The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 105
Kshanoll was a swordsman ranked 23rd among the heroes.
He had an extremely negative reaction to people without talent, almost to the point of disgust.
That kind of man.
Other than the team leader, Helion, he was the highest-ranking and most talented member of the Helion team.
And he originally had the same level of talent as someone like Finn?
No matter how much he thought about it, or how many times he reflected on it, it was hard to believe.
Talent was not something that came and went like an object; it was something one was born with.
Like Vargan or Alicia.
It was a gift that was present the moment one appeared in this world.
That was why Finn, who should be appreciated for his mediocrity, objectively assessed his own state and pushed himself.
He knew that if he didn’t, he could never reach the stage he desired. So, he dragged his trembling limbs and continued his training.
As Finn worked, there were people who offered warm words of encouragement and believed in him.
Finn was always grateful and sorry to them, which made him cling even more desperately to his sword.
All because he had no talent.
… but they said that if he went to the <Soul Forge Hall>, there was a chance he might change.
It was something Finn had longed for and eventually gave up on—the dazzling name of <talent>, a great joy like the sun. He might just be able to obtain it.
He had no intention of becoming a hero easily.
He knew better than anyone that the road ahead would be a thorny path.
He had no expectations.
Even if it was only despair and suffering that awaited him, he thought it would be enough if he could just reach that stage.
—But you should know this. Entering the Soul Forge Hall is no easy task, but leaving it leads to death.
Canthurman, who often claimed not to know much, provided Finn with quite a bit of information.
The conditions for entering the Soul Forge Hall required a lack of talent, and the training there was akin to walking a tightrope with death looming below.
For instance, if 10,000 people passed the first trial and entered the Soul Forge Hall, only ten would emerge alive.
And of those ten, only one would achieve the level of talent initially promised.
It was literally a gamble on one’s life.
Training that pushed an individual’s limits to the extreme.
“……”
Yet… even so.
Finn couldn’t ignore that small flicker of hope.
Even if he wanted to turn away, he couldn’t.
He was willing to be cursed as weak and pathetic for this desire to grow stronger.
He was ready to be criticized for his vanity, for believing that he alone might be special, despite knowing better.
Finn craved strength.
He had long been prepared to sacrifice his life for it.
If there was even the faintest glimmer of light, he wanted to run toward it without hesitation…!
“Master Helion, I have something to say.”
That night, after hearing about the Soul Forge Hall.
As the Helion team gathered at their lodgings to discuss future plans and then disbanded, leaving Finn with a rare moment of personal time, he suddenly spoke up while receiving Helion’s instruction.
Vargan, who seemed to already understand what was on Finn’s mind, continued his training without turning his head.
“Finn, what’s on your mind?”
Finn firmly declared his intentions.
“I apologize for saying this, but…”
Despite his words, Finn’s resolve was unshaken.
“I would like to receive instruction from Mr. Kshanoll.”
This was something that could easily offend Helion. Even though Helion wasn’t a swordsman, he was still a top-tier hero.
To refuse the golden opportunity to learn from such a person and instead seek instruction from another could be seen as a kind of insult.
However, Helion’s mindset was a little different from others.
Without showing even a hint of irritation, he immediately responded.
“That’s fine. It’s not a difficult request. If that’s what you’ve decided, then that’s the right course of action. But do you think it’s possible?”
It wasn’t sarcasm.
It was simply a question of whether Kshanoll, who didn’t view Finn favorably, would actually be willing to teach him.
“I have confidence that I won’t lose to anyone when it comes to apologizing, asking for favors, and begging.”
Even if he was a noble, Finn had been compared and looked down on his whole life precisely because of that status.
To him, bowing his head wasn’t something shameful, just pitiful.
True shame was refusing to acknowledge one’s own shortcomings and failing to learn from others.
Seeing this, Helion smiled slightly.
It was a little different from his usual awkward smile. Helion spoke.
“You seem to be in a hurry, so go ahead. I won’t stop you from following the path you’ve chosen.”
“Thank you.”
Finn bowed deeply and immediately set off to find Kshanoll. He would certainly face insults, violence, and humiliation. And yet Finn ran toward it.
As if he were utterly delighted.
After Finn left, Helion and Vargan remained in the room, and Helion spoke.
“It seems Student Finn will become a fine hero.”
“A fine hero, yes.”
“That sounds like there’s something left unsaid, Student Vargan?”
“Even so, in the end, he’ll need to become a useful hero.”
“That’s true.”
Helion didn’t disagree with Vargan’s sentiment.
Their thoughts often tended to align.
“Well then, since Student Finn is gone, let’s continue our one-on-one lesson, Student Vargan.”
Vargan immediately demonstrated a newly mastered partial summoning. It was the right hand of his ogre familiar, Taesan.
It was dark green, with skin that was much thicker and tougher than a human’s.
Seeing the massive hand, Helion nodded and continued speaking.
“It seems you’re already proficient enough to use it in battle.”
Even though Helion was a holy mage, he could also handle familiars.
If asked whether he specialized in familiars, he would say no, but he was skilled and well-developed enough not to lag far behind the pinnacle of familiar magic.
“Sometimes, showing is better than explaining, don’t you think?”
Helion created a summoning circle and summoned two familiars. One resembled an iguana, and the other a hedgehog.
“Both of these creatures are among the weakest ranked monsters. In terms of combat power, even ordinary people who can’t use aura could defeat them.”
Vargan agreed, just by looking at them.
Despite being Helion’s familiars, they didn’t exude any sense of intimidation, and instead seemed rather pathetic.
Helion placed a magic tool in front of the two familiars.
It was a mana-measuring crystal that would change color based on the output of the caster’s magic.
The familiars immediately followed their command, releasing mana in turn, and the crystal glowed red.
This signified the lowest level, akin to someone just beginning to learn magic.
Next, they both released mana simultaneously, and the crystal turned orange.
Even without using the magic tool, Vargan could feel a slight increase in power, but it wasn’t significant.
“By the way, Student Vargan, what is your current rank in familiar summoning? Have you already reached mastery?”
“No. My field of familiars is still at high level.”
“Then it must be at quite a high level, even among the higher ranks. That’s great. During this mentoring, you should be able to reach the rank of mastery.”
In other words, this meant the training’s difficulty was among the highest, but it also promised rapid experience gain.
Rather than worry, Vargan smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.
“That would be good.”
Helion extended a hand toward the two familiars that had been summoned before him.
He channeled his mana and reconstructed the summoning spell on the ground. The spell, which had previously emitted a faint blue glow, immediately turned red upon reconstruction.
The same happened with the familiars.
The bodies of the two familiars started to twitch and change shape, as if made of clay. As the light of the spell changed, the familiars fused together, merging into a single entity.
“I’m glad to see you like it, Student Vargan.”
Vargan looked at the familiar.
It was no longer <two> separate entities.
While there were two lives within it, the fusion was complete, and their bodies had become one.
The creature that had once been an iguana and a hedgehog had now become an iguana with the spines of a hedgehog.
It was the combination of two creatures, now a single familiar.
“… I knew about this but seeing it in person is astonishing.”
Helion performed the spell so effortlessly, as if it was as easy as lifting a spoon to eat.
But fusing two different creatures into a completely new form was a technique that was hard to grasp even in theory.
The magician who first discovered this technique must have been one of the most exceptional of his era, undoubtedly pouring a great amount of time into it.
As someone who could glimpse the principles of magic, he couldn’t help but be sincerely moved by its mystery.
What a beautiful and profound spell! No wonder Craine was so captivated by it.
“Can you see how the familiar’s mana has increased?”
“Yes. The total amount of mana has doubled. No… 2.4 times.”
“The output has also increased.”
The familiar emitted mana once more. Though it had become one, its power had risen even higher.
The color of the crystal ball changed.
Red, orange, and eventually, after flickering for a moment, it turned yellow. It was comparable to the output of a person who had been studying magic for four years.
The familiar, now fused like a chimera, displayed power far beyond what the two familiars had produced separately.
Helion referred to this as <dual fusion>.
By fusing familiars, the existing power, like mana, increased multiplicatively rather than additively.
The unique traits of each creature—such as the hedgehog’s spines or the iguana’s shape-shifting abilities—could also be enhanced in this new form.
In other words, the combined familiar retained and amplified the characteristics of the original familiars used as the foundation for the fusion.
“There’s a hero I know who can perform a <triple fusion> that combines three creatures, but I’m not at that level. Instead, I’ll show you something else.”
Helion undid the dual fusion, returning the familiars to their original forms. The two familiars busied themselves with grooming, as if nothing had happened.
“I’ll focus.”
Helion’s words had fully captured Vargan’s interest.
Though he wore an impassive expression, inwardly he was quite excited.
Knowing something from knowledge alone and witnessing it firsthand were entirely different things.
It was like seeing dinosaurs in an encyclopedia versus seeing them in real life.
“Hmm… on second thought, I think it’s better to show you this later. You should fully master the technique I just demonstrated first.”
“… is there a particular reason?”
“Well, I find your reactions quite refreshing, so I want to observe a little more.”
“……”
“I’m kidding. It’s because the magic is something you can only perform once you’ve reached the rank of mastery in the field of familiars.”
“So, you can joke too.”
Not a very funny one, though.
To be honest, I was excited to see what kind of magic it would be, but what was this?
A high-level magic related to familiars… hmm, what could it be?
Many possibilities came to mind, but since it was Helion’s magic, it was likely related to combat.
Vargan pushed aside his wandering thoughts and spoke.
“Understood. I will refrain from taking away my master’s enjoyment.”
“Am I Student Vargan’s master?”
“If someone’s character and achievements are worthy of admiration, and their teachings make one nod in agreement, I call such a person a master.”
“How many masters have you had, Vargan?”
“You are the first.”
Paula, who had taught me magic at the Shugenhardt family, was more of a teacher…? Ah, I did call her that, but not officially.
She was just Paula.
“Then it’s an honorable position.”
“Once I’ve learned everything I can from you, I plan to leave immediately.”
“I like your honesty.”
That night was spent entirely focused on the familiars.
Even after Helion left, he continued analyzing and practicing the technique of dual fusion.
Craine’s chimera—taming that thing had already taken a considerable amount of time, and yet it still didn’t obey him.
He hoped that by the time he reached the Central Church, it would follow him.
… and so, as he enjoyed his long-overdue training, morning came. The day felt too short.