"Ais. I'll call you that from now on."
Takumi's expression turned serious.
"Getting stronger isn't easy. It comes with a price. So I'll ask you one more time—can you pay it?"
Ais's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
"I'm willing to pay any price."
The moment he got that answer, Takumi formed a Divine Envoy Piece in his palm.
A golden chess piece appeared—its soft glow instantly drawing every eye.
Because Ais had suddenly disappeared, Loki had ordered people to chase after her. Riveria and Lefiya had arrived just in time, and both wore expressions of astonishment.
"What is that? The light feels… so comfortable…" Lefiya murmured, a dazed glimmer passing through her eyes.
Some instinct deep in her body was screaming at her to take it—to fuse with it.
Riveria managed to suppress that impulse. Her beautiful face still showed clear curiosity.
"It seems like an exceptionally powerful magical item… but I've never seen a crafted tool like this…"
Under their watchful stares, Ais accepted the Divine Envoy Piece from Takumi.
He didn't beat around the bush.
"Use your mind to connect with it and fuse it. Then we can start the first stage of training."
"Okay."
Ais answered simply—and fused it immediately.
The piece turned into a stream of light and sank into her chest.
A faint glow spread over her body, and her presence surged upward.
Warmth and power flooded her limbs. Ais's eyes went blazing hot.
"Power…! So much power!!"
The strength pouring into her now dwarfed anything she'd ever gained through training—especially after being stuck at a plateau for so long.
For Ais, it was pure, dizzying joy.
And the way she looked at Takumi… turned sharper, brighter, more feverish by the second.
Riveria and Lefiya could only stare, stunned out of their minds.
That growth was ridiculous—her aura didn't just increase, it felt like it more than doubled.
"What is that golden piece??"
"I've never heard of an item that can strengthen someone like this!"
The two elves were openly baffled.
Any tool that could boost power in a short time was priceless.
And Takumi had given it to Ais like it was nothing—which only made it more incomprehensible.
They swallowed their questions and kept watching.
As for the two peeping elves, Takumi flicked them a glance and ignored them.
He didn't need to guess why they were here—worried about Ais, obviously. As long as they weren't getting in the way, he didn't care.
After Ais fused the piece, Takumi checked her status panel.
[Name: Ais Wallenstein]
[Rank: Divine Envoy Sword Princess]
[Level: 1 (High)]
[Traits: Divine Envoy (Purple), Spirit Bloodline (Purple), Princess of Vengeance (Purple), Protagonist Aura (Blue), Hero's Blood (Blue), Born Sword Princess (Blue), Master–Servant Contract (Blue) …]
[Spirit Bloodline (Purple): Spirit blood flows in your veins—long lifespan, exceptional affinity for wind magic, tremendous overall potential.]
[Princess of Vengeance (Purple): When you attack the monster you've marked as your enemy, you receive a massive boost. Attacks against dragon-type monsters boost you further. The stronger your hatred, the greater the amplification—but you may lose rationality.]
[Hero's Blood (Blue): Heroic bloodline—enhanced physical strength and increased potential.]
"Now that's a gorgeous trait sheet."
Takumi was genuinely pleased—especially with Princess of Vengeance (Purple). The more he looked at it, the more familiar it felt.
Like an upgraded, nastier version of a dragon-slayer type buff—only with the drawback of losing control.
Still, Takumi figured that side effect would be easy enough to smooth out.
While Ais was still savoring her new power, Takumi raised a hand and created a pitch-black longsword.
"I imbued it with an unbreakable attribute. It'll be more than enough for you, Ais."
He tossed it over. Ais caught it instantly. The moment her fingers touched the blade, her eyes widened.
"It's better than my Desperate sword… and that one's still in repairs."
She murmured it, then instinctively tried to hand the unbreakable sword back.
Because of her skills, her blades wore out fast. Repairing a weapon like that could cost over a million valis—materials included, you were talking tens of millions, even more.
Ais didn't want to ruin a weapon this good.
Seeing her hesitate, Takumi casually created another identical sword.
"Stop trying to refuse. To me, these are basically trash—barely passable. Even if you break it, you don't owe me anything."
"…"
Ais went quiet for a few seconds.
She didn't give the sword back—but she stubbornly insisted anyway.
"If it breaks, I'll repay the market price."
That was Ais: stubborn, competitive, unwilling to feel like she owed anyone.
Takumi had already done too much—this massive jump in strength alone was something she could never repay.
If she accepted an expensive weapon on top of that, it sat wrong in her chest.
Takumi didn't argue. If you want to pay, then pay. I don't care.
Not taking it seriously, Takumi lifted his own sword and pointed it at Ais.
"My training is simple, Ais. I'll teach you the swordsmanship I know. That's step one."
He spoke calmly.
"And your job is to learn—then catch up to me."
Hearing that, Lefiya—who admired Ais deeply—burned with indignation.
"What does he mean by that? Is he looking down on Ais?! Even if… even if he really is strong, swordsmanship is—"
She didn't get to finish.
Because the fight had already begun.
Ais knew exactly how terrifying Takumi was—so the instant she moved, she went all-out.
"Run wild."
She whispered—and triggered her magic.
"Ariel."
A violent gale burst from the ground and wrapped around her body.
But the output this time was far beyond what anyone expected.
WHOOOSH—!
The raging wind shredded the surrounding trees like paper.
The shockwaves rippled outward, like they might tear apart buildings a hundred meters away.
Ais immediately realized the problem—her explosive new power had wrecked her control.
Her stance cracked for a split second.
And in the next instant—a flash of swordlight detonated into existence, slipping through that microscopic opening, ripping through the curtain of wind, and stabbing into Ais's shoulder.
One clean cut split the gale itself—then the blade's force blew the storm apart.
A few strands of golden hair drifted down.
Ais stared blankly.
Because Takumi was already in front of her—his sword laid across her throat.