Chapter 5 Hide and Seek and Image
TL: Yuki
Forgetful editor: FlashBangMaster
「One~~More~~Time~~?」
「「「All~~is~~Set!!!」」」
And now it starts. A large Hide and Seek tournament with the participation of more than that, 150 fairies that along with Testania-san as the ones searching. and over 300 fairies including Norn-san Hiding from the ONI. We can do it on a large scale because fairies have small bodies, so everyone can hide all over the world tree.
Later, the roles in Hide and seek began to change into 『Goblins』 for the ones who seeks and 『Adventurers』 for the ones trying to hide and run away, It was really interesting.
You must be thinking why were we doing this? It’s as a way to learn the skill 『Concealment』.
「How do you learn the skill 『Concealment』?」
「Hmmm… How about we seek the fairies with that skill」
Norn-san then looked for fairies that are hiding using 『Fairy Eyes』 and listened to their explanation, they were a group playing hide and seek. Understanding the situation, the two people nodded that playing hide and seek was the most effective method to learn the skill.
And then Norn-san consulted it with Testania-san and arranged a wide scale game. Testania-san have given the approval quickly without trouble.
All the fairies also joined in and everyone accepted, and that’s how this event began.
(Now then, just being hidden is to leisurely, I might as well practice at the same time.)
I have learned the tricks of hiding from other fairies, the most important part is to know how to hide your 「Presence」. But how do you consciously hide it? As they have said, you need to feel your surroundings and then try to blend your element with it. Because of the difficulty of blending fire and water those types of fairies seems to be bad at hiding. They are the first ones to be easily discovered.
(In my case, since my element is space itself. it should be much easier to meld in…)
While trying to align myself with the area around me as if I am space itself, I try to resonate with the surrounding.
(… …. … oh?)
Right now, [I’m starting to feel that my existence is becoming dim, though I had only just begun. I melded myself into space at this constant rate.
On the far corners, I could hear Testania-san finding fairies one after another. Arena was also quickly caught. Testania-san sure is good at locating hiders.
「Now then, only Norn and Aidle remains」
As Testania-san declared. Did you prepare something for the hide and seek in the open plaza, there’s something like a big Iron Cage. There are fairies that have taken the roles of ONI. There are fairies inside calling out things like 「Help Me!」「We have something delicious」「I’m dead it’s over」 and all of them seem to be having fun.
「Fufufu, the only place left that I haven’t looked into is the throne room after all♪」
Testania-san walks toward the throne room and enters, then checked everything in the interior of the throne. There seems to be nowhere to hide in there at first sight. Is there even a place to hide there?
「Now, let’s see…」
Testania-san seems to be listening to something, It’s only a few minutes of silence, then she starts walking with a satisfied face. The place where she stopped in front of me is the throne she always sits at. Then she slowly extended her hand towards the throne where nobody is sitting, and the space in that place started to distort.
「Fufufu…Norn, I caught you♪」
「yare,yare…It seems like I can’t beat you」
Oh, The distorted space disappeared, an Norn-san who is in a zen meditation pose comes out of the throne!
「You are good at using magic to bend light, but it seems you are not as good at erasing your presence.」
「I will endeavour to improve it from this day onward. The only one remaining is Aidle right?」
「It seems to be that way, It seems that Norn is the only one here, I have searched every place possible, but I can’t seem to find her at all」
Apparently it seems really hard to escape from Testania-san. Although Testania-san was looking all over the place, the time limit reached its end.
「That was really amazing, that girl, I couldn’t find her at all, Aidle!! You won, you can show us yourself now!!」
「Hai!!」
「ay, ehh!!?」
As soon as I got called, I went out in front of Testania-san, she got really surprised and became shocked she seems to have frozen. Norn-san is not as good as Testania-san but was also really shocked and was even trembling.
「Incredible!! I didn’t notice you at all.」
「mou, I won’t really be surprised anymore!!」
「Sorry, sorry, but you know, it’s like this you see. Because I can interfere with space, It seems that I can make my presence as thin as possible, That’s why I was thinking that Testania-san staying beside Testania-san wouldn’t be that bad?」
「Really? I didn’t notice it at all, so did you finally get the skill 『Concealment』?」
I checked my status and confirmed that it was included. Testania-san also confirms it and seems to having a frustrated look.
「well then, it’s finally over. Everyone let’s have a meal?」
「「「Yahhhooooooo!!!」」」
Today’s lunch turned out to be Ice Cream – made from honey given by everyone.
「The only skill needed now is 『Adjustment』」
While licking Ice Cream, Testania-san informed us. While looking at the person also licking Ice Cream, it can be mistaken to be the same as some other fairy from the surrounding ones. the beauty is on a different level though. (I’m confused by this)
「Since status values are only implemented when in a state of fighting, you can be relieved that it won’t affect your daily life. However, if you fight someone for the first time without learning to hold back, the result would definitely turn the opponent into minced meat. Although I have already said this before, Sword Practice will be put on hold unless you master holding back, everything will be cut as if your cutting slime slime without controlling it」
「I understand…」
「Who was it again that person who said that when time before damaged the world tree because they can’t hold hack? hmm?」
「It’s me, I know, I’m really sorry about that…」
I’m curious about just how much power is gained on level up. When I tried swinging the sword at the back of the world tree, the slash itself went flying as if it has substance. and it directly hit the world tree, as a result even though the world tree is huge it still left a small crater on the place of impact.
Testania-san also released magic seriously and everything turned into a catastrophe. She’s really powerful, seriously.
「And so because of that, you will be training using only this」
And something was handed to me, a single branch.
「this is just an ordinary branch that fell to the ground right?」
「Yes, one that isn’t from the world tree, why not try swinging it for a bit?」
「alright! now to do this, ah」
Other than the point where I held it everything else had disappeared. The broken parts then fell from a really high place. It seems like it flew to a really high place with great momentum. Arena then caught the. from where it was flying and brought them to me. ah, she’s like a dazzling sun.
「For the meantime try swinging it at least a hundred times without breaking it, I think that by doing that, you might have already learned the skill 『Adjustment』? 」
「This will be a little bit more difficult, but do your best Aidle」
「En!」
with this I guess I won’t get tired easily and I won’t bother other fairies around so it’s good. And besides that, Arena also helps me, she collected mountains of branches and brought them to the plaza for my training.
「Arena, How many was that now?」
「999 Swings!!」
「Yay, the next one will be in the four digits!」
「Yay!」
I had never succeeded, and then a few hours have passed. I don’t really understand what went wrong, It’s such a state where I just couldn’t find the reason. Even if I try weakening the force, the results were still the same, on the level that a tofu would burst if you just pierce it with a toothpick.
「Maybe it’s on the way I swing it, but I didn’t think it would be so terrible like when I’m using sword art skills…」
「It’s going Booom!」
「…huh?」
「The point where you assign the power is wrong, As Arena says 」
Is what Testania-san mentioned after coming over here with an astonished face,
「The way you handled a sword was getting better but, you’re putting too much strength on the sword.」
「???」
「Even having really high INT you don’t realize that you use it wrong. In other words, you can see it as status only. Because you are a fairy, you can only think of simple things right? Can’t you use Fairy Magic as an example of that?」
「…Ah,now I get it!!」
I grab another branch then concentrate, focusing on the swing… Don’t break.
「Do you get it?」
「Un, Thank you Testania-san, I can probably do it now…」
What I need is a clear Image. Fairy Magic also works with Images. But, the image must be precise. The clarity of the image is also important.
「at last,I’m starting to understan how things in the world works? 」
「Do you now understand that fairy magic is all purpose」
No matter how much compression of status is done. You should need to suppress it. If swordsmanship isn’t enough to contain it, you can forcefully ignore the laws of nature and physics with fairy magic. That’s because sword arts alone won’t be enough.
「If you are trying to contain your sword swings without fairy magic, you need at least S rank Sword Arts, so you still need to raise it, you can only rely on fairy magic to use it until then, you can even mistaken it for a magic sword arts. it’s not that bad though」
「I have finally found a way to learn 『Adjustment』, I just have to master it」
「Grats!!」
「Thanks~Arena~」
「rubby,rub~♪」
Arena then stuck to me rubbing her face against mine. Ah Arena, The greatest Arena.
「And so, though you have now accomplished your goal, when will you want to begin your journey?」
「I have to prepare various things for my life before I go…」
「Ah, Your ding that…」
「I will go approximately a week later」
And then from my side Arena pulled on my sleeves.
「Aidle, are you going somewhere?」
「Eh?」
「Eh?」
Eh, just maybe, she cooperated with me without knowing the meaning of what I have been doing so far? I have a very bad feeling about this.
「You see Arena, I will be going on a journey a week from now」
「Un, I also often go out you know? like in the forest and grasslands.」
「It will be really far far away~~ the place that I will be going to」
「…?」
She only tilted her neck, I pulled testania-san and leave Arena behind.
「Arena you see, just maybe」
「As you have guessed, because that girls is still young, She doesn’t know what the world is like, I think right now the world as known by Arena is only Fairy Town and the surrounding forest and grasslands」
Ah, un, I’m convinced. Now that I think about it, Arena is only 3 years old. Because I have stayed together with her for 3 years now, I understand that her understanding and sensitivity is that only of a child. I was something like a parent I guess.
I look back and faced Arena. Her head was looking at the opposite side of my arm. Ah this is frustrating, such cuteness is frustrating.
「Aidle?」
「You see Arena, I will not be able to come back for a while, I will be going on a long trip.」
「…How long?」
「I still don’t know. probably for a few years.」
Slowly the color from Arena’s face starts to drop. It is the face of a child who just realized something but doesn’t know how to cope with it. But, I have to be firm about this.
「… … … …I understand」
It seems that Arena has understood it and nodded. I’m glad… If she cried I was about drop myself to a dogeza and apologise.
「If that is so, Arena also wanna go!!」
「… like what?」
is that so…. is that alright~?
「This, this is good」
「Wait just a minute Testania-san!」
「Listen to this Aidle, Actually we are currently in a pinch」
And the story about troubles from Testania-san began.