Bleu's Domain: The Reincarnated High Elf (2)

Okay, to summarise the progress we've made so far.

For swordsmanship-- Prune dropped out. Nine and I were still swinging wooden katanas in a downward motion, but there's no longer the awkward television guide to stare back at us. After a light warm up, for a full 30 minutes, with breaks in between, we just repeat the motion.

After which we swung swords at each other like some children.

There's a clay automaton there that we can activate to practice against, with 10 levels of difficulty, not even Nine and I could beat level 2.

And then we worked on foot work, this one we needed the television to serve as a guide. I don't think fencing footwork is really practical in fantasy swordsmanship though. I get how foot work may be important-- but I don't know if it's something we can learn just by following sequential steps. I think it's really better to just practice with the automaton and learn from it.

So after reviewing the footwork video once, Nine and I went to face off the automaton in turns. Even though it was using a wooden sword, when it comes hitting, it'll hurt like hell.

All our stats had been reduced to 10, including DEF so that's a given.

Today once again, Nine and I didn't manage to beat the automaton after a dozen bouts each. Our conclusion being: we need to spend more time fighting the automaton if we want to progress faster. Wounds don't transfer over to the real world, so there isn't any problem if we were actually killed here.. which almost happened one time when Nine tried to fight the automaton with real swords. Luckily Liliath was there to patch up the large wound on his shoulder.

I guess this is also a good way to practice pain tolerance. Nine said it hurt like the real thing.

All this while, Prune was practicing magic at a separate area since it would be distracting hearing Nine and I cuss like midgets while fighting.. not that we really do that anymore.

A short break later, we walked towards the magic training site.

Now to talk about the progress of magic.

It was an absolute nightmare.

If you remember, Liliath said that we should try getting the 'feeling' right to create our first magic. So, treading a pinhole, the first magic that I succeeded in accidentally manifesting was a dim light orb. Light magic basically.

Nine manifested earth.

Prune manifested wind.

The type of first magic doesn't really symbolize anything even though-- from what Liliath said, in some cultures the people believe the first magic determines your magic specialty in the future.

Fact is, the first magic's purpose is to ground a base. After manifesting the first magic, you have to memorize the feeling. Which was another difficult part because one, it took me a good hundred attempts to just manifest the magic once, and two, the magic I casted when I tried to repeat the light orb was a water sphere. Which meant that I had totally forgotten the 'feeling' of light magic.

I couldn't keep consistent at all..

Nine wasn't any better. But Prune, who had more practice, managed to ground her wind magic.

That was me sidetracking. Anyways, the current us was able to cast a few magic types, I am able to cast water and light, Nine was able to cast earth and water, while Prune was able to cast water, wind, light, and some gravity magic.

Think of each magic successfully grounded as a dot drawn in an empty space. You first have to get enough random dots inside the space before you can start connecting it with lines to form webs. The difference between the two dots is how adjusting the magic to find new magic works.

That's just a newbie's guide to magic. The reality is a lot more complicated than what I just talked about.

We need to randomly try to cast to create enough magic types-- dots in the space before we can start drawing lines. And drawing lines.. that would be when we start involving ourselves with Kagura's Chantless Method. That in itself is where the real shitty magic starts.

Speaking of which, it is possible for me to use all elemental magic at this very second if I wanted to. No, I don't mean using my magic-type widgets with Liliath's preset magic, rather, all I need to do is paste [Reincarnated Otherworlder] into my title column and like some odd miracle, I can for some reason cast every type of basic magic at a thought.

The title is also useful during the fight with the automaton. With the title equipped, Nine and I, even with an average status of 10, could beat the automata at level 3, struggling, that is.

It's an absolute cheat that helps in both giving the heroes extreme beginner's luck and significantly increased learning and adaptation speed..

The reason why we decided not to use the title was for personal reasons. Sure, we'll use it during emergencies but outside that, we thought it was best not to get too involved with it.

From what Bleu said, excessive use of the title would drag us into various hero work. You know? Hero-correction, that thing? Yeah. Even worse than protagonist correction, not a good idea.

"What do you think about the elf?" Prune asked, holding a piece of quartz Liliath ripped from the floor in mid air-- gravity magic.

"I actually want to know what her relationship with the Regressor is," Nine said.

"Is she not beautiful?" Prune asked.

"So-so. It's like seeing an idol that's just too far out," I said.

"Noel has eyes for me alone," was what Liliath said. Amen.

Prune turned to the main base where Bleu and the elf were holding a conversation. The magic practice area was sorta close, but in a way, Bleu and the elf looked like peanuts.

"Shoot.. it broke again.." Nine lamented as he stared at the water burst into particles of light. Which makes no sense because water is supposed to fall, not disappear. Then again, we're talking about magic so Nine has to hit that command to bring the water forth from nothing to the physical space. Kinda complex but it is what it is.

"Noel, next time someone tries to hurt you, use this magic alright? Lest you want another punishment from me~" Liliath said pointing at a column in the magic register of the UI. The water orb in my hand, just like Nine's, exploded into particles.

"Um.."

It has a pretty well thought up name. I'm not too sure what the effects are but what do you think 'Absolute End' could mean? Sounds pretty chuni, I guess Liliath has been rubbed the wrong way by the various novels she has been reading lately..

"I'll see.. you made sure this won't kill them right?"

"Isn't it appropriate to follow the customs here, no?" Liliath tilted her head. She was so cute I wanted to cuddle her for hours.

Okay.. let's make a mental note to never use this spell on someone.

"Hey! Is your group done!? Laura-neechan here has something she wants to ask!" Bleu's hypersoft yell got registered in my ear.

Only Liliath and I turned towards her direction, Prune and Nine didn't notice and continued staring at their elementary magics.

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"We're back," Nine said and plopped down on the couch beside Bleu, "How many minutes until we return?"

"I think it's about an hour or so, plenty of time for a nice chocolate shake don't you agree?" Bleu replied with a finger to her chin.

"You read my mind," Nine said with a grin.

"Here you go~"

"No.. wait, what's this.."

"It's a chocolate milkshake."

"Why is it… "

"Just eat."

"Itadakimasu."

Was the conversation between Nine and Bleu.

"Any drinks you want?" Asked Bleu, after first attending Nine.

"I'm good with water."

"Same here," Prune also opted for the same simple drink as I did.

"Tea is alright," Liliath reached over to grab the pot of tea to pour herself some.

The elf blinked a few times because of the joke-like situation.

"No need to panic, everyone here is as normal as you are Laura-neechan?"

"Then pardon me. Noer-san, Prune-san, Liliath-san and Nona-san, I'm I getting your names correct?"

"Yup," Nine said, stuffing his face with the chocolate milkshake in a heart-shaped

"No, not quite. My name is Noel and his name is Nine."

"M-My apologies!" the elf paled and bowed.

"No, it's okay.."

"Then Noel-san, pardon the trouble? I heard from Bleu-sama that you have a Unique Skill that allows distanced communication?" she suddenly shot up and asked.

In short, she wanted to be able to communicate with Jiwon, the Regressor. It's possible, just not now in Bleu's domain. [God's Eyes] doesn't work properly so we can't tether a widget on Jiwon, but I guess tethering a widget to the elf-- whoops. Looks like Laura is a high elf.

She has some pretty incredible stats, averaging around 1000 to 2000. Absolutely crazy, she could tear us to shreds.

That's besides the point so I asked her about the reason and came a short story time..

To sum it up. During her first life, she sacrificed her life during the last grand war and turned into a lich. Bleu, being the Goddess of Comfort who just had to assume the unofficial role of the Goddess of Space and Time took pity on her and Jiwon, so she decided to just reincarnate Laura from regression zero to the first regression.

So it has been a year since Laura woke up, recalling her memories of her past life while it has been a month since the Regressor recalled his. Laura was busy the whole year and forgot about Jiwon and thus didn't prepare her trip to Erudite kingdom. She was getting preparations done to prevent the demon lord from taking the elven territory. In her first life, the Yggdrasil, or World Tree-- which is also the elven territory, became the centerpiece that rooted the demon lord's-- Demon Monarch Javiel's world domination.

I had no idea exactly half of what she said because most of the geographical locations didn't make sense, but one thing was for sure. We probably didn't exist during her first life.. since Bleu didn't exist during her first life.

At least that clears up the mystery of the infinity regressor cycle situation..

Though, it just adds upon the complexity of the world plot.

It also adds a flag to our life. Hooray..

But it also made Liliaths shiver in fear. I had to let her sit on my lap and hold her in my arms.

"That's why, please lend us your power," Laura bowed again.

"Kay? So it's just, don't let Javiel take over the world right?" I asked.

"Yes. With the absurdities of your abilities, it should be possible to prevent what had happened during the first world."

I wanted to ask how much Bleu divulged but I thought that it was pointless at this point.

I stroked Liliath's hair. She was already sleeping soundly, leaning against my chest. I guess it had been quite a traumatizing thing to hear all that.

"If I remember correctly, there are more demon lords than just him right?" after thinking for a bit, I asked.

It's to do with our well-being than anything else.

At this rate, Javiel and Liliath will definitely cross paths.

I wasn't too sure what would happen then but.. some information should be good in preparation.

"Is it about the other demon lords? Most of which came to rule under his reign. If my memories are correct, there were eight demons during this cycle that I've met."

"There were nine," Bleu said in a mutter.

"That's not a reference of me is it?" Nine said.

"Don't come up with your own conspiracies.."

"Can I use the washroom?"

"Go pee in the leviathan tank then!" Bleu yelled, but she opened up a lavatory dimension for Nine anyways.

Am I seeing what I'm actually seeing? An RL tsundere?

Bleu glared at me, I just looked away.

"Nine demon lords? I could've sworn there were eight."

"It's a spoiler, keep that in mind," Bleu said.

I looked at Prune, and she only shook her head.

I actually wonder if it's alright to really say so much to this elf that we've never met before.. If Bleu trusts her then.. maybe it's alright? I'm just overthinking things.

"It's alright. I made sure Luara-neechan a trustworthy one. Think of her as my apostle."

"A-apostle?!" Laura jumped to a shock.

"Don't want the title?"

"N-No… I will gladly accept it.."

"Good."

It's kinda doubtful when the goddess in question is calling her apostle 'nee-chan'.

Also, what exactly happened to the ninth demon lord during the first world?

That.. couldn't be Liliath could it?