Kays Translations

Chapter 19: Thinking

"Leon-sama, are you alright!?"

Celia hurried over, clearly worried.

Even with her furrowed brows and anxious expression, Celia is adorable. It feels unfair how cute she is. It makes me want to tease her for no reason at all.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to your magic, I was saved."

"I'm glad to hear that..."

"I didn’t expect to run into a rare pop monster. I’m relieved we won."

"A rare pop monster?"

Celia tilted her head in confusion.

It seems she’s genuinely curious, not pretending.

"Like the goblin we just fought, rare pop monsters are different in color from usual monsters. They’re stronger than normal ones. But..."

"But?"

I picked up the sword that had fallen where the Blue Goblin lay.

"Rare pop monsters sometimes drop good items when defeated. Like this one."

"This sword?"

"Yes, it’s a Poison Sword. It’s a sword that poisons the target it strikes."

The sword is quite decent in performance and will be useful in the early stages.

I might switch my right-hand weapon to the Poison Sword. It would be a waste not to use it.

"Poison!? Is it really okay to use such a dangerous sword?"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. The poison isn’t that strong."

"Is that so...?"

Celia looked at me with a worried expression. It’s just so cute!

Why does a beautiful person’s worried face make my heart skip so much?

"Celia, your magic really saved me. It was perfect timing! You were amazing!"

"Thank you, Leon-sama. I also felt secure using my magic because you were protecting me. Thank you."

"Oh, no need to mention it. So, how about it? It was your first battle against a monster you couldn't defeat in one hit. Did you notice anything?"

"Well... Perhaps the importance of positioning?"

"Positioning?"

"Yes. In battles with monsters, it often happened that I, you, and the monster were in a straight line. I had to think about how to aim at the monster without hitting you."

"I see..."

I hadn’t considered that aspect. It makes sense. Unlike in games where friendly fire is off, here, magic can hit allies. We always need to consider the possibility of friendly fire.

"I hadn't thought of that. It’s useful to know from your perspective."

"I’m glad. But please feel free to fight as you wish. If you have to worry about my line of fire while fighting monsters, you won’t be able to focus on the battle, will you? I’ll handle the line of fire."

"Really? That helps a lot."

Since I’m still a novice in the front line, I’ll take Celia’s advice to heart.

"Well then, let’s go. We’re almost done with the second floor."

"Yes!"

After successfully clearing the second floor, we used the warp function of the staff monument to return to the dungeon entrance and then headed back to the mansion. Celia’s magical energy was running low. I still had some left, but the goal this time was to strengthen Celia.

Certainly, if Celia couldn't fight, I could take her place, and she would still gain experience. But that alone isn’t enough.

I don’t want Celia to be just someone with high levels. I want her to think for herself, to try and error her way through tactics, and to become someone who can move on her own.

That’s what I believe true strength is.

So, I don’t want to take away learning opportunities from Celia.

But, putting that aside...

"Leon-sama, today’s dessert is roll cake."

"Great! Celia, come sit down. Let’s talk about the dungeon."

"Yes. Understood."

Celia took a seat on the sofa opposite my table. Even without the bias of being in love, her mannerisms were strikingly beautiful.

"Celia, we went to the dungeon today. How was it?"

"At first, I was full of anxiety. It was my first time in a dungeon. But thanks to your protection, I was able to defeat the monsters."

"You have good accuracy with your magic, and your timing is great. I’m sure you’ll become a great mage. I guarantee it."

"Thank you, Leon-sama."

Celia bowed her head politely.

While I find Celia’s politeness adorable, what I’m interested in is not just mutual praise but her experience.

"Was there anything troubling or difficult? Are there other things you'd like to try or ways you think might work better?"

"Well..."

Celia lowered her face slightly as if thinking deeply. Then, as if she had gathered her thoughts, she looked up again.

"I learned various things from the battle with that blue goblin. The importance of the frontline, the danger of friendly fire, the choice of which magic to use and the timing of casting it, the strength of the magic and the weakness of the magician, and then――――"

It seems Celia was thinking about more than I had imagined during the battle.

But she needs a place to verbalize and articulate these thoughts.

Listening to Celia's reflections is also a learning opportunity for me.

From now on, whenever we go to a dungeon with Celia, I'll make sure to set up a discussion time.

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