Chapter 47

The sprawling training ground of the Hero Association was a sight to behold, filled with heroes sparring and honing their skills. I was still admiring the scene when Maria, the co-chairwoman, interrupted my thoughts.

"Mister Zoth?" she called out.

"Huh?" I mumbled, snapping out of my daze.

She closed the distance between us, her expression serious. "Do you..."

Her words trailed off, and my face went red as wild thoughts began swirling in my mind. What is this woman thinking?!

"Want to spar?" she finally finished, snapping me back to reality.

Her suggestion eased my tension, but a new question arose. "With you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't sense much magic power from you."

She chuckled softly, walking over to a nearby table. From it, she retrieved a small pill. Tossing it in the air, she caught it and swallowed it whole.

Suddenly, a surge of mana radiated from her, filling the air with an overwhelming pressure. I blinked in surprise.

She tossed another pill to me. "These are recovery pills," she explained. "Take one, and it hides your mana. Take two, and your mana becomes visible again. We use these to avoid attracting attention in public. If it weren't for that, you'd know that I'm an S-ranker."

I slipped the pill into my pocket, thinking about how useful it might be for my liege.

Maria smirked, picking up a sword and a gun. "So, which weapon are you going to choose?"

"None," I replied nonchalantly.

"Heh?" She blinked in confusion.

"I'll fight barehanded," I said, my expression calm and unchanging.

She sighed, muttering to herself, "Right... you're an SS-rank."

Without warning, she locked her eyes on me and raised her gun.

"Already—?" I began, but she fired a bullet before I could finish. I dodged swiftly, the projectile whizzing past my ear.

"But I've been an S-rank for years," she said with a mischievous grin. "I won't lose that easily."

I returned her grin, intrigued by what this world's fighters had to offer. She lunged at me with earth-shattering speed, the floor cracking beneath her as she closed the distance. This time, however, I was ready.

I dodged her initial strike, but she grinned even wider, using wind magic to midstep in the air and launch a second attack.

So wind magic can be used like that, huh? I thought as I leapt backward, propelling myself upward with a mini tornado. "But it's more efficient to fly than to jump mid-air."

Her sword cleaved through nothing but air.

"So fast?!" she thought, her shock evident.

"Getting tired already?" I teased, watching her pout in frustration.

Summoning a tornado of her own, she began to fly as well. "Much better," she muttered, matching my height.

Maria raised her gun again and fired a barrage of bullets at me. I dodged with ease, wondering what her plan was. But her sly grin gave me pause.

Suddenly, the bullets I'd dodged reversed course, homing in on me.

"That's it?" I smirked, raising my hand. The bullets disintegrated before reaching me.

Maria looked startled but quickly recomposed herself. "Let's settle this with one final strike. I'll go first!"

"Agreed," I replied.

She began gathering her mana, flames swirling around her hands. "Now you'll face my unique magic! Don't complain!"

Curious to see her full strength, I decided not to block but to dodge. She raised her gun, her voice ringing out: "Flame Barrage!"

Hundreds of bullets erupted from her gun, each splitting into fragments imbued with fire magic. The fragments homed in on me like a swarm of angry wasps.

I dodged and weaved, but the relentless onslaught began to take its toll. Scratches turned into cuts, and soon my body was riddled with wounds.

As the attack ended, I hovered in the air, breathing heavily.

"Seems like you need more training," Maria said, her pride evident. "Even Alfred Xavier wasn't left unscathed by that attack."

I grinned despite the pain. "You're right—I do need to train."

Before her eyes, my wounds vanished in an instant.

"Heh?!" she muttered, dumbstruck.

"Now that I've faced your best," I said, smiling, "would you like to face mine?"

She gulped but nodded.

"Alright," I said, snapping my fingers. An invisible force struck her, sending her hurtling to the ground. She coughed, struggling to catch her breath.

I landed gracefully beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder to heal her injuries.

"You're... a healer too?" she asked, smiling weakly.

I returned her smile. "Not exactly. I can only use healing magic because of my faith in my goddess."

Maria chuckled softly. "If you keep talking like that, you might convince me to join your religion."

I grinned brightly. "Oh, you definitely should!"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I told you, I'm an atheist."

We both laughed, the tension of the battle dissolving into camaraderie.