As Renjiro (Aether) had said, to maximize the chance of successfully defeating Antares, he had to spare not a single second in diligently refining his close-combat skills. Meanwhile, Lumine had her own tasks to handle.
First, according to the battle information Freya had provided earlier, at the Large Tree Labyrinth Border Defense, it wasn't just the White and Black Knights stationed there, also present were the Gulliver Brothers, helping with defense.
Lumine naturally wanted to quickly unify Hedin, Hogni, and the so-called Gulliver Brothers under a single command.
But even after all this time, the four Palum hadn't been seen once, not even by veterans like Gareth or Riveria who had visited the frontline. She had no idea what they had been up to recently.
Ask Hogni?
Too tiring… uh, too inefficient.
Hedin?
No clue where he'd gone.
So, to avoid wasting time, she chose the only logical option: prepare the next step first.
That meant:
"You want me to teach you the Parallel Chanting technique?"
Lumine made her way to the tent used by members of the Hermes familia and easily located a certain useless… cough, well…
In short, Lumine approached a certain friend of Xier, identified herself, and made the above request.
[Gale] Ryuu Lion
A 21-year-old short-haired female elf.
Don't let her current Blessing Level of just Lv.4 fool you. Among the prestige of the first-tier adventurers, she may seem unimpressive, but when it came to mastery of Parallel Chanting, even Riveria, the strongest urban mage, would admit she was outclassed.
Renjiro had once thought Parallel Chanting was simply like singing high notes perfectly while sprinting a hundred meters.
In reality…
Parallel Chanting wasn't just difficult; it carried significant risk.
According to the details Lumine learned from Riveria, the danger level of using Parallel Chanting was roughly equivalent to: dancing while holding a landmine in your hand.
Or, you could also think of it as: performing breakdance while holding a glass of concentrated sulfuric acid… uh, what kind of absurd metaphors are these?
In short, it was a high-difficulty, high-risk… but also high-reward advanced technique. Ryuu could effortlessly use it even in full-speed combat.
By comparison…
Riveria's Parallel Chanting skills only allowed her to chant while moving, performing basic counterattacks with her staff, like swinging or striking.
As for the future Lefiya, she could at most move slightly while casting spells, a basic moving-cast, far less dynamic than Ryuu's acrobatic style.
Incidentally, Ryuu had reached Lv.4 years ago. If not for her own mental barriers, she would have already advanced to Lv.5.
Now…
"Since you're Xier's friend, I certainly won't refuse your request."
"Correction, it's a request!"
Ryuu, who had dyed her golden hair light green in recent years to hide her identity, frowned slightly.
Looking at the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl in the white dress, she asked in confusion:
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course."
Lumine squinted, smiling.
"A request means I hope for your help, not a cold demand. So you can still refuse."
"Then, under this premise, to make sure you don't refuse, I have to add one more thing…"
The naive girl put her hands on her hips:
"From now on, if you ever need help with something important, just ask me directly."
Ryuu had never been good at handling this type of person.
But that didn't mean she disliked them.
In her memory, she had already been helped, saved, by many such people:
Alise, Asta, Kaguya, Lyra… companions from the Astraea familia.
And that day in the rain alley, when Xier rescued her when she was cornered.
Recalling these fragments, she softened her tone:
"I don't think a small favor like this will put the Twin Stars in my debt. But… sure. When you reach Lv.4, could you spar with me during my morning training?"
She spoke casually, yet there was a hint of genuine anticipation.
The Twin Stars rose from Lv.2 to Lv.3 in under a month. Lv.4 wouldn't take long.
"I'm already Lv.4."
Lumine's simple statement left the useless-tool elf stunned.
Then…
"Eh~~~~?"
"Shh!"
Hearing the drawn-out sound of Ryuu-senpai, Lumine quickly gestured for silence.
Leaning close to Ryuu, she whispered:
"For now, please don't spread this. It's still classified."
…Sure.
Previously, Renjiro and Freya had discussed falsifying levels, it was just a convenient excuse.
But now, given the potential threat of the Secret Realm Scorpio, small matters like this weren't worth worrying about.
It could easily be brushed off, and others wouldn't press due to their positions.
Otherwise, those who pressed the issue would risk taboo.
Besides, considering the upcoming plan to subdue Antares… their true strength would inevitably be revealed.
So there was no need to hide.
For now, it was just a little psychological tactic to strengthen interpersonal bonds through a shared secret.
"You falsified your level?"
Ryuu lowered her voice. Even though they had left the Hermes familia tent and walked beyond the border defense camp, she still understood the need for caution.
Seeing her so careful, Lumine smiled at her concern:
"Relax. It's just temporary. I'll reveal it at the right time."
Then, Lumine slammed her palm once:
"By the way…"
She looked at Ryuu:
"Since you're short on sparring partners anyway, why not train Parallel Chanting with a mock battle? That way, it's two birds with one stone."
Hearing this…
"Oh?"
Ryuu became intrigued.
"So confident?"
"Makes sense…"
Lumine recalled:
"Before reaching Lv.4, you already helped defeat the Amphisbaena. Your strength must be considerable."
"Then, let's give it a try."
Ryuu grasped the wooden sword hilt made from the sacred tree of her homeland.
Lumine raised her right hand and summoned her weapon, refined to Elite 5.
"Please guide me."
"Please guide me."