After hearing Heimer’s words, Tamaba Satori fell into thought for a while.
Then she once again revealed that carefree smile, hugged her parchment, and rubbed against Heimer.
“Hmph~”
“Since Lord God says so…”
“Satori will reluctantly accept it~”
…
Tamaba Satori withdrew to the side while holding her parchment.
Now, the space beside the bed was empty again.
In the center of the room, only Kikakujou Mary and Onigawara Rin remained standing in place.
In the corner, Hanasaka Warabi was still hiding behind the black bear named Kyobo, only revealing a pair of eyes as she stared fixedly at everything.
“Cough, cough!”
Noticing Heimer’s gaze turning toward her, Kikakujou Mary immediately straightened her back.
She tightly hugged the thick dictionary in her arms, her eyes quickly sweeping back and forth between Onigawara Rin and Heimer.
She gritted her teeth, raised her chin, and adjusted the collar of her sleeping robe.
“S-since everyone is being so proactive…”
Kikakujou Mary took a step forward, her voice rising slightly.
“Then this lady shall reluctantly—”
“All right, stop pretending. Come here.”
Sitting by the bed, Heimer beckoned to her and directly cut off her speech.
“Ugh!”
Kikakujou Mary choked.
All the lines she had prepared became stuck in her throat.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red, the color spreading from her ears down to her neck.
In the end, Kikakujou Mary could only throw the dictionary in her arms onto the bed.
It landed with a heavy thud.
The mattress bounced twice.
After that, she strode in front of Heimer.
“If I have to do it, I’ll do it! Who’s afraid of who?!”
Kikakujou Mary looked as if she were marching to the execution ground.
However…
Although she shouted loudly…
When her hand truly touched the tie at her collar, her fingers stiffened, and her movements slowed.
The blush on her cheeks did not fade.
Instead, it burned all the way to the tips of her ears.
“…”
The room was so quiet that only the sound of fabric shifting could be heard.
At this point…
Kikakujou Mary closed her eyes and loosened her robe enough to expose her back for the ceremony.
Then she placed both hands on the edge of the bed and climbed up somewhat clumsily before lying down.
Unlike the previous girls, who had all endured extreme physical training for years, Kikakujou Mary’s back did not have that taut martial sharpness.
Her posture carried more of a refined softness, fitting her identity as a sheltered young lady.
Yet beneath that elegance, there was still discipline born from fencing practice.
Kikakujou Mary.
Heimer took the proper ritual position.
Kikakujou Mary’s body instantly tensed, and her hands gripped the bedsheet beneath her.
“Drip.”
Blood gathered at Heimer’s fingertip and fell.
The crimson drop touched her back and immediately merged into her body.
Red light shone.
Complex patterns spread and intertwined across the girl’s back before finally settling into place.
The light faded.
Heimer picked up a sheet of parchment beside him and copied the data from her back.
[Name]: Kikakujou Mary
[Race]: Human
[Level]: Lv.1
[Ability Values]: Strength: I 0 | Endurance: I 0 | Dexterity: I 0 | Agility: I 0 | Magic: I 0
[Development Abilities]: None
[Magic]: None
[Skills]: 『Noble Judgment』 『Elegant Dance Steps』
Heimer glanced over the Skill column, and his eyebrow rose slightly.
“Interesting.”
[Skill: 『Noble Judgment』]
When using Western-style sword weapons, attack speed and accuracy are increased.
When attacking a body part that has already been struck two or more times, attack speed stacks further.
The number of stacks depends on the user’s [Dexterity] value.
When thrusting at a nerve-dense point on the opponent, the attack causes intense pain several times greater than a normal attack.
Mental energy may be restored according to the degree of pain inflicted.
[Skill: 『Elegant Dance Steps』]
When maintaining specific dance-like movements during battle, evasion rate is slightly increased.
After each successful evasion, the accuracy of the next attack is increased, and damage is slightly stacked.
…
Immediately after…
“Whoosh—”
Kikakujou Mary pulled her robe back into place with astonishing speed and wrapped herself up tightly.
Only then did Heimer hand the parchment to her.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, tightly clutching the parchment in her hands while staring down at the words written on it.
Her eyes widened little by little.
“This…”
“These are my Skills?”
Kikakujou Mary’s voice began trembling.
Then…
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining with excitement.
“How is it, Lord God? These are very powerful Skills, right?”
Kikakujou Mary held the parchment in front of Heimer.
Her expression practically overflowed with the words, Hurry up and praise me.
Seeing this, Heimer smiled helplessly and nodded.
Then he pointed at the parchment.
“They are indeed two very powerful Skills.”
“And these two Skills have excellent compatibility.”
“Together, they form a major killing technique.”
“The Western swordsmanship you specialize in already emphasizes the combination of footwork and thrusting.”
“By giving the enemy extreme pain and converting that pain into mental energy…”
“It means that…”
“The longer the battle drags on, and the more the enemy suffers, the more excited your mind becomes and the better your state will be.”
“So…”
“Your fighting style can use 『Elegant Dance Steps』 to keep moving.”
“Then use your sword to sever their tendons and pierce their nerves.”
“Bring your talent for disabling opponents to its absolute limit.”
“Disabling opponents…?”
Kikakujou Mary muttered to herself.
Although it sounded a little sadistic…
Why did she feel a strange excitement in her heart?
“All right.”
“With two Skills this strong, you should feel much more at ease now. Go back.”
“Mm!”
Hearing Heimer’s words, Kikakujou Mary nodded hard.
After adjusting the slightly messy collar of her sleeping robe, she tightly gripped the parchment and jumped down from the bed.
Then she strode back toward the others.
However…
When she passed by Onigawara Rin…
Kikakujou Mary deliberately paused.
She raised her chin high, lifted the corner of her mouth, and glanced at Onigawara Rin from the corner of her eye.
“Hmph.”
Then she let out a short nasal sound filled with obvious showing off.
The provocation was self-evident.
Onigawara Rin looked at Kikakujou Mary’s smug back, and the corner of her eye twitched slightly.
This girl…
Was she declaring victory over me?
Based on Onigawara Rin’s understanding of Kikakujou Mary, that girl was definitely thinking, This lady has already obtained super powerful Skills.
You, who are still hesitating, can just wait to be left behind.
“…”
Thinking this, Onigawara Rin let out a long breath.
She closed her eyes and adjusted her slightly hurried breathing.
When she opened them again…
The last trace of hesitation in her eyes had been replaced by resolve.
Since she had already come this far…
Since she had already decided to change…
There was nothing left to retreat from.
Onigawara Rin stepped forward.
Her hands moved to her belt.
“Rustle—”
She loosened the robe enough to prepare for the ceremony.
Without any hesitation, Onigawara Rin leaned forward, climbed onto the bed, and lay down.
Her back was not rounded like Mary’s.
Nor did it carry the explosive muscular lines of Amou Kirukiru.
Instead, it had a more restrained shape.
Firm and balanced.
Her spine was straight like a sword, and her shoulder blades drew inward slightly, as if a sharp slash could erupt from her at any moment.
In a few inconspicuous places on her back, several faint old scars could still be seen.
They looked as if they had been left behind by some kind of blade.
Onigawara Rin.
Those were medals left by the countless days she had spent practicing the sword.
Heimer looked at this body filled with stories, and a trace of admiration flashed through his eyes.
Without any unnecessary words, he took the ritual position.
Blood gathered at his fingertip.
“Drip.”
Crimson divine blood fell.
“Buzz—”
Red light rose once again.
This time, the patterns engraved on the girl’s back appeared especially complex.
A moment later…
The light faded.
Heimer picked up a new sheet of parchment and copied the data.
[Name]: Onigawara Rin
[Race]: Human
[Level]: Lv.1
[Ability Values]: Strength: I 0 | Endurance: I 0 | Dexterity: I 0 | Agility: I 0 | Magic: I 0
[Development Abilities]: None
[Magic]: None
[Skills]: 『Clear-Mirror Sword Heart』 『Sealed-Heart Sword Soul』
Looking at these two Skills, the corner of Heimer’s mouth rose slightly.
“As expected…”
“Where the heart points, the body follows.”
“This is the path most suited to you.”
Heimer pulled the robe up to cover Onigawara Rin, then handed the parchment to her.
Onigawara Rin quickly put her robe back on and received the parchment with some nervousness.
Her gaze fell on the two Skill descriptions.
The next second…
Her pupils contracted sharply, and she froze in place.
[Skill: 『Clear-Mirror Sword Heart』]
A sword heart as clear as a polished mirror, unstained by dust.
During battle, the calmer and more focused the user’s mental state becomes, the higher the correction to [Dexterity] and [Agility].
When the user’s mental state reaches the ultimate realm of emptiness, the power of slashes is greatly increased.
[Skill: 『Sealed-Heart Sword Soul』]
The mask is both a seal and a switch.
『Mask-Wearing State』:
The heart is sealed, and self-suggestion is active.
[Strength] and [Endurance] are greatly increased, and the user gains the [Mental Immunity] effect.
『Mask-Removed State』:
The seal is released, and all senses are opened.
[Agility] and [Dexterity] are greatly increased, and the user gains the [Super Sense] effect.
The user’s ability to track attack trajectories is doubled.