Chapter 369 Volume VI - Chapter 2: Two New Skills
Thin, comfortable pants that made me feel like I was wearing sweatpants.
A simple black T-shirt that was a bit baggy.
A thin black glove that covered my entire right arm, almost as if it was one with my skin, and did not feel uncomfortable at all.
And a gray cane given to me so that I could walk without limping.
I felt strange looking at myself in the mirror, as if I was looking at someone else and not at myself, but I didn't think too much about it.
My lips curled up slightly as I turned around, smiling at the five dwarfs waiting just in front of me.
"I can be discharged now, right?"
The dwarves were... too careful. Literally too careful.
If I hadn't specifically insisted otherwise, they would have wanted to keep me in this room almost indefinitely. Despite the fact that I had already spent two weeks confined here.
I mean, it's not that I don't understand why they behave like this. After all... I'm literally a hero to them. They're worried about my safety, and rightly so.
But I have a life.
And as much as I have a life, I have things to do. Really important things.
"I reckoned ye might stick 'round a bit more."
My smile widened as I turned to the dwarf who had spoken. This was the same man I had fought alongside for most of the war, Rulhan, after all.
And next to him, Durvan, who was usually, and still is, silent.
They were not normally allowed to come near me as they were not much more than normal soldiers, but as they were almost the dwarves I was closest to, they could come and go from time to time. And now... they were here to say goodbye.
"There's nothing to do. I... would be lying if I said I didn't miss my home, my sister, and my friends. I have to go back now."
Rulhan said nothing while Durvan nodded.
"Don't be forgettin' to drop by every now 'n then."
I smiled without holding back.
"Of course. Why would I forget? My work here isn't done yet."
Besides... they were no longer in danger of death.
After all, the war was over. Now... they were simply working in the name of security. They had a much more comfortable life than the soldiers who had to spend every day fighting.
I approached them, leaned a little, and the three of us hugged each other in a circle at the same time. And then we stepped back. In the end... the smile on my face only widened.
"Thank you for always being there for me."
"We be thankin' ye."
They both stood in a military salute as if I were their commander... But I didn't care, I saluted briefly in the same way. Then I turned to the one in the middle of the three dwarves who were watching what was happening.
"Then... shall we go now, Dorhud?"
Dorhud nodded his head, making way for me as the doctors on either side of him stepped slightly to the side.
I took one last look at Rulhan and Durvan before leaving the room. They would be leaving after I did, so this was where we parted ways.
"See you later, guys."
They responded in the same way. It was an emotional goodbye for me, but I had no intention of prolonging it. So, after this final goodbye, I turned around and... for the first time since I woke up, I actually walked out of my room.
*******
I moved my cane to the side and slowly sat down in the cozy armchair. Inside the rather gigantic office, my lips curled upwards as I looked at the man with his usual flat, cold expression.
Although... he didn't look so cold anymore.
What did they call it... a tsundere?
Anyway...
"Hello, President Houdhin.
How is your day going?"
For the first time, I saw Houdhin's lips curve upwards a little, as if he wanted to prove wrong what I had just been thinking.
"Fine, our 'hero' Aiden. And yours? I guess you're looking forward to going home."
The 'our hero' thing was so... weird that I couldn't stop my eyes from twitching for a moment, but I still kept a straight face.
"I'm fine too... And yes, I'm eager to go home, but... unfortunately, the fact that I'm eager to go home doesn't change the fact that I have things to do."
I saw Houdhin's eyes narrow slightly, his lips curled even higher. As if he was waiting for me to say something like that.
"I feel like this is what you've been aiming for all along, Aiden Tenebra. To be the hero of the Holar, to achieve that status. But... even if that's the case, I can't say anything, I simply can't. Because... you succeeded. You have indeed become a 'hero'. So..."
He held out one hand slightly towards me, opened his palm as if to give me something, and brought the other hand to his chin.
"What do you want? Don't be shy, say it. Not me, but directly this whole country is ready to do anything you ask. Tell us what you have been aiming for all along."
I leaned back, the smile on my face was just like his.
"I... want more than one thing, actually."
Houdhin didn't seem surprised at all, so I continued.
"First... I'm going to create a company in the future, and it would be nice if I could get funding for it. Of course, I also have a goal of becoming a noble when I return to Cevilian... so I think it's only right that I ask for your support."
He nodded without changing his expression as if these were all things he could easily afford.
"Oh... and a new sword would be nice. A good quality one. Even better than the one I have."
He nodded again, not at all surprised. He must have already heard that despite the state of my body, I could use caora to fix myself.
"There are a few other small things I'd like, and I'll mention them, but... the last of my big requests is an artifact that can suppress the S+ charm statistic in the system we use, and if possible even higher. A ring, bracelet, or necklace would be nice."
This was the only thing that raised his eyebrows slightly, causing him to actually look a little surprised.
"That... might be a bit of a difficult request. But we will do our best."
I felt a little relieved to hear that he didn't refuse. I don't know why, but... I had a tiny suspicion that they might not be able to fulfill my request. But I had worried unnecessarily, apparently.
"Then... let's move on to other things. You can be sure that these will be much simpler, so don't worry..."
And we did.
When it was all over, it was finally time for me to leave the room.
But... President Houdhin was not finished.
"Before you go, let me tell you a few things."
His eyes were sharp this time, his expression particularly serious. He wanted me to focus on him, to pay attention to his words.
"There are a few things you need to know, at least... about your own situation. About this purple energy you're using, and about those who use a similar but opposite blue energy."
My eyebrows furrowed quickly.
So, the Order is finally on the move… huh?
*******
I've never been on a more comfortable plane in my life. In every sense... the seats, the interior of the plane, the view outside... Everything is perfect.
And it's all thanks to an extremely advanced technology.
'You give the same look every time...'
A turquoise glow suddenly appeared in the space in front of me, then a tiny spirit floated slowly in front of me.
"Because I'm more and more intrigued every time."
I smiled back at the Sith, and he returned it.
We hadn't spoken much since the moment I woke up, we had nothing to talk about except for his company in my hospital room.
Now... we were in a more convenient place.
'You are not normally so happy and optimistic in such situations. Did something happen that I don't know about? Is it because of these two skills you've acquired?'
"Ah, no."
I mean... they have an effect, of course. Because they're both really useful, really excellent skills.
Saturated with Mana is a skill that I got because my body was exposed to excessive, really excessive, amounts of mana. And it basically increases my mana reserves by a lot, and it supports Mana Efficiency by relaxing the flow of mana in my body.
Well... that last part wouldn't be of much use if I couldn't heal myself temporarily. But with caora, the trump card I was able to use despite my crippled body, this skill was really perfect.
Durandal's Aura was even more perfect. So much so that even though I had read it dozens of times, I couldn't stop my lips from curling upwards.
<<------------------------------
Durandal's Aura(S-)
The user can turn any object that they can use with their hands into a weapon that can cut anything, no matter what it is, transcending the boundaries of the physical world.
------------------------------>>
The description was short and to the point. But... the skill itself was immense.
I could create a 'weapon' at will that could transcend the boundaries of the physical world, that could cut through anything. The cane in my hand, for example. I could use it as if it were a sword, even though it was simply a cane. Or I could multiply the effect by strengthening swords that were already weapons.
But...
"The skills are beautiful. But... the reason I'm smiling so much is simply because I'm finally going back. After all that's happened... it feels a bit like a dream."
A brief silence fell between us. Neither I nor Sith said anything. And then...
'What's the plan now, then?'
I leaned back, a smile reappearing on my face as I looked at the view while flying above the clouds.
"First... I think I'm going to meet Clara and the others. I'll spend two or three days with them. Then we'll find Ulka and Alex and launch the company we should have opened months ago. I haven't listed the rest yet, but we'll be busy. You don't worry much..."
Sith's expression gradually fell. He didn't seem to like the fact that we were going to be busy.
I let out a laugh while Sith said nothing more.
We continued flying towards Cevilian in silence.
*******
When I got off the plane... it was a much more normal scene than I had imagined.
Cevilian, as a country, knew that I was coming back. And, of course, I would be surrounded the moment I got off the plane.
At least that's how it was supposed to be.
But, instead... I was in a quite normal airport.
'You said you wanted to be undisturbed for a few days, right?'
I nodded slightly, unable to keep the surprise off my face.
'Yes... but I thought there would be leaks and things wouldn't go the way I wanted. They took my request quite seriously, huh...'
Being someone in charge... feels better than I thought it would.
Not that I can complain, of course!
With a smile on my face, I slowly made my way forward. I was a bit conspicuous because of my cane and my right arm, but with the black mask on my face, I was sure that no one would recognize me.
Even if I'm more famous now as the 'Hero of the Holar' than I ever wanted to be, I'm sure there's no one who can tell who I really am with a single glance.
And so... I managed to get into a car that was arranged for me without any real trouble.
My first destination was clear, I didn't even have to think about it. Of course, I was going to my sister, whom I hadn't seen or heard from in months.
I could already imagine the surprise on her face and the tears in her eyes.
After all, no one knew I had woken up except the big names. It was going to be a big surprise for her.
"Drive to Wiathen, I'll give you directions."
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