Chapter 96 – Goals to Aim for

Compared to the Imperial Capital, the scale of the city-scape was still incomparable, but even though it was a secluded nation with no interaction with other countries, Cacretale was sufficiently developed.

The area that seemed to be the center of the city is like a market, with many stalls like Cantidan, and it had been prosperous since morning.

“What … it’s so peaceful … was there a civil war?”

“…… Un.”

No one seemed to be facing much hardship in their lives, and the peaceful citizens were laughing and lively.

“Oh! Good morning, Amae! Who is that? Amae’s boyfriend?”

“Brother, if you make Amae cry, I’ll never forgive you!”

“Look, my proud apples! Have some!”

At first I tried to run and chase after Karui, but I wasn’t likely to catch up and I couldn’t run through the crowds in the market, so I slowed down a little bit, being careful of my surroundings. I seemed to stand out with Amae on my back, and various people called out to me.

“Oh, th, thank you …”

In addition, as an offering, two apples were thrown at me by a strange old man, and I caught them, gave one to Amae, and ran while I bit into the other.

“You’re popular, too.”

“Un.

“I heard it was a secluded country, so at first I thought there would be a lot of gloomy people out there, but that’s not the case.”

“Un.”

“…… is it completely peaceful now?”

“?”

“Well, you don’t know what I’m talking about…”

“Un.”

“Hey, are there any other amazing people besides the High Priestess, Karui, and Machio?”

“Uunn~…”

She doesn’t seem to have the same sense of dislike that she did when we first met, but this Amae kid was so emotionless that we can’t hold a conversation.

Besides, maybe because she’s still a young child, I don’t think she really understands her own country or the strength of the people around her.

Well, that’s right…

“Goddess”

“…… ha?”

“The Goddess… amazing.”

“…… A Goddess?”

At that time, Amae suddenly whispered in my ear. Goddess?

“A Goddess… the most mysterious thing after the High Priestess…. is that actually real?”

“Un.”

That person? But…… that High Priestess… called Tre’ainar a God …. but she doesn’t look like a demon,,. she doesn’t look human either… well, I didn’t hear anything about that.

In the first place, who is that High Priestess?

And what are you up to?

『Surely, what are you planning… Jamdi’el… besides, I am a tad concerned about the Goddess, but… certainly not…did she…』

Tre’ainar nodded in agreement to my concerns.

Rather, I’ve been wanting to hear your opinion, but you were so excited about the training equipment, so I didn’t… Huh?

“…… Jamdi’el?”

“Un?”

Didn’t Tre’ainar just say something outrageous?

Somehow, it’s a name I’ve often seen in textbooks and newspapers…. wow, such a coincidence…

『Uhun, that High Priestess’ real name is… Jamdi’el. One of the Six Supremacy and Great Demon Generals, pride of the Demon King’s Army, who once went on a rampage in the world under the moniker of the ‘Dark Valkyrie’.』

No, no, no, no, no, no… it’s some mistake… isn’t it?

Because the former boss himself said so… ah, that’s right… they say the Allied Forces were still looking for her… Oh, I see! That’s why, the statue of Tre’ainar…

“…then, you couldn’t tell me sooneeeeeeeeeeeeeerr!!!!”

“Eh!?”

I suddenly shouted loudly, and both the townspeople and Amae gave me a surprised look.

But it’s impossible for me not to make a fuss.

「Eh, really? You’re not messing with me. right?」

『Hmm, tis true.』

「Ah, hey, then that’s not good for me! Because I’m the son of a hero…」

『Indeed. However…… she is most likely aware… and it appears to me she acknowledges and accepts it.』

「Huh? Why though? Maybe, I’m being held hostage…」

『No, that will not be the case… just…… surely, she is trying to make you stronger and use you for some purpose.』

「That’s why I’m so scared! What is with you? I don’t get why you’re so calm! The other party is one of the Demon King’s Six Supremacy!?」

『Wrong… also, I am the Great Demon King …』

「Ah, aah … I see, hahaha. Yeah you got me there.」

『Tis so Tis so, fuhahahahahaha!!』

「Hahahahaha… right, s- hey!!」

One of the legendary Six Supremacy. Hiding out in a secluded nation! Moreover, refers to herself as the High Priestess.

『However, I am not so at ease. Because she was a former vassal, a companion, and one of my six arms…. I am deeply moved…』

「Really? Though halfway, you were so excited after seeing the Bench Press and stuff.」

『Nuh, I, I was not so buoyant!』

「No, you were!」

He had a lot of nostalgia and feelings about his old comrade-in-arms… I don’t know, but no matter who sees Tre’ainar as he is now…

『I-In any case, tis not that I do not think about such matters… Simply…… I just believe there is no helping the way things are.』

「Why is that? She’s a former subordinate of yours, right?」

『Certainly. And while Jamdi’el was undoubtedly a superb commander… on the other hand… except for warfare, there were times when her thought process was beyond comprehension even by my omniscience. In other words, tis a loss to take it seriously.』

「Wh, at?」

A former subordinate, or a close associate in his inner circle. And yet, he could not understand her thinking, or something like that?

『Well, all will be revealed soon enough… Indeed, ‘that one lacks proper communication skills’ …is what was once said』

「Hey, that’s a pretty awful thing to say about your ex-subordinate…」

『But even so… or rather, she will do you no harm to in the coming three months. Even if her thoughts are incomprehensible, tis not meaningless. To go through the trouble to abduct you and the provide to for you over a three-month period, she will protect you.』

「I, is that so?」

『Uhun, so focus on your training for now, rather than thinking on it.』

「Nu, w, well…」

Strong words from Tre’ainar as I was confused and flustered.

Yes, in a way, can I even get the answers to my worries when Tre’ainar can’t figure out at this point? That’s how it is.

In such a situation, isn’t there more to be done than that? And, that’s what came across.

「Yeah. Well, I lost to a Supremacy in the eye test… which I think is unfair, but… I lost overwhelmingly to other guys in terms of power and speed.」

『Tis so… but on the other hand…』

Right. I don’t know why one of the Six Supremacy was involved in this country and teaching many other things, but at least some of those she taught were overwhelmingly better than me in their respective fields.

If you have time to worry about the mess going on in your life, you should work on your growth first since you have trouble understanding things.

「All right! Anyway, I’m messing up my strength training…. Someday, that Machio guy, I will surpass him!」

『Ah. But tis impossible.』

「…… eh?」

Such a calm retort suddenly crushed my thoughts as I pledged a new resolve.

『Muscle training has limitations. There are various factors such as genetics, skeletal and physical structure, race, and so on, but the limits of the person are determined from the onset.』

「No, that … uh … that means…」

『Child, you still have room to grow… but…… no matter how much muscle training you do in the future, tis forever impossible to surpass Aka and this Machio in terms of ‘raw power’.』

「Wha… wh…. tsu!?」

『By the way, your speed does not even approach the full-body spring-like run of that Karui… In other words, in terms of ‘pure speed’, tis impossible for you to surpass that Karui.』

「Eehh!!??」

『Furthermore, Jamdi’el’s eyes are… among the three great magic eyes… called the Heraldic Eye… In addition to its various abilities, the basic eye performance is the highest among all living things in the world, regardless of the Surface World or the Demon Realm… with only normal eyes, you had no chance from the start.』

Hearing his speech, I’m reminded of that moment.

The day I first became Tre’ainar’s disciple.

Until then, when I was a magic swordsman and he asserted that I didn’t have the talent for it, he was saying the same thing now.

I don’t have the magic and power of my father. That’s why it wasn’t suitable for me.

「Back then… you complimented me on my supple muscles and spring-like body…」

『Tis far superior than others. However, in the world, there exists an upper level in the field of one’s strengths… so I heard…. as I may have mentioned, a force that cannot be exceeded through effort… that is talent… same as magic capacity and magic emission… one born with a higher limit than others…. we call that a genius.』

I after all, never thought that ‘my current self’ would be the strongest person in the world.

However, if I continued to receive Tre’ainar’s Guidance, it would be the case for ‘my someday self’…… there was the expectation I had.

However, there are still walls that cannot be overcome.

「…… Well then…… how can I grow in the future… what should I work on…」

A world where effort can’t help.

I never thought I’d be told something so shocking while I was piggybacking a little girl.

“……you, okay?”

On my back, Amae asked me with a curious expression. But now I couldn’t respond at the moment.

Because if what Tre’ainar said was true, what should I do from now on…

『However… from the previous battles and the ranking table, while you cannot beat Aka and Macho in power, at this point, you are already winning in terms of speed.』

「Ha?」

『On the other hand, the Karui girl is certainly first class in speed, but when it comes to power, you are far superior… even Jamdi’el… in terms of pure power, cannot contend with you.』

「That seems right, but…」

『So it was back in your home, was it not? That Second Sword Saint surpassed you in swordsmanship, but you overwhelmed him. You did not fight directly, but you would not lose to the son of that Great Mage in close combat either… do you know why that is?』

Tre’ainar pushed me to the limit while asking me.

There are people who have more power, speed, swordsmanship, and magic than me, so I can’t be at the top in those fields.

However, he also said that there are areas where I am better than they were.

What exactly does it mean? That is……

『Even if you cannot win in one field… with the overall score…… in other words, with the sum of your strengths, you can win.』

「O, overall…」

『Tis so. In the Imperial City, you may not have been able to defeat the princess in overall performance, but that was simply the matter of the school records. As you are now, your fighting power is more than enough to surpass that girl.』

「Yes, maybe, but…」

『Therefore, what you should do from now on… rather than intensively training one thing, train all fields in a well-balanced manner. This was clearly evident in the Max measurement. We did not measure the speed, but I can predict the approximate figures based on my life so far. As far as can be seen numerically, you have no weaknesses.』

Instead of making a field or specialty that no one else could match, train everything.

That was Tre’ainar’s guiding policy.

But that was a little too subtle to me.

「In short, that… doesn’t it speak badly of me…. as a jack of all trade, master of none?」

I have been told since my childhood. I’m better than others to a point. But, to put it bluntly, I’m a jack of all trade and master of none.

That’s because to me it was a curse that I had been told since I was a kid.

However, for me, Tre’ainar…

『Why would that bode ill for you?』

「Eh?」

『There is no ill to speak of, if anything you may impudently say you are an all-rounder, could you not?』

An all-rounder, not a jack of all trade…. it was the first time I’ve ever heard someone say that.

『You are a little mistaken. A Jack of all Trades is by no means a demerit. …… you have no special talent. But…… that does not mean you are inferior…. that is to say, there is no flaw that seems to be a weak point. And there is no greater nuisance in combat than the absence of a weakness. Because, compared to the fellow with only one talent, there is no ‘if you can just deal with it, you will be able to manage somehow’ scenario, and there is no strategy.』

No weaknesses, no strategies. Come to think of it, I… had nothing I was second to none in… but on the other hand… there wasn’t anything that I wasn’t good at…

『If a broad and shallow term like Jack of all Trades still concerns you, consider this. What you are aiming for is… to learn everything extensively and intimately…. to have Dexterous Affluence!』

「…… ha… hahaha…」

『And… I … call those who show prominence in a single talent ‘specialists’, and those who excel in everything, ‘generalists’.』

From a serious looking Tre’ainar, the words “dexterous affluence” and “generalist” came out for the first time.

It was funny… but…… I didn’t quite get it right away.

「Dexterous affluence… Generalist… hey…… All-rounders who can do everything… it’s not easy to do… 」

『Why?』

Because I can’t imagine it…. I don’t have an example…. that I could use as a goal…

I was called an All-Rounder, yet I didn’t have anyone in mind to use as a model or a goal.

The Princess? However, as Tre’ainar said, I don’t see myself losing to the princess in terms of combat power.

Then Sadiz? Certainly, Sadiz may be the most versatile. But, unfortunately, I don’t know Sadiz’s true fighting capability.

So even if I set a goal, I don’t know how good it would be.

And then……

『Fuhahahahahahahahahaha!』

Tre’ainar laughed loudly at my words.

Did I say something so funny? When I think about it, Tre’ainar is…

『Child. You are a tad heartless, are you not?』

「Ha?」

『Have you forgotten? What you should aim for…. the world’s best all-rounder…. who knows you well…』

「Eh!? Well, are you serious? What? Who are you talking about?」

For a moment, I didn’t really understand.

But Tre’ainar smiled.

『Who is it? Who else… but the one that is always with you.』

Ah … that’s right … he was in front of me ….

“Hahahahahahahahaha! Do you want me to say it myself?”

Because I didn’t even notice this sooner, I was laughing out loud.

That’s right. I was getting guidance from the guy I should be aiming for.

“…… Hey, again, you, okay?”

“What? Oh, oh…”

“Scary”

“I’m sorry …”

Amae was a little frightened by my sudden burst of laughter.

Well, I hope you’ll forgive me for this one.

And…..

“But, we’ve arrived.”

“Hmm?”

“Here, school.”

While saying that, Amae was patting my head.

I was talking a lot, so before I knew it, I had already reached the front of this country’s magic school.

It was a big school building and the playground attached to it was beautiful with a well-maintained lawn.

And I was still unaware of the future and my newfound determination.

I’ve interacted with academy and magic school students from other countries, but this was the first time I’ve ever set foot in a school in another country.