Chapter 143
"What exactly is going on here, Kiriya?"
Hestia marched over and pointed accusingly at Ais.
"When you said you had something to do, did you mean something with her?"
"Yeah." Kiriya answered with an easy smile, as if there were nothing strange about it.
"She wants me to teach her, and I happen to have the time."
"You’re a Level 3 teaching a Level 5?"
Hestia folded her arms and gave him a flat, disbelieving look that clearly said, ’Sure. Keep talking.’
"What, you don’t think I’m qualified?"
Kiriya pretended to look offended, then casually gave Hestia a smack on her ass.
Smack!
The sound rang clearly through the room.
Both Hestia and Ais froze.
Hestia could not believe he had done that with someone else standing right there.
Did this shameless man care at all about her dignity as a goddess?
Then she remembered all the stories Demeter and the others had already spread about her—the hopeless goddess who had become completely addicted to her own adventurer—and gritted her teeth.
’Actually... I probably don’t have much dignity left to lose.’
Ais, meanwhile, had been struggling to process the scene from the moment she entered.
Hestia was a famous virgin goddess, known even in Heaven for having no interest in men.
Yet right now, she was wearing nothing but an oversized white shirt.
As for whether she had anything underneath it... Ais honestly could not tell.
More importantly, Hestia’s flushed face and hazy eyes made Ais’s own cheeks heat up just from looking at her.
’This is... really bold.’
Was this simply how gods behaved?
Ais felt as though her entire understanding of the world had been shaken. Then an unfamiliar bitterness rose in her chest.
’They’ve already gone that far?’
"You haven’t eaten yet, right?" Kiriya asked. "Come have some breakfast."
"Okay."
For reasons she could not explain, Ais accepted immediately.
She sat at the table, picked up a knife and fork, and began eating as though she belonged there.
"What did you—"
Hestia’s protest was cut short when Kiriya picked her up and carried her back to her chair.
He cut the eggs and steak into small pieces, then held one up to her mouth.
"Come on. Ahh."
"Ahh..."
Still stunned, Hestia opened her mouth and ate whatever he gave her. Her brain had stopped registering flavor; all she could do was chew and swallow.
Then she glanced at Ais from the corner of her eye and paused.
’Was that... envy?’ Hestia immediately perked up.
Of course!
She was already standing at the finish line. No matter how hard the others tried, they were still chasing after her!
Why should someone at the top of the mountain feel threatened by people who had only just begun climbing?
Once she realized that, all her worries disappeared.
Even her sense of taste returned, and the food suddenly seemed unbelievably delicious. Not even the finest meal in Heaven could have compared!
"Mmm, so good!"
Hestia made sure to sound especially pleased after noticing the faint longing in Ais’s eyes.
Unfortunately, breakfast could not last forever.
Once the food was gone, Kiriya quickly finished the rest of his own meal, wiped his mouth, and said goodbye to Hestia before leaving with Ais.
"Have fun..."
Hestia was still floating in bliss, completely lost in the memory of being fed.
...
After leaving Hearth Manor, Kiriya and Ais moved quickly through the city and soon reached a lake on the outskirts of Orario.
Sunlight glittered across the water, while a thick forest stretched along the opposite shore.
Tall trees cast cool shadows over the grass, making the place quiet, private, and perfect for training.
"All right," Kiriya said, pointing toward a nearby tree. "Let’s see what you managed to learn while I was away."
The chakra knowledge he had transferred to Ais included both chakra refinement and basic control exercises.
Now it was time to test her progress.
Ais nodded without wasting words.
She gathered chakra beneath her feet and began walking up the trunk.
Her first steps were slow and careful, but she never slipped.
Within twenty seconds, she had reached the highest branch. She turned to look down at Kiriya with a small but unmistakably proud smile.
"Not bad at all."
Kiriya nodded approvingly, then pointed toward the lake.
"Next test."
Ais leapt down and calmly stepped onto the water.
Her feet remained perfectly steady, as though she were walking across solid ground.
A light breeze moved through the lakeside, lifting the hem of her dress and stirring her golden hair. Morning sunlight fell across her smiling face, giving her a soft golden glow.
"Beautiful."
Kiriya praised her without hesitation.
"Your chakra control is already good enough. That means we can move on to ninjutsu."
Ais immediately brightened.
This was what she had been waiting for.
She had been curious about all of Kiriya’s techniques—the movement skill that looked almost like teleportation, the Water Release that could slice through steel, and his powerful fire and wind techniques.
As far as Ais was concerned, any ninjutsu that made her stronger and helped her kill more powerful monsters was worth learning.
She crossed the distance in a few quick leaps, then knelt in front of Kiriya and waited attentively.
"The first technique I’m teaching you is practically a protagonist’s training cheat," Kiriya said solemnly.
"It can multiply your training results and give you disposable partners in battle."
He paused for effect.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"With it, you can gain several times the experience from both training and combat. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Very amazing."
Ais’s eyes gleamed with unmistakable hunger for strength.
"Give me your hand."
Ais reached out.
Kiriya took her hand and interlaced their fingers.
Warm chakra flowed through his palm, carrying the theory and training method of the Shadow Clone Jutsu directly into her.
The warmth of his hand made Ais’s heart flutter. For a moment, she wanted to pull away out of embarrassment, yet she was reluctant to let go.
She did not have much time to think about it.
A flood of information entered her mind, forcing her to focus completely on understanding it.
Kiriya watched her serious expression with quiet satisfaction.
He felt like he had somehow ended up inside a character-raising game, carefully training his chosen heroine one skill at a time.
He genuinely wanted to see how far Ais could go once she combined ninjutsu with the Falna system.
After a long while, Ais slowly opened her eyes.
Under Kiriya’s expectant gaze, she formed a cross-shaped hand seal.
Poof!
An identical blonde girl appeared beside her.
The same face, the same figure, the same clothes and equipment—even the same blank expression.
"So this is my shadow clone."
Ais reached out and touched the top of her clone’s head.
The clone copied her and touched hers in return.
Ais blinked.
"This feels strange."
"Nice! I knew you’d pick it up quickly."
Kiriya clapped in approval before continuing.
"But creating one is only the first step. You also need to learn how to use it in a real fight."
He formed the same seal and summoned a shadow clone of his own.
"Come on. Let’s test it."
Ais nodded.
She and her clone rushed forward together, meeting Kiriya and his clone head-on.
...
"I got careless."
Kiriya lay on the grass afterward, breathing heavily.
He had gotten too caught up in playing the role of master and forgotten that Ais was a genuine Level 5 with excellent ability values.
With only his Level 3 physical abilities, and without Flying Thunder God, Forest of All Things, the Eight Gates, or any of his other major techniques, he simply could not beat her using only swordsmanship and taijutsu.
More accurately, she had pushed him around rather badly.
"Looks like things have been going too smoothly lately. I’m getting overconfident."
Kiriya laughed at himself.
"I’m not the cautious, handsome young man I used to be."
"No. You’re strong."
Ais sat beside him and spoke with complete seriousness.
"Even without your other abilities, your swordsmanship puts a lot of pressure on me now. You’re only Level 3, but you can already fight like this. It’s incredible!"
"It’s fine. I lost, so I lost. You don’t have to comfort me."
Kiriya was not bothered by it.
The gap was only temporary. Once his ability values caught up, the result would change.
Ais watched his tired face for a moment. Hesitation flickered in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.
"Um... would you like to try one?"
"Try what?"
Kiriya stared at her, wondering whether he had misheard.
"A... lap pillow."
Ais’s cheeks puffed slightly when she noticed the familiar teasing smile on his face.
He had heard her perfectly.
He was just making her repeat it!
"Forget it."
Ais started to stand, but Kiriya quickly caught her hand.
"Hey, don’t take it back. I taught you a new technique and helped you practice. Surely I’ve earned a small reward."
"Then... come here."
Ais adjusted how she was sitting and gently patted her thigh.
Kiriya pressed his palms together as though he were about to eat.
"Thanks for the meal."
Then he quickly lay down before she could change her mind.
Her lap was soft, warm, and carried the faint, clean fragrance of a girl. Kiriya immediately decided the reward had been worth every bit of effort.
Warm morning sunlight rested on his face, and the soft breeze made the lakeside wonderfully peaceful.
"Ahh..."
He stretched, and drowsiness slowly crept over him.
Before long, he fell asleep.
Ais blinked in surprise, she had not expected him to genuinely fall asleep on her lap.
But after the initial surprise came a quiet happiness.
This meant she could stay with him a little longer.
There was no one around to interrupt them and nothing demanding their attention. They were simply two people resting together beside a peaceful lake.
It was... nice.
Ais lowered her gaze and studied his relaxed sleeping face. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"That’s a little unfair."
Almost without thinking, she reached down and gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"You’re about the same age as me, but you’re already so strong."
Her gaze softened with growing curiosity.
"What happened to you before we met?"
At that moment, the girl known throughout Orario as the Sword Princess found herself wanting to know everything about him.