CH 31

─Renneiga’s side─

I and Kou would always tease and joke around like friends.

I talk like the 18-year-old Kou and I’m aware that I’m childish for my age.

Still, Kou, who always pays attention to his surroundings, would have childish arguments with me.

He’d get angry and sulk sometimes.

Even so, we maintained a sense of balance where we wouldn’t seriously quarrel with the other.

So…on that day, I was just playing around as usual.

He said it’s “dirty” so I made a water gun at Kou, who didn’t even try to touch the hot water and sent the hot water to his face.

“What are you doing!” I thought he’d say that while slapping me with his weak hand.

However, it was too late when I realized that I had done something I shouldn’t because Kou’s expression disappeared…

Those eyes were so cold that I couldn’t even imagine it from the normal Kou.

“Refwect.”

Then Kou raised his hand.

The hot water collected from the bathtub floated above that hand.

Zaa…I found myself paling.

What is this horror I feel when my opponent is Kou?

It’s not odd to fear Captain because his strength gave pressure to his opponents.

However, the horror I feel now is…like I’m in a life-threatening situation.

I want to prostrate to him in a different sense from Captain.

To Captain, we’re “boss and subordinate”.

To Kou, it’s like we’re “lord and servant”──

(…no, no, what “servant”…)

The hot water hit me, and while being pushed to the wall, I was shocked at what I felt from Kou at that moment.

I felt that much difference in power.

Kou only manipulated things on the spot.

Strictly speaking, it’s not attack magic.

Attack magic might be more powerful, but by manipulating that much hot water, I can’t avoid it.

In other words, I can’t but Captain, who can nullify almost all magic, might.

…no, maybe even the Captain can’t evade it.

After all, Kou is known as Marihect’s number one magic power holder.

He manipulated that much hot water and even created new hot water using three attributes, but didn’t look tired at all.

Captain looked like he wanted to wash Kou but he refused and could only pour hot water on him.

I thought that only Captain is special, but are these two the strongest mates in the world?

The strongest magician having such an appearance is simply a scam.

────

──

Next day.

Since the monsters got frightened by an Akinist’s aura, they didn’t appear at night when their number of appearances should have increased, and we’re able to sleep soundly.

I heard that Kou would happily stroke Captain when he beastified, but when I actually saw it, it was quite a violent sight.

No one would normally want to stroke an Akinist.

It’s ridiculous to even want to get closer.

When becoming a beast, instinct is prioritized over reason.

That’s true for everyone, but for an Akinist, that instinct is a bit tricky.

What I strongly thought when I became a beast would be executed instinctively.

In other words, if it’s something like “fighting” or “killing”, even with an ally, you should stay away.

This is because if you’re recognized as an approaching enemy, they will attack.

In such cases, there’s no way to adjust.

And no one can compete with an Akinist.

As long as you can feel their aura, you’d be lucky not to be killed.

Because I know such a habit, no one would approach when Captain become an Akinist.

Nevertheless, Kou happily approached.

He looked excited and was even stroking its body.

…do you know the habits of Akinists?

I’ve heard that Kou’s parents looked similar to Kou, but I don’t even know where they came from.

The captain is his mate and guardian so he knew more than I do, but he hadn’t reported anything.

──but no matter where he came from, Kou is Kou, and Kou looked like he’d marry the Captain in the future. He also didn’t seem to be planning anything against Marihect, so I don’t care much.

Their patrol is different from us who act as a group since Captain and Kou are alone.

At times like this, Captain always acted alone, but now he has Kou.

I think Kou can act alone, but he’s been with Captain since we left Kalzen.

This morning, he appeared in the cafeteria with Captain holding him.

He had his chair but still sat on Captain’s lap again.

And the Captain fed Kou.

As expected, they’re more affectionate than usual.

Looks like Kou wanted to do so.

He’d usually look dissatisfied.

Did you hate being left behind that much?

But then, something else surprised me.

He said he could marry at 18 but was an adult at 20.

I don’t understand why it’s separated, but in short, he’d be an adult in the next two years.

However, I don’t feel that way because he looked so young.

I know that he sometimes has a grown-up look, but as expected, I’m fooled by his appearance.

Probably because Kou asked for it, Captain has the most relaxed face ever.

What we’re going to do today is roughly decided.

So after the meal, he took Kou with him without talking to us.

────

──

I looked up at the sky, stunned.

Not just me, all those who noticed it was just looking up.

Seeing that those two should be in the place where that lightning struck, there’s no doubt that it’s Kou’s magic.

I’ve heard that he’s the number one magic power holder in the world, but…he can already release attack magic.

He’s only an apprentice magician now, but…is he really an “apprentice”?

He seemed more powerful than the soldiers here.

We gathered at the barracks to have lunch.

They seemed to have arrived earlier. Captain held Kou wherever they went, but he seemed a little stunned.

Did he know that Kou could use attack magic? Kou seemed to report everything that happened in the Tower to Trik to Captain though?

Or was it better than he expected?

“Captain! What’s wrong?”

I was curious, so I called out.

“…I didn’t have a chance. Kou felt it was easier to attack multiple monsters at the same time, so I didn’t even have the time to reach them.”

Though surprised at Captain’s words, I was more impressed that the lightning strike was truly Kou’s magic.

Even Captain, who’s an Akinist, couldn’t even reach them…

Kou looked up at the stunned Captain with a worried look.

He’d frequently ask, “hwurts?”

So even he was surprised by Kou’s power.

But Captain’s amazing power, what’s it like?

In the first place, has Captain ever been surprised by the power of others?

“Kou, tired?”

Since you used that much magic, it wouldn’t be strange to feel tired.

“Kou, tuwired, no. Stumach, wempty. Guu, shaid. Mweal, eath.” (I’m not tired, but I am hungry. My stomach is growling, so I want to eat.)

“…”

Not tired…

Does that mean he can still release magic?

Is he hungry because it’s time for lunch?

“More than usual?”

“? Mwore.”

As expected, it seemed like he’s just hungry before lunch.

“Ryodo, Kou, hwug. Alwaysh, hwug. Kou, wahk, no. Tuwired, nai.” (Rodo is holding me all the time so I didn’t have to walk. Not tired at all.)

He said he wasn’t tired because he was being held up all the time, but when I asked, “Are you tired?”, I meant, “Do you feel tired because you consumed a lot of magic power?”

Seems like Kou didn’t realize since he didn’t run out of magic.

I saw Kou eating but it’s the same amount he usually ate.

If anything, I felt like there’s too little.

After the meal, Captain, who picked up Kou, didn’t go outside but entered the barracks.

“Where are you going?”

Wouldn’t they patrol again?

Or will he put Kou to sleep?

“Kou can also use healing magic. He said that if there’s an injured person who couldn’t be healed by a healer, he can try to heal them.”

Captain’s words surprised me again.

There are also healers in the Third Corps.

The Sixth Corps has many injured people and ours should be helping them heal.

Even so, I understood the fact that we still didn’t have enough hands even with the support.

But healers usually only heal.

They don’t participate in attacks.

That’s because it uses a huge amount of power just to heal.

I heard magicians can’t heal.

And yet, Kou said he would do it in his spare time, so it’s natural to be surprised.

Captain, who’s the Shadow King, and Kou, who can heal and the world’s number one magic power holder.

…as expected, these two are too strong.