The Girl Raised by the Death God Holds the Sword of Darkness in Her Arms - Volume 3 - Chapter 5.1

Chapter Five: Ballroom Hostilities

I

The Training Ground at the Gate to the Land of the Dead

“Z, what are we practicing today?” asked the girl.

Today I will be observing you to judge how your ability to use magic has progressed. Leave your sword where you are, you will not need it.

“Okay.” With a nod, the girl propped her white sword up against a nearby stump.

Let us begin. First, you will attack me with the strongest magic you can muster. I will not make any kind of attack against you.

The girl made a disbelieving noise. “Last time you said that, you attacked me, though,” she objected, pouting. Z looked at her in exasperation. Of course, as Z didn’t have a face, that was only her impression.

That was to teach you caution. There are some out there who would resort to subterfuge to ensnare an opponent. Fighting is about more than merely how far you can push your body, and you have a bad habit of not accepting what I tell you.

The girl laughed awkwardly, fiddling with her hair to avoid answering.

If I have made myself clear, then let us begin, Z said. It will not do to waste time when human lives are so short.

“I’m ready!” The girl screwed up her face in concentration as she bound together the mana inside her. It was just like kneading clay. As she did so, she also began to draw to her the magical essence that permeated the air. Finally, a mass of glowing, blue-white specks began to gather around her hands, coalescing into two fist-sized balls of light.

The girl planted her feet shoulder-width apart, lowered into her stance, and then pulled her hands close to her sides. Just as Z had promised, it showed no sign of responding. It stood there, straight as a board, with only the black mist continuing, as usual, to coil around its form.

“Ready or not, here I come!” the girl called. Her left hand shot out, sending a ball of light hurtling toward Z, who only waited impassively. The ball of light made a direct hit with a thunderous BANG, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. The girl didn’t pause; she was already throwing the second ball of light. When it met its target, there was an even louder explosion that made the earth around them tremble.

I bet Z wasn’t expecting that! she thought, smiling to herself. Z doesn’t know I’ve been practicing by myself. As she looked on, Z’s voice seemed to weave its way out of the dust cloud to her.

Was that it?

“I’m not done!” the girl shouted. She began to send balls of fire shooting up into the sky until they covered the heavens above them like a blazing sunset. Then, she wove the air together into a rope of wind. It streaked from her hand like a whip, binding Z from head to foot. The more you struggled against this rope, the more it cut into your flesh, and it was sharp enough to slice through bone.

Z made an approving noise. You have certainly improved, it murmured, looking at the rope as though it were an interesting curiosity.

The girl swung her hand down, and the fireballs all rushed down toward Z. The god of death was engulfed in bright crimson fire. By the time the final fireball reached its mark, it had grown into a roiling pillar of flame that emitted a deafening roar.

“How...How’s that then?” the girl said, anxiously watching as the pillar continued to burn. Then, there was a sudden, blinding flash of light, and the next moment, the pillar was gone as though it had never been. Z wasn’t even singed, despite being engulfed in an inferno. The girl saw it approach her as though nothing had happened, and threw herself down on the ground in defeat. She couldn’t do anything more.

Are you done?

“Y...Yeah.”

I see... Z said. Well, not bad. Its voice betrayed no emotion, but the girl beamed. She knew that where Z was concerned, “not bad” meant she’d done a good job.

“By the way, Z,” she asked, “are there other humans apart from me who can use magic?”

Z looked at her briefly, then said tonelessly, No.

“Huh, okay...” The girl fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Hey, why are you teaching me magic, anyway?”

The girl was already thirteen years old, and she understood that magic was far too great a power to be trifled with. Just the previous day, she’d tried to catch a vampire bird with magic, only to summon too much power and reduce the creature to ash. The memory stung.

Do you not like magic? Z asked.

“That’s not what I meant. It just seems pretty dangerous.”

So long as you understand that, I am satisfied. Humans, in their pride, are wont to lust after power. Z paused, then added, Truly, humans grow at a remarkable pace. It nodded with an air of something like wonder, then fell silent. The girl sat, watching until Z noticed her gaze and said, You were asking why I teach you magic, I believe.

“Yeah.”

For now, let us just say that, though they are few in number, there are those in this world who pass off cheap tricks under the name of “magic.” That is why.

“Cheap tricks?” the girl asked, puzzled.

It is not something you need to concern yourself with at present, Z replied.

“Okay.”

And one more thing. You must get your gluttony under control. With that, Z vanished, signaling that the conversation was over. Apparently, Z knew all about her excursion the previous day.

The girl lay down spread-eagled on the ground once more, feeling herself slowly sinking back into the embrace of a deep slumber.