Chapter 167: Firm Resolve (1)

「Good, good. That was superb. ｣

Celseus and I stared at Seiya and Ardama with dead-fish eyes.

Looking quite satisfied after getting our HP, Ardama gave Seiya her aura. Seiya’s body got wrapped in a navy blue aura. Then, he pointed his hand toward a nearby rock as per Ardama’s instructions. Seiya began his training in order to master the special skill “Daunting Pose” that forcibly hardened a third party’s body and protected the caster.

I managed to dress myself with the replacement white clothing that Seiya left in the luggage bag. However, Celseus was sitting half-naked in a triangle pose. I thought Seiya was just messing around at first, but when I thought closely about this skill, my face got distorted as a result. It seemed that Celseus felt the same way.

「My freedom will be deprived, once Seiya masters that technique…｣

「By the way, hey you. Go change your tattered clothes. We have a spare armor in the luggage bag.｣

The luggage bag had replacements of my dress and Celseus’ armor for occasions like this. Seiya’s careful attention to these things made me happy and unhappy at the same time. However, Celseus shook his head instead.

「I prefer being naked. It’s safer. I don’t have to worry about the surveillance earth snakes sneaking in.｣

「You…You are getting too paranoid.｣

「You idiot!! I was shot!! Have you ever seen a human shoot a god with a submachine gun!? That guy is absolutely nuts!! He has an illness inside of an illness!!｣

「Hey you, things will get messed up if Seiya listens to what you’re saying…｣

「Why are you not angry!! ｣

「Hmm. I’m a little angry, but oh well, I have no other choice. It’s all for the sake of saving the world.｣

I was able to keep my calm because I truly felt that way, sincerely. Besides, Celseus was the one getting angry and hurt instead. Celseus turned his frosty eyes on me and slapped his tongue.

「Gosh! You are like a poor wife who got used to DV!* ｣

「Wha…What did you say!! If it’s your purpose to make me feel embarrassed for being called a wife, then too bad!! I don’t care!! Whoa, you’re such an idiot!!｣

「The one who’s an idiot is you!! You’re truly pitiful!!｣

When I tried to argue, Celseus changed his complexion and looked down. I noticed that Seiya and Ardama were walking toward us.

「Seiya. How about your training? ｣

「…That’s all for today. ｣

Seiya looked quite dissatisfied. Ardama laughed with a carefree smile.

「It takes a whole day for my aura to firmly settle in his body. The full-scale training of the Daunting Pose will start tomorrow.｣

「Is that so. ｣

Seiya sighed in frustration. Hmm. Seiya was pretty impatient when it came to training. I guess he wanted to learn it quickly.

「Well, well. You should do it slowly. You didn’t rush things back in the Gods’ realm. So you should do the same now.｣

「I refuse. That was a deferment. ｣

「Ehh!? Why…Why!? ｣

「There’s a possibility that everything will repeat itself again. I don’t want to waste any time.｣

「What do you mean!? ｣

「Anyway, I want to learn as much as possible in the Underworld right now.｣

…What did he say just now…?

I was curious about Seiya’s words. However, Ardama laughed at Seiya.

「Don’t worry, I’ll be here tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!｣

「You see? Ardama will be here to teach you. ｣

Seiya stared fixedly at Ardama’s face. He nodded after a moment of silence.

「Well then, Seiya. Shall we return to Uno’s house? ｣

「I guess so. I want to make good use of my time to synthesize a body armor. I must be prepared so that I can test the armor and the magic bullets tomorrow.｣

「Wa…Wait a second!! A body armor!? Does that mean that you don’t trust the capability of my special skill!?｣

Ardama shouted aloud. Of course, it surprised Ardama. After all, Seiya wanted to make a “bulletproof vest” while learning the hardening technique.

「Just in case. ｣

「But my hardening is invincible! ｣

「That’s your assumption. ｣

「It’s not my assumption!! It’s the truth!! ｣

「If combining my knowledge and experience with the abilities of the Underworld people gives me the possibility to further develop and increase its functionality, then I see no reason why I shouldn’t do it.｣

「C…C’mon, c’mon! Calm down, Ardama! This hero is extremely cautious, you know!｣

I stepped in between the two. Seiya was rude to Ardama, and as usual, he wasn’t even apologetic.

「It’s the same as making a Hades Audience Card and synthesizing a submachine gun. I add the existing knowledge of my world in my Underworld training. I did the same with the other worlds. I do it because…｣

「Yes, that’s right! Because you want to be fully prepared to complete the saving quest of the Twisted Exfolia!｣

Seiya approached Celseus, who was sitting in a triangle position, grabbed his neck and muttered in conviction.

「Because…I want to devise a plan to counter the Sacred Hero.｣

…The Sacred Hero…!

Celseus shouted as Seiya dragged him away. Ardama scratched her head.

「What a bother! I don’t feel like teaching him…! ｣

「Ah well, excuse us Ardama! See you tomorrow! Wa…Wait for me, Seiya!｣

…I was immersed in my thoughts while I chased Seiya. Ardama may have felt wronged because of Seiya’s statements. After all, he downgraded her abilities openly. However, I always felt that Seiya, who never lost sight of the final goal while trying to improve himself, was honestly amazing.

—

Next day. Evening.

「Gyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! ｣

Continuing from yesterday, Celseus’ screams echoed aloud in the rocky landscape of Ardama’s home.

Ardama fired a submachine gun at Seiya. Then, the hardened Celseus stood in front of Seiya and was shot instead. As always, Seiya, who was quick to remember things, had already succeeded in hardening Celseus with his own will.

「Ah, ah, ah! This is quite fun! This is quite the stress relief! ｣

Ardama laughed high while shooting the submachine gun. Regardless of his will, Celseus showed his quick movements and defenses without hesitation.

「Stop it alreadyyyyyyyyyyyy!! ｣

「…Okay. Stop. ｣

After a while. Ardama stopped shooting at Seiya’s signal. The now unhardened Celseus fell on the spot. I brought a change of clothes for Celseus.

「Are you okay, Celseus? ｣

「Of course I’m not okay…! My whole body hurts…! I want to go home now…!｣

I heard a rattling noise while I was having a conversation with Celseus. When I looked at it, I saw that Seiya carried a wheelbarrow made of wood. Seiya put the wheelbarrow in front of Celseus.

「Okay. Let’s move onto the next stage of training. ｣

「Se…Seiya! Let’s take a break… ｣

「No. “Stand Alone”. ｣

Celseus became steel again after Seiya released the aura from his hand. Seiya forced the hardened Celseus to sit inside the wheelbarrow.

「Lista. You’ll push this thing during the saving quest of the Twisted Exfolia. ｣

「I…I will!? But for what reason!? ｣

「The weakness of the “Daunting Pose” is the loss of mobility. However, we can overcome that weakness by carrying the hardened Celseus.｣

「Ah, yeah. I see… ｣

「I am going to walk around this rocky area now. Push the wheelbarrow and follow me.｣

I pushed the wheelbarrow carrying the steel-looking Celseus. I was able to push it relatively well. It felt surprisingly light. The hardened but firmed Celseus was rattling inside the wheelbarrow due to the vibration of the rocky area. The depressive Celseus looked very old, as if he had no strength left in his heart.

…What a weird mood…! My action looked like I was a nurse caring for the elderly…!

I thought about this for a brief moment. I also couldn’t understand why Seiya walked ahead in a hurry. I spoke with Celseus after a long while.

「Hey, Celseus. I wonder where we’re going…What? Celseus?｣

I noticed that Celseus, who was no longer looking depressive, looked around with sharp eyes.

「This…This feeling…! ｣

「What’s wrong? ｣

「Someone is targeting us! ｣

「Ah? But, who? ｣

I looked behind my back. Ardama was waving happily in the distance. She didn’t hold the submachine gun given to her by Seiya. There was no one else in this wide rocky area except us. However, Celseus had an uneasy look on his face.

「I feel it! I’m feeling it! One, two, three…no, much more…!｣

「Oh. You got it right. ｣

Seiya responded to Celseus’ words. He looked somewhat impressed.

「Seiya! What do you mean? ｣

「Celseus is right. Currently, the Mad Hand, a figure embodied by my earth magic, is aiming at us with guns from all over the rocks.｣

「No way!! But, I don’t see anything at all!? ｣

I looked attentively at the area again with the eyes of a goddess, but I couldn’t see anything that resembled the Mad Hand.

「I installed it here after I made it transparent. In addition, the Mad Hand is a pseudo-life form made with magic. Therefore, it doesn’t give a murderous vibe. It is extremely difficult to detect the presence of this pseudo-life form in advance.｣

「Bu…But, how did Celseus figure it out!? ｣

「The activated Stand Alone Celseus acts like a high laser detector. It senses signs of undetectable guns that are ready to shoot.｣

「Se…Seriously…? ｣

「It’s a bit like predicting the future. ｣

I looked at Celseus in awe. And at the same time, the dry gunshot echoed! Immediately, Celseus stood up from the wheelbarrow at an astonishing speed unnoticeable to my eyes, crossed his arms and stood in front of Seiya! Sparks scattered all over the shoulder of the steel-colored Celseus! Celseus protected Seiya from the menacing bullets!

「Tha…That’s amazing! Celseus! It looks like you have a special ability yourself! You look kinda cool!｣

I praised him. Then, on this very instant. A series of gunshots were fired from every single angle *bang bang bang bang*. From my experience when I was shot, I could sense that these shots came from submachine guns. Celseus moved around at an insane speed that left an afterimage, and received the bullets, which resembled hailstones**!

「Hyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! ｣

Celseus’ equipment and clothes were torn apart soon after. And then, the remaining piece of cloth on his skin was blown away by the fierce torrential bullets that came from all directions. Celseus became naked in a blink of an eye.

「No, I take my words back!! He isn’t cool, at alllllllllllllllllllllll!! He looks like a beehive!!｣

I screamed as I witnessed Celseus being subjected to the constant gunfire. Actually, he looked even more miserable now because he could detect his fate in advance without being able to prevent it!!

Endless shooting. Celseus’ screams. Before long, Ardama stood next to me and calmly told Seiya the following words.

「Perfect. The training of the Daunting Pose is complete. ｣

「Yeah. ｣

It didn’t matter if Celseus got hurt or got naked. All that mattered to them was the accomplishment of the perfect defense mechanism. After the endless shooting, the steel-colored Celseus was like industrial waste.

…This…This role suited Celseus, and not me! Celseus, thank you very much!

「I can’t believe you’ve mastered my special ability so quickly. This hero is a big deal.｣

Although Ardama praised him, Seiya remained silent. And then, he grabbed the fallen Celseus with one hand, and he casually put him on the wheelbarrow again.

「Seiya? ｣

「There’s no use in being here anymore. ｣

Then, he pushed it and began to walk away.

「Ex…Excuse me, thank you for everything! Ardama! ｣

「Yeah, yeah. Well, do your best. ｣

I thanked Ardama on Seiya’s behalf. After shaking hands with a smile, I chased after Seiya.

「C’mon. You should have thanked her properly. ｣

「There’s no time for that. ｣

「Are we…perhaps, leaving for Exfolia now!? ｣

「No. Departure is the day after tomorrow. ｣

「The day after tomorrow? What are you going to do in the meantime…｣

Seiya stopped pushing the wheelbarrow with the corpse-looking Celseus and sent me a strong gaze.

「Lista. I want to talk to you alone tomorrow. ｣

「Eh. ｣

My mind stopped working for a moment. Alone, he said…Just the two of us…I loved the sound of that…! No…No, no, no, no! There’s no way that this man could be romantic with me!

I shook my head to dispel these unrealistic thoughts.

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*Meaning ディーブイ (di-bui), in order words, “Domestic Violence”.

**Hail is a large frozen raindrop produced by intense thunderstorms, where snow and rain can coexist in the central updraft. As the snowflakes fall, liquid water freezes onto them forming ice pellets that will continue to grow as more and more droplets are accumulated.

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