The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 596 - 596

"I-I-I have a Magic Crest!"In her panic, Aoko Aozaki nearly forgot how low her body temperature had dropped, her face flushing red as she tried to scramble away.

A Magic Crest was like a magus's internal organs—this "organ" would use every means possible to keep its owner alive. Even if their intestines were torn apart, as long as the Magic Crest remained, they could cling to life.

As long as her Magic Crest activated, her body temperature would eventually recover.

"The temperature here is around zero degrees, and she'll be back in an hour. Do you think you'll last that long?"

Eiji spread his arms, firmly adjusting Aoko's position before pulling her into his embrace.

"Such a nice scent..."

The moment their skin touched, Aoko forgot to struggle, her mind filled with nothing but that thought.

Even though this guy was covered in sweat, there wasn't the slightest hint of body odor—how unbelievable!

His scorching chest gave her an overwhelming sense of security, so much so that for a moment, she didn't even want to let go.

"He's right."

After wrestling with her thoughts for a while, Aoko quickly decided to stop overthinking it.

She simply nestled into Eiji's arms, greedily soaking in the warmth.

"What an annoying guy."

Buried in his chest, Aoko muttered under her breath.

He always managed to throw her off balance so easily, making her act unlike herself.

Was this why she had fallen for him?

"You believe I'll throw you out?"

Eiji grinned.

"Do you even know how to talk to a girl?"

Aoko jolted in alarm and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Girls are the ones who accommodate me, not the other way around!"

Eiji declared with absolute confidence.

This was a matter of demand!

Just look at this face—did he need to accommodate anyone?

"I don't get what you're so proud of!"

Aoko lifted her head and glared at him angrily.

This bastard was so punchable!

There were plenty of good men in the world—why did I have to fall for this guy?

The two bickered for a while longer, with Eiji's absurd remarks constantly making Aoko squirm in irritation, itching to hit him.

"By the way, do you really think this training method is effective?"

Aoko curled up entirely in his arms, using him like a bed.

Thanks to that, her body temperature was rapidly recovering.

Not wanting to keep arguing with Eiji, she steered the conversation toward their training.

They had been training in this bounded field for over a month. Eiji's progress was obvious—whereas he used to be sent flying by Scáthach in just a few moves, now it took about twenty exchanges before she could exploit an opening in his defense. His growth was so evident that even Aoko could see it clearly.

But she was different.

Scáthach hadn't taught her any magecraft. Instead, she was made to play hide-and-seek with spirits every day. On unlucky occasions, she'd get surrounded and thoroughly humbled, left in a state like this with her body temperature plummeting to dangerous lows.

Her actual combat ability hadn't improved at all, though the strength in her lower body had noticeably increased. At the very least, her kicks—or her ability to run away—had become much more efficient.

"Scáthach's goal isn't to teach you magecraft."

When it came to serious matters, Eiji's expression turned solemn.

"Rather, she can't really teach you anything because you're already racing down the path you excel at. As for magic, even she has no authority to speak on it!"

Magic—those were but five miracles in existence.

In terms of mystery and authority, they far surpassed the realm of magecraft—one could even say they were entirely different entities.

Even if Scáthach possessed knowledge in this area, without firsthand understanding of magic, she fundamentally lacked any authority to speak on it. In this regard, she simply couldn't teach Aoko anything.

As for Aoko's own magecraft, she had long since found her direction, sprinting like a runaway train down the path of becoming a human rocket launcher.

To put it bluntly, there was very little Scáthach could teach her to begin with.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"She isn't teaching you magic—she's teaching you the techniques to wield it."

Eiji shook his head before offering his insight.

"Do you even remember how to use your magic?"

Aoko fell silent.

She had never known how to use it in the first place.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been pushed to such extremes by Aozaki Touko back then.

The reason she had managed to erupt with power at that time, reviving Alice, was purely due to the desperate circumstances—if she hadn't acted, she would have had to watch Eiji die right before her eyes.

And so, she had used it instinctively.

But after that incident, she had forgotten those memories.

Because it was borrowed time—the version of her that had appeared then was the Aoko of ten years later—she had no recollection of actually wielding magic, nor did she remember how she had done it.

In other words, on the path of a Magician, she was still a complete novice, not even past the threshold, utterly clueless about how to open the door to magic itself.

"Scáthach's goal is to force you to relearn magic through the threat of death."

Seeing her lost in thought, Eiji laid out the conclusion.

Only by recreating a situation where she had no choice but to use magic—just like back then—could Aoko truly step onto the path of a Magician.

That was the fundamental reason Scáthach had her training against those undead monsters.

"Though, I'm not sure if it's because this is just training, but you still haven't made any progress."

Eiji gave Aoko, still nestled in his arms, a complicated look.

Aoko rolled her eyes prettily.

Because this was just training, she wasn't worried Scáthach would actually kill her—so she never felt that sense of urgency.

If she could master magic like this, that'd be downright miraculous!

Gurgle~!

The sound came abruptly.

"I'm hungry."

Eiji rubbed his stomach, then glanced at Aoko, his expression turning suggestive.

"Why are you still clinging to me? Want me to feed you?"

Aoko glared at him before silently extricating herself from his embrace.

Half an hour had passed—her body temperature had mostly returned to normal, and she could move without issue now.

Still, she felt a little regretful at losing that sense of security.

"Tch, just one lunchbox."

Eiji opened Raikou's bento.

The variety was decent, but the portions were sorely lacking.

With the intensity of his daily training, his energy expenditure was massive—he felt like he could devour an entire cow.

With just this much for lunch, he'd either have to slack off in the afternoon or lie down and take a beating.

"I made a little extra this morning. Want some?"

Hearing this, Aoko glanced at him before pulling out her own bento.

She cleared her throat, feigning nonchalance as she asked.

Damn—it was stacked a full three layers high!

This is way more than just a little extra!

"Give it to me!"

Eiji took it without hesitation and started wolfing it down.

"Tastes pretty good. You actually have cooking skills?"

"Don't underestimate me!"

Seeing him devour the food, Aoko's lips naturally curled into a smile as she calmly responded.

This was exactly why she got up early to make the bento!

"If you'd just admit you made it for me, that'd be better. Tsunderes are out of style these days!"

"Give it back if you don't want to eat it!"

Angered, Aoko rushed forward to snatch the lunchbox back.