Chapter 82: The Winged Union (1)

Chapter 82: The Winged Union (1)

Chapter 82: The Winged Union (1)

The day after returning to the mansion.

I sat on my bed, pondering.

What kind of person did others see me as, anyway?

I knew it was a pointless worry. But given the circumstances, I couldn’t help it.

“Why is no one surprised?”

Wings sprouted, for heaven’s sake.

Wings suddenly appeared on someone’s back!

I expected utter chaos. Yet, reality differed from my expectations.

– Yes, I knew it would happen!

The kids cheered, calling me their leader as usual.

Eyes brimming with admiration.

They looked at me with such dazzling eyes that it was almost burdensome.

Not a single one of them freaked out about the wings.

Instead, they started making sense of it in their own way, talking nonsense about how “it all makes sense now.”

– Wow!

At least Lien seemed a bit startled.

But it was a purely innocent exclamation.

Almost like reacting to a new outfit that suited me well.

When I asked if she wasn’t surprised by such an abrupt event, Lien responded awkwardly with a compliment about me.

It seemed she interpreted my words as wanting praise.

– So, who did you bring in this time?

As the cherry on top, Siel showed more interest in Lucy, the new recruit, than my wings.

In an unexpected turn of events, we were temporarily sheltering a large group of “Black Fangs” who hoped to join.

Everyone seemed invested in their training, so much so that even Siel and Lien, along with the kids, were there.

Siel requested that I send Lucy over whenever I had time so she could meet her in person.

It seemed she wanted to confirm something.

When I, a bit flustered, asked if the wings didn’t bother her, Siel responded nonchalantly as always.

– No matter how you change, you’re still you. That’s all I need.

In other words, her attitude toward me wouldn’t change regardless of how I looked.

Warm as it was, it wasn’t exactly what I expected to hear in this situation, and with that, Siel ended the video call.

In the end, the only person who was shocked by my transformation was Miss Rubia.

Considering she tends to make a fuss over everything, it wasn’t a surprise.

Most of them barely seemed to notice the sudden change.

So, if I weren’t surprised, that would be even stranger.

People who wouldn’t bat an eye even if wings suddenly appeared on my back—what kind of image was that supposed to be?

Just how had they been seeing me?

I couldn’t begin to understand...

“...Ah.”

Memories flashed through my mind.

The doubts melted away.

Even I had a bit of conscience left.

I’d done too many things to complain that this treatment was odd.

Truthfully, even I belonged to the “wouldn’t be strange to sprout wings” category.

“...And actually, this might be easier for me.”

Miss Rubia, who had cried and apologized profusely for not recognizing me when I first awakened, even went as far as to pray to me.

I guess it was normal for her to react that way, seeing me appear with wings.

If everyone else had reacted like that, it would have been a pain to explain.

It took enough convincing just to persuade Miss Rubia to treat me normally again.

“...Am I overthinking this?”

I wasn’t exactly Lien.

Just because I planned to test my strength didn’t mean others were at risk of getting involved.

I had laid a foundation with the elixirs, but my strength was still somewhere in that murky middle ground—neither incredibly strong nor weak.

When separated from my allies, I wasn’t quite a powerhouse, but I wasn’t exactly weak either. Just somewhere in between.

That was, objectively speaking, my current level of skill.

“I did experience a bit of a change this time, though.”

But it was hard to say for sure if that would translate into an increase in combat power.

Holy power, by its nature, is suited for healing and exorcism.

The reason the Holy Knights are so strong is that they can wield both holy power and magic.

At the same level, someone with regenerative abilities is naturally stronger.

“Better not to expect too much.”

Expectations lead to disappointment. If you don’t expect anything in the first place, there’s no risk of being let down.

With that reminder firmly set in my mind, I pulled out a wooden dummy from the storage.

A training tool enchanted for practical use.

If I kept digging around in the storage, I might have found something more powerful.

But it seemed a bit excessive to use something like a security golem for a simple test. I didn’t even plan on using a sword this time, so a wooden dummy would be more than enough.

I placed the dummy in front of the wall.

With a series of clunks, the wooden dummy locked into position.

The moment it registered my attack, that thing would start attacking me as well.

“For now... it’s probably best to start as usual.”

The purpose of this test was to figure out the extent of what I could do with my wings and how they could be used in combat.

Though holy power is specialized for healing, wings are a different matter.

Increased speed naturally enhances the force of attacks.

This might end up being more helpful than I anticipated.

First, I’d face the dummy without using my wings, then fight with my wings fully engaged and compare the difference.

With that plan in mind, I took my stance.

Someone, maybe one of the kids, had drawn a cute cat face on the wooden dummy.

I launched my opening attack at it.

Lien’s one-on-one training must have paid off, as my punch landed solidly.

My fist struck the dummy squarely in the chest. A gaping hole began forming in real time.

...Yet something felt off.

I could feel the dummy crumbling like a brittle cookie.

But there was no sign of the momentum letting up.

Then there was a loud crack.

The air was pierced by the sharp sound echoing fiercely.

At that moment, a bad feeling came over me.

I knew what this place was.

The training grounds.

A place created explicitly for honing martial skills.

Naturally, it was built sturdier than any other structure; as far as I remembered, over thirty defensive enchantments had been applied here.

Yet the ominous feeling wouldn’t go away. And... my premonitions were never wrong.

The moment my fist hit the wall, cracks started to form.

They spread in an instant, and before I could react, the collapse began.

– KA-THOOM!

A deafening roar rang out, enough to hurt my ears.

...The entire training grounds were crumbling around me.

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