Chapter 8: Talent(3)

[Quest completed.]

[Your affinity with Shione Shianella has increased.]

As soon as my words fell, the quest was completed.

Only a notification about the increased affinity appeared.

I intended to skim over it, but this time, there was more than just the affinity reward.

[You have reached a certain level of intimacy with Shione Shianella.]

[Through your resonance with her, a small portion of your original power has been unlocked.]

‘024……!’

As the minuscule amount of mana recovered, the previously meager total slightly increased. It’s undoubtedly a good thing to have more mana, but that’s not what matters to me right now.

‘I thought I would have no connection to spirit magic anymore.’

Even if it’s much weaker than before, the sensation of being able to use spirit magic swept through my entire body. The element was wind… No matter how weakly it was used, the fact that it was spirit magic meant it would consume a considerable amount of mana. With the increased mana, I could only use it about two times before it would be completely depleted.

‘But still, this is something.’

When shooting arrows, even such a simple spirit magic spell could be a great help if it had the wind element. I didn’t feel bad about receiving this unexpected gift. In fact, it felt quite good.

…I had ignored the increase in affinity, thinking it was just a piece of candy being offered. Little did I know it would come back around to repay me like this.

I needed to suppress my joy; otherwise, Shione would surely look at me like I was crazy for smiling so suddenly.

So I settled my excitement and said, “From now on, I will wake you at the same time as today.”

Shione nodded obediently at my words.

It seemed she was about to raise her bow to shoot, but her arm stopped halfway and dropped back down.

Suddenly, I wondered why she was acting like that and stole a glance at her.

Why was she staring at me so intensely?

It appeared she wanted to say something, as she gazed at me with longing.

Her persistent gaze was so intense that I felt she might keep staring until I met her eyes and asked her what was on her mind.

Ignoring it wasn’t an option, as her stare was too piercing, forcing me to respond.

“Do you have something you wish to ask me?”

At that, Shione opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.

“Now that I’ve seen you shoot once, I’m even more curious. How did you reach such a level in archery? Can you tell me?”

“Lady Ainelle Shianella surely said that I could sufficiently serve as an aide if I were merely among a group of weaklings.”

“Why is that story coming up now?”

“My level of archery is just a means for your training, Shione. It’s nothing that you should find particularly noteworthy.”

As I said this, I lowered my head as if to bury it in the ground.

If I were to start rambling about my previous life, I’d surely be treated like a madman.

To claim it was merely talent would be misleading, as every movement I made with the bow reflected the experience I had accumulated over time.

Since whatever I said would be met with suspicion, it was better to keep my head down and my lips zipped.

I figured if I acted like this peculiar slave could show decent archery skills, I might create an atmosphere that hinted at a special past.

If I stayed silent, Shione might just fabricate a story about my past to fill in the gaps and let it slide.

“Has your mother ever seen you handling a bow?”

“Lady Ainelle Shianella has only seen me wielding short swords.”

“Hmm, short swords…”

What an intriguing creature she seemed to be observing.

I hoped this inquisitive atmosphere would soon pass, and I straightened my posture even more respectfully.

“I won’t pry further. I hope you will tell me everything when the time comes. However, I must insist that the tip of your sword should never be aimed at me.”

“I will do my utmost to serve you.”

It seemed Shione liked that response, as she radiated satisfaction.

While she gazed at the bow in her hand, she spoke.

“The bow… truly, my fate is quite peculiar.”

“…May I ask what you mean by that?”

“A knight of high caliber breaks arrows before being pierced by them, and a mage evades all arrows, does he not? The limits of one’s talent with a weapon can be quite apparent.”

It was a bit pitiful that I had only just shot a bow a few times.

I merely pulled out an arrow at Shione’s words.

“Then, wouldn’t it suffice for a knight or a mage to shoot arrows quickly enough to evade them?”

“That implies…”

“If you find it hard to believe, why not witness it with your own eyes?”

“Alright, I’d like to see it for myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

You certainly granted permission. No second chances once it’s done.

I immediately drew back the bowstring.

I aimed my sights at the target before me.

Shione Shianella.

She was my target, perfectly centered in my view.

With a sliding release, I drew the string back, gathering my strength.

I concentrated my mana, infusing it into the arrow with spirit magic.

As the magic manifested, a weak whirlwind began to spread around me.

“Ah—”

Only then did Shione let out a brief reaction as the arrow flew through the air.

Thud.

Shione sat down abruptly, seemingly paralyzed with fear as the arrow zipped past her head.

I lowered my bow and approached her, crouching to meet her gaze.

Shione’s pupils continued to tremble, unable to find their place.

“Even I’ve just killed a sword user from the past, so surely you can shoot arrows that would be threatening even to a sword expert, Shione.”

“……”

“Don’t confine yourself to the limits you’ve set. A bow is a far more dangerous weapon than you think.”

“I understand.”

“Eh…?”

My body leaned forward, resting against Shione.

“…Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“…I think I’m mana-depleted.”

“Could you… please back off a bit?”

I tried my best to pull away, but…

Using so much mana on spirit magic had left me utterly drained.

I should have divided the usage better…

Suddenly exhausting all my mana left me completely shocked.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to move until my mana recovered a bit.

“…I’m sorry. My body isn’t cooperating.”

Then I’ll back off—“ Huh,

“Eek.”

As Shione instinctively moved back, my body leaned forward even more, completely collapsing against her.

“Wh-what should we do now…?”

“Please calm down and help me sit down.”

“Alright, I’ll do that…!”

Shione hurriedly helped me sit properly on the ground, standing up afterward.

Her face was flushed, resembling a ripe tomato, likely from the awkwardness of the situation.

Seeing her react so strongly made me feel a bit guilty.

I attempted to get up several times, but…

Ugh… it wouldn’t budge at all.

Could it be because I have the worst social skills in this weak body?

It felt like my mana depletion hit me harder than it would a woman.

“Um… do you think you can stand?”

Given the current state, it seemed impossible to stand up right away.

Since quite a bit of time had passed, someone might come looking for me, so I had no choice.

I stretched out both arms and said,

“…I think I’ll need you to carry me to the room.”

“…Huh?”

“Or could you lend me your back?”

“0”

I couldn’t just be left here while she ran away.

Was she really going to abandon me?

Abandon her servant? The archery teacher?

I looked up at her with the most innocent eyes I could muster, and Shione, her face nearly bursting with embarrassment, spoke in a small voice.

“…I understand…”

Thus, I was carried on Shione’s back to her room.

「Rebirth」

「Your master, Shione, has recently developed the most positive and energetic attitude. Furthermore, her hidden archery talent has begun to sprout, sending delicate roots into the soil. To help your master’s talent bloom more brightly, transform her body into that of a healthy woman.」

「Reward: Increased speed of Shione Shianella’s talent awakening, Increased bond with Shione Shianella」

「Failure: Slowed speed of Shione Shianella’s talent awakening」

It hadn’t been long since I completed the quest this morning.

Today’s lunch, after firing the bow for the first time, another quest had appeared.

I couldn’t help but wonder how useless my master was to require me to care for her and even give me quests.

Yet, with useful rewards like affection and bond increases along with the boost in Shione’s talent awakening speed, I felt a bit relieved that Shione was indeed lacking.

I filled a vacant water bottle in Shione’s room.

Thanks to Shione’s help in reaching her room, I could now comfortably sit in a chair and relax.

Because of that, I could walk around properly now.

I glanced at her bed.

They say if a person changes drastically, they might as well be dead, and Shione would definitely never face such a fate…

After an eventful morning spent shooting arrows, it was clear she was making no effort to change, sprawled out on her bed as usual.

Was it just a matter of being able to shoot a bow? Was that all there was to her?

Having cleared the quest, Shione’s affection had likely risen quite a bit, so I boldly approached her and said,

“Shione, the sun is high in the sky, so it’s time for us to start training.”

Peeking out,

She poked her face out from under the blanket, staring at me with a bewildered expression.

“After suddenly drawing a bow at me and then leaning against me, I started to suspect… have you finally lost your mind?”

“…I assure you, I’m not crazy at all.”

“Then hurry and bring some snacks.”

What a relief.

With a wave,

Shione gestured towards the empty snack plate on the table.

“Fill it up. Oh, and you can grab a few snacks for yourself as well.”

“…Sigh.”

What am I going to do with this girl?