s usefulness.
“...Yeah,” she replied with a nod.
“Fuuka, you should give telepathy a try too. I’m sure you’ll get it right on the first try, but it’s always better to practice.”
As their exchange settled down, Orn encouraged Fuuka to test telepathy as well.
<...Like this?>
Fuuka tilted her head slightly while looking at Orn, and her voice softly echoed in my head. The gesture was unexpectedly endearing.
...Watching Fuuka feels like watching a younger sister.
When Orn responded to her telepathically, saying, ‘Yes, I can hear you,’ she turned to face us and spoke.
“Well then, let’s head for the twenty-first floor.”
◇
"Fuuka, take care of the two on the right."
"Got it."
As we encountered three rhino-like magical beasts, Orn and Fuuka immediately closed in on them. Orn gave Fuuka a telepathic command as he engaged one of the beasts.
While Orn effortlessly took down one of the beasts, Fuuka had already defeated the other two.
Some time had passed since we joined up with them. If it were me, even in perfect condition, it would have taken several times longer, but Orn and Fuuka were cutting down magical beasts with ease, even those from deeper levels. They had already reached the twenty-seventh floor, the deepest level of the dungeon.
"You two are amazing..."
Watching Orn and Fuuka fight, I couldn’t help but let my admiration slip out.
At that moment, Haruto, who was standing next to me, spoke with a laugh.
"Yeah. These two were already ridiculously strong individually, and in the past two months, their coordination has gotten a lot sharper. Plus, with your telepathic link, Selma, communication is a breeze. These dungeon beasts are nothing compared to that."
I knew I was growing every day, but still, I couldn’t help but feel the gap between Orn and me widening.
Lain had once said something to me.
That maybe we weren’t worthy to be Orn’s companions.
Watching Orn and Fuuka fight together, I felt that, back when Orn was in the First Squad, he seemed to struggle with his team.
Since joining Night Sky Silver Rabbit, the benefits Orn has brought to the clan are immeasurable. But on the flip side, I couldn’t help but wonder—what have we, as his companions, really done for him?
...Could it be that we’re just holding Orn back?
(---No, stop it. I need to shake off these negative thoughts.)
With everything that had been weighing on me—the situation with Sophia, the headache, and my own lack of strength—my thoughts were spiraling in the wrong direction.
"...Selma, are you okay? Do you want to slow down?"
Seeing me lost in negative thoughts, Orn asked with a worried expression.
Right now, I was practically useless since I couldn’t use magic properly. I had insisted on joining them, but I couldn’t afford to be a burden any longer.
"No, I’m fine. Thanks for worrying about me."
"...I see. I know it’s tough, but we’re almost at the end. Just a little longer, okay?"
"Yeah."
We resumed our progress and encountered more magical beasts, but with Orn and Fuuka’s near-perfect coordination, it was almost mesmerizing to watch as they took down the creatures. The beasts quickly turned to magic stones.
The way they fought was so seamless it almost felt as if Orn had another sword. Fuuka covered the gaps in his movements, making their actions completely flawless.
It was as if Orn could see the future, anticipating Fuuka’s movements, and it felt like both of them were in perfect sync with one another.
Finally, we reached the deepest part of the dungeon, retrieved the dungeon core, and returned to the surface.
◇
"Orn, Haruto, Fuuka, thank you again for your cooperation in clearing the dungeon. If you hadn’t come, I would have been dead."
"I’ve told you countless times, right? We’re comrades, so of course we’ll help. Plus, after hearing all that, there was no way we wouldn’t go after you and clear the dungeon."
Orn, as usual, spoke with a calm expression, as though it were nothing. Still, comrades, huh.
Earlier, my thoughts had spiraled into negativity, and I ended up wondering about things I shouldn’t have. But Orn calls us comrades.
If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to keep pushing forward and train harder, so I can gain the strength that matches Orn’s.
"It was an unexpected opportunity to try out telepathy during the battle. Don’t worry about it."
Fuuka spoke next, and from her words, it seemed there would be more opportunities to fight while using telepathy in the future.
I’ve heard that Future Sight allows you to see a short distance into the future. But could it be that it isn’t just seconds ahead—could it allow her to see days or even months into the future?
"More importantly, Selma, you’re close to your limit, so you should rest now. I understand you’re worried about Sophia, but if Sophia knew the state you’re in right now, she might end up blaming herself even more."
As I thought about Fuuka’s meaningful words, Orn told me to rest.
Truthfully, I imagine Orn wanted me to rest from the moment we first met up, but he took my feelings into account and let me come along to clear the dungeon.
In truth, I felt a little better, but my headache was still severe.
At this point, it would be wise to listen to Orn and take a break.
The dungeon was cleared.
I could leave Father’s matters to my older brother without any problem.
"Alright. I don’t want to worry you any more than I already have. I’ll rest as you suggested."
Afterward, I informed my brother and Lucy that the dungeon had been cleared safely, then returned to my room and slept like the dead.