For the fairies, fists were far more persuasive than reason.
This was the conclusion Shiomi reached after working alongside Aesc to avert the calamity rushing toward the Land of Rain.
Before that, though he had called himself a Sage and demonstrated Magecraft before the queen, winning the Rain Clan chieftain's trust in his abilities, the fairies still regarded Shiomi merely as the human Aesc had brought back—someone meant to serve her. The title of Sage was nothing more than a fancy label.
While quelling this not-too-small, not-too-large disaster, Shiomi had tried his best to let Aesc take the spotlight at the decisive moments, letting her settle the battle with two different spells. But the fairies who fought weren't blind. They could tell how crucial Shiomi's role had been—especially when the remaining Moss gathered and turned into a giant Moss. Without his intervention, the Rain Clan on the battlefield would have suffered serious casualties.
After that fight, the title of Sage gained broad recognition within the Rain Clan. No fairy tried anything against Shiomi anymore, and even the ones he passed on the street treated him differently from other humans.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Upon hearing Shiomi recount these events, that was Aesc's first reaction.
"…Yeah, it is a good thing." Shiomi still felt a bit strange about it, though he couldn't quite explain why. In all his life, he had never before coexisted with a race whose values diverged so sharply from his own.
He knew very little about fairies—beings long confined to legend, with only a rare few manifesting as Servants. Morgan rarely spoke on the subject and almost never asserted her identity as a fairy. Naturally, Shiomi had had no reason to dig deeper.
"A weakness—!"
Catching the instant Shiomi's attention wandered, Aesc suddenly lifted her wooden spear, shifting her aim from the dummy straight to Shiomi's chest. It should have been a clean hit, yet he knocked it aside without warning. Aesc had used a touch too much force and pitched forward.
If Shiomi hadn't caught her in passing, she would have face-planted into the snow.
"Your power application is off. It looks fast, but it won't hold," Shiomi said with a light laugh, pointing out the flaw. "If you can't finish an enemy in one strike, you'll expose a fatal opening and won't even be able to respond to a counter."
Dangling a little lazily from Shiomi's arm, Aesc looked at the staff that had slipped from her hand onto the ground. "Tenkei is just too strange. Even without focusing, you can still defend."
"Your intent to attack showed too early. I could have blocked it even with my back turned."
"What is that even…"
Shiomi's words felt a bit stream-of-consciousness to Aesc. She was a natural Magus, but not a natural fighter.
So after subduing the calamity that attacked the Land of Rain, Aesc made up her mind: not only would she study other schools of Magecraft with Shiomi to broaden her understanding, she would also learn other combat skills. Now, she was asking Shiomi to teach her spearwork.
She had assumed he would be reluctant to share such a core skill, but when she asked, he was only briefly surprised. After that, he prepared everything with patience and care.
For instance, he cleared a spacious, level area beside the library and set up several practice dummies around it. He also went into the forest to find sturdy timber and fashioned a well-balanced wooden spear.
Compared to Aesc, the one seeking instruction, Shiomi—the teacher—was clearly the more enthusiastic of the two.
"Don't think—feel." Shiomi smiled as he helped Aesc steady herself, then picked up the wooden spear and handed it to her. "Unlike a Magus, warriors rely more on instinct."
"This is no easy task," Aesc murmured, cradling the spear as she began practicing each move Shiomi had taught her. "Did Tenkei go through the same?"
Shiomi let out a hollow laugh. "Ahahaha… My master wasn't like that at all…"
"Huh? Was he strict, Tenkei?" Aesc's interest piqued, and she pressed for more details without pausing her movements.
"Strict? He was downright deadly." Shiomi spread his hands. "Who starts beginners with actual combat? Making them train until they vomit blood every single day? And saying things like, 'Since you already have the basics, skip that part'? Ugh…"
But Aesc noticed something different. "You're complaining, but you must have been really happy during his training days, right?"
"Why do you say that?" Shiomi was surprised Aesc could see it.
"Because you're smiling. And it's a genuine smile." Aesc paused her movements, studying his face.
So mentioning the past in the Land of Shadows made him smile without realizing it. Shiomi touched his face in realization and nodded. "Yeah. Back then, I didn't have to think about anything besides fighting. All I needed to focus on was getting stronger and avoiding unnecessary suffering."
"Hmm…" Aesc's gaze flickered.
He was always happy when he was with her too, but there was always something heavy beneath his smile. Aesc could feel that Shiomi regarded her as far too important, to the point where he couldn't tolerate even the slightest slip-up.
"Tired? Maybe we should stop for today," Shiomi suggested. "Even with Reinforcement Magecraft enhancing your body, this kind of training still needs to be done gradually."
"No, I'm fine," Aesc shook her head, not particularly exhausted. "I just find stabbing dummies a bit monotonous."
Shiomi raised an eyebrow. "So that's why you tried ambushing me earlier?"
"Hehe…" Aesc blushed and giggled.
Honestly, half the reason was just to play a prank on him. The spearhead was Magecraft-treated to be blunt, so even if it hit, it couldn't hurt him. That's why Aesc could attack with full force.
"You're hopeless," Shiomi said, holding the spear by its upper shaft with one hand, a knowing smile on his face. "Practical combat really does improve technique faster than drills. Go ahead and strike. If you manage to pierce my body, I'll… well, grant you one wish."
"A wish?" Aesc's mind began to wander.
In an instant, countless things she wanted flashed through her mind, but none of them truly qualified as wishes—she could probably get them just by asking. What kind of wish should she make?
"Seriously? You're already thinking about what to do after winning before we even start?" Shiomi chuckled. "You're awfully confident."
Aesc clenched her wooden spear in frustration. "Don't underestimate me. I'll surpass you soon."
"Mm, I'm sure you will." Shiomi nodded earnestly.
A competitive fire lit in Aesc's eyes. With a textbook thrust, she lunged her spear toward him.