9

Chapter 

For every solid step forward, I seem to take twice as many stumbling falls. But at least I'm moving forward.

I think. I hope.

My investigation is just as slow going. I have discovered that Tanya von Degurechaff… is really weird. That's pretty much the only solid conclusion I've come too. She's just so utterly baffling.

I do know three things, at least.

1: She's not evil. It sounds ridiculous, but I've been so convinced otherwise for so long that this is honestly a revelation in its own right. She's an asshole, and a bit self-centered, but she's not a fundamentally bad person.

I still don't know how to feel about this. It's just… odd.

2: She's a workaholic. Like, seriously. I'm honestly impressed. And also a bit… worried? No, no way. That's not it. Mildly concerned, maybe, but only because she's technically my provider right now. I don't exactly want her collapsing from exhaustion.

And it seems like her, well, I guess they're her friends, think the same. Degurechaff has been given strict instructions to take an entire week off, minimum. And Shuna all but ordered me to let her know if I saw Degurechaff doing anything even mildly strenuous.

And speaking of strenuous, that brings me to number three. There's more than three, really, but these are the ones that stick out at this very moment.

3: She's powerful. Extremely powerful. Magically, she's one of the strongest around. Technique-wise, she's incredibly efficient in both close and ranged combat. Case in point, I haven't managed to land a single blow on her in the three times we've fought in this world. And I even used my Unique Skill in the latter two.

And physically…

…Ah.

Well, she's pretty strong, I guess.

-=-=-=-

Title Card by Me @tanjaded

-=-=-=-

Evening

Tempest Executives' Private Hot Spring Facility

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"…and here's the bath itself. There's one for the men in a separate area, of course." Shuna gestured with a hand, the other maintaining a precautionary grasp on her towel.

"We had a hot spring the whole time and I never knew about it. I've been bathing in cold water for nothing." Mary dropped her head, "Fuck my life. I miss Legadonia."

"Er, you might want to step to the side."

"Huh?" Mary raised her head, an eyebrow shooting up. Shuna pointed back inside the changing room in lieu of an explanation.

"Wahahaha!!!"

Eyes rapidly widening, Mary scrambled to the side, her hands grasping at her own towel as Milim barreled by and jumped into the bath. Water went everywhere, the splash zone nearly reaching her and Shuna.

Mary could only stare incredulously. Shuna nodded, giving her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"It happens every time, I'm afraid."

"Right…" Mary glanced at her, then at the bath once more. She blinked. "Ah, why is Rimuru here?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Shuna tilted her head.

Mary stared at her for a moment.

"…Well, you just said 'he', for starters."

"Rimuru is a slime, which makes him entirely agender." Another voice piped up, this time from the bath itself.

Mary's gaze shot in that direction, finally noticing Degurechaff reclining against the rocky edge of the bath. Her arms were out to either side, a towel covering her eyes as she rested her head on top of… a tiny red slime?

What?

Degurechaff reached up with one hand, peeling the towel back slightly.

"The 'he/him' is a carryover from his past life." One of those vibrant teal eyes stared back at her, "Don't think too much about it."

"'They' is fine too!" Rimuru, in slime form and currently being held over Milim's head, quickly added. "Milim, be more careful with me!"

"There you go." Degurechaff let the towel drop back over her eyes, completely ignoring Rimuru's protests. Something Milim seemed to be doing as well.

"Don't dunk me- Milim!"

Degurechaff sunk a bit further into the bath, fully relaxing once more.

"I don't-" Mary hesitated, desperately trying to think of an appropriate response.

She couldn't think of anything, oddly enough. In the meantime, her eyes ran over Degurechaff's toned arms, scars both faded and not only further standing out against flushed skin and muscle.

How many of those are my fault?

There was also something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

…Huh. The spring that fed this bath must be extremely hot. For some reason, her face was warm, and she hadn't even gotten in the water yet.

Shuna patted her on the shoulder once more, before making her way to the bath's edge.

"Head in whenever you're ready." The pink haired Kijin called back, quickly slipping into the bath and relaxing next to Degurechaff. On the opposite side of the bath, Milim continued to swim around, Rimuru now balanced precariously on the top of her head. She seemed to be making a game of it, in fact, which Rimuru clearly did not enjoy.

"Is Lord Rimuru here?" Came a voice from behind her. Shion strolled by, her footsteps – right, her footsteps, that's all – bouncy and upbeat. Her eyes quickly went wide, as she noticed the slime's predicament. "Ah, there you are! Milim, be more careful with our Lord."

"Your lord! My bestie!"

Shion rushed forward, causing several, ah, unfortunate accidents to occur in quick succession.

"Shion, your towel!" Shuna yelled embarrassedly, already moving over to cover the other Kijin up. The water around her was disrupted by her hurried movements, the liquid debris very nearly splashing Degurechaff.

Nearly.

Without looking or moving in the slightest, the blonde blocked it the errant droplets with a quick application of her active barrier. A moment later, the barrier fizzled away, Degurechaff continuing to give no indication whatsoever that anything had happened.

Mary could only stare at it all.

Yep. This is my life now.

Her eyes darted to Degurechaff once more.

From the deepest, furthermost bottom portion of my soul… what?

-=-=-=-

Two Weeks Later

Northern Training Field

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

Clack!

"Good!" Hakurou jumped back, dodging a follow up slash. "You've improved again, I see."

Mary pressed her advantage, water swirling around her bokken as it flowed directly towards its target. Hakurou countered with his own water-infused strike, his Crestwater Slash crashing against Mary's.

"And you've all but mastered my Water Arts."

Mary refused to respond, putting all her energy into forcing their wooden blades apart.

Hakurou let her, flowing backwards with the push. Immediately, Mary was on him again, this time swinging downward.

Hakurou made to block, only for Mary to pull the slash directly down at the last second, striking the ground below instead. Water rose from the impact like a geyser.

He narrowed his eyes, quickly spinning and holding his sword out. A split second later, Mary appeared behind him, her throat coming to rest perfectly against the blunted edge.

She froze, her eyes widening.

"But, you still have much to learn." Hakurou pulled his magisteel-reinforced bokken back.

"How did you..." Mary blinked, slowly sheathing her matching bokken at her side.

"You may have obstructed my vision with the water, but I could hear you moving around me." Hakurou shifted into something Mary had come to recognize as 'lecture mode'. Oddly enough, it was the exact same tone of voice Degurechaff tended to use for it. "You were also too close to me. Your movement is fast, but without purpose. It's halted. Hesitant. And without greater space, your acceleration suffers. A result of your magic, perhaps?"

"Maybe." Mary sighed. "It still doesn't flow the way it should. It just… lags behind sometimes."

"It's not a terrible thing. You should be proud that your natural power causes such a conundrum in the first place. But you don't feel that way, I can see. Care to share with an old man?"

"You don't look a day over 50, Sensei."

"You flatter me. " Hakurou stroked his beard. "But this old man has a bit more experience than that. Tell me outright. Are you dissatisfied with your improvement?"

"Well…" Mary looked away. "It's not that, it's just… I guess I am? I don't know how to feel about a lot of things anymore. I just feel… lost. Have I really improved all that much?"

"You have. I can name on less than two hands the ones who have been able to master my Water Arts like you have, or even make use of them at all." Hakurou frowned, "Your improvement isn't a problem, certainly not. What you lack is something far less concrete, I fear."

"Yeah, I fear that too." Mary muttered.

"You're improving, and will continue to improve. Of this I have no doubt." Hakurou's aged gaze held Mary in place. "But without purpose or raison d'etre, I'm not sure this issue will become resolved."

It was silent for a moment.

"Let's try and strike at the heart of the matter. Mary, what are your current goals? What purpose do you have for getting stronger? Start there."

"…I'm not sure what my purpose is. Not anymore."

Mary studiously avoided his gaze, focusing instead the somewhat scratched wood of her bokken.

"I do- I know that I want to help people. I've always wanted to help people, I think. Whether through God, through being a good daughter, or…" She took a long pause, "…even at war, I thought that I could help people. When Degurechaff and I…"

She hesitated again. Hakurou silently implored her to continue.

"…For the longest time, I thought she was evil. A devil in the form of a girl. And I thought, by killing her and winning the war, I'd be saving lives. I was wrong. Instead, I was just acting as a puppet for some damn-" Mary's hands shook. She clenched them into fists, "When I came to this world, any divine purpose or justification disappeared. But that's all I was, for the longest time. What am I supposed to do after that?"

She shook her head.

"So for now, I want to help people. And I'm trying my best to improve, but I'm still too weak to do anything! Meanwhile, I look over at Degurechaff, or Benimaru, or even Rimuru, and see their improvement every day! It's like their power grows every time I look. How am I supposed to close a gap that never stops widening? And what's the point in trying to protect others when I can't even protect myself?"

Hakurou sighed, feeling his age for the first time in a while. He rested his sword on his shoulder, before stepping forward.

"Mary," He said, stopping directly in front of her, "What do you know of Tanya's abilities?"

"Huh?" Mary blinked. "Well, not a lot. We don't exactly… talk. It's not like we hate each other anymore, but we're nowhere near being on close terms. At least, I don't think she hates me. Then again…" Her face deadpanned, "I can't help but wonder if sticking me with Demon Lord babysitting duty is some sort of sick revenge."

"Well, that's…" Hakurou coughed lightly into his fist. "Anyways, allow this old man to bestow upon you some wisdom. If, let's say Gobta, were to constantly compare his strength to someone like Lord Rimuru, he'd probably quit outright. Wouldn't you say?"

"Well, yeah." Mary raised an eyebrow. "Rimuru is terrifying. Gobta to him is like a garden snake to Jörmungandr."

"Ah, good. You do understand." Hakurou poked her in the forehead. "So, why are you doing the same thing?"

"Huh?"

"If you constantly compare yourself to Tanya, or Benimaru, or others, you'll never see your own improvement. People like them, and Tanya and Lord Rimuru especially, are in a separate class of their own. Focus on yourself first." He let his hand drop. "If nothing else, I encourage you to speak with her later. I'm sure she'll tell you the same thing. Ask about her Skills, too. You never know what might come up."

"And, for purpose?"

"That, I'm afraid, is something only you can figure out." Hakurou , "For now, focus on what you can do and work from there. Even if it's a stopgap, I think helping people is a fine goal to work towards. Though I think Tanya could advise you there as well. Just speak with her. It can only help."

-=-=-=-

Later that Morning

Unmarked Office, Assembly Hall

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Are you sure?" Tanya frowned. She tapped her fingers on the couch idly, "Do we have a reason?"

"We're not sure about the 'why' or 'how'." Souei shook his head. He sat back on the couch opposite to Tanya, his expression unusually stormy, "But it's been confirmed that Gobhua and Gobara are nowhere to be found within Tempest city limits."

"Which means they're either very well-hidden, have left Tempest entirely, or are dead. Do we know the last people to have been in contact with them?"

"Souka already questioned Gobhua's fiancé, parents, and close friends. And I have a Body Double questioning Gobara's kin as we speak."

"And?"

"According to her fiancé, Gobhua had been acting strange and 'out of sorts' over the past week or so. He said she 'felt like she was being stared at' during odd hours. Other than that, he reported nothing else out of the ordinary. Her parents and friends had similar accounts."

Souei paused, as if having a mental conversation with himself. Which was likely what was happening, given his Body Double.

"It seems those closest to Gobara reported much the same. However, Gobara also apparently mentioned a 'featureless figure' to her mother. Furthermore, one of her friends described a similar feeling of being watched."

Tanya leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees. "What about motive? Did Gobhua and Gobara give any indication that they would want to leave Tempest? Perhaps together?"

Souei shook his head. "None. Gobhua ran a meat skewer stand with her fiancé, and Gobara was set to begin training as an educator for small children. They're unlikely to have met in any great capacity, having originated from different Goblin villages, and both were reportedly very happy and content under Lord Rimuru's rule."

Tanya was silent for a moment.

"And then what? Anything else?"

"And then, nothing. Other than what you've just heard, we also know that the two disappeared sometime within the past 48 hours."

"And of course, it wasn't reported until today, since they could have just been busy or with someone else." Tanya sighed, "Which means we have nothing."

Souei nodded.

"So, to summarize," Tanya began, "The Goblina citizens, known by the names Gobhua and Gobara, have disappeared from Tempest. There's no discernable motive behind their disappearance, and no correlation other than the time." She held up a hand, "In other words, we have no trace of where they went, or why they're gone, other than a supposed 'shadowy figure' and vague feelings of being watched. Is that everything?"

"So far, yes."

Tanya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fantastic."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Do you?" Tanya asked rhetorically, "No, there's nothing concrete. I can certainly guess. But first, since you know this world better than I do, what do you think is going on here?"

"As you pointed out, with nothing concrete the best I have are guesses. There's no trace, no leads, nothing of any value of substance." Souei leaned forward. "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Well, as effective as your Body Double intelligence web is, there's sure to be gaps. Don't take it too harshly. For all we know, they met in secret and absconded off to Dwargon." Tanya sat back, crossing her arms.

"Do you believe that?"

"Believe? I don't 'believe' anything of the like. It's just one of two most likely scenarios, given what we know. Or more accurately, what we don't know." She scrunched up her nose, "This lack of information is displeasing, to say the least. In my opinion, we should hope that an elope is what happened here. Given that the other most likely scenario is…"

"Humanoid trafficking." Souei finished with grimace.

Tanya nodded.

"Perhaps that, or perhaps just outright murder. In any case, the best we can assume the 'why' and hope it doesn't happen again." She shrugged, "More realistically, we have to hope there's some sort of trace the next time it happens. One of Gobara's friends mentioned being watched, didn't they?"

"That's right." Souei stood. "I'll have a Body Double keep an eye on her for the time being."

"Good idea. We should stick her with a magical tracker too. If she disappears as well, we can resolve this whole shitshow right then."

Tanya stood as well, stretching her arms above her head. "Was that everything?"

"Not quite." Souei reached into his coat, before pulling out and tossing something at her.

Tanya caught the object with ease, quickly unrolling what turned out to be a map of the area.

"We've been getting reports of magical anomalies in areas around Tempest." He said in a low voice, "Admittedly, I didn't give them much mind at first."

"Understandable." Tanya acknowledged, glancing over the marked location with a calculating eye, "This area is rather saturated in magicules, after all. If it were just one or two instances, you could chock it up as a coincidence and be done with it."

She tilted the map slightly downwards, revealing numerous red dots and timestamps.

"However, I believe this goes a bit past 'one or two'."

"The first instance is dated a few weeks after yours and Mary Sue's arrival. I'm not sure if there were any instances before your arrival, as my intelligence network was not as extensive then as it is now."

"Yes, and you were dealing with the aftermath of that Orc Disaster."

"That too." Souei agreed. "I'd like to ask you to investigate the locations on that map when you get chance."

"Of course." Tanya said easily. "We're equals here; can't have you doing all the work. I'll take care of this myself, so just focus on your other duties. Same time next week?"

"Unless something else arises." Souei said, before disappearing into his shadow.

Efficient. The perfect coworker. Even so…

"It's only been two weeks since the last incident." Tanya shook her head in dismay, moving to leave her office. "No rest for the wicked, huh?"

Everyone's eyes seem to be on Tempest. I don't want to make baseless conjecture, but is this really just inconvenient timing? She grimaced, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she left. Fuck, I need some stress-relief. Tempest doesn't have any alcohol laws… yet. When does Treyni's bar open again?

-=-

"I want you to help me train my magic."

"Come again?"

Not exactly what I was looking for. Tanya sweatdropped. Picking on the little guy is perfectly fine when the situation is life or death, but I have absolutely no desire to knock Mary Sue down another three pegs. A few lives ago, I would have already brushed her aside. But, back then I also assumed fault-ridden subordinates were the type of people to never improve.

"I said, I want you to help me train my magic." Sue crossed her arms. "Weren't you listening?"

Is this better or worse than when I was a salaryman? Hard to tell. Sure, I'm aware others can improve, but even so, having to deal with things like this is… Tanya mentally sighed, She's as abrasive as always. Honestly, I don't have time for this. There are more important things I could be doing than playing 'skill checkup'.

"Right, I thought you said that." Tanya tilted her head, "But why-"

She trailed off. Hm?

Sue's jaw was set, her expression a level of fierce determination Tanya hadn't seen since their previous world. It was the closest thing to "interesting" Tanya had seen out of the other woman since their mutual death.

That's a different look in her eye. Come to think of it, it has been a while since I've checked on her improvement. Did something happen? Hakurou, maybe Gobta said something to her?

A sense of déjà vu struck her like an artillery spell.

 …No. I've seen this sort of thing before, haven't I? Yes, alright. No one is allowed to interrupt a metamorphosis in progress. Isn't that right, Visha? I suppose I can make some time.

"Well, sure." Tanya's expression turned thoughtful.

 Actually, I can kill two birds with one stone here.

-=-=-=-

A Few Minutes Later

Northern Training Field

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"I thought you wanted help with your magic." Degurechaff pointed out, dropping the satchel she'd grabbed from their house on the ground beside her.

"Fighting is a good way to test my magic."

"That is… technically true." Degurechaff heaved a sigh. "Well, I've been meaning to practice more with this, so it's not a total loss."

As she said this, a magic circle appeared above one of her hands. With her other hand, Degurechaff reached inside the circle and pulled. Slowly, a handle of a reddish wood emerged.

Degurechaff continued to pull, until eventually she was brandishing a brilliantly crafted… pole with a blade on the end?

"What is that?" Mary blinked. "Actually, no, how did you do that?"

"This is a naginata I asked Kaijin to craft for me." Degurechaff's voice switched into the tone Mary had recently learned to recognize as 'lecture mode'. "Technically, you would refer to it as an ō-naginata or a ko-naginata depending on the wielder and the length of the weapon. But I don't think it's that important, truth be told. It's basically the same weapon in this case. And as for how I hid it…"

Degurechaff briefly let go of the handle, catching the naginata closer to the blade.

"We'll leave that in the dark for a bit longer." She crouched down and reached into her earlier-dropped satchel. "I'll tell you if actually land a blow on me this time. How's that?"

"…Fine." Mary huffed, "Let's go already."

"Hold on now. I don't exactly want to dissect you today." Degurechaff looked up. Mary blinked, belatedly recognizing what was happening.

"You're tying the sheath down with… bandages?"

"More like cloth wrappings, but yes. It might come off otherwise."

"Is that necessary?"

Degurechaff stood, ignoring her question. "You're being awfully impatient, aren't you? Are you that eager to spend time with me?"

She spun the naginata idly, testing the wrap's security.

Stupid question.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes, obviously."

I need to learn more. Who else would I be eager to spend time with now?

Degurechaff paused for a second.

"Pardon?"

Mary blinked. Did I say something wrong?

"I said 'yeah'. You're the best mage I know." Mary shot her an odd look. "Of course I'm eager. How else am I going to get stronger?"

No one else can teach me magic like her, since we're both from the same world. This is also a good opportunity to ask about her Skills. So, how else am I supposed to feel besides eager?

"…Right. Just… watch how you phrase things. You don't want other people getting the wrong impression. Me included."

The wrong idea?

"How so?"

"I-" Degurechaff's cool mask slipped for a second, her expression pained. "No, I refuse. This isn't worth it anymore. Let's start already."

Degurechaff stood up straight, again spinning her weapon. The naginata sung as it moved through the air, cutting circles around her body as it switched sides and moved from left to right without issue.

Then, she dropped it.

"Oops." Degurechaff bent down, picking it back up. "Too fancy?"

She's not taking this seriously at all. Knowing her though, it might be deliberate.

Mary gripped tight the handle of her sheathed bokken.

It's been a month and a half since we last fought. I need to know more about her abilities, but first, I need to be strong enough to force her to use them at all.

"We'll go by the usual rules." Degurechaff called out, settling into a loose stance, "No maiming and the like. I have a potion on me, but I'd rather not waste it on something avoidable. If you would have died from an attack, then you lose."

Degurechaff turned her body sideways, holding the naginata near the blade. She held her other hand out, palm up in the classic 'bring it on' position.

"Start whenever you're ready."

Mary nodded.

She has a longer reach with that naginata of hers. Which means I need to close the distance.

Her tightened her grip even more.

But, she has to know that too, which means I'll have to work even harder. Is it better to use it now, or later on? But what if I need it? Would saving it for a later moment be better?

Mary breathed deeply. Her magic flowed like a river, rushing throughout her body and into her bokken.

No, I might not get the chance later. I'll use it now and improvise if that doesn't work.

She pressed her thumb against the guard of her bokken, getting ready to flick it from its sheath. Water began to flow around the blade, hidden inside.

This kind of trick will only work once. I'll have to make it count.

-=-

She's up to something. Tanya thought, observing Mary's tense stance with an eyebrow raised. She's being patient. She's hasn't done that before, as sad as that is to admit. And that stance is… iaijutsu? Quick draw? Some Hakurou's teachings seem to have stuck. That's a good sign as well.

Suddenly, Mary's stance loosened, her bokken flowing swiftly from her sheath like water.

No, that's actual water! Tanya's other eyebrow shot up as well, She picked up Hakurou's "Water Arts" as well?

Mary slashed the bokken across her body, water flowing behind the blade and filling the air. Then just as quickly, she redirected the movement downward, slamming it into the ground. More water rushed from the impact, spreading out and up in a swirling water spout.

That was Crestwater Slash. And… a modified Whirlpool Slash? Tanya crouched slightly, holding her naginata at the ready. The water, seemingly being manipulated by the other woman's magic, hung in the air for longer than it should have. Instead of carelessly closing the distance, she used the water to obscure my vision. Clever-

Magic Sense pinged, as something approached her at high speed from behind the liquid curtain.

Tanya reacted completely on autopilot, swinging her naginata up in a defensive swipe.

Thunk!

Her bokken?

The wooden sword spun as it was knocked away, sunlight glinting off its metallic handle guard and spine.

Did she channel her magic into it? But why-

Magic Sense pinged again, this time directly behind her. Realization sparked in her eyes like fireworks.

A distraction. That's right.

Tanya spun around as quick as she could.

I have the range advantage, so naturally she'd want to close the distance. An area she'd have an advantage in over most opponents. After all, Mary Sue has always been powerful. Her magic was S-grade back in our other world, and that itself was further enhanced by Being X's "blessing".

She was just a split second too slow. Sue was nearly on her already, her arm pulled back for a palm strike. Tanya held up her naginata to block, making sure to reinforce herself with her magic.

Being X's influence was removed when we reincarnated here. My curse and mental corruption disappeared, and I received TLE in exchange. Meanwhile, Sue kept most of her natural magic pool, but lost the overwhelming boost from Being X's "blessing". And in exchange for that…

Mary's palm crashed against her naginata's handle, splintering the wood. A split second later, her magic rushed in.

Crack!

Tanya's naginata split in two, the force of the double impact blowing her backwards and off her feet.

…is a level of physical enhancement bordering on superhuman.

She twisted in midair, backflipping and landing lightly on her feet several meters away.

It normally wouldn't be a problem, but I also have to deal with her Unique Skill. Not to mention her magic itself, which she seems to have gotten a greater grasp on. Tanya glanced down at the broken ends of the naginata, absentmindedly noting the slight shaking in her hands, Still, what's with this time lag? It's like she hit me twice… well, it's not like it matters now.

-=-

I… hit her? Kind of?

Mary stared at her outstretched hand incredulously.

…It worked?

"Damn…"

Mary looked up, gauging the distance between them.

Degurechaff paid her little mind, instead staring at her broken-in-half naginata with annoyance.

She clicked her teeth. "I've only had this for two weeks…"

Mary winced, before mentally shaking her head.

No, we're not done yet. Don't worry about that!

She pulled her hand back, settling into a loose boxing stance she'd seen Gobta take up once or twice. Not that it had worked out well for him, since his opponent had been Hakurou, but her options were somewhat limited at the moment.

Do I rush her? She's off guard, but without my bokken I'm at the disadvantage. What do I do? Should I-

"And now you've lost!"

"Huh?" Mary blinked. It was only her magically enhanced reflexes that allowed her to duck in time, the lower half of Degurechaff's naginata ruffling her hair as it rocketed overhead.

She's throwing-! Mary dove forward, the upper half of the naginata burying itself in the ground at her former position. She tumbled into a roll, barely recovering and landing on her hind end.

"And now, you're dead."

Degurechaff's voice came from directly in front of her. Mary looked up, immediately seeing the other woman's glowing palm a few centimeters from her face.

"Looks like it's my win, then."

The glow dissipated.

Degurechaff turned her hand over, extending it slightly. Mary stared at the proffered hand for a moment, glancing between it and Degurechaff's face multiple times. After another moment of hesitation, she took it, letting out a surprised squeak as the other woman effortlessly hoisted to her feet.

Mary jerked her hand away like it'd caught fire, a small blush rising to her cheeks.

"…Thanks."

Degurechaff blinked, before having the nerve to let out a laugh.

"What has my life come to? Mary Sue, accepting my helping hand up, and then thanking me for it. I really must have died back then."

"Piss off. We're supposed to be allies, aren't we? Don't act so high and mighty about it."

"Allies don't have to like each other, Sue. I'm sure you're well aware just how much the Federation hated everyone that wasn't themselves."

"Even if you hate your allies, you should help them to the best of your ability." Mary countered. "I disagreed with the Federation completely, but they were on our side."

"And you see me the same way, huh?" Degurechaff said nonchalantly, "Well, we've hated each other for so long, so I can't really blame you."

"No, that's not-" Mary coughed into her fist, looking away, "That's not it. You have some… qualities that aren't terrible, you know. So, to say I hate you is… not really true anymore."

An awkward silence filled the air.

"…Huh."

Mary turned back, noting the slightly puzzled look on Degurechaff's face.

A few seconds later, the blonde shrugged, "That is a more reasonable response than I'd expected."

Mary blinked. "What did you expect?"

"In general? Screaming, maybe some angry crying. A fistfight. You know, the usual." Degurechaff gave her a once over, "Right now though, perhaps a 'you damn devil' or two. Our previous encounters have only given me increasingly lower expectations."

"That's… fair."

As much as I hate to admit it.

"Or maybe some sort of cliché 'hate you, hate to love you' type of confession, I'm not sure." Degurechaff continued, with surprisingly little concern for her own life, "Was it my roguish charms and fine aristocratic features that brought you around?"

"Consider going somewhere and fucking yourself." Mary rolled her eyes, refusing to rise to the bait, "Honestly, you're always so annoying. Do you never shut up?"

"That's more like it." Degurechaff crossed her arms. "If you started getting any more familiar, I might have accused you of liking me."

"I already said I don't dislike you."

"Well, you say that now, but after I'm done training you that might change."

Mary did a double take, a startled look overtaking her, "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. You've improved enough to land a blow on me, which means you're ready for more advanced magical instruction. You'll be continuing your morning training with Hakurou, of course. But for the next month at least, you will attend afternoon training sessions with me. I'll also organize a few spars for you, with… hm, Shion, definitely Rimuru, maybe Youm- no, his troupe left the other day."

"Wait, wait. That's not- hold on a moment!" Mary waved her hands frantically, "Isn't this a little rushed? And aren't you busy with work?"

"Why waste time? That wouldn't make any sense. And I changed occupations recently, so I have more free time." Degurechaff gestured in her direction, "You still want to help others, yes?"

"Of course!" Mary's answer was quick, "That's what I want. I don't know what else I would do."

I don't know what else I can do.

"The strength to stand for others first requires the strength to stand alone." Degurechaff stared at Mary passively, taking in her mildly upset expression, "While you may not be strong enough yet, you will be. Don't get hung up on worthless emotions like regret and doubt. Just focus on what you can do for now."

-=-

It was quiet for several moments.

"What about you?"

Tanya blinked. "Eh?"

"Sorry, I mean, what can you do? I guess?" Sue shook her head, "No, what I'm asking is… Hakurou Sensei said I was focusing on the wrong thing. He also said to ask you about your Skills."

"My Skills…"

How would knowing my abilities help her at all? Does this have something to do with that self-deprecating nature she's seemed to pick up? How could knowing about my Skills help with that, besides- oh. Well, that makes sense.

"I assume you mean my Unique Skills."

Sue nodded.

If she's comparing herself to me… well, with the incomplete information available to her, naturally she'd feel unaccomplished. I suppose the TLE easily creates the wrong sort of impression when it comes to powerscaling.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Don't tell anyone else, got it?"

"I won't."

It's clear she's been working hard lately. If you want your employees – subordinates, allies, whoever – to stay properly motivated, you have to reward them occasionally. It wouldn't do well for her to get disheartened now. Not when she's so close to becoming genuinely useful. Plus, she needs to realize she shouldn't be comparing herself to others with incomplete information.

"You already know about my Unique Skill: Formulaic Casting. It lets me mimic the magic of our old world. It's extremely versatile, and it allows a much more precise casting of magic than otherwise possible. You know just as well as I do that magic here is incredibly different. Instead of mana, it uses magicules, or aura, or even a person's internal life energy. It's generally more diverse and powerful as a result, which makes precision suffer for it."

Tanya held her hand out to the side. Her hand glowed briefly, two small explosions of dirt erupting a few meters away. Left behind were two pits in the ground.

"You'll notice one hole is larger than the other, despite me putting approximately the same amount of magic into each casting." Tanya pointed to the first, "With the mimicked formulae of Formulaic Casting, I can calculate my magic expenditure exactly. Often, this means I'm trading power for consistency, but it's a case by case basis. Understand?"

Mary nodded.

Good, she's picking things up quicker as well. A true test of her growth might be in order soon.

"But what about your other one? You said 'Unique Skills' earlier. As in, more than one."

She caught that? Interesting, considering she should have already known I had two Unique Skills. The only reason she wouldn't is if she can't distinguish between them. So, does that mean she thinks I blasted Milim with that giant optical spell with only my own magic? No wonder she's doubting herself.

"That's right. I actually have two Unique Skills." Tanya brought her arm back in, clenching her hand into a fist. "The second is called… well, it's a mouthful. Just call it TLE. Basically, it lets me store my own magic inside the Skill and use it to enhance my abilities."

"Magic storage…" Mary's eyes widened as the implications hit her fully, "So, it's like another magic pool that keeps growing? That's insane!"

It was Tanya's turn to be surprised.

"What? No, it doesn't work like that." She activated TLE Level One briefly, letting the magic flow across her body, "Unlike our internal magic pool, the magic inside TLE doesn't regenerate after use. Once I use it, it's gone. It's pretty much just a battery."

A functionally limitless magical battery, but yes, that's essentially it. That's not mentioning the physical drawbacks from using too much magic at once, or the difficulty in using the Skill at all above Level Two. She doesn't need to know that, thought.

"A battery. Okay, that makes sense." For some reason, Sue looked relieved. "How often do you, uh, fill it up?"

This might be the most normal conversation we've ever had. Is that improvement I see?

"I usually put in whatever I have left at the end of the day-" Tanya froze.

"Tanya, we have a problem."

Souei?

Tanya activated Magic Sense, spreading it's range as far as she could let it go without giving her an aneurysm. 

…Shit. Sue's test might come sooner than I thought.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Known Skills List

Tanya:

Common Skill: Thought Communication

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra Skill: Voice of the World Communication

Unique Skill: Formulaic Casting

Unique Skill: Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement

Mary:

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra/Intrinsic Skill: Physical Enhancement

Other Skills Unknown

Notes:

(Tanya's naginata looks like Maki's from Jujutsu Kaisen btw)

What's this? Some new/possibly original content? I thought about it for a while now, and just following directly along the Tensura plot would be a bit boring, wouldn't it? Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that there's a several month time gap between Charybdis and Falmuth's attack on Tempest. Skipping through it is a possibility, but why do that when I can write an entirely new arc focused on Tanya and Mary (and Souei and Souka a bit too).

Speaking of Charybdis...

FooterAbout the ArchiveSite MapDiversity StatementTerms of ServiceDMCA PolicyContact UsPolicy Questions & Abuse ReportsTechnical Support & FeedbackDevelopmentotwarchive v0.9.367.15Known IssuesGPL-2.0-or-later by the OTW