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“So… you did that because you wanted to be apart from me on purpose?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Finally, after a tumultuous ball, a peaceful holiday had come.

Even though it was a holiday, Zion was swinging his Holy Sword at a practice dummy, while I sat a bit farther away, casually watching him.

“If I fall apart just because I’m away from Teacher Hop, I won’t be able to go back to the battlefield. So I thought I’d practice being alone… but the results weren’t great.”

I can’t believe that asking to hold a ball was for that reason.

That’s why he intentionally didn’t come to see me during the preparation.

Training to distance himself from me…

“Are you going to do that again?”

“Do what?”

“The practice of being alone.”

“Um…”

Zion seemed to need a moment to think as he continued to slash at the dummy with the same motion endlessly.

The sharp sounds of metal clashing echoed continuously.

It’s only because the Holy Sword can’t be damaged or chipped that he can engage in such mindless training.

When I asked if his hands were getting blisters, he replied that it was the same whether he hit wood with a wooden sword or the Holy Sword, so it was better to use the sword he’s used to.

“I think it’s necessary, but somehow I’m reluctant to do it…”

“I’m saying that because I wouldn’t want you to either. If you keep this up, not just you, but I’ll be worn out too.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course.”

I got up from my spot and walked over to Zion.

Zion glanced over, then sheathed the Holy Sword and let out a sigh.

“It’s dangerous if you come close when I’m using the sword, Teacher.”

“The Holy Sword only cuts evil.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Well, no…”

While throwing around some light jokes, I arrived next to Zion, then reached out and grabbed his waist and upper arm, pulling him into an embrace.

“Having a lover that everyone in the world envies but can’t meet… how could that not be hard?”

Zion smiled up at me while tucked against me.

As she softly closed her eyes, I leaned in and kissed her lips as she wished.

“Teacher, then how about some service tonight?”

Zion said playfully as she spoke.

“Ugh, that sudden thought might be the harder thing…”

“It’s been a while, so you aren’t thinking of refusing, right?”

“Let’s talk about that at night.”

“Hehe, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

I returned with Zion under the shade of the trees and sat side by side.

Now that Zion had completed rehabilitation, she had no reason to come to the center, so I only got to see her during weekends or after work.

The less we met, the more precious our time together felt.

“Even if it’s not strictly practice for being alone, I think there will be times when we’ll be apart for a few days. From now on, I’ll be spending time on requests, expeditions, and training.”

“Rehabilitation for returning to the field, huh?”

“Rehabilitation… I guess you could think of it that way.”

Until now, Zion’s rehabilitation was aimed at returning to everyday life, and from now on, her rehabilitation would be for returning to real battles.

In modern times, this was more common than the previous case.

Most people who come to rehabilitation centers are the elderly or patients, but a significant portion is athletes.

Rehabilitation to regain lost physical functions after surgeries or injuries has also become a mainstream concept nowadays.

“It’s training to regain lost bodily functions, so it is rehabilitation.”

“I see. But I can fight like I did before at any moment.”

“What? By ‘before’ you mean your prime, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Can Zion really fight right now like during her prime?

Zion’s body is still just at an average state, having just completed rehabilitation. How on earth can she fight like a hero in her prime?

“How can you fight right after finishing rehabilitation?”

“Because I have powers.”

“Wait a minute, you don’t mean…?”

Zion’s power to control resistance and pressure.

When moving at high speeds through the air, she gains a tremendous advantage and can push past the limits of speed, allowing her to move even when her body is completely broken. However, moving without resistance or pressure for an extended period only increases the burden on her body, making it similar to being weightless, ultimately damaging her body further.

“This power allowed me to move even when I completely lost my body’s functions. So even if my physical specs aren’t back to normal yet, I can still move like I did back in my prime if I set my mind to it. Of course…”

“It means your body will break down even faster than before! Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

“You seem to know that well.”

Back when Zion confessed her feelings to me, she mentioned that as a hero, she couldn’t guarantee our future together.

If her body got so damaged in the first war, it might get even worse in the second. She definitely said something like that.

Was this the reason? To think she’d be willing to use that power and potentially damage her body more severely…

“I won’t allow that.”

“What?”

“You don’t need to fight like you did before right now. So until the gate opens, I won’t allow you to use your powers.”

“Th-That…!”

Zion was deeply flustered, but in the end, she wouldn’t do anything I didn’t allow.

I came close to getting caught off guard if I hadn’t had this conversation beforehand.

“So how should I fight then?”

“Just like a regular knight.”

“Fighting like that won’t be enough to defeat the Demon King…”

“Zion, we’re not going to go catch the Demon King right now.”

How can she not understand how to fight without powers… could it be that?

Zion was a hero who rose during the war. In fact, she only began to actively participate as a hero when she was merely fifteen years old.

Zion was strong not just because of her abilities granted by the Creator…

Every battle during the war was a fight for survival; she never went through normal training or growth processes.

Plus, no matter how much she moved without resistance, it wasn’t like she was in a state devoid of resistance 24/7 like real astronauts, so when I think about how her body got completely broken, it makes sense considering she was still growing.

Now that she’s finished rehabilitation and strengthened her body, and even though Zion has become an adult…

‘Wait a minute.’

If young, undeveloped Zion could match the Demon King just with her powers, how strong will she be now after building her fundamentals and using her powers effectively?

“Zion.”

“Yes, Teacher?”

“Listen closely to what I’m about to say.”

Thinking about it, there likely won’t be another Demon King appearing in the future, so how strong Zion becomes doesn’t particularly matter.

However, realizing these facts now will help me guide her to train without using her powers.

“You need to get much stronger than you are now. Of course, if you fight like a normal knight, you won’t be able to defeat the Demon King, and even if you fight like you did in your prime, you still won’t be able to win.”

“Teacher Hop? Are you saying you don’t believe in me…?”

“No, Zion. Think about it. When we fight next, there won’t be a party.”

“……”

Zion widened her eyes and fell into thought.

Is she recalling battle against the Demon King? I wondered if she might be traumatized, so I observed her closely, but she didn’t seem particularly anxious or trembling.

“That’s true. I almost forgot something important. I know better than anyone that I can’t defeat the Demon King with sheer will or miracles…”

Thank goodness, Zion understood my words.

With that, we could move on to the next topic.

“So until the serious fight against the Demon King, you absolutely shouldn’t use your powers. Listen closely. Think about what condition your body was in, what state it is in now, and what possibilities lie ahead.”

I carefully explained to Zion the insights I had gained.

Zion had always been fighting with her powers while her body was undeveloped, and she hadn’t yet matured.

From now on, if she trained her body steadily without her powers, she would see how strong she could become.

Zion nodded along as I spoke, and eventually, her expression shifted to one of surprise, as if she completely understood and was captivated by the thoughts.

“Is that… really what it was?”

“The power you have was complete from the start. It doesn’t improve with use, so it’s best to train other areas to create synergy.”

“Ohhh…”

I thought Zion was more knowledgeable than me about combat, but perhaps that was not the case.

After not seeing her for a long time, I must have forgotten, but thinking back, her character wasn’t the one that was described as consistently getting stronger in the original story.

Instead, she was a character who would tire and wear down more the more she fought.

The original story featuring Zion, “The Second Great Battle of Shiloya,” was so realistic and brutal that it was divisive among readers.

“Just so we’re clear, there’s an absolute ban on using powers during practice, understood?”

“I’ll do that. Then I need to start with non-difficult requests or expeditions…”

Zion seemed to grasp the situation correctly.

The Demon King likely wouldn’t emerge anytime soon, so she’d have no need to expend herself on unnecessarily dangerous tasks.

“……”

Zion fell into thought after responding.

Is she planning out what to do from here?

Since she’ll need to carry out less challenging tasks than she intended, she might be considering adjustments for that.

“Teacher Hop. Um…”

After some time, Zion turned her head to look at me.

She seemed like she had something to say?

“If we’re going to start training with easier difficulty levels… could Teacher Hop come along too?”

“What?”

“Since you were part of the Hero Party in your previous life, you know how to fight, right? So, if we’re training from the beginning, wouldn’t it be great if we could level up together?”

“……”

It was an unexpected suggestion, but it wasn’t a bad idea.

If it’s with Zion, there shouldn’t be any particularly dangerous situations.

It might be nice to level up and improve some skills.

Above all, I liked the idea that I wouldn’t have to be apart from Zion.

“That sounds like a good idea. Let’s do it.”

“Right? I’m glad I said something. I tried to go to the battlefield without you, but it didn’t work out, so I thought it would be better if we could go together.”

I see. It really would be nice to fight together, but whether that would be feasible or not…

So, next, are we going to fight together?

Whether it’s in a dungeon or out on the battlefield, it might even be a somewhat special date.

 

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