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Translator: Barnnn
With several days of effort, the preparations for their impending journey were nearly complete.
Their large but lightweight backpacks had been packed to the brim with various random items.
In truth, the bags had been purchased only to hide the existence of their Magic Bags, disguised as Hal’s bangle and Ize’s ring. The ruse they had devised was simple: they would pretend to rummage through their packs while secretly retrieving items from their enchanted accessories. After practicing this sleight of hand for hours, they had perfected the act.
They had also booked a horsebus heading north. Though horsebuses frequently left from the royal capital, seats were often hard to come by due to the sheer number of travelers heading in the same direction. They had been fortunate to book two spots only a couple of days in advance — a small stroke of luck.
Now, with their departure set in stone, only one task remained: Hal’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
“Now, let us commence the eleventh skill selection meeting!”
The mock-serious tone of Hal’s announcement only made Ize giggle in response, though she quickly followed it with a round of playful applause.
“Ahem… So, from our previous discussions, we’ve ruled out a few options already: fire, water, and earth magic are no longer candidates. And since we’ll need to focus on offensive magic, we’ve also excluded support and light magic.”
“That’s a real shame. I was looking forward to seeing you incinerate enemies, summon earth golems, or trap someone in an ice coffin. You know, the flashy stuff!”
“I wouldn’t do any of that even if I could! Now, the remaining candidates are wind magic and dark magic. And, Ize… why are your eyes sparkling like that?”
“Dark magic!” she exclaimed with uncontainable excitement. “It’s perfect for you, Hal! It’s THE element of an edgelord!”
“I am NOT an edgelord!”
“But between wind and dark, let’s be honest, dark magic suits you way better!”
“It’s not about what suits me!” Hal retorted. “We need to think about how useful it actually is.”
“Hmm…”
The debate between them had been ongoing for days, each skill considered and discarded for various reasons. Early on, Ize had balked at the idea of fire magic, her imagination too vivid as she envisioned the smell of burning flesh, leading Hal to strike it from the list immediately.
Earth magic had been tempting, given its utility in creating defensive barriers or fortifying campsites, but the brutal nature of its combat applications — crushing enemies beneath tons of rock and dirt — had eventually dissuaded them both.
Water magic, had been Hal’s favorite from the beginning, enduring through many of their deliberations. Its versatility in battle was undeniable, but Ize had ultimately dismissed it during their tenth meeting, reasoning that other types were simply better for combat, and they could simply store water in their Magic Bags for emergencies, thus undercutting its necessity.
Despite her dismissal, Hal’s fascination with water magic remained stubborn, a quality of his that teetered on the edge of childishness. Nothing — not time, nor reason — could sway him.
Even wind magic, one of the final choices, wasn’t without its drawbacks. The potential for carnage — severed limbs, blood spraying through the air as the wind cut through enemies — was something neither of them would appreciate. Yet Hal wisely refrained from bringing this up, knowing that if wind magic was ruled out, he’d be left with dark magic as the only option.
“Maybe… we should just leave it up to the Goddess.”
“Huh?” Ize blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “You can do that?”
“Well, yeah. Everyone in this world seems to have the skills that the Goddess thinks are best for them, right? Maybe letting her decide would be better than us agonizing over it. She’d probably give us something that suits us better in the long run.”
“Come on, Hal, this is your chance to choose! You should make it count!”
“You can do that when it’s your turn, Ize.”
“Oh…” Ize’s eyes narrowed as a teasing smile crept across her face. “…You’re just too lazy to think, aren’t you?”
“N-no, that’s not it!” Hal stammered, though the flush rising to his cheeks betrayed him.
“It totally is. It’s written all over your face.”
For the moment, their debate reached yet another impasse. Wind magic, dark magic, and water magic — added back in by Hal’s sheer stubbornness — were the leading candidates, though neither of them could decide on one with any certainty.
Still, deep down, they both trusted that whatever skills the Goddess would bestow upon him would be useful.
In the end, they decided to go simply ahead and visit the church the following day.
Even if they couldn’t hear the Goddess’s voice directly, they believed that their intentions and prayers would somehow reach her.
********************************************
“Padre! Good morning!” Ize called out cheerfully as they approached the church’s entrance, her voice echoing through the quiet morning air.
The Padre turned towards them, his smile warm and welcoming. “Ah, good morning to you as well! You two are the brothers who came to pray the other day, yes? Are you here to pray again today?”
“Actually, today’s my brother’s special day — He’s here for his Coming-of-Age Ceremony!”
“Is that so? A momentous occasion indeed! And have you managed to save up enough for the offering?”
Hal stepped forward and bowed slightly in greeting. “Good morning, Padre. We do apologize for arriving so early and disturbing you. When I mentioned to my little brother that we finally had enough coins, well… he got quite excited. Insisted we come as soon as the doors opened.”
The Padre chuckled. “Oh, think nothing of it, son. Be it morning or night, the doors of the church are always open to anyone. Now, let me take you to the ceremony…” He paused, looking from Hal to Ize. “But what about your little brother? Will he wait outside?”
“He can’t accompany me in there, can he?” Hal asked.
“I’m afraid not. The ceremony must be attended only by those involved.”
Ize, unbothered by this revelation, grinned widely. “It’s okay, Hal! I’ll be praying for you the whole time. But, um… what if I talk too much while you’re getting your skill? Would the Goddess get mad? I don’t want to interrupt her or anything!”
“How kind of you to be so considerate! But rest assured, son, the Goddess hears all of us at once. She can listen to many voices and grant her blessings without difficulty. Your prayers will only help, not hinder.”
“Oh, that’s a relief! I’m going to pray super hard then!” Ize declared, already spinning towards the prayer chamber.
“Just don’t make too much of a disturbance, okay?”
“I won’t, I won’t!”
“I’m worried…” Hal muttered under his breath.
The Padre placed a reassuring hand on Hal’s shoulder. “Do not fret, son. The Goddess watches over all, and your brother is in good hands. Now, shall we?” He gestured towards the ceremonial chamber with a respectful nod.
“Ah, yes, of course.”
As Hal disappeared from view, Ize wandered toward the same prayer chamber she had visited a handful of times over the past week. She wouldn’t be here for long today; Hal’s ceremony shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.
As she sat before the familiar statue of the Goddess, she gazed up at it and, despite its exquisite craftsmanship, a small chuckle escaped her lips.
[Every time I see it, I have to try hard not to laugh…]
The memory of the real Goddess — the one she and Hal had met so unexpectedly — crossed her mind. The statue’s conventional beauty and formal serenity were a stark contrast to the deluxe size and bubbly personality of the divine being who had appeared before them.
Recounting her thoughts, Ize realized there wasn’t much new to share today; she had already told the Goddess everything of note in her past visits. So instead, she focused her prayers on Hal’s success and the smooth start of their journey, which would begin tomorrow.
After a short while, her drifting thoughts were interrupted by the sensing of an approaching presence.
Keeping her eyes closed, she activated her Perception skill. As expected, the footsteps belonged to none other than Hal.
She opened her eyes to see him walking toward her, his expression slightly stiff, as if deep in thought.
“Thank you, Padre,” Hal said, putting up a calm facade. “Before we leave, I’d like to offer my thanks to the Goddess once more.”
“Of course, son,” the Padre replied with a kind nod. “Remember, the skill you received is a gift — a blessing from the divine. Cherish it always and use it wisely. May the Goddess’s blessings be with you both.”
Hal gave a respectful bow and watched the Padre retreat into the quiet halls of the church before swiftly turning to Ize.
“Hal, what’s wrong?” Ize asked, immediately picking up on his unease.
“Ize,” he whispered, “can you activate your Stealth real quick?”
“Oh, sure.” For a moment, Ize’s eyes narrowed in focus. “…There, done.”
“You’re blocking sound too, right?”
“Of course. So, what happened? You got your skill, right?”
“I did…” Hal said, though his expression remained tense.
“Awesome. So, which magic did you end up choosing?”
“Wind…”
“Ooh, nice!”
“…And…”
“Huh?”
“…Water.”
Ize’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah. I got both wind and water magic.”
“WHAT!?”
“And they’ve both got the infinity symbol next to them.”
“WHAAAAAAT!?”
They had made the right call to shroud themselves in Stealth. News like this couldn’t be allowed to reach anyone else’s ears.
Hal proceeded to explain that, when he got his skills, he had heard the voice of the Goddess.
She had said: “I told you that the growth rate of your new skills would follow this world’s rules, but I never promised I wouldn’t start you off at the maximum level! And… I never said I’d only give you just one skill. So, here’s two!”
Then, when he had asked the Padre about hearing the Goddess’s voice, it turned out the phenomenon wasn’t so uncommon during Coming-of-Age Ceremonies. This revelation suggested that Hal’s experience was not an exception to the divine order.
Still, Hal had kept the specifics vague, merely saying the Goddess had congratulated him — a story that moved the Padre to tears.
“Actually, now that I think about it,” Ize said, “the Goddess never actually mentioned anything about getting only one skill, did she?”
“Oh yeah, I think you’re right…”
“But… is that really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, how she just handed you two ‘infinity’ skills — now you’ve got three in total…”
Hal gave a dry chuckle. “Well, it wasn’t an accident or anything. If the Goddess thinks it’s okay, then it must be. And anyway, there’s no way to return them now, even if I wanted to. Might as well be grateful and make the most of them.”
“That’s… fair enough.”
After offering their thanks to the Goddess once more in prayer, the two went straight back to the inn. Though it was still quite early in the morning, exhaustion clung to their faces like a shadow.
Then, that evening, Ize caught sight of Hal slumped in defeat, muttering under his breath about his failed attempt to sculpt a miniature Tokyo Tower from ice.
It seemed Hal’s nerdy tendencies would be sticking around for years to come.
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