Thud!
Kadoc Zemlupus was sent flying backward, crashing onto the floor of the combat simulation training room. Soaked in sweat, he struggled to sit up and looked up at Shiomi standing before him.
"That'll be it for today's practical training. You did very well today, Kadoc." Shiomi raised a finger and smiled kindly. "That said, when using Magecraft, it'd be better if you showed a bit more confidence. After all, the essence of Magecraft lies in guiding the deeper layers of consciousness to manipulate phenomena."
"Easy for you to say…" Kadoc muttered under his breath, wiping the sweat that was about to drip from his chin.
"Oh my, poor Kadoc-kun got beaten up so badly. Teacher really didn't hold back at all," said Scandinavia Peperoncino, who had trained alongside him, offering a sympathetic hand.
Kadoc didn't take it, instead pushing himself to his feet.
"If I truly hadn't held back, you wouldn't be standing there without a scratch," Shiomi said, one hand on his hip. "You just overused your Mana. Go back, take a hot shower, and get some proper rest. Don't wander around outside. Even a Magus can freeze to death in Antarctica."
His tone was relaxed and unhurried, nothing like someone who had just finished combat training with renowned Magi, paired off and fighting in earnest.
If not for the sweat on him, Shiomi might have been mistaken for some kind of tireless monster.
"My, how thoughtful. But Teacher Shiomi, could you pair me up with Daybit next time?" Peperoncino joked, flattering him before making the request.
Kirschtaria and Ophelia, Hinako Akuta and Daybit Sem Void, Kadoc and Peperoncino.
That was how the combat training pairs were arranged.
"It's a random draw. Do your best next time." Shiomi smiled. "Using psychic powers to cheat is fine too, as long as I don't catch you."
"That's a great idea!"
Peperoncino laughed, clearly pleased. He liked Shiomi, the last person to join Team A.
Unlike most Magi, Shiomi lacked that typical cold detachment. He was easygoing, approachable, and could chat about just about anything.
After all, the others were either constantly buried in books, rigid and formal, or outwardly serious while being oddly scatterbrained in private.
If they were going to be working together to safeguard human order in the future, at the very least, the atmosphere would be livelier.
While they were chatting, Kadoc quietly left on his own.
"Sigh, honestly. Kadoc just up and leaves without even saying goodbye," Peperoncino remarked offhandedly.
"Can't really blame him," Shiomi said frankly. "As a Magus, he's already very capable, but among the rest of you, he does fall a bit short. Being around you all must put a lot of pressure on him."
"Teacher Shiomi seems to be excluding himself from that comparison," Peperoncino pointed out.
"You want to compare yourself to me?" Shiomi asked as he walked past him.
"Of course not." Peperoncino shook his head behind him, then casually moved on to another topic. "So, are you heading to see the Director next?"
"If you want to come, we can meet near the Director's office later," Shiomi said, glancing back with an invitation.
"I'll pass. Right now, the Director probably needs someone like you more. Someone who can offer warmth like a father," Peperoncino said. "None of us in Team A, myself included, really have that quality."
"Well, nothing can be done about that."
With that, Shiomi left the combat training room and returned to his quarters.
Since Morgan didn't have any other duties, no matter when Shiomi came back, he would always find her sitting in the room reading. Noticing his return, Morgan looked up and casually adjusted her glasses.
She wasn't nearsighted, yet still wore them. To Shiomi, that gave her a beauty all her own.
"Training's done for today too?"
"Yeah. I'll head back, take a shower, then borrow the kitchen and make dinner." Shiomi paused, looking thoughtful. "Marie's been doing quite a bit better lately."
"Oh?" Morgan's expression sharpened with interest.
"The first few days, she could barely manage a few bites of whatever I brought her. But thankfully she started eating again, and over the past few days she's been able to finish almost everything I deliver." Shiomi thought it over. "Do you think it's time to go back to normal portions?"
"Let's give it a try. My husband's cooking is that good. If she's shaken off her anorexia, having an appetite is only natural." Morgan idly shook the book in her hand. "Still, you really are generous, my husband, showing this much care for an enemy's child."
What she was alluding to was the final stage of the Fifth Holy Grail War, when Marisbury had used Sakura Shiomi as a hostage to force Shiomi and Morgan to cease hostilities.
"I wouldn't call us enemies. We never truly became so," Shiomi said as he started undressing. "Besides, how old was Marie back then? She didn't even know what her father had done. Sakura didn't take it out on Marie, so there's even less reason for me to."
"That's true. Normally, it wouldn't go that far," Morgan nodded.
"And if anyone should really be bothered by it, it should be you," Shiomi added. He was already completely undressed, about to step into the bathroom. "Don't forget why Sakura entered the Holy Grail War in the first place."
Morgan shook her head. "Honestly, even if Sakura had actually obtained the Holy Grail, I would have persuaded her to change her wish."
"Why? Isn't gaining a physical body a good thing?"
"My husband thinks a true physical body is better than a Servant's Spirit Origin?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, her gaze tinged with teasing warmth.
"That's not what I meant." Shiomi covered his face.
Morgan flipped her book open again and resumed reading. "For me, remaining in the state of a Servant's Spirit Origin is simply more convenient, in every sense."
"But you hardly ever even go into Spirit Form anymore…" Shiomi muttered.
"That has nothing to do with whether I can or can't." Morgan looked him up and down, her eyes gentle. "Go take your shower already. Or… would you prefer I join you?"
"At this hour? Let's not. It's not bedtime yet, and I'm worried I'd get distracted and end up putting things off."
Shiomi spread his hands helplessly, then turned and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water soon followed.
Resting her chin on one hand, Morgan leaned against the desk and asked casually, "How was the combat training? Have you gotten a sense of the level of those other Masters in your group?"
"How should I put it… it feels like everyone's holding something back, afraid of exposing their full hand," Shiomi replied, raising his voice slightly. "They really are natural-born Magi. They're sharp about this kind of thing."
"Aren't you the same? You've always avoided directly displaying the power of the Primordial Runes, disguising it as Modern Rune instead," Morgan teased. "Your personality and way of dealing with people don't quite match the image of a Magus, but when it comes to fighting, you're more than qualified."
"Huh… is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"I have nothing but compliments for my husband."
"You're just going to make me embarrassed…"