Chapter 96: Chapter 95: Merilyn, Awaken!

I wasn’t sure of the details, but it was clear that Jang and Marcus knew each other.

After some friendly conversation between Jang and a more amicable Marcus, he gave instructions to the soldiers guarding the checkpoint.

“Open the way.”

“Are you sure? We haven’t verified their identities yet…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Open the gate.”

The soldiers saluted and opened the gate, following his repeated orders.

Despite the place being under the empire’s jurisdiction, requiring identity verification, the soldiers showed no hesitation in following Marcus’s orders.

This proved that Legion Commander Marcus Cradle had built a significant amount of trust over a long time in the military.

“Ha, thank you. It’s good to have old friends. We got in without any hassle because of you.”

Jang expressed relief and gratitude for his connection with Marcus.

However, Marcus’s expression did not seem too pleased, despite having extended the favor.

“…Don’t be mistaken, Jang Cleo.”

His voice was sharp.

In the way he addressed him by name and surname, there was no trace of the joy usually seen when reuniting with an old acquaintance after a long time.

The same was true for the gaze he directed at him.

“You, on the other hand…”

It was certainly hostile, but it was a different kind of hostility than what was directed towards suspicious individuals earlier.

If the previous hostility was targeted at unknown identities, the current hostility was clearly directed at a ‘distrusted subject’.

“Unlike others, since that day, you’ve done nothing. You didn’t fight to protect anyone or build up forces to prepare for looming dangers. Am I wrong?”

“…I honestly explained my situation, but it seems it wasn’t enough.”

“You claim to follow in her footsteps, yet you’ve only been a bystander for half a century. It’s strange to trust someone like that.”

Marcus Cradle said this with a fierce look in my direction.

I flinched, wondering if his hostility was aimed at me, but Merilyn quickly stepped in front of me.

“…Merilyn?”

“Calm down.”

Airi immediately grabbed her hand, sensing her unease.

Then, although Merilyn looked at him coldly, Airi only spoke quietly with a stiff voice.

“It’s okay, Merilyn. There won’t be any problems if we just stay calm.”

As a fortune teller, she probably had an inkling of what was about to happen.

Indeed, Marcus glanced at me briefly but then continued his conversation with Jang, seemingly unconcerned.

“Is that man the ‘successor of her’ you mentioned?”

“Yes, he’s just at the starting point now. I had chosen this place for his training, but can you show him around for a warm-up?”

“…Assign a soldier to guide us to the training ground. You, come with me for a bit.”

“Yes, we have a lot to catch up on. Let’s talk about various things.”

Jang then paused the conversation and approached me.

Even facing someone as high-ranking as an Imperial Legion Commander, Jang showed no signs of being intimidated.

“Well, I’ll have a short chat with an old friend, so you go ahead and start your training.”

“Am I going alone?”

“Don’t worry. The girl over there knows what I’m planning to do.”

Saying this, Jang glanced back at Airi.

Receiving his gaze, Airi nodded and began to step into the garrison area.

“…Leave the rest to me.”

A strong trust was felt between the two as they exchanged glances.

Why Jang entrusted his absence to Airi.

It didn’t take long for me to realize why.

Airi, as a fortune teller, had the ability to vaguely understand the past of anyone she faced.

Moreover, being able to lightly foresee a few seconds into the future, she could easily select a suitable spot on the training ground without needing the assistance of the accompanying soldier for guidance.

“It’s rest time now, so people won’t be coming here for a while. Before starting the formal training, it’s a good time to freely test your new power.”

After entering the empty training ground, Airi took her place in the middle without hesitation.

Her decisive actions suggested she was ready to take on the training, but for me, unaware of the circumstances, several questions naturally followed.

“New power, what do you mean?”

“Now that I think about it, I’m late in explaining it to you, Hyo-sung.”

Airi turned to look at me.

Her gaze fell on the armor I was wearing, which, along with Pheloi, was virtually responsible for all my power.

Naturally, unless there were special instructions, I would have to wear it even during training.

“Hyo-sung, could you try gathering magical power in the armor you’re wearing?”

“Magical power?”

“It would be more convincing to feel it firsthand than just to hear an explanation.”

“Ah, yes. Then…”

Regardless, Airi was now in charge of my training in place of Jang.

Deciding to follow without protest, I prepared to gather magical power through my armor, just as I had done in real combat.

The method wasn’t too difficult.

When I exerted my will, the armor gathered mana on my behalf, since I didn’t have the knack for handling mana myself.

Whoong.

A mirage began to form around the armor in response to that will.

Seeing this, Airi, realizing mana was being drawn to me, turned to Merilyn, who was watching from the side, and said,

“Next, Merilyn, could you play…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Hehe, leave it to me~”

Merilyn, as if she had been waiting, lifted a lute in her hands.

Her natural action left me feeling momentarily puzzled.

I thought Jang was in charge of this mission and Airi was his proxy, but Merilyn, who had a bad relationship with Airi, was cooperating.

Could this also be something arranged in advance with Jang?

Ding-a-ling♬

As I pondered this, Merilyn’s lute strings twanged, and a clear melody began to resonate.

With that, my spirits gradually lifted, clearly due to her playing, as I briefly indulged in the unique, clear melody.

Whoong!!

Suddenly, I felt the power of the armor I was wearing growing abnormally, independent of my will.

What’s happening? I hadn’t intentionally increased the power output…

“Ugh…!!”

No, it wasn’t an illusion.

The armor, which had been relatively light and easy to move in, was becoming two to three times heavier…

Soon, it became so heavy that I couldn’t move.

“What on earth…?”

“It’s not that the armor has become heavier. It’s a phenomenon caused by the armor’s inherent instinct suppressing Hyo-sung’s will.”

Airi responded to my confusion with a seasoned attitude.

Her explanation, seemingly anticipating my reaction, showed no hesitation.

“The armor’s instinct, what do you mean?”

“I’ve made some adjustments to the armor to enhance its performance. You must have felt the significant increase in the armor’s magical power, right?”

Indeed, since Merilyn’s performance began, my freedom had been suppressed, but correspondingly, the output of magical power had also increased.

Considering this as the core of the training, Airi’s voice grew more serious as she continued the explanation.

“But even if the power of magic has increased, the conditions to handle it are not easy… From now on, Hyo-sung, you must resist the power of the armor, which is stimulated by Merilyn’s playing, and aim to fully integrate its output as your own.”

“The armor’s instinct is highlighted by the performance. Does that mean the armor has developed a consciousness?”

“It’s not a high-dimensional concept like ego weapons. Demons inherently have unique desires that form the basis of their magical power, and those desires remain even when processed into equipment, enabling the stimulation of instincts.

It was different from ego weapons, but the armor had developed an instinct strong enough to increase its own magical power output.

Hearing this, I became aware of a voice-like sound coming from the armor.

-Sigh…

A deep, low voice that seemed to sap the listener’s energy…

Yes, it was a memorable voice.

Definitely the voice of the ‘Demon of Sloth’, the material from which this armor was made.

-Annoying, ah…

Although only a corpse remained, its desire still lingered in the armor, exerting its will.

The growing power, led by this will, weighed heavily on my body as the murmuring became clearer.

-Moving is bothersome… I just want to lie down…

But even though it was just a corpse now, it persisted.

Why was it so hard to move? Could it be because the armor’s own instinct was lazy?

“This is the first time I’ve only upgraded it without testing it myself, but I can foresee any danger that might arise later, so you don’t have to worry too much. Try moving it as a test.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll give it a try…”

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the training spear and immediately prepared to swing it at a scarecrow.

Yes, let’s not overthink it.

Airi upgraded my armor with good intentions, and it wasn’t that the armor itself got heavier.

It was just the armor’s own desire suppressing my actions.

As I could somehow manage it by exerting my mental strength, this training was more a battle of willpower than physical strength.

-I want to lie dooown…

But now, with Merilyn’s playing strengthening its will, the armor’s laziness felt even stronger, overpowering me.

At first, it was just hard to move, but now it seemed to crush and flatten my body completely…

Damn, how much does this damn thing hate moving?

Crack, creak!

Ignoring that, the mere attempt to move brought about the creaking of my joints.

The joints of the armor, stiffened by the mana it emitted, required significant effort to move forcibly.

Had I been prepared from the start, it might have been different, but it wasn’t easy to exert force starting in such a disheveled state.

“Merilyn… This is hard to endure. Could you stop playing for a moment?”

So let’s take a breath and then try in earnest after steadying my mind.

Thinking this, I urged her to stop playing immediately.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling~

However, Merilyn continued her performance, emphasizing the emotion, despite what I said.

Not just continuing, but gradually increasing the tempo as well.

“Merilyn, wait, stop playing… ugh!”

Could it be that she was so focused on the performance that she didn’t hear me?

No, in fact, her gaze, while playing, was firmly fixed on me.

Yet, the faint smile on her lips seemed almost to take pleasure in my suffering.

“…Hehe.”

Yes, it wasn’t a mistake.

It was a fact evident from the characteristic playfulness she had shown me before.

Ding-a-ling-ding♬

Realizing this fact too late, I tried to express my desperation, but it was already too late.

With the lively performance, the perceived weight increased more than tenfold, and unable to bear it, my body slammed into the ground with a thud!

“Merilyn, why on earth…?”

“I’m sorry, Hyo-sung. I want to cooperate with you, but seeing you suffer, I just can’t help but get carried away.”

Even so, she didn’t stop playing. Instead, she put more force into her fingers on the lute, as if driving the momentum.

Approaching me in such a state, she turned her fascinating eyes towards me, shedding tears of emotion.

“So, I thought, maybe just a little, just a tiny bit more, I should increase the tempo of the play…”

“Please don’t give up and endure till the end, okay? Hehe♡”

As if she enjoyed watching me suffer.

As if something dormant within her had awakened.