Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Ash Color Aura

“Ah, you were talking so I waited.”

Adrianne with eyebrows slightly lowered answered in the usual indifferent voice.

‘Did she hear the conversation?’

Habitually wrapped soundproof magic, but the opponent was Adrianne. It would not have worked.

‘A woman hard to know in many ways.’

Magic not working—.

Galahad who clicked his tongue softly asked Adrianne directly while looking.

“Did you hear?”

“......Yes? No. Eavesdropping on others’ conversation is a greatly rude action.”

Adrianne’s voice was faster than usual. At that Galahad’s eyes narrowed.

“......At first I did not know you were conversing so I heard by mistake. Sorry.”

Adrianne bowed her head a little and confessed.

“Ah, of course I stepped back right away.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Adrianne twitched her mouth. It was an expression where something wrong was openly seen.

‘Really cannot lie.’

Galahad quietly stared at such Adrianne.

Then Adrianne started confessing.

“......Actually not right away. Because I did not know the princess’s story would come out I unconsciously......”

“I see.”

“That the princess cherished Captain Galahad a lot and ended with some matter and.......”

At Adrianne who confessed in a row Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“Heard a lot.”

At Galahad’s point Adrianne’s eyes shook.

“Sorry. Because it was the first time in a long time hearing the princess’s story—.”

“Are you acquainted with the princess?”

“Yes, I briefly associated when young. She was a very warm person.”

That crazy woman is warm—. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

‘Well if young then before the princess experienced that matter—. She would have been sane.’

“Is the princess doing well?”

“Why ask me that?”

“Ah, because it seemed the relationship was close—.”

“As I said earlier, only a relationship intertwined by work.”

“Ah, I see.”

Adrianne nodded. Those eyebrows were slightly raised.

A moment of silence continued.

Galahad’s head was complicated by the matters happening consecutively recently.

Among them the first was—.

‘High-rank demon race.....’

It was the high-rank demon race who told Galahad to come to the Magic Realm alone.

The guy’s mental interference displayed exceeding a far distance was an irresistible charm to Galahad.

He could understand why the demon race guys call their power ‘authority’.

The guy’s authority was no different from a god to a mage.

He wanted to run to the Magic Realm right away in his heart but—.

‘It is a stupid act.’

No matter how charming the guy’s authority there was no way he would do the stupid act of trusting the demon race and heading to the Magic Realm alone.

Of course, the guy has something he wants from Galahad, so it might not be dangerous but—.

‘Not yet.’

To go to the guy, one had to be at a degree one could protect oneself in the Magic Realm.

Galahad forcibly suppressed the excited heart.

“May I ask why the end with the princess was not good?”

At Adrianne’s question Galahad’s thoughts broke.

Raising his head, Adrianne was examining Galahad.

Caution was full in those eyes.

“She did not believe me.”

At the simple answer Adrianne nodded.

A bit more silence continued.

Adrianne who became a subtle face stood from the seat.

“I will return to the 1st Battalion again. The Magic Realm training ground is concerning, but leaving the 1st Battalion empty for long is also dangerous so.”

Adrianne said with an indifferent face.

It seemed she was trying to return to the 1st Battalion.

Truly an Adrianne-like action.

“I see. Before going will you give the hand a bit.”

Galahad naturally held out his hand.

Unlike usual Adrianne quietly stared at that hand.

“The words you said last time.”

“What.”

“The words that now I think I know—.”

“Ah, that was so.”

Galahad nodded.

“What does it mean?”

“You become stronger the stronger the demon race. That is related to the property of burning mana. For you mana is fuel. The better the quality of that fuel the stronger you burn. Last time I verified that. I rather lowered the mana concentration. So the pain was less.”

Galahad recalled the memory of last time.

There were cases of compressing mana but no cases of lowering the concentration. Because low concentration mana was useless.

Galahad lowered the mana concentration to confirm his own hypothesis.

From the beginning lowering mana concentration in the North where mana concentration is dense was quite hard work, but the pill of pain made that possible.

Entrusting most of the mana to the pill of pain, and operating the little mana to the maximum so impurities mixed and the mana concentration lowered.

And when holding Adrianne’s hand, the pain was much less than before.

Perhaps it could be that one became familiar with that terrible pain of mana burning but—.

At Adrianne who slightly opened her mouth and only blinked her eyes Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“To explain easily, it is that I knew the method of holding your hand less painfully.”

“Ah, the method of holding less painfully?”

Galahad nodded and shook his hand. It was urging to hold quickly.

Adrianne’s eyes slightly narrowed.

“Does the relationship with the princess also have influence on the empire sending Sir Galahad to the North?”

At Adrianne’s unexpected question Galahad pondered for a moment and nodded.

Because there were so many stinging corners one could not be sure, but that would also have influence.

“There will be.”

“Then Sir Galahad coming to this far North is not only my fault.”

“...There is no way?”

At Adrianne’s calm opinion presentation Galahad answered reluctantly.

“The reason I promised to hold the hand was because Sir Galahad came to the North because of me.”

“That’s right.”

“But since it is confirmed that it is not solely because of me, but there is also the influence of Sir Galahad’s dissipated past, there is room to reconsider.”

“......Dissipated?”

“Although the contract was already concluded, since the conditions changed there is necessity to change the form of the contract.”

Adrianne said firmly while looking at Galahad.

At the unexpected resistance Galahad squinted his eyes.

Her claim was quite reasonable.

“If changing the form—?”

“Currently one has to unconditionally respond to Sir Galahad’s proposal, but now changing to holding only when I also agree would be good.”

Adrianne’s eyes were quite serious.

Galahad let out a groan while looking at those clear blue eyes.

“If you unconditionally refuse won’t it become a problem?”

“Instead I will present appropriate grounds. For example today the Magic Realm training ground is not yet stable, and since I am returning to the 1st Battalion it is not good to hold hands judging the danger.”

“There is reason, understood.”

Galahad clicked his tongue softly and nodded.

“However, changing this right away would be sudden, so I will put today as a grace period.”

Adrianne took off the gauntlet and held out her hand. Unlike the confident words the appearance of holding out the hand was quite awkward.

Galahad quietly watched that. Then Adrianne twitched the held out hand and hid the palm inward.

“You, thinking I will of course hold?”

Asking so Adrianne’s eyebrows shook up and down.

“...Didn’t you request the hand first. This is inference according to appropriate grounds. If you do not want—.”

“Just asked.”

Galahad quickly held Adrianne’s hand. Although a rough hand full of calluses, quite warm.

“This kind of feeling—.”

That was only a moment. When the low concentration mana all burned and disappeared, the mana inside was forcibly taken out.

Then, Adrianne withdrew her hand.

Galahad staggered and sat on the chair. He closed his eyes and recalled the sensation of just now.

‘While it seems it will be caught—.’

One cannot know at all.

“Ah, my returning to the 1st Battalion is because of the belief that Captain Galahad can sufficiently manage the Magic Realm training ground. Still just in case, I will send the hawk. Please write the progress situation.”

Adrianne looked for a moment at Galahad who was quietly closing his eyes and left the room.

Gilbert who met Adrianne in the corridor bowed his head with a bob—.

“Where are you going?”

“Returning to the 1st Battalion.”

Adrianne said so and passed.

Gilbert who saw that opened his eyes round.

Just now—.

‘......Laughed?’

Gilbert who squinted his eyes for a moment shook his head.

Hey, there is no way.

Gilbert was convinced he saw wrong and knocked on the door.

“Something?”

“That guy said temporarily selected isn’t there. Not the extremely pretty woman but the huge guy—.”

“Ah, First. Is there something?”

At Galahad’s light question Gilbert squinted his eyes.

Whether First—Hurst—.

“What is that guy?”

At the fully distorted Gilbert Galahad laughed.

****

Galahad who headed to First following Gilbert clicked his tongue softly at the unfolded appearance.

The soldiers were all collapsed in the Magic Realm. In the center there was First.

They were soldiers who became quite familiar with the Magic Realm by Gilbert’s training. Such soldiers collapsed, and First standing.

“Breathe with the nose not the mouth!”

First was urging to raise the soldiers.

“What on earth is that guy?”

Gilbert asked reluctantly while pointing at First.

“A usable guy.”

Galahad answered shortly and stepped forward.

First who discovered Galahad had a face full of smile.

“Galahad, your words are fact. The place called Magic Realm is quite interesting.”

It was the opposite appearance of Pumpkin covered in sweat beside.

“To the extent one cannot even get a sense of how dense the mana concentration is.”

“About ten times.”

At First’s question Galahad pointed the exact number.

First’s brow slightly furrowed. However, First did not stupidly ask Galahad how he knows that. Galahad was that kind of person.

“Even using magic was hard.”

At First’s voice mixed with smile Galahad nodded.

“Ordinary mages would not even dare.”

“If ordinary mages to you Galahad, it would have to be the upper layer of the magic tower.”

At First’s question Galahad did not answer. At that First raised the corners of his mouth and flicked his finger.

“Fire—.”

First muttered very softly, as if not chanting the activation word.

Fire attached to First’s finger. Not to the extent of blazing—, but still magic was magic.

Using magic in the Magic Realm—.

Knowing First’s level Galahad was slightly surprised.

“A surprised face.”

“How did you do? It should not be a skill to the extent of using magic in the Magic Realm?”

“Hu, I am your rival First.”

First was a usable mage, but not to the extent of being able to use magic in the Magic Realm.

Yet how—.

“Ah, you stored the atmospheric mana for now?”

At Galahad’s muttering First’s smile stiffened.

‘Correct.’

Compared to the capital it was mana ten times denser.

Mana was quite sensitive. If storing recklessly because the concentration is high the mana circuit burns in water and rather the center collapses.

It was not for nothing that Galahad struggled to match the concentration as soon as arriving in the North.

Actually there was also effect.

Yet First stored recklessly without calculating the mana concentration.

‘No, that is closer to absorption than storage.’

At First’s forehead full of sweat Galahad squinted his eyes.

Not storing by refining mana with breath like a mage and calculating, but moving the body and shoving in as it goes.

Truly an ignorant method.

“My body is hard.”

Enduring with a knight’s body and forcibly storing mana. Admiration naturally came at the ignorant method befitting a knight.

However, if storing like that there was a problem.

“Then it would be hard to use magic?”

That was not storing mana but shoving in. There was no way one could take it out and use as one likes.

“It is the secret of the magic knight.”

First answered while raising his chin. Confidence was full on the face.

Galahad examined First. Ash was piled on those shoes. It was the story of being in one place for a long time. Along with that he was holding a sword for nothing.

“You raised aura and forcibly moved the mana?”

First’s face stiffened.

“No, although I cannot say it is the secret of the magic knight.”

“Doing so the body might burst.”

“But it did not burst! Because I am a magic knight! Of course, what you just said is not that it is the secret of the magic knight!”

First belatedly attached a postscript.

‘Enduring with the knight’s aura and forcibly moving mana—.’

Galahad realized what principle First’s training is.

“Using the body to forcibly expose to high concentration mana. In that process mana is unconsciously discharged and utilizing the circulating overload.”

Even if not a mage mana existed for all. Using that consciously was a mage.

Normally these used mana without being conscious of that. When moving the body, mana unconsciously moved together.

First seemed to have utilized that.

“Correct. As expected my rival.”

First nodded obediently.

Certainly if exposed to high concentration mana the quality of the body would rise.

However—.

“Even so it would only be a change of the body?”

At Galahad’s counter First grinned.

“That is the story when there is no aura, if there is aura that explodes potential, even a trivial change shows tremendous effect.”

Blue aura roughly wavered on First’s sword.

The size was larger than when last seen.

Aura and mana were not related. That was a fact Galahad already confirmed. The reason Galahad has no lingering attachment to aura.

Yet First thrust a counterevidence to that.

‘Is dense concentration mana related to aura?’

At the unexpected result Galahad squinted his eyes.

At Galahad’s stiffened face First laughed densely. To think of Galahad showing that kind of face—.

However, First’s smile did not last long.

“I see, then will you drink this a bit?”

“What is this?”

“It is the blood of the demon race.”

“......Why blood?”

“The blood of the demon race contains high concentration mana.”

“Hmm—.”

First slightly stepped back. At First heading to Pumpkin pretending not to hear Galahad licked his lips.

Then, there was a familiar boy among the collapsed soldiers.

Damien was patting his stomach.

That expression looked more comfortable than when outside.

No—.

‘Laughing.’

At the subtle feeling Galahad put the cigarette in his mouth.

Then First approached again. First shook the faint fire on his own finger and asked.

“Do you need fire?”

“Ah, it’s fine.”

Galahad flicked his finger.

At the water blazing vigorously First’s mouth tightly closed.

Then, Damien stood using the sword as a staff.

That moment something wavered.

‘Aura?’

It was a moment, but that was clearly aura.

It was Galahad who had seen over a hundred auras.

There was no way he would not recognize aura.

Using aura was a matter to congratulate.

The problem was.

‘Ash color.’

It was the color of the aura.

Aura was belief.

Because of that although each aura was different it was basically a bright color.

Because belief cannot be dark.

Yet the aura that wavered on Damien’s sword was ash color.

A color Galahad had also not seen.

A color that absolutely should not come out from aura—.

‘Interesting.’

Galahad discarded the cigarette that did not bloom much and headed to Damien.

Laughing brightly.

“Damien, who did you say the parents are?”

“Yes? Prostitute.”

At the firm answer Galahad’s mouth was blocked for the first time.