Enthus 5

"Miss Rina, I'm sorry, but may I examine that pendant? I detected a reaction from the gemstone at the very moment you were offering your prayer."

Rina, sensing something, replied with a face on the verge of tears.

"But this was passed down from my mother... Yes, I suppose we must investigate even things like this if there's a chance... for my brother's sake."

It truly breaks my heart. For her, this is one of the few connections she has with others, a source of emotional strength, and something deeply cherished in her faith.

To ask her to give it up... I must make myself ready. I have to return it as soon as possible.

Lina holds the pendant close to her chest and closes her eyes, offering a silent prayer.

Having received the precious pendant, she returns to the guild's lodging facility. First, she must determine whether this is a gemstone. She doesn't want to damage it if possible, so she decides to test whether it can be used as a gemstone as is.

If it is being used as a gemstone, she assumes it's likely a fire gemstone, traditionally mined in this region.

She'll start by treating it as a fire gemstone and testing it accordingly.

I'm not sure if it's reacting—there's just a vague sense that it might be activating. The reaction is extremely weak. I thought I saw it faintly glowing, though. Is it a light magic stone?

Even when pressed against flammable fuel, it won't ignite because the temperature remains too low. It really doesn't seem to be a fire magic stone after all.

Without specifying the type of magic stone, I try activating it with the image of some liquid-like substance flowing through it. This method can be used with any magic stone. The effect is weak, but at least I can confirm it does activate.

I tried it, but I'm not sure whether it's activating in the same way as before.

Hmm... In the end, I'll try using the healing magic stone. That one's special.

At first doubtful, but when I prayed "heal," the effect activated. This will reveal who can use it and who cannot. It's the most mysterious item among the magic stones.

I try praying "heal" again, just like before—but nothing happens.

Well, there's nothing I can do about it.

I carefully chip away a small portion, suspecting it to be the magic stone part, and examine it closely.

Fortunately, using a microscope, I could faintly see it glowing, confirming the magic stone's activation. What kind of magic stone is this?

It activates so weakly, and produces no noticeable effect.

I don't know what kind of magic stone it is, but I must first determine what effect it has on the body.

First, I'll apply the blood sample I collected beforehand.

The magic stone contained within the blood did not react at all when touched by the pendant's magic stone. Does that mean the pendant isn't the cause, and instead, Rinah-san herself is influencing the magic stone in her blood, causing it to change?

Questions still remain.

In reality, the pendant activates even from over clothing, not just against the skin. Can the effect of that magic stone really reach all the way into the bloodstream?

Maybe there are certain parts of the body where the influence of the magic stone spreads more easily? Either way, it was fortunate that I could make an assumption.

The next day, I entered the mansion to deliver these results.

But beneath the tower where Rinna was, I sensed something strange—someone seemed angry.

"William, wasn't it agreed that you could only visit the tower once a week?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Elder Dale."

"Really, when will you ever be able to let go of your sister? Grow into a proper son of the Rolling family. That's exactly why we've set up these rules—why, even studying abroad in the Empire—"

The endless scolding made me want to vomit. This must be William's older brother. Even if we're not blood-related, aren't we still family?

William's stories about his poor family relations seem to be true after all.

The fact that she can talk to him without any resistance must be incredibly meaningful. No wonder she's so desperate to do so.

Still, the insults just won't stop. Just saying I met her is enough to provoke such anger. It's as if she's venting all her frustrations.

Dale, as he was called, and William went together to the training grounds, apparently to practice swordsmanship. Given their difference in build, it was obvious that Dale would have the advantage. Anne wasn't allowed to go anywhere except where necessary, but she was simply too curious. She decided to follow them in secret, hidden from view.

We arrive at a large training ground—a space resembling a modest gymnasium. It must be difficult to heat such a vast room; it feels slightly cold. Aside from Dale, William, and me, there's no one else here. The two of them are holding wooden swords.

The training ground is surrounded by sturdy pillars, so I hid behind one.

The sparring with wooden swords begins. Dale, noticeably taller than William by a head, has a clear advantage, relentlessly beating William down. This isn't training—it's one-sided combat. After all, William is a mage.

It would serve William better in the future to learn tactics that leverage his magical abilities rather than swordsmanship. Bruises accumulate on William’s body. The cold will only make the pain sharper.

Yet William somehow refrains from making any noticeable counterattacks. I've seen his movements many times before coming to this estate. Even on unstable snow, he moved quite skillfully. He's clearly a child who can move normally.

He reliably dodges attacks aimed at the head or neck. It seems he simply endures strikes to his limbs and backside.

I told him to always keep a fire gem equipped on his waist, and I confirmed he still has it on now. But he never uses it.

He's clearly enduring it—maybe this is just his way of dealing with things.

What a foolish way to cope! Anger boils up from deep within me.

But I can't intervene. If I stepped in right now, I could easily knock that man Dale unconscious. But doing so would only be a temporary fix. William's suffering over this past time would be in vain.

After a while, the one-sided, so-called "training" session finally ended.

William had endured it masterfully and now lay sprawled on the floor. As for that man Dale, he seemed to have relieved his frustrations and disappeared into another room.

I confirmed no one was around and approached William.