I have received divine revelation, and furthermore, the President has told me to rescue the instructor.
In short, that’s it, but this one sentence shows that it is easier said than done.
“Haa!!”
Training for the first time in a while.
Being on the receiving end of the training is also a fresh experience.
“Hmm, you’re starting to look quite good with the Holy Sword.”
What’s more, the person teaching me is the current Demon Lord, the President, a remarkably advantageous situation.
This place is a Dimension Room, a space set up with Valse-san’s space-time magic so that one minute outside becomes one day in this world.
Both I and the President have long lives, where a year or two makes little difference in terms of lifespan.
Therefore, we can carry out training with temporal acceleration without holding back.
Moreover, with the highest authority conducting the education, there is no shortage of resources.
There is no shortage of supplies, including not only medicine for treating the body but also equipment such as weapons and armor.
Among the weapons supplied is a Holy Sword that was stored by the Demon Lord’s Army.
I am using it to train in handling the Holy Sword, but for the actual battle, I will be using the Holy Sword that Himik repaired, so in a sense, this is training to get used to the sensation of channeling magic into the Holy Sword.
It is by no means training to defeat the President.
“Fuh!”
However, my motto is to do my best when I challenge something.
I don’t have the same perfect preparation as when I defeated the instructor, but the skill gap isn’t so large that I’m being attacked one-sidedly.
Still, the President, who can enjoy fighting against an instructor, is indeed formidable.
Even though I’m constantly attacking, I don’t feel like I can break through at all.
I’ve heard that practical experience is the best way to learn how to use a Holy Sword, but even so, it’s insane to accept the weapon that is the natural enemy of the Demon Lord.
“Um, Himik-san, all I’ve been hearing is loud noises. What exactly is happening in front of my eyes?”
“The Demon Lord and Giro are just training. Don’t lose focus no matter the situation. Your magic refinement is weak. It won’t work in chaos.”
“Y-yes!”
It feels like several months have passed since I entered this space.
I’ve been clashing with the President like this the entire time.
Meanwhile, Himik is training Eshlee, trying to refine her Holy Maiden powers.
Being able to receive instruction from a Seraph is apparently a rare experience in Isal.
Therefore, Eshlee seems to be working hard, even with the Spartan training.
I feel bad that Eshlee sometimes ends up with tears in her eyes and her barrier cracks due to the shock of me and the President clashing, but I hope she can accept it as training that takes that into account.
It has been quite some time since I started swinging the Holy Sword instead of the Ore Tree, and now I no longer feel any discomfort from the different shapes and weights of the swords.
However, unlike the Ore Tree, which I am accustomed to using and which has become familiar to my hands and body, I have reservations about the low output of the Holy Sword, which prevents me from channeling my full magic power into it.
“She has a good aptitude, doesn’t she? She’s able to withstand the impact of your and my offense and defense.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes, I think you have every reason to be proud.”
I thought a Holy Sword would have considerably superior performance, but in reality, it’s just a slight enhancement of common skills.
Its performance also makes me feel that the magic swords made by the Giants are more practical.
No, the Holy Sword has no apparent demerits.
If I had to pick one, perhaps the angelic transformation could be considered, but even that might be a welcome effect for some.
It seems to have the property of converting the user’s magic power into the holy attribute, and my magic power is constantly imbued with the holy attribute.
Personally, I think this is a drawback.
It also doesn’t mesh well with the armor magic I use, making it inconvenient.
The magic poured into the Holy Sword generally becomes holy in attribute.
However, the armor magic I use primarily employs all eight attributes: earth, water, fire, wind, ice, lightning, darkness, and light.
In other words, it is converted from colorless transparent magic into these eight attributes.
If it is forcibly changed to the holy attribute, I need to go through the trouble of converting it back to colorless and then to another attribute each time.
This is also bothersome.
In a situation where I’m facing someone as skilled as the President, I cannot afford carelessness or an opening, even for a moment.
Knowing that, I basically fight with attacks and sword techniques using holy attribute magic.
We have already exchanged thousands, tens of thousands, of blows.
“Hmm, I’m starting to see some fatigue. Let’s take a break.”
“Yes.”
My breathing isn’t ragged, and I’m only slightly sweating, but the President, noticing my movements have become even slightly slower, suggests a break.
“However, President, it’s been quite a long time since I started using the Holy Sword, but there’s no sign of angelic transformation.”
“……You’re right. What on earth is going on with your body?”
As for me, I’ve long given up on becoming non-human through angelic transformation.
With the dragon blood mixed in, I’m fine as long as I can maintain my human form and my own personality.
That’s why I wield the Holy Sword with the understanding that it’s for functioning in chaos.
“Unfortunately, I have no idea myself. I’ve already used up three Holy Swords…”
“Hmm, perhaps your soul has some kind of protection. You do have many people involved with you, after all.”
However, it’s surprising that the angelic transformation, which was raised as an initial concern, shows no signs.
If things were as they should be, I would have already transformed into an angel, swinging the Holy Sword to the extent that pure white wings would sprout from my back.
The conditions for angelic transformation are met.
During the break, I take out a desk, a cup, and iced tea in a plastic bottle from the subspace. For calorie intake, I also bring out commercially available cookies.
It’s strange to be discussing why I can’t achieve angelic transformation with the President while efficiently preparing for the break.
“Is it because the dragon’s blood is interfering? I’ve never heard of a dragon becoming an angel.”
I pour the tea into a plastic cup that won’t break even if dropped and offer it to the President, who takes it and drinks it.
It’s quite surreal to see the Demon Lord drinking iced tea and eating snacks readily available at convenience stores, but it’s a familiar sight these days.
“That possibility is conceivable. Angels and dragons are generally not on good terms, so perhaps the dragon’s instincts are rejecting angelic transformation from a soul perspective.”
The President doesn’t discriminate between food and drink based on its perceived value. He eats and drinks anything that tastes good and suits his preference.
It’s a relief for the one preparing things because he doesn’t discriminate based on price.
“Does that mean there are no dragons in Isal?”
“No, there are indeed dragons in Isal. In fact, holy attribute dragons like white dragons are only found there.”
The topics of conversation are chosen by the President, and he continues to teach me things I didn’t know.
Eshlee is looking at us with a somewhat envious expression, but I’ll ignore it.
“Then, when we go to war with Isal, should we anticipate the presence of dragons there?”
“It’s unlikely that dragons of Baskal’s class would participate. Even if they appeared, it would be at most wyverns that ordinary humans could control. If they were to borrow the power of angels, they probably wouldn’t intervene until humanity in their world was on the brink of irreversible decline. There are small nations that worship dragons, but generally, in Isal, angels are spoken of as the supreme beings. They don’t accept dragons as being above them.”
There seems to be a hierarchy even among beings in Isal, which leads me to a question about what the President is saying.
“By the way, President, who do you think is stronger?”
“…If the Seraphim were fully assembled, I would say angels, but with many of the Seraphim captured by us, the combat power is about equal. I can’t be sure because I haven’t seen the full extent of the strength of the first-place Seraph.”
Yes, the question is who is stronger between angels and dragons, species-wise.
To put it mildly, these two species are classified as the strongest among all species in otherworlds.
Recently, they might be portrayed as stepping stones, but logically speaking, they are long-lived, possess robust bodies, and have immense magical power.
They are the epitome of strength in fantasy worlds.
Therefore, it’s an interesting topic to discuss who is stronger.
When I asked a question about it, the President pondered for a moment and then assessed their overall strength as a species to be equal.
This evaluation is also due to the fact that the Demon Lord’s Army has captured most of the high-ranking Seraphim.
“Does that mean that individual dragons are weaker than angels?”
“That’s not it. The nature of dragons is not suited for reproduction, which is why their numbers are difficult to increase.”
From that, I might have guessed that dragons are inferior to angels, but it seems that’s not the case.
Indeed, there is a Dragon King among my generals who defeated a Seraph.
His strength should be sufficient to defeat even the instructor in battle.
With such dragons existing, the theory that dragons are inferior to angels doesn’t hold.
Ultimately, it seems to come down to each creature’s magical affinity.
“Difficult to increase their numbers? Does that refer to… that kind of thing?”
However, dragons inherently have very high physical specs.
Then I arrive at the question of where the difference with angels arose.
The answer is simple: their numbers are fewer compared to angels.
“That’s part of it, but I’m talking about their personality and nature. Dragons in Isal are often symbols of the law of the jungle, or beings that become obstacles for humans. They are beings that fulfill human honor by being defeated, and at the same time, they also have the aspect of being divine creatures, symbols of faith.”
I mistakenly thought it was due to low reproductive capacity, but it seems to be more than that.
While slowly sipping his tea, the President, who likes sweets, stuffs cookie after cookie into his mouth.
It’s amazing how he can carry on a conversation so well while doing so.
“And above all, those who possess power enjoy being challenged. And they don’t care about the outcome of the battle. Especially if it’s a fair fight, not a cowardly surprise attack. You can see that with Baskal, can’t you?”
“Ah.”
Then I begin to vaguely understand what the President is trying to say.
The example of the Dragon King made it clear.
“To summarize, is the position of dragons in Isal not as allies, but rather as trials, as obstacles for humans to overcome to become stronger?”
“Your interpretation is generally correct. Sometimes, there are heroes who, after overcoming trials and defeating dragons, go on to challenge the Demon Lord, so it’s not entirely like that.”
“I see.”
As expected of the Demon Lord’s Army, they have thoroughly investigated the combat strength of Isal.
It’s natural to consider that the threats are not limited to angels, and that various species would be troublesome.
“Incidentally, there are also aspects related to battles that should not be touched regarding dragons. For example, hunting young dragons who can barely fight. That’s what you call a taboo. Humans who violate it, and the towns they live in, will be destroyed. If it were a king, their country would be annihilated.”
The species present in Isal are those that are in conflict with the Demon Lord’s Army.
However, it seems that not all species are seeking total resistance.
“This is educational.”
“Yes, please endeavor to learn. Now, the break is over. Shall we continue?”
“Yes.”
I feel it was good just to know that much.
Today’s Word: While one person is preparing, another person is preparing.
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