Rayish
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Chapter 103
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 16:28:20 +0000 UTCIn her dormitory room, Ryuu opened a small drawer near her bed, lifted a few folds of fabric, and reached into its deepest corner. However, there was nothing there. She moved to the closet, carefully pulling out each piece of clothing, trying to remember the last time she had touched the handkerchief.
The white handkerchief Shirou had given her… She remembered clearly that morning when she had cried, sharing painful memories of her long-gone friends. Shirou, who was supposed to be just a sparring partner and coworker, had listened attentively and then gently handed her the handkerchief.
Ryuu smiled faintly as she recalled the incident. Although Shirou had been annoying her lately—postponing promises, his mysterious demeanor, and his sometimes frustrating way of speaking—his kindness always stood out more than all of that.
But… where was that handkerchief now?
Ryuu began to feel anxious. She was sure she had stored it safely, but now, after rummaging through every corner of her room, she couldn't find it.
After several minutes of fruitless searching, she finally gave up. Her face was slightly downcast as she left her room and returned to the dormitory courtyard, where Shirou was still waiting.
"Shirou…" Ryuu approached hesitantly, then took a deep breath before finally saying, "I'm sorry. I think I've lost the handkerchief you gave me."
Shirou, seeing Ryuu's gloomy expression, felt uncomfortable. Not because the handkerchief was lost, but because seeing Ryuu look so guilty reminded him of the time she had cried, filled with deep loss and sorrow.
Without thinking, Shirou raised one hand and whispered softly, "Trace, on."
A faint blue light glowed in his palm. In seconds, an identical white handkerchief appeared there, as if he had just pulled it out of thin air. Casually, he handed it to Ryuu.
The elf froze, her eyes wide.
"W-What is this…?" Ryuu stared at the handkerchief in disbelief, then looked back at Shirou, as if asking for an explanation of what had just happened.
Shirou smiled faintly. "It's a projection. I can create replicas of objects with my magic. But you should know, it only lasts about three days before it turns back into magical energy."
Ryuu was silent for a moment, then her expression changed drastically. She snorted in annoyance, "So, you're saying… I didn't actually lose it? I felt guilty and apologized for nothing?"
Shirou just chuckled softly at Ryuu's slightly irritated reaction. "At least you don't have to be sad anymore, right?"
Ryuu let out a long sigh, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "Really, you… always manage to annoy people in the weirdest ways."
But behind her annoyed expression, Shirou could see that the sadness that had been on the elf's face was now gone.
Deep down, Shirou felt satisfied. Even though Ryuu was upset with him, seeing her no longer gloomy made him feel relieved. Huh, she's definitely cuter when she's annoyed than when she's sad…
Ryuu stared at the projected handkerchief in her hand, still not fully believing what she had just seen. After a moment, she finally looked up and gazed at Shirou with curiosity.
"How long have you been able to use this magic?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of interest and a hint of awe. "Is this an ability you gained after receiving your Falna?"
Shirou shook his head slowly. "No."
Ryuu frowned. "So… you could use Projection even before receiving a blessing from a god?"
"Yes," Shirou replied casually as if it were no big deal.
Ryuu froze for a moment. Her eyes narrowed sharply, her mind racing to process Shirou's answer.
That's impossible…
Throughout her life, Ryuu had only known that those who could use magic before receiving a Falna were Elves. That was the advantage of her race compared to humans and other demi-humans. However, even among Elves, the magic they possessed before receiving a Falna was always far weaker than the magic granted by a god's blessing.
But Shirou… He wasn't an Elf. He was an ordinary human. And from what he had shown, his projection magic couldn't be considered weak at all.
"That doesn't make sense…" Ryuu muttered. "How can a human use magic without a Falna?"
Shirou paused for a moment, trying to find the best way to explain without revealing too much about himself. He knew Ryuu wasn't the type to spread secrets carelessly, but still… telling her that he was from another world would be too hard to digest.
After thinking for a few seconds, Shirou finally took a deep breath and said, "I'm a magus. In my homeland, there's a special technique called magecraft, different from the magic granted by a Falna. Projection is one of its branches."
Ryuu stared at him sharply, trying to catch any lies in Shirou's expression. "Magecraft…?"
Shirou nodded. "And… most magi prefer to keep their abilities hidden."
Ryuu crossed her arms and snorted softly, her expression showing that she still wasn't entirely satisfied with the explanation. "So… that's why you like to keep so many secrets, huh?"
Shirou shrugged with an innocent expression. "You could say that… or not."
Ryuu glared at him. "You're doing it again."
"What do you mean?"
"You keep talking in a way that makes me even more curious, but you still don't fully answer!" Ryuu pointed at him with an accusatory expression.
Shirou just chuckled softly, enjoying the elf's frustrated expression. "Maybe I do like making people curious."
Ryuu massaged her temples. "You're really… annoying."
However, despite Ryuu's words, there was a hint of interest in her eyes. Shirou was becoming more of a mystery to her, and for some reason, she wanted to know more.
Ryuu looked at Shirou with curiosity, then in a casual but challenging tone, she asked, "So… besides the handkerchief, what else can you project?"
Shirou smiled faintly. "Many things. Weapons, tools, simple items… As long as I have enough references and understand the structure, I can probably do it."
Ryuu narrowed her eyes, her expression full of cunning. "Is that so…" She crossed her arms, thinking for a moment before her lips curled into a challenging smile. "Then, how about you project… a castle?"
Shirou, who had just been about to stay calm, suddenly choked on air. "A-A castle?!"
Ryuu nodded, her expression very satisfied seeing Shirou's suddenly shocked face. "Yes. A castle. You said you can create various things with your magecraft, right? Then, I want to see how far your limits are."
Shirou rubbed his forehead, letting out a long sigh. "And… where do you expect me to do that, huh? I can't just summon a castle in the middle of Twilight Manor."
Ryuu pretended to think for a moment, then answered lightly, "We could go outside Orario, find a quiet place. I'm even willing to accompany you if you need a witness to your greatness."
Shirou looked at her with a flat expression. It was clear Ryuu was just messing with him, but seeing how satisfied she was watching him struggle made him a little annoyed too.
"Haaah…" Shirou exhaled, then said with a subtle threatening tone, "Alright, if that's what you want. But you should know, I can't just summon a complete castle in one projection."
"Oh?" Ryuu raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Shirou continued in a deliberately serious tone. "I'd have to build it stone by stone, brick by brick. It might take days or weeks. Are you ready to wait for me?"
Ryuu was silent for a moment, then—kukuku… a small laugh escaped her lips. Her shoulders shook slightly as she tried to hold back her laughter, but eventually, she couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a small chuckle.
"I was just joking, Shirou," she said with an amused tone. "I didn't actually expect a castle. I just wanted to see your reaction."
Shirou glared at her. "And I almost took that challenge seriously…"
Ryuu was still giggling softly before finally raising her hand. "Alright, alright, I'll ask for something more reasonable this time."
Shirou continued to look at her suspiciously. "Make sure it's actually reasonable this time."
"I won't promise anything," Ryuu replied with a sly grin.
Ryuu looked at Shirou, her eyes shining as she remembered something. Yesterday, during dinner at the Hostess of Fertility, Shirou mentioned something interesting.
"Yesterday, you said that your most mastered skill is archery, right?" Ryuu asked while looking at Shirou with a scrutinizing gaze.
Shirou nodded, not denying it. "Yes, I'm even more skilled in archery than magecraft. It's a technique I've trained for a long time."
Ryuu straightened her arm in front of her thigh, then nodded as if she had made a decision. "Then, I want you to project something related to that."
Shirou raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"An archery target, two bows, and two quivers full of arrows," Ryuu answered casually.
Shirou smiled faintly upon hearing the request. "That's a pretty reasonable request," he said, extending his hand. With a soft, almost inaudible chant, a faint blue light gathered in his palm. A moment later, an archery target appeared and leaned against the nearest tree. Shortly after, two bows and a quiver full of arrows also appeared in his hands.
Without a word, Shirou handed one of the bows and the quiver to Ryuu.
Ryuu took them but then realized something. "Wait. Why did you only project one quiver? Don't you have any arrows yourself?"
Shirou chuckled softly before raising his hand. In an instant, a faint blue light appeared again, and an arrow formed between his thumb and index finger.
"Did you forget? I can project arrows as needed," he said with a smile, casually spinning the arrow on his finger.
Ryuu paused for a moment, then looked away while clearing her throat softly. Although she admitted it was cool in her heart, she didn't want Shirou to get too full of himself.
"Hmph. Show-off," she muttered while pretending to grumble.
Shirou just smirked, feeling satisfied seeing Ryuu slightly impressed even though she wouldn't admit it.
"Go ahead," Shirou said casually, gesturing for Ryuu to start.
Ryuu snorted softly as she took one of the arrows from her quiver. "Don't underestimate an Elf when it comes to archery," she said confidently. "Even though it's not my specialty, I'm still quite skilled."
Shirou smiled faintly. In his mind, he remembered Lefiya—another Elf he knew well. Unlike Ryuu, Lefiya was completely inept at archery. Shirou could still picture her panicked face as she tried to hold the bow, let alone draw the string. He smiled slightly, remembering how awkward the girl had been when he taught her.
Meanwhile, Ryuu was already ready. She raised her bow with a graceful motion, drew the arrow with an almost perfect stance, and released it. Whizz! The arrow shot quickly, hitting the target with decent accuracy.
She didn't stop there. With a steady rhythm, she fired the next arrow. Not every shot was perfectly centered, but at least they were close to the bullseye. Not bad, especially considering archery wasn't her main skill.
Ryuu turned to Shirou with curiosity. "Now it's your turn. I want to see if you'll show off again or not," she said in a challenging tone.
Shirou smirked slightly, without saying a word. He raised his hand, projecting arrows one by one, but this time he layered them with reinforcement. In an instant, his eyes sharpened like a hawk, and he began shooting.
Srak! His arrow shot with almost impossible speed and struck Ryuu's arrow embedded in the target.
Kraakk! Ryuu's arrow split perfectly.
Ryuu's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Shirou fired the next arrow.
Srak!
Kraakk!
Once again, Ryuu's arrow embedded in the target was split cleanly. Shirou repeated it without hesitation, shooting one by one with absolute accuracy, splitting each of Ryuu's arrows as if it were just normal practice.
When all of Ryuu's arrows were destroyed, Shirou finally lowered his bow and let it disappear in a faint blue sparkle.
Ryuu was silent for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh. "Showing off again… showing off again…" she murmured softly, though in her heart, she couldn't hide her admiration.
Shirou just smiled casually, letting his bow fade as if nothing had happened. "Well, I just showed my best," he said lightly.
Ryuu just clicked her tongue softly, but there was a small smile at the corner of her lips. Although annoying, she had to admit—Shirou was truly extraordinary.
Ryuu looked at the target, now only fragments of her arrows remained. She let out a soft sigh, then turned to Shirou with a complicated expression.
"I understand now how you managed to reach the eighteenth floor alone at level 1," she said in an acknowledging tone. "With a combination of archery and your Magecraft, I'm not surprised you could survive that far in the Dungeon."
Shirou scratched his head, looking uncomfortable with the praise. "I just got lucky," he said humbly. "If I wasn't careful, I could've died at any moment."
Ryuu looked at him, then chuckled softly. "It's funny. When you show off, you look confident. But when praised, you refuse it," she said while shaking her head.
Shirou smiled faintly but didn't respond.
Ryuu then remembered something. "By the way, your Magecraft is like a short chant spell, right? When you projected the bow earlier, I only heard you whisper two words."
Shirou nodded. "Yes, it's Trace on. Just a trigger chant that helps my body focus on Projection," he explained. "But Projection isn't the only Magecraft I can do. There's also Reinforcement and Alteration."
Ryuu raised her eyebrows, intrigued. She then crouched and picked up one of the arrows Shirou had shot earlier. She felt its smooth and sturdy surface, then lifted it slightly while looking at Shirou. "I can guess this is the result of Reinforcement, right? That's why your arrows could easily destroy mine."
Shirou nodded. "Correct. With Reinforcement, I can strengthen the structure of this arrow, making it sharper, stronger, and faster when released."
Ryuu examined the arrow with great interest, then looked up again. "What about Alteration?" she asked.
Shirou smiled faintly. "Like this," he said, taking the arrow from Ryuu's hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, then activated Alteration.
In an instant, the arrow began to change. From its normal length, it now extended slightly, becoming slimmer with a sharper tip. As if the wood and metal had been altered at a structural level.
Ryuu raised her eyebrows, impressed. "So you can change the shape and function of objects too?" she asked.
Shirou nodded. "Yes, although there are limits. I can't turn something into a completely different thing, but I can adjust it to suit my needs."
Ryuu examined the arrow once more, then clicked her tongue softly. "Hah... the more I learn, the more I find you annoying," she muttered. "I have to work hard to hone my skills, while you have all those abilities at once."
Shirou lowered his head slightly. "I'm not that great," he said.
"Of course," Ryuu scoffed. "And you weren't showing off earlier, were you?"
Shirou just smiled wryly, while Ryuu let out a long sigh, feeling their conversation was making her want to challenge Shirou even more.
Ryuu looked at Shirou with a curious expression. "So… you managed to reach the eighteenth floor alone, and you also fought a level six adventurer?" She clenched her fist, staring at Shirou intensely. "Is Magecraft and archery really enough to do that?"
Shirou shook his head slowly. "No," he answered honestly. "If I only relied on that, I wouldn't have been able to injure her."
Ryuu raised her eyebrows. "So you used something else?"
"Weapons," Shirou admitted. "Without the right weapons, I wouldn't even have been able to scratch my opponent."
Ryuu grew even more interested and stepped closer. "Then, can you show me?"
Shirou took a deep breath, then raised his hand. "Trace... on."
A faint blue light appeared around him, like intricate patterns glowing briefly in the air. In an instant, two swords appeared in his hands. A pair of twin blades, one black with red accents and the other white with black patterns. The swords looked simple in design but had an aura that felt different.
Ryuu's eyes widened as she saw them. "These swords..." She stepped closer, her eyes examining every detail of the blades. She could feel something unique—as if these swords weren't just ordinary weapons. "I've never seen swords like these before."
"Kanshou and Bakuya," Shirou explained, spinning the two swords in his hands with fluid movements. "Extraordinary weapons. They have anti-monster properties."
"So, you used these to fight that Level 6 enemy?" Ryuu stared at Shirou, her eyes sharp with curiosity.
"Yes," Shirou nodded. "The enemy I faced was a half-monster woman named Revis. She had incredible regenerative abilities, making her almost impossible to defeat with normal attacks. But since she was unarmed at the time, I had a slight advantage. Kanshou and Bakuya have anti-monster properties, which hindered her regeneration. That was enough to give me a chance to attack her with a trick I used."
Ryuu's eyes sparkled as she listened to the explanation. "A trick? What kind of trick?"
Shirou just smiled faintly.
Ryuu, feeling challenged, immediately drew her wooden sword—Alvs Lumina—and pointed it at Shirou. "Alright, then I want to see that trick for myself. Fight me, Shirou!"
Shirou looked at her for a moment, then sighed with a smile. "If that's what you want…"
To ensure their fight wouldn't be dangerous, Shirou used Alteration on Kanshou and Bakuya. Instantly, both swords lost their sharpness, their blades becoming dull and safe for sparring. After that, he took a fighting stance, his legs slightly bent, ready to face Ryuu.
Ryuu raised her sword and smiled eagerly. "This time, I'll be the one to take you down, Shirou!"
The wind blew gently between them, carrying the tension before the battle began.
