AN: Including the non-story parts, this is the 400th chapter!
I saw Shiro off on the Invisible Jail, but… the Spirit Tree was so far away that it seemed unlikely I would be able to see Shiro’s exploits…
Well, from a position where the entire Spirit Tree is visible, it is quite distant. With vision of only 1.0, I probably could not see anything.
When I squinted to try and see, I noticed small shadows moving about… Were those Cyan and the others?
「M’lord, m’lord.」
「Nuo! You startled me. Is that you, Shion…」
Do not appear while erasing your presence… It is bad for my heart.
Ah… My heart is pounding.
「Yes. I am the beautiful girl Shion-chan, ready to be of service to you, m’lord, anytime and anywhere. Really, m’lord, where were you last night? Since Shion-chan was fast asleep, I did not notice.」
「Ah, I was woken up by a fairy in the middle of the night… The Moon Spirit’s—」
「What is it? Were you receiving sexual services from the fairy? I heard they are small and wear nothing. Does naked mean anything goes!?」
「Of course not.」
Why does she always steer everything in that direction?
Does she think all my nerves are directed that way?
Should I make her sit properly and have a serious talk with her?
「So, when will the beautiful girl Shion-chan, who is ready to help anytime and anywhere, actually be helpful?」
「Uwah, that is harsh. That look of distrust and that monotone voice! I-I will do it! I can do it right now!」
Ho ho ho.
Then let us have you be helpful right now.
Come on, hurry up and show me.
「Mmm… It seems m’lord’s eyesight is not very good.」
「It is not that it is bad. I simply cannot see from that distance.」
「Fufufu. Very well, very well. Leave it to Shion-chan! I will show you a skill that will surprise even you, m’lord!」
Hmm? What could it be?
Will it truly be helpful?
I am usually surprised by skills I do not know, but…
「Here I go! 『Synchro Eyes』!」
Ah, it was a skill I already knew.
But I was surprised. Shion could use it too…
「Fufufu! Surprised, weren’t you? How is it? This skill allows us to share our vision! And since I can enhance my eyesight with skills, we can see perfectly! As expected of the helpful Shion-chan!」
「Ah, yes. Amazing, amazing.」
「Ehhh!? I thought you would be more surprised!? Does it not make you go, ‘This sensation is new…!’ or something!?」
「Ah… well, I have experienced it once before… No, but I do think it is impressive.」
After all, it is the same skill as Atros-sama.
I was shocked for a moment to realize she could use a goddess’s skill.
The reason it was only for a moment was that I realized Atros-sama had originally lived in this world, so it was natural to assume she used normal skills. It was not a skill exclusive to goddesses.
Well… it does not allow me to see through things, obviously.
That requires the 『All-Seeing Ancestral God Eye (See-Through Eye)』.
No, really, I do think it is impressive.
「Eeeh… This is a rare skill with rather complicated acquisition conditions… Just which thieving cat took m’lord’s first time…!」
…Perhaps it was the Goddess?
You may not know, but calling Atros-sama a thieving cat is fearless…
Her combat power is no joke.
She creates craters with wooden arrows. She fires a thousand arrows at once. Judging by Chloemina-sama’s tone, she seems capable of firing even more than a thousand.
「More importantly, stop staring at my face… It feels strange to look at myself when there is no mirror.」
I want to watch Shiro’s exploits, not my own face.
「Understood… I must be helpful, after all! …Peek.」
「…Hey. Why did you open your chest? Why are you peeking in there?」
「Oh my. It is obviously just a service.」
Yes. Consider the time and place, okay?
Also… why are you not wearing underwear?
「I thought something like this might happen!」
「Do not read my mind. Besides, thinking that way is exactly what causes it to happen…」
Underwear is important.
Shion, you have splendid breasts, so take care of them!
「Eeh… Of course—!」
「Ugh…」
I do not know what triggered it, but the viewpoint suddenly shifted in the middle of our conversation, turning my eyes toward Shiro and the others.
My eyesight had been enhanced, so Shiro, who had looked distant, now appeared large as if viewed through a telescope, which was good. However, please stop the sudden shift in perspective… It makes me feel seasick.
I felt dizzy, but when I looked at Shiro, a green mist was enveloping her arms. At first, it was a vibrant green like the leaves of the Spirit Tree, but it gradually turned into a deeper shade of green.
At the same time, a high-pitched screech rang out, reaching even where we were.
「Uwaa… Shiro-san is scary… I must make sure never to oppose her…」
「Scary… Shion? Could you explain?」
You are completely put off.
Why? Also, you do not need to turn toward me. Please explain while keeping your eyes on Shiro…
「Yes. Well… You saw the green mist, right? I believe that is Shiro-san’s skill, Cloak of Black Shadow. It seems she is concentrating its power into a single point.」
「Concentrating into a single point… Ah, so that is why it is only on her arms.」
Normally, Cloak of Black Shadow covers Shiro’s entire body.
Even during Fourth Cloak: Dull Serpent, a mist like aura extended from the base of the knife, but it also covered Shiro’s body.
Come to think of it, Chloemina-sama used First Cloak: Black Weasel only on her legs.
So Shiro could do it too… No, she has learned how to do it.
「Her arms… or rather, correctly speaking, from the wrists down. I believe she is protecting from the wrists to the elbows.」
「Protecting?」
Now that you mention it, it clings tightly to her arms like green arm covers.
But why protect them? Is she not simply enhancing them?
「Yes. Can you see that the space near Shiro’s knife is slightly distorted? It is undoubtedly the effect of condensing the skill’s power. She is likely protecting her arms to withstand the force condensed to the point of distorting space. It is only natural. One cannot swing such power without any risk. Is that not so, Lord Hayato?」
「That is correct. If one concentrates that much power… pressure would be exerted by the shockwave alone, even without direct contact. Shiro-san is amazing… She still has room to grow. Ahaha.」
Um… this is no laughing matter.
In other words, that technique carries the risk of serious injury from its own power if mishandled, correct?
I will need to have a talk with Shiro later.
「Look, look, m’lord, pay attention! Shiro-san is swinging her knife down. She is surprisingly slow. If she added speed, her arms would snap even with protection. Wah, wah, it dented before even touching! Here it comes, all at once… Uwaah…」
Just as Shion said, pressure was exerted before contact, causing the Xeno Hakuidori’s stripped back to cave in. The moment the slowly descending knife made contact, the creature was cleanly split vertically in two, then turned into black ash and vanished.
「Was she adjusting the power as well? Any more than that might have damaged the Spirit Tree.」
As declared, it seemed not a single scratch was left on the Spirit Tree. I heard Ielo-san sigh in relief beside me and let my guard down, only to notice Shiro falling.
Huh? The Invisible Jails had all disappeared!
Did the shockwave from Shiro’s skill destroy them all!?
Wait, can you not determine coordinates during Visual Sharing!?
「Shion! Release the Visual Shar… huh?」
I must deploy a new Invisible Jail quickly! Ah, but if I release the Visual Sharing, it will be too far to determine the coordinates. No, if I use Shiro as a reference… While I was thinking this, I saw branches extending from the trunk of the Spirit Tree. They swirled at Shiro’s landing point, grew leaves, and formed a basket-like structure.
It grew in an instant…?
No, even if it did, is it possible for it to grow so precisely to catch Shiro?
「Fufufu. Master-sama. You know that plants are alive, but the Spirit Tree is special. It has a will and can freely use the power it draws from the earth. Extending branches and growing leaves like that is an easy task for it!」
「Oh… I see. Well, thanks to that, Shiro was saved. I am grateful.」
「No, no, let me express my gratitude. The Xeno Hakuidori was a nuisance that ate the Spirit Tree’s leaves… Due to its thick feathers, attacks were difficult to land, and it would eat until full, so the Spirit Tree likely found it troublesome. I believe it extended its branches to catch Shiro-chan in gratitude for subjugating it.」
I see… Still, the growth speed was incredible.
It seemed to have responded to the Guardians gathering near Shiro as well.
「My my! I did not doubt you, but what an amazing child! She loves meat, doesn’t she? I will tell them to prepare plenty of meat dishes for today’s meal!」
「I am sure she will be happy. Thank you.」
「Leave it to me! Ah, just so you know, Master-sama and Lord Hayato, I will be investigating the Spirit Tree for a while, so you may not be able to approach. I will inform you once I have results, so please bear with us until then.」
With that, Ielo-san ran off.
It was hectic, but given the reason, it could not be helped.
「Investigation…?」
「Yes. It seems the lifespan of that Spirit Tree is nearing its end. They are investigating that.」
「Is that so!?」
「Um. Why do you know that, m’lord? Could it be another one of your troublemaking incidents…?」
「I told you, I did not do anything…」
Do not say ‘another’. Do not say ‘another’.
Afterward, we welcomed Shiro, who returned with Cyan and the others, and thanked her for her efforts. During dinner, Shiro devoured the meat with shining eyes.
Shiro said, 『I consumed a lot of energy, so I need to replenish my nutrients.』 So, Cyan and the Guardians happily went hunting for additional meat.
It seemed she wanted to try the Xeno Hakuidori meat as well, but she apparently gave up this time.
She said she would hunt it before it clung to the tree if it appeared again… She probably intends to use that technique again.
After hearing Hayato and the others talk about it, I am worried, but she will surely say she will be fine…
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