A ten-minute walk from the spot where I'd dispatched the two thugs brought a wooden house into view. It wasn't a traditional Japanese home, but rather a rustic log cabin. This, apparently, was Evangeline's residence.
I followed Chachamaru as she stepped inside.
"Master, I have brought Axel-san," she announced.
"Mm. Good work. Now, I'd like to dive into our discussion immediately, but... it would be unseemly to appear too eager. Have some tea first. Chachamaru."
"Yes. One moment, please."
As Chachamaru bowed slightly and left the room, I couldn't help but mutter in genuine admiration. "To think that in this era, someone could construct a gynoid with such a distinct sense of self."
"Oh? Do you have an interest in her?" Evangeline asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"More accurately, my organization does. Androids serve as our primary combat force—though those are purely humanoid machines, devoid of ego or emotion. Models with a personality are exceedingly rare."
"I see. Though, Chachamaru isn't exactly an 'android.' What was the term... a Gynoid, if I recall?"
I was fairly certain a gynoid was just a specific type of android, but I wasn't about to get bogged down in semantics.
"Thank you for waiting. Master, Axel-san, please."
Chachamaru returned, arranging tea and cookies on the table with practiced grace. Evangeline took a sip of her tea, then set the cup down, her expression sharpening.
"Now then. Let's talk about that ability you used to stop me in my tracks last night."
"It's Psychokinesis... or 'superpowers' to keep it simple. ESP, telekinesis—that sort of thing."
"As I suspected," Evangeline nodded. "There is magic capable of moving objects, but even the simplest version requires an incantation. It cannot be triggered instantaneously like yours. Compared to magic, this Psychokinesis of yours is quite convenient. After all, despite my seals, you managed to pin me down without breaking a sweat."
She gnawed on a cookie, looking thoughtful.
"It's a bit one-sided if I'm the only one asking questions. If there's something you want to know, speak up. I'll answer if I can."
That was the problem. It wasn't that I lacked questions; it was that I had too many. I'd always had an interest in the concept of magic. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have chosen 'Magical Talent' as a reincarnation perk in the first place.
"Alright. Let's start with magic itself. None of the worlds I've crossed through so far had anything quite like it."
The closest thing I could think of was the Geass ability from the world of Code Geass... Come to think of it, I wondered how much longer that Geass I'd absorbed from Mao would keep wasting a slot in my skill list.
"'Crossed through'?"
"Hm? Ah, right—I didn't mention it. Our headquarters is located in a sort of 'gap between dimensions.' We use a dimensional rift device to connect to various worlds."
"I see. A hub station of sorts."
"Something like that. Anyway, as for my question..."
I checked my status. Under my skill list were the three types of magic I'd acquired yesterday: Fire, Shadow, and Summoning. If Evangeline was a master mage, I wanted her advice on how to use them.
However, if I asked, she'd naturally wonder why a guy who supposedly knew nothing of magic until yesterday suddenly possessed those three specific branches.
Should I reveal the extent of my abilities? Judging by last night, she didn't seem the type for petty deception. If I satisfied her curiosity, she'd likely teach me in return. A fair trade.
"Fire, Shadow, and Summoning. I want to know about those three."
"...I don't mind, but what possessed you to choose those three specifically?"
As expected, she pried. I snapped my fingers, and the familiar ripples of my Dimensional Storage expanded to my right.
"You used that yesterday too, didn't you?"
"Yeah. It's a spatial warehouse. Infinite capacity, zero time-flow. And..."
I allowed a few slime tentacles to creep out from the void.
"You saw this too. Wait... I see. You said you'd never seen magic before arriving in this world. Which means that slime isn't a familiar summoned by a spell..."
"It's another one of my innate abilities. It looks like a slime, so that's what I call it. It's like an extension of my own limbs—a sensory organ, in a way. And this slime has the power to consume enemies and absorb their special traits."
"Aha. So those mages who 'attacked' you last night didn't actually escape..." Evangeline's lips curled into a predatory smirk.
"Correct. They were absorbed. They no longer exist in this world."
"And the powers you claimed from them were Fire, Shadow, and Summoning."
"Exactly."
"I see, I see... Now that is an interesting story. Right, wait here."
Visibly pleased, Evangeline swept out of the room, leaving me in the lounge. Chachamaru, despite her expressionless face, seemed somehow lighter.
"Axel-san, thank you," she said.
"Hm? For what?"
"It has been a long time since I have seen Master in such high spirits."
"...Really?" From my perspective, she'd been in a decent mood almost every time we spoke.
"Yes. Because of her status as a High Daywalker, the magic teachers and students of this academy do not look upon her kindly. Therefore, someone like Axel-san—who treats her no differently even after learning her true nature—is very precious to her."
"Hey, you glitchy doll! Don't just say whatever you want. You make me sound like some pathetic, lonely waif!"
Evangeline barked as she stomped back into the room. She threw two objects at me. I caught them mid-air.
"Whoa. A book and... a wand?"
The book was thick, but the wand looked less like a wizard's staff and more like a toy. It was about thirty centimeters long, tipped with a crescent moon.
"That's a beginner's wand. And that's a basic primer. It's more practical than the drivel they hand out at the Magic Academy. For now, try this: hold the wand and chant: 'Practe Bigi Nar - Let there be light (Fire)'."
I gripped the wand.
"Practe Bigi Nar - Let there be light."
...Nothing happened. I gave Evangeline a flat look.
"You didn't think you'd succeed on your first try, did you? Focus on the flow of your mana."
The flow of mana? In terms of my status screen, she probably meant SP. Wait, so it's like using an SP Boost on the slime?
I didn't really 'get' mana, but I'd spent countless battles burning through SP. I channeled my will into the wand, focusing my energy...
"Wait, stop—!"
Evangeline's warning came too late. My mouth was already moving.
"Practe Bigi Nar - Let there be light!"
ROAR!
A two-meter pillar of fire erupted from the wand, painting the room in a violent orange glare. I dropped the wand and leaped backward purely on instinct.
"What the—!?"
"You absolute moron! You put way too much mana into it! Chachamaru!"
"Acknowledged."
Chachamaru materialized with a fire extinguisher and doused the flames. After a few tense minutes, the fire died down. The wand was gone—incinerated instantly. The only thing I'd managed to save was the textbook.
"I'll praise you for succeeding on your second try," Evangeline hissed, fuming. "But consider your own monstrous mana capacity for once! Who in their right mind puts that much power into a simple lighting spell!?"
I held up my hands defensively. I suppose I'd be mad too if someone almost burned my house down.
"You keep saying I have 'monstrous' mana. Is it really that high?"
"Hmph... right. I forgot you're from a world without it. Let's put it this way: that old man you met yesterday? Konoe? He's one of the finest mages in the Far East. And you... you have nearly double his capacity. Does that help you understand?"
She glared at her foam-covered floor.
So, Konoe's SP was over 200, making him elite. Since mine was over double that, I guess "monstrous" was a fair assessment.
"I can't concentrate with the house in this state," she sighed. "Fine. We'll call it a day. Here, a spare." She tossed me another toy-like wand. This one had a star on the tip instead of a moon. "Take the book too. If you want to use magic, go study."
"You're just giving them to me?"
"Consider it thanks for the entertainment. But," her smile turned sharp again, "if you really want to pay me back, fight me with everything you've got next time. I'm curious to see your full power. Neither of us was going all out last night, were we?"
"No. I'd just finished absorbing skills; I felt like hell."
"Kuku... and you still beat me in that state? I definitely want to see you at your best."
She looked like a child who'd just found a fascinating new toy.
"I can't exactly go 'all out' in the middle of a city," I countered. Without my mecha or the Megillot, my main arsenal was slimes and firearms. Given the amount of explosives in my Dimensional Storage, I could accidentally wipe Mahora off the map.
Evangeline's smile turned smug. "Don't worry. I'll dig up my villa later."
"Your villa?"
"I'll leave that as a surprise for next time. It's only fair, since you keep surprising me. Now, get lost."
"Fair enough. I'm heading out."
"Right. It's been fun. Oh, and tell those two from yesterday to keep their mouths shut about magic. You're with Chachamaru, so you know the way back?"
"I remember the way to the dorms. Thanks for the gear."
"I'm looking forward to seeing what a 'monster' like you does with magic..."
I stepped out of the log cabin as Chachamaru bowed to see me off.
Status Update
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 38 | PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272
Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands: * Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Spirit Limit Break
Geass (Greyed Out)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summoning)
???
???
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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