The bracelet tightened around Eugene’s wrist as if it would bite into him.
When Eugene groaned, Bella rushed at him.
“Eugene!”
She tried to tear the bracelet off by force. Eugene raised a hand and stopped her.
“W-wait!”
Grrrgh. Eugene dropped to one knee. The bracelet clamped around Eugene’s wrist was now glowing white-hot and giving off heat.
Eugene’s face flushed red, and cold sweat poured from him.
Stopped from acting, Bella did not know what to do and patted Eugene on the back.
“Are you all right?”
Eugene barely managed to smile.
“It’s not trying to harm me. It’s injecting mana into me…… Uuuk!”
Eugene vomited. A pitch-black liquid gushed from his mouth.
“What is this?”
Knowing a similar situation, Bella realized what it was at once.
The impurities accumulated in Eugene’s body were being expelled.
The bracelet was altering Eugene’s body.
Having roughly grasped the situation, Bella laid Eugene down in a proper posture.
“Tsk…… There’s nothing more I can do for you.”
All she could do was wait.
Eugene suffered like that for about an hour before he finally lost consciousness and fell asleep as if dead.
Bella, who had stayed by his side the entire time, placed a hand on his forehead.
“His fever has gone down too…… It seems to be over.”
She looked at Eugene’s wrist.
At some point, the bracelet that had been hanging on Eugene’s arm had become a chain-shaped tattoo and was embedded in his arm.
Bella placed a hand near Eugene’s chest. Then she poured mana into him and began checking the condition of his body.
“This bastard…….”
The inside of his body had become incredibly clean.
She knew well enough how to expel impurities that obstructed the body’s activation, but accomplishing it in such a short time was truly difficult.
That was not all. Eugene’s body had undergone a major change.
‘The amount of mana isn’t that different…… but his capacity to handle mana has increased tremendously.’
His amount of mana would probably increase greatly too if he took the time.
For example, it was like a skinny body that could barely grow muscle had transformed into a martial constitution that would bulk up in an instant as long as nutrients were supplied.
Of course, the target of that applied only to magic.
The immediate change was not large. But the land on which crops would be grown had been completely plowed over. That was no different from being reborn.
Bella realized it.
Right here and now, Eugene had obtained magical potential that rivaled a dragon.
***
Fram said when he saw the tattoo engraved on Eugene’s wrist,
“That’s the Pure Refinement Bracelet. It’s an item passed down from Tower Master to Tower Master.”
Eugene, who had come to his senses, was startled.
“Damn it, then it belongs to the Rainbow Magic Tower! Even if Sir Nidbolg gave it to me, am I allowed to have it?”
“Well…… it should be fine, right? It is a treasured item, but it isn’t that remarkable. There’s nothing revolutionary about it. It just creates an extra mana reservoir inside your body. It increases your mana capacity so you can use more magic more easily.”
‘That’s exactly what makes it revolutionary.’
Eugene’s mouth itched to scold him, but he held back. It was because he knew the tendencies of the mages of the Rainbow Magic Tower well.
Among countless Magic Towers, the Rainbow Magic Tower was the group with the strongest academic bent.
They debated the truths of the universe and the principles by which the heavens moved, the laws that governed the world, so there was no reason for them to make a fuss over one mere human body gaining one mana reservoir.
Eugene asked,
“Then how do I take this off? It’s completely assimilated into my body.”
“It comes out automatically when you die. Or you can control the mana inside your body one piece at a time and forcibly remove it, like performing surgery. Ah, it’ll probably come out if your arm is cut off too.”
“None of those three options really appeals to me.”
Eugene said to Fram, who showed little interest,
“Then I’m just taking this with me, all right? Don’t complain later.”
“Sir Nidbolg gave it to you, so who would complain? I doubt anyone will care much. If you feel that uneasy, hand over the copyright to the paper you presented last time. That would be more useful.”
“Fine. Take that, at least.”
Eugene clicked his tongue as he signed a document transferring ownership of the paper.
At any rate, the people of the Rainbow Magic Tower underestimated practical reality too much. If this item had been in the Arcane Magic Tower he belonged to, they would never have handed it over so easily.
If they were told that it could only be removed by death or by cutting off the arm, they would probably make a fuss about cutting off his arm right away.
Unlike the Rainbow Magic Tower, the Arcane Magic Tower pursued extreme pragmatism.
An item that could easily increase a person’s mana capacity without any particular risk—if it offered such a practical function, every mage in the Magic Tower would have their eyes roll back in greed.
‘I’ll have to research this separately later.’
***
By the time they returned to the mansion in Alframe and relieved their travel fatigue with a bath and a meal, the sun had already set.
Once they entered training camp, they would not be able to take time to talk together for a while. After all, the living spaces in the training camp were divided by sex.
As agreed, Eugene and Bella gathered in the mansion’s living room.
The maids brought teacups and refreshments. Eugene bit into a cookie and opened his mouth.
“Let’s decide on a rough plan for what we’re going to do from now on.”
“Good.”
When Bella nodded, Eugene said what he had been thinking ever since meeting Nidbolg.
“This is an intelligence war. Before the Voidnir grow powerful enough to swallow the continent, we expose their existence and danger, and make everyone face them with their full strength. To do that, we need intelligence first. We need to be able to grasp their movements before anyone else.”
“Intelligence? How are we going to obtain that?”
“It isn’t difficult. Most information is passed through people’s mouths, so intelligence means connections. We create people throughout the Dragon Empire who will become our ears and eyes. Then we’ll be able to sense suspicious atmospheres more easily. So…….”
“So?”
“We’re going to become mercenaries.”
At those words, Bella’s eyebrow twitched.
“As a free activity?”
Dragon Knights were not ordinary soldiers. That was because the ten years of service imposed on Dragon Knights were not simply a period established so that the Dragon Empire could exploit dragons.
They were also an educational period in which young dragons experienced society so they could later blend into human society.
Because of that, once Dragon Knights filled their assigned working hours each month, they had the right to use the rest of their time freely.
There were dragons who idled away their time, but most studied with their riders’ help or gained experience by taking on some occupation.
Dragon Knights called such activities outside working hours free activities.
Eugene nodded.
“Yeah. Dragon Knights are high-end mercenaries, so not just anyone can hire us. In other words, most of our clients will be wealthy or high-ranking people. If we take their requests, we’ll naturally build connections.”
There were many things Dragon Knights could do.
Regional defense, escort work, cargo transport, monster subjugation, and more.
On top of that, if they used their flight ability, they could expand the range of requests they accepted to the entire country.
If they registered their names with the Mercenary Guild, requests would come pouring in like rain.
“We plant one person we know in every part of the Dragon Empire. And there are plenty of uses for the money we earn from requests too.”
“Do we need money?”
“Of course. Nothing narrows the distance between people like money. We’ll have to grease palms here and there before mouths loosen and start talking. If we just sit still, there’s a high chance we won’t get anything.”
“Is that so……?”
Perhaps she did not quite understand that point, because Bella tilted her head. Eugene continued.
“If we combine the information network we create that way with the Order’s intelligence and our experience from returning from the future, I think we’ll be able to read the Voidnir’s movements well enough.”
“You have thought up something rather complicated. I listened well.”
Bella nodded.
Seeing her solemnly crossing her arms while wearing cute pajamas embroidered with bears looked rather adorable from Eugene’s perspective.
Hm. Seeing her agree, it seemed she did not have any particular objections…… just as Eugene was thinking that.
Bella suddenly said,
“It is a good plan, but for now, I oppose it. There is something we must do before that.”
“Huh?”
Eugene’s eyes widened. It was an unexpected counterattack.
He desperately concealed an expression that looked as if the words, There’s no way a fool like you could come up with a proper plan, would be written across it, then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Training.”
“…….”
“We need to grow. Right now, we could not even defeat the versions of ourselves from just before we returned. First, becoming at least stronger than we were then must be our priority. The rest can be done after that.”
Bella spoke in a firm tone. Eugene sighed.
“I said this yesterday too. This is a war. Do you think one soldier fighting a little better can change the state of the war? We have to move with a strategic perspective, not a tactical one.”
Bella snorted.
“Did you not say this was an intelligence war? If we dig into those bastards’ backs, combat will certainly occur. Not the continent against the Voidnir, but small-scale battles between us and them will definitely happen. Do you want to die to some insignificant small fry then? If that happens, we will lose before we even enter the strategic stage you speak of.”
At the sharper-than-expected point, Eugene closed his mouth.
Bella’s expression became stern.
“If you do not want to see that happen, prioritize training. Especially you. You need physical training even more.”
When she pointed at him with her finger and spoke, Eugene flared up.
“What physical training? I’m a mage!”
“But you are also a Knight. Do you think your magic talent alone will make up for reflexes, concentration, agility, and combat sense? Do you want to fire off just a few Lance Chargings like last time and collapse under your own power?”
“Nghhh…….”
Eugene clutched his head.
To be blunt, before the regression, it was true that Eugene had been a little inferior to Bella in terms of ability.
Unlike Bella, a warrior who had been called practically the strongest aside from her master Tibolt, Eugene was not that extraordinary a mage.
Even excluding Archmage Nidbolg, who was treated as outside all standards, and Order Commander Algina, there were at least ten mages with skill similar to Eugene’s.
‘Though for most of them, that’s because they lacked innate mana capacity…….’
But that was a thing of the past.
Now that he had the memories of regression and had obtained the Pure Refinement Bracelet, Eugene had grasped the possibility of growing far more than before.
However, since both were powers given through someone else, it could not be helped that his argument carried less weight.
In truth, when they performed Dragon Lance Charging, Bella had also carried a greater burden than he had.
He groaned and glared sideways at Bella.
“You’re good with words at times like this. With that tongue, you could even talk the emperor into anything.”
“I am a warrior. I simply spoke the right argument, and it is only that obvious.”
Hmph. Bella held her nose high. But Eugene had no intention of simply accepting her opinion.
“Fine. I’ll admit the importance of training, like you said. But that doesn’t mean this work isn’t the priority. What matters in war is timing. The power of time is absolute. The state of war can flip in minutes and seconds. We can’t sit still, pretend not to know anything, and only train.”
Those words were also correct. Bella let out a sigh and asked,
“Then what exactly are you suggesting?”
“That we pursue both.”
Eugene raised both hands and held up two fingers in parallel.
“We proceed with training and intelligence gathering at the same time, or alternate between them.”
“…….”
“I think my side can do it. Can your side manage?”
Clumsy coexistence could reduce efficiency and create an effect worse than doing each separately.
‘Can we carry out intelligence gathering in parallel without lowering training efficiency?’
Eugene’s question included that meaning. Bella smiled.
“If you can manage it, then of course I can.”
Eugene nodded.
“Good. Then as a rule, let’s divide things week by week and alternate. If something special happens or it looks like efficiency will be poor, we’ll adjust separately.”
“Understood.”
The agreement was over.
Perhaps exhausted by the discussion that had gone on longer than expected, Eugene sank into the sofa and munched on a cookie. Bella clicked her tongue at that weak appearance and drank her milk.
Suddenly, Eugene looked at Bella.
“How long do you think it’ll take you to regain your previous skill? Thanks to the bracelet, I think one year will be enough for me. After that, I think I can become even stronger.”
He asked while pointing to the tattoo on his wrist. Bella’s expression hardened.
“I…… will need at least three years.”
“What?”
The memories of destruction that Eugene and Bella had experienced.
They were events that would occur about eight years from now. Even then, that point in time was a full three years after the Voidnir invasion had begun in earnest.
From Eugene’s perspective, since his goal was to crush the Voidnir before the full-scale invasion took place, the practical deadline was five years.
And yet she said it would take three years not to become stronger than last time, but merely to reach a similar level.
Eugene frowned.
“Isn’t that too long? What are you doing that eats up that much time?”
This time, Bella flared up. She lifted her arm and said,
“Do you think refining this is so easy? It takes effort and time ground into it! Even before we returned, it took ten years to complete this! Seeds in a field do not suddenly grow faster just because you pour water and fertilizer on them! You can shorten the time to some extent, but you cannot compress the physically necessary time!”
Bella had learned a special martial art.
The name of that martial art was the Adamantine Refinement Great Art.
It was a martial art created by Tibolt, the strongest warrior on the continent and a dragon. From what Eugene had heard, it was a technique that repeatedly tempered the body like a lump of iron through some special training method to create an invincible body.
Eugene stroked his chin.
‘If it’s a martial art that changes the body, then it really could take a long time…….’
Something like the Pure Refinement Bracelet he had obtained this time was an exception. In general, even mobilizing every kind of magic could not suddenly transform a person like that.
When it came to martial arts, Bella was a master incomparable to Eugene. It did not seem likely that such a woman would talk nonsense.
“Hmmm…….”
While Eugene fell into thought over the new worry that had arisen, Bella chewed on her lip, then opened her mouth.
“There is…… exactly one method.”
“What is it?”
“I use a training method that blocks my magic circuits with restraints.”
“Restraints?”
Bella nodded.
“Yes. Like wearing sandbags on your arms and legs, I deliberately place a load on myself. If I use that method, I can greatly reduce the time required to train my body. If things go well, I may instead be able to obtain an invincible body closer to Adamantine Invulnerability, the ideal our school pursues.”
“Then just do it.”
Eugene spoke easily. Bella, on the other hand, spoke with a serious face.
“There is a problem. Because the magic circuits are blocked, I will become unable to use any magic.”
Unable to use magic.
That was a bigger penalty than it sounded.
“Then you can’t transform either?”
Dragons could live in human form because they used transformation magic. If she could not use magic, she might have to live with that enormous true body out.
Bella shook her head.
“I can transform. I can use the transformation magic built into the restraints.”
“That’s a relief. What about mana sharing with me? Without that, I’ll be in quite a bit of trouble.”
A rider mounted on a dragon displayed greater power by receiving a share of the dragon’s vast mana. Especially for Eugene, a mage and expert in mana operation, that was an extremely major issue.
“Mana sharing is also possible. It blocks the circuits used for casting magic, not every pathway through which mana passes.”
Bella clenched her teeth.
Someone might say this.
‘If you can transform and share mana as before, what’s the problem?’
But this was not a matter that could be spoken of so simply.
Just because she shared mana did not mean the dragon did not use magic. Dragon Knights used a means called mana sharing because the vast resource that was a dragon’s mana could naturally be controlled by two heads.
Simply put, it was like sharing a quiver with another archer.
If one person shot a bow alone, only one arrow could be fired at a time, but if that quiver were shared with the archer beside him, two arrows could be fired at once.
They could shoot at different targets, or time it so two arrows struck a single point simultaneously.
Consumption became faster, but the efficiency of that consumption increased to an extreme degree.
And in most battles, it was better to have a short and concentrated effect than a long and thin one.
The problem was not simply in ranged combat either, but also in flight. Propulsion during sudden acceleration and inertial control when changing direction were all things controlled one by one through magic……
If Bella became unable to use magic, Eugene would have to use magic for all of those at the proper timing.
In other words, this was a situation where Bella had to say that for herself to grow quickly, her partner Eugene would have to endure inconvenience and hardship.
“…….”
Bella hesitated.
She was not someone who could ask another person to take on her own work for her.
But Eugene—
“That sounds amazing. Let’s do it right now!”
He instantly gave her a thumbs-up.
Bella was flustered.
“What? Are you all right with that? It means you will have to handle all the magic I originally should use as well…….”
Eugene chattered excitedly.
“Of course I’m fine with it! Honestly, I was frustrated already. Your casting was slow and your mana distribution was dogshit, so do you know how much it drove me crazy? Just hand over the mana. It’s a hundred times more efficient if I’m the one using i— Gack!”
In the middle of speaking, he was grabbed by the collar.
Bella glared at Eugene with blazing eyes.
“You bastard, have you been thinking that all this time?”
Her red eyes burned fiercely. She grabbed Eugene by the collar and shook him wildly.
“You little—! If you had a complaint like that, you should have said so earlier!”
“No, what would saying it change? What’s the point of asking something from a girl who looks like she clearly has no talent for magic?”
“What? You weakling, just because you have a mouth……!”
“You were the only dragon I could ride then anyway, and you had no other choice either! So I kept it to myself so neither of us would get hurt……!”
“Shut up! That is that, and this is this! I will not wear any restraints! I can use magic just as skillfully as you!”
“No, no, no. Please don’t do that! I’m telling you, it’s better if I just handle it!”
Thus began their quarrel.
It took Eugene more than three hours to soothe the excited Bella.
And the last words he managed to spit out were these.
‘Lady Bella, this lowly one will take charge of the menial work in order to further exalt your martial valor, so please focus on your training.’