I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 152: Let’s Go Have Fun! (3)
A quiet camping site with not a soul in sight.
Yet, I didn’t feel particularly lonely or melancholic.
If it wasn’t me here but someone else, wouldn’t they feel the same way?
Anyone coming all the way to such a remote camping site would probably be someone seeking an escape from prying eyes, looking to relax and enjoy some peace.
“Don’t you think so?”
“Heeeek...”
Unfortunately, Daeun didn’t seem in the right state to answer.
Her dark eyes darted around in confusion, unable to focus. Clicking my tongue, I muttered,
“What’s with you? I didn’t even make you do anything hard.”
“Heeeek...!”
“...Hmm.”
...Is she a beast or something?
The longer this went on, the more the noises coming out of Daeun sounded less human.
At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if she devolved into a monkey.
Actually, that might be interesting to see.
Not that it would actually happen, of course.
“Let’s stop here for now.”
“H-heeeek...”
When I removed my hand from the back of Daeun’s neck, she collapsed like a stringless puppet.
“Such a drama queen.”
“I wish it were just drama... Huuuuh...”
“You’re not even in pain. Am I wrong?”
“It’s not pain, but... ugh, I don’t know! It’s just... a weird, indescribable sensation!”
Slumped over a folding table, Daeun visibly shuddered.
When I took a seat next to her, she turned her head toward me.
“That was so different from what I imagined. I thought it’d be like meditating in a lotus position, or channeling inner energy, or at least swinging a sword until I could feel the mana...”
“...Channeling inner energy?”
I didn’t know what she meant, but it was clear she had expected something completely different.
What I had done was let a small amount of my mana flow toward her.
More precisely, I let it brush against her skin rather than enter her body directly.
It was like pouring water over your body during a bath.
“Normally, I wouldn’t do it this way either.”
I didn’t really know how mages learned mana.
It’s a path you can’t even start down without talent, so I could only guess that they’d naturally feel mana before even trying.
But it was different for swordsmen.
“If you learned mana like this, you wouldn’t even be able to use it properly.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“A swordsman needs to know how to wield a sword with their body. What’s the use of just being good at mana? It’s not like you can cast spells with it.”
“Ah... So, you mean the body and mind need to work as one for true strength to emerge?”
“Where do you even get these ideas from?”
“Books! Wanna read one, Kana?”
“...Maybe later.”
Whether mana required some kind of harmony with the mind was something I’d have to think about, but her logic wasn’t entirely off, so I nodded.
“Even if you use mana to enhance your body, it’s pointless if it doesn’t connect. You need solid basic martial arts to make it meaningful. And as you train, your senses sharpen, making you sensitive to the mana flowing around you. That way, you don’t need to go through this kind of thing.”
“I see... Wait, then why did you do it like this for me?”
“There are a lot of reasons...”
Explaining all of them would take too much time, and judging by the sun sinking behind the mountains, evening was approaching.
We’d already prepared premium cuts of meat for tonight, and I wasn’t about to let a lengthy explanation delay dinner.
“Daeun, your reason for learning mana isn’t for fighting, right?”
Of course, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with learning to fight.
Even if this country was a paradise compared to Sillia, with its constant bloodshed and screams, it wasn’t completely safe.
But there was no denying that there wasn’t enough time to properly train her for combat.
Besides, if things followed the Administrator and Edel’s plans, the disharmony between her body and mana would eventually even out.
“So, I thought it’d be better to focus on teaching you the basics quickly.”
“Kana, you really do think everything through...”
“Did you think I was teaching you randomly without a plan?”
“...Maybe a little?”
“...What?”
“N-no, it’s not that I thought you were clueless! It’s just, you know that saying, ‘geniuses can’t understand the minds of ordinary people’? Kana, you’re a genius among geniuses! And being good at swords doesn’t always mean you’re good at teaching...”
...Logically, she wasn’t wrong, but why did it feel so annoying to hear?
“Did you already forget who taught you back in Sillia?”
“...If anything, that makes me trust you less.”
“...That’s it. If you’re going to be like that, I’ll train you properly.”
“W-wait, no! This is all your fault!”
“My fault?”
“Yes!”
Daeun practically shouted as I folded my arms, curious to hear what excuse she’d come up with.
“You said you’d teach me swordsmanship, but then you made me fight other people right away! Just when I thought I was getting used to it, you wanted to spar with me yourself!”
“....”
“I wanted kind, gentle Teacher Kana, not a scary tiger instructor...”
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Listening to her grievances, I slowly unfolded my arms.
For a moment, her heartfelt words almost moved me...
Almost.
“It was effective, wasn’t it?”
Daeun’s face twisted in reluctant agreement.
“Ugh... That’s true, but still...”
“And if I remember correctly, I didn’t just throw you into sparring matches from the start.”
I distinctly recalled stepping in because I couldn’t stand her atrocious posture.
What’s with this revisionist history?
“I’m sorry...”
Daeun finally raised the white flag.
“As an apology, I’ll offer you this chocolate. Please forgive me!”
“...Just this once.”
Normally, a failed rebellion warrants execution, but since she seemed genuinely remorseful, I decided to let it slide.
After that small commotion, we busied ourselves preparing dinner.
Daeun fetched a bundle of firewood from a pile at the edge of the campsite, lighting it up, while pulling out a variety of mysterious tools and laying them out.
Helping her carry supplies, I asked casually,
“Do you do this every time?”
“Do what? Oh, you mean the prep? Not always.”
Crouched as she poked at the firewood, Daeun straightened up.
“When I just want to relax, I go glamping or stay at a hotel. This time, I wanted to relive the old days when we traveled together, so I chose this place on purpose. Back then, we had to prepare everything ourselves, remember?”
Though it hadn’t been long, Daeun gazed wistfully into the distance, as if recalling a memory from ages ago.
Memories... huh.
“...Well, it wasn’t bad,” I said.
“Right? Hmm, now that I think about it, I wonder how Celine’s doing.”
“She’s probably doing just fine.”
“That’s so cold!”
“It’s not being cold—it’s just the truth. For someone as capable as Celine, it’d probably be harder not to do well.”
“Ugh! I’m just curious about how she’s doing; do you have to answer so heartlessly?”
Daeun grumbled as she placed meat onto the grill.
Before long, the aroma of cooking meat filled the air, strong enough to make one wonder if it might attract wild animals.
It was such a rich, delicious smell that it felt almost overwhelming, even though this wasn’t my first time grilling outdoors.
Or maybe it’s because I already know how good it’s going to taste that it smells even better.
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth, careful not to let Daeun notice.
“In Sillia, it’s less about ‘how you’re living’ and more about whether you’re still alive,” I said.
“Oh...”
Sillia didn’t have a reliable way to stay in contact across long distances.
Sure, it was different for the wealthy, but not everyone had money.
On top of that, you never knew when or where something might happen, so all you could do was hope someone was alive and well.
You could save the ‘how have you been’ questions for the day you reunited.
Hearing this, Daeun let her arms fall limply from the grill, her expression suddenly clouding over.
“I’m sorry...”
“...Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”
“For calling you heartless when I didn’t even understand...”
“Geez, you apologize for everything.”
She really didn’t need to feel bad over something so trivial.
“I wasn’t saying that expecting an apology. It’s true that I can be blunt sometimes.”
My dad used to say it all the time, too—asking why his daughter was so aloof.
I’d heard it so many times that hearing it one more time didn’t really faze me.
“So don’t worry about it.”
“Kana...”
“You’re so caught up worrying that the meat’s about to burn.”
“....”
“If you let it burn, I won’t forgive you.”
The tiny teardrops that had formed in Daeun’s eyes evaporated in an instant, leaving her expression as dry as a desert.
“Seriously...”
With a sigh, she flipped the meat with her tongs.
Thankfully, the underside of the meat, which had been facing the fire, had a mouthwatering golden-brown color.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. She’s probably doing well. Worst case, we could just visit Raxia and check.”
“Raxia?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? Celine decided to stay in Raxia because she had some things to take care of.”
“Got it. Makes sense.”
“You’re not surprised?”
“There’s nothing surprising about it.”
Why would it be a big deal that Celine stayed in Raxia?
Especially since I’d already heard that Edel had assigned her a task. It wasn’t anything unexpected.
As Daeun focused on grilling, she suddenly gave a faint, bitter smile.
“It’d be nice if you could go to Sillia too, Kana.”
“Hmm?”
“...Huh?”
“I can go.”
“You can?!”
Her eyes widened in shock, but only for a moment.
Then Daeun let out a long Ahhh and nodded as if understanding something.
“Right, you could just use a capsule.”
“No, that’s not it.”
An artificially created body wouldn’t be able to fully contain me.
“Then how would you go?”
“Like this.”
Seeing is believing.
I picked up a random branch from the ground and swung it casually.
The scenery beyond the campfire split open, revealing an entirely different and unfamiliar landscape.
Daeun’s jaw dropped at the sight of the strange view through the rift.
“It’s not something I’d do often, but it’s not impossible.”
Over there, my body was technically dead.
Even if it looked simple, there were a lot of things to account for.
“...It doesn’t look simple at all,” Daeun said, staring at me with a straight face.
I shrugged lightly and grabbed a piece of grilled meat, popping it into my mouth.
“You’re just going to eat that now?”
“Yeah.”
Obviously.
The claim of premium-grade meat wasn’t a lie—it practically melted in my mouth.
