ASIDE: FENRIR
MY VASSAL, the tiny wolf, was fretting.
He didn’t want to simply be of use to his masters. He wanted to fight alongside them.
That was all he wanted, but strong as Jet was, it would be difficult to achieve.
“Woof, woof. Arf!”
Jet took a devastating attack from a monster much stronger than him. I knew what he was going for. To get stronger, he’d use Predator on these powerful monsters in order to achieve his evolution. There was nothing unreasonable about this method.
Monsters have been known to evolve by taking in energy from the creatures they ate. This mutation was all the more possible for Jet because he was a Unique.
But consuming the flesh of C-Threats wasn’t going to be enough. Although they were stronger than Jet was, race, level, and compatibility all played a part in the predation process. In order for Jet to reach a new evolution, he would need to eat the flesh of an A-Threat or stronger and lots of it. It needed to be the right kind of monster, too.
Deep down, Jet knew this. That was why he was pushing himself to fight stronger and stronger monsters…but pushing himself would cost him much.
“Gyaaooooon!”
“Jet!”
Jet howled in pain as he was tossed through the air. The small wolf was fighting a bipedal monster that stood fifteen meters high. A tail still supported it however, making it a false biped.
It was the Brutal Dragon, a part of the Earth Dragon genus; dragons that possess small wings in exchange for larger legs. The Brutal Dragon was a force to be reckoned with physically, with tough scales and powerful muscles. The attacks it delivered with its forearms were worthy of a B-Threat. Jet had had a difficult time enough with the Brute Lizard, the Brute Dragon’s weaker cousin. There was no way he could defeat this monster.
Jet was sent flying fifty meters away. He was twitching on the ground, dripping with blood. His innards were spilling out of his stomach and his right foot was torn off. His spine and neck were broken, half of his face crushed. He probably had brain damage now.
Unconscious. Couldn’t even run.
I could only watch my poor vassal. There was nothing I could do. Even though Jet was my vassal, this Godbeast was nothing more than a soul on the brink of death.
“Haaaa!” Fran stepped in to save him. She fired thunder spells at the brutal dragon to draw its attention and started healing Jet. But his wounds ran deeper than she expected. “Come on! Greater Heal! Greater Heal!”
“Arooo…”
“Why isn’t it working…?”
Jet was barely conscious now thanks to her healing and his regeneration, but he wasn’t healing quickly enough.
“Grooooar!” The brutal dragon let out a ferocious roar as it rushed them. Winning this fight by herself would be difficult for Fran.
“Urgh…sorry, Jet!”
“Woof…”
Fran picked him up and put some distance between them and the dragon. She outran it in five minutes, but when she went to heal Jet, she discovered that she was out of resources. Out of mana, yes, but also out of all the potions that Teacher had given her. She couldn’t heal Jet completely.
Still, it wasn’t her fault. The dragon was a powerhouse of brute strength, but being a dragon, it was also proficient in magic. It possessed Life Magic, a branch of magic with spells that could disrupt a target’s healing. Such magic had hit Jet’s leg.
In the end, Jet lost his rear right foot along with his right eye. Perhaps things would’ve been different if Teacher were around, proficient with magic as he was. For now, Fran and Jet were lucky to escape with their lives.
“I’m so sorry, Jet…”
“Bark, bark!”
“Hm…”
“Woof!”
“Okay. We’ll get you to evolve, just you wait.”
Even with his injuries, Jet’s will to evolve wasn’t extinguished. In fact, it felt stronger than before. It wasn’t so that he could recover all his lost limbs by evolving. He wanted to evolve so he wouldn’t be a burden to his masters after getting injured.
His masters were all he thought about. Such single-minded purpose.
Jet continued to fight harrowing battles. He still looked divine, even after losing a paw and an eye. I couldn’t help but identify with him as he fought with and through the pain. Even after the heart of the Evil One started corrupting me, not a day went by that I didn’t struggle for the sake of my creator. The foolish Godbeast eventually broke himself trying.
But Jet’s circumstances were different from mine. Where I was only following orders as a vassal of the gods, he wanted to fight of his own free will. His motives were purer than mine.
I watched him fight and get hurt, day after day. Thirty days after Jet lost his leg, I couldn’t take it anymore.
Sorry, Teacher. This might take time away from your restoration process. But I can no longer sit idly by.
I called out to my vassal.
Jet…you will now evolve.
“Grr…!”
Jet growled at me through gritted teeth. He was already at a sufficient level to evolve, and he knew it. He also knew full well that his efforts had not borne fruit.
At this rate, the little direwolf would evolve into a Darknight Wolf. But Jet had been refusing to evolve this whole time, bottling up the mana within himself.
No one can stop evolution once it is underway, not even I. If he still refused to evolve, the mana inside him would revolt and take his life. I couldn’t stand by and watch him do that.
You have another option.
“Grr?”
Take my powers and a new path will be opened to you.
“Woof?!”
But it is a path you will have to tread alone.
I was both a wolf and not a wolf. If Jet took my powers, he would become just like me. He would evolve into a creature never before seen in the world. The only one of his kind. He would never be able to procreate.
He would take the form of a wolf, but surpass category itself, becoming a mutant. Not being a Godbeast, Jet would be truly alone. His own kind would shun him, and not a single one could share his burdens.
Solitude is the price you must pay for power. This isn’t the same as being left behind by Teacher and Fran. You will deviate from the path of your own kind and be alone.
“Grr!”
Are you sure of this? This life of solitude for the sake of your masters?
“Woof…”
Then I shall respect your resolve. Receive my strength!
I took a piece of Teacher’s powers and bestowed them on Jet. The mana expenditure was significant enough to be a burden on Teacher, but I was sure that he wouldn’t mind. If anything, he would be angry at me if I didn’t help Jet.
Jet’s pent-up mana interacted with my powers, circulating through his body, coating every inch of it. His body was being remade into another species.
“Awoo…grr…!”
Did it hurt? Yes, I’m sure it did. But such was the trial of becoming another species.
“Jet, are you okay?!” Fran shouted with concern. Jet was howling with pain and mana was surging right through him after a fight. The girl couldn’t hear my voice. It must look like Jet was self-destructing for some reason unknown to her.
“Jet!”
“Grr…” As for Jet, he stood tall, never once losing consciousness or howling in pain. Very good, Jet. You wouldn’t be able to withstand the trials to come if this was enough to break you!
“Grrrrr!” Jet continued to take it, for his own sake and to reassure Fran.
Finally…he evolved.
“Awooooo!” A howl broke out over the Demon Wolf’s Garden under the moonlit night. It was the cry of a wolf emerging from a cradle. A cry of a new species filled with determination.
His body loomed like a great tree, black and gold streaks of fierce mana rushing through him. The rear right foot and the right eye he’d lost regenerated completely. His thick legs gripped the ground and his sharp features pierced through the darkness. The red spots on his coat became more intense, and there was now a streak of silver down his back, which he wore like a mane.
A new species. One that even I had never seen before.
Jet. You are now a new monster. A Ragnarök Wolf. The other wolves will hate you, and you will stand upon the earth alone. This is the form you chose.
“Woof!”
Good answer.
Jet was far more powerful now, in exchange for that solitude. He would be strong enough to fight alongside Fran and Teacher.
“Jet…? You evolved…?”
“Woof.”
“So cool!”
“Woof!”
That’s it, Fran. Pay him his compliments. That is what he wants in the end.
***
Okay, here goes.
“Hm!”
“Woof!”
One day after I woke up, we were out looking for monsters in order to see how much we had grown. In my case, there were kinks in my system—which I didn’t even know existed—that got ironed out and fixed.
P.A. had also recovered part of her power. She still couldn’t talk freely, but she could answer whatever questions I had about my body. She could also support me during mana-related activities, making fine control and grand spells easier to execute.
Meanwhile, Fran had been training with Amanda using a sword Aristea crafted for her.
I looked at the sword in her hand. It was built to withstand Fran’s abuse while also dealing good damage. Aristea said it was a rush job, but it was still pretty strong.
Name: Refined Enchanted Steel Sword
Attack: 380, MP: 80, Durability: 1200
Mana Conductivity: D-
Rush job, she says…
I guess it was like a drawing made by an artist in five seconds or a dish cooked up by a professional chef out of leftovers. Amazing to everyone but the artist herself.
Hmm.
“What is it, Teacher?”
Nothing…
The length and balance of the blade were tuned so that it would replicate me as much as possible. Which made me feel conflicted.
The sword was definitely of use to Fran. It had protected Fran while I was gone, watched her grow stronger, silently endured her wild fighting style. A fine blade, indeed.
But…I didn’t like it. No, let me be frank. I was jealous of this sword. I was jealous of this sword that looked like me that Fran used when I wasn’t around.
Imagine. You come back from a long journey and discover that someone just like you is taking care of your family when you come back. Your family even seems to like them! Even if they told you that they missed you, some part of you will never be okay with that. This scenario fit my feelings to a tee.
W-well, I guess we can put away that sword now that I’m here.
“Hm. I haven’t fought at full strength in a long time.”
Then fight at full strength you shall!
Fran had definitely gotten stronger. Much stronger. She had the title Big Game Hunter, a title achieved by defeating a gigantic enemy. She didn’t know when she got it, but P.A. told me that she got it after killing an Earth Slime which had grown to gigantic proportions after absorbing the ground.
The title gave a boost to her stats when fighting opponents bigger than her. For somebody with Fran’s small frame, that was pretty useful stuff.
Her Skill growth was also surprising. Even without Skill Sharing on, she could now use Advanced Sword Mastery and Advanced Sword Arts. Even if she had to initially use Skill Sharing to level them up, her growth was remarkably fast.
There were several reasons for this. First of all, her natural talent. She also had the ultimate training partner in Amanda. Finally, she spent half a year in the Demon Wolf’s Garden, fighting monsters stronger than her. Thus, the stage was set for her EXP farm.
And of course, she possessed the iron will to see her spartan training through.
However, the true fruits of training couldn’t be measured by numbers alone. Fran had also sharpened her spellcasting, graduating from brute force to more measured tactics. I could tell after she cast a simple fire spell to set up camp. The flow of mana when she cast it was smooth, and she cast it instantly. Spellcasting took focus and control, even with Instacast. It used to be that she needed to pause for a second in order to cast this spell. That was gone now.
You’re so much stronger.
“Hm!”
“Woof!” Jet barked after I praised Fran, reminding me not to forget about him. Standing at over ten meters tall, his voice came from far above me now.
Of course I haven’t forgotten about you. You worked really hard, too.
“Bark, bark!”
Jet’s evolution was shocking to say the least, maybe even more shocking than Fran’s progress. You could say he’d made HUGE progress. But his size wasn’t the only surprise about him. Fenrir had said that Jet was bound to evolve into either a Gehenna Wolf or Darknight Wolf. He was neither of those.
A Ragnarök Wolf. That was his species now.
He had somehow achieved a special evolution. Identify didn’t have details on the Ragnarök Wolf, which reminded me of Fiends…except Jet certainly didn’t have the Evil One’s blessing.
P.A. said that the Ragnarök Wolf was a completely new species. There was no information about it in the foundation of the world.
Name: Jet
Species: Ragnarök Wolf. Demon Wolf.
Level: 62/99
Life: 1834, Magic: 1910, Strength: 980, Agility: 1274
Skill: Shadow Magic 7, Heightened Senses 10, War Cry 3, Stealth 8, Brute Strength 3, Shadow Warp 3, Shadow Lurk 10, Shadow Walk 10, Fang Arts 9, Fang Mastery 9, Air Hop 8, Frenzy 7, Fear 7, Vigilance 8, Conceal Presence 6, Fast Regeneration 3, Brute Force 10, Regeneration 10, Deadly Venom Magic 4, Malice Sense 6, Malice Resistance 5, Blink 10, Flash Step 4, Hush 6, Abnormal Status Resistance 6, Necromancy 6, Life Sense 10, Mental Resistance 10, Claw Mastery 6, Claw Arts 5, Poison Magic 10, Vigor 5, Echolocation 10, Roar 10, Magic Resistance 6, Mana Drain 5, Nightshade 10, Dark Magic 10, Thunder Resistance 7, Shadow Immunity, Nightvision, Toxic Fang, Enhanced Fur, Regeneration Disruption, Self Recovery, Greater Shapeshift, Poison Immunity, Split Thinking, Berserk, Mana Control.
Unique Skill: Dark Drain, Predator Heal
Extra Skill: Predator Assimilation
Class Skill: Intimidate Kin, Kin Hatred, Seal Immunity
Title: Vassal of the Sword, Vassal of the Godwolf, Lone Beast, Fiend Predator, One Of A Kind
Equipment: Enchanted Godsteel Claws, Dragonsnake Collar
Now that was an impressive stat sheet. His stats were vastly increased and his Strength had even broken the 1000 threshold. Jet was now a B-Threat, at least.
He had a lot of new Skills, too. Most of them were advanced forms of preexisting Skills, but there were some unique ones in there.
Normal Skills
Shadow Warp: Advanced form of Shadow Walk.
Regeneration Disruption: Slows down recovery from bite attacks.
Greater Shapeshift: Advanced form of Shapeshift.
Berserk: Goes berserk when driven into a corner.
Unique Skills
Shadow Drain: Partly absorbs incoming dark and shadow spells.
Predator Heal: Recovers health by eating.
Extra Skill
Predator Assimilation: Advanced form of Predator. Takes the powers of one’s prey.
Class Skill
Dimension Fang: A fang attack which ignores defense by penetrating dimensions.
Intimidate Kin: Intimidates members of the same and related species unconditionally.
Kin Hatred: Hated by the members of the same and related species.
Seal Immunity: Nullifies seals.
Intimidate Kin and Kin Hatred were the weird ones. They had strange names, worked to Jet’s disadvantage, and didn’t seem to be the advanced form of any of his preexisting Skills.
Fiend Predator was self-explanatory enough. Jet acquired it after eating enough Fiends. But then there were Lone Beast and One Of A Kind, titles which seemed to be bestowed upon him as consolation for his solitude.
P.A. told me that Fenrir had given Jet some of our powers, allowing him to evolve into a special wolf that surpassed all other wolves.
Jet…
“Arf?”
Jet looked at me with simple eyes. Even looming ten meters tall, he still had the same eyes—ones that held not the slightest hint of loneliness or sadness.
It got me thinking. What if someone learned of my predicament and felt sorry for me? What if they said, “It must be lonely for a human to have his soul stuck in a sword.”
I wouldn’t be happy, that’s for sure. That’s not what I wanted to hear.
This is awesome! You’re crazy strong now, Jet! We’ll be relying on you more than ever!
“Hm. So cool.”
“Woof!” Jet barked happily when we praised him. He really was a lot like me. Not so much our personalities, but the way we thought.
Well, we have a lot of training ahead of us. Let’s look for something to fight!
“Hm!”
“Woof!”
And so we set off looking for monsters, eager to show off the fruits of our progress to each other…
“Haaa…uh?”
Crap, my timing’s all wrong!
“Arf?”
Sorry, Jet.
Only to find that our ability to work as a team was way off now.
We were up against a herd of fanged boars, weak monsters which didn’t usually give us trouble. Fran was probably strong enough now to stop an entire herd of them with her little finger…but we’d missed our opening and follow up attacks on the head of the herd.
Fran initiated the attack, but both of us misjudged each other’s level of progress. I had taken into account Fran’s faster cast speed, but I wasn’t expecting her control of the flame spell Vernier to improve so much. She usually needed an extra wind spell and telekinesis in order to stabilize it, but now she could use Vernier to fly in a straight line.
She should’ve been able to decimate the boar monsters, but unfortunately, I got in the way. I had to. I couldn’t just sit by and watch while we were testing our teamwork.
When I saw that Fran was planning to accelerate with Air Hop and flame magic, I helped her out with a wind spell. I also used telekinesis to hold the fanged boars in place.
But my control was much better than I expected. Granted, I put a little bit of extra mana in since it had been a long time since I fought. I thought it wouldn’t hurt…
I sure wasn’t expecting the result to be several times stronger.
The wind spell was so powerful that it ended up blowing the fanged boars away. Fran insisted on attacking our target, but she ended up decimating the herd in the process. I didn’t think Elemental Blade could get so powerful. A single swing from a wind charged Elemental blade was enough to kill three boars. Meanwhile, the two boars behind them were taken down by the sheer wind pressure. The latter was a worse way to go. They were in pain until we finished them off. We definitely needed to be more careful.
Jet dashed for the head of the herd, but their difference in size was enormous. He was liable to squash the boar like a bug before he could show off his powers.
Then, right before our eyes, Jet turned himself smaller. Greater Shapeshift. Before, he could take himself from four meters to one meter. Now, he could take his ten-meter body and go as small as thirty centimeters.
Now the size of a small dog, Jet attacked the fanged boar that I had locked down. He went for the head in order to preserve the rest of the beast’s body, but it bounced. My telekinesis had gotten in the way. I had charged it with too much mana. The attack released the boar from my telekinesis, and it started running away. But Jet immediately caught up to it with Shadow Warp and took its head off with a single swipe of his front paw.
Unlike Shadow Walk, Shadow Warp allowed Jet to transport himself to anywhere that had shade. He could even emerge from shadows that would have been too small for Shadow Walk.
Aristea had also provided him with some new equipment.
Name: Enchanted Godsteel Claws
Attack: 480, MP: 250, Durability: 800
Mana Conductivity: B
Skill: Enhanced Size Adjustment
Name: Dragonsnake Collar
Defense: 80 Durability: 600/600
Effects: Item Pouch (Small), Enhanced Size Adjustment
The Godsteel Claws were very similar to Jet’s previous weapon, the Captive Claws, the only difference being these were custom-made for him. He lost the ability to paralyze his enemies, but the difference in attack power more than made up for it.
As for the Dragonsnake collar, it was made out of wyrm hide from Amanda’s personal stock. It doubled both as a familiar collar and a bridle for Fran to use when riding him.
Both were designed to grow to Jet’s maximum size, making them very useful. But Aristea couldn’t imbue his gear with other Skills because of this oddball feature. She barely managed to fit the item pouch on the collar.
Uhh…sorry.
“It’s okay.”
“Woof!”
I should probably check how strong I am before we start fighting together again.
We then spent some time using our individual powers in battle, teaming up from time to time. I also absorbed the crystals Fran had gathered during my absence, gaining a lot of new Skills and ranking up in the process. She’d gathered over three hundred crystals, after all.
The crystal requirement increased upon ranking up, but there was something strange about it this time. The crystal I absorbed barely counted towards the rank counter. I also didn’t get as many Evolution Points as usual. It kind of defeated the point of ranking up.
I asked P.A. about my predicament and she gave me a handy explanation.
Compensation is required due to Fenrir transferring power to Specimen Jet.
What?
Power is redirected to healing Fenrir, causing a loss in EP gain.
Usually, the flow looked like this: absorb crystals → heal Fenrir → gain powers from crystals. But now I couldn’t gain as much power from the crystals because Fenrir needed most of it to heal himself after powering up Jet.
How long is it going to be this way?
The problem is likely to persist for two more rank-ups.
Hmm. Well, it’s all right, I guess. He used it for Jet’s sake, after all.
If anything, I should thank him. Jet only reached his desired power level thanks to the Godbeast. Still…if only I could get rid of Kin Hatred somehow. Too bad Skill Taker couldn’t get rid of it; it was a Class Skill, after all.
As for my sudden spike in Skill count, P.A. had it covered. She was managing most of it, reducing the toll it took on me. That being said, I still couldn’t be reckless about it.
This altar couldn’t be used frequently. Activating it and the subsequent restoration process took up a lot of mana. Even if the Demon Wolf’s Garden had an abundant supply of mana, it wasn’t limitless.
Can I get points at my next rank-up?
Yes. But there is only an eleven percent chance of getting the projected amount of EP.
So I’m getting nothing?
Eighty nine percent chance of EP being halved.
Half the EP then. That’d be all right. It was actually a cheap price to pay for Jet to evolve. Besides, it wasn’t good to want new powers when we hadn’t fully utilized the powers we already had. We needed to make the best of our current abilities first.
Teamwork, Skill training, get more crystals. We have our work cut out for us!
“Hm! I’ll do my best!”
“Woof!”
1022 crystals to next rank-up.
***
We’ve polished our teamwork and we know the extent of each other’s abilities. I’ve sorted out my Skills and spent EP, too, so I can get new Skills.
“Hm.”
A month had passed since my awakening and discovery of Fran and Jet’s spectacular progress. February had come and was now nearly gone. Today was a special day.
Our training ends tomorrow.
I told Fran and the others at dinner. We were sitting around a campfire next to the pedestal.
I knew Fran wanted to stay in the Demon Wolf’s Garden to train. She wanted to get stronger by hunting more monsters, but that wouldn’t be good for her. Things would be different if I were alone in the Garden. Holing up somewhere for extended periods of time wouldn’t be good for Fran’s education, though. Children need to interact with all sorts of people.
Thanks for taking care of Fran for me, Amanda.
“Thanks.”
“Woof!”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re friends, aren’t we? Besides, I had a lot of fun and got some great training out of it, too.”
Amanda did, in fact, level up, and upped her Skill levels as well. The A Rank had made time in her busy schedule to come here once a week. We owed her a huge favor, and although she told us not to worry about it, we still owed her one.
“Aristea helped me out, too.”
“Please. Just think of it as payment in exchange for the information you gave me on the Sword of Mad Faith. Besides, examining you is an experience I can’t get anywhere else, Teacher.”
But are you sure you don’t want us to pay for the gear?
“I am. Besides, Amanda provided all of the materials.”
Amanda had, in fact, provided the materials to make Jet’s claws and collar, as well as Fran’s sword. She had asked the Godsmith to provide for Jet since she believed he could become much stronger.
“Jet was working so hard,” Amanda giggled.
“Bark, bark!”
She gently rubbed Jet’s back. He was happy to receive compliments from her, too. He’d known her since I first summoned him—she’d even been around to see it.
“If you must pay me back, then carry out the quest I gave you.”
“Hm.”
You got it.
Aristea had asked us to go to the Academy of Magic in the neighboring country. She made the request over half a year ago, but it was still fresh in my mind. They were looking for a dueling partner, but they might also ask us to do other things while we were there. The Academy’s High Elf headmistress was someone Aristea couldn’t refuse, and she’d insisted that Aristea find her a candidate for them.
All right…is it tomorrow already?
“Huh? I suppose it is.” Aristea responded by taking a pocket watch out of her robe. I wanted one for myself, but apparently it was really expensive. Aristea’s own pocket watch had cost several million gold.
Fran, do you know what day it is?
“Hm?”
Nope, guess not.
I wasn’t surprised that she had lost all sense of time after training in the haunt for so long.
It’s been exactly one year since we met.
“Wow. Already?”
Yeah. How the time flies! I was in sleep mode for half a year, but that still meant I had been with Fran for six months. Sadness, anger, fun, happiness. We had gone through so much together. You’re so much stronger now.
“Hm.”
Fran had been a powerless slave when I’d first met her. Still, she never wavered from her path despite all the suffering that came with it. She kept her eyes on the peak and never strayed. Her path was difficult. There were times when she was inches away from death. Yet she carried on, fighting powerful opponents every step of the way.
It all culminated in the Fran standing here today.
It was a deeply moving moment for me, and I was sure that Fran felt the same way. There was a flush on her cheeks as she nodded quietly.
But I was in for a bigger surprise when I Identified her.
Huh? Fran, your age… I swear you were twelve this whole time…
She was twelve up until yesterday. Now she was thirteen.
Fran, do you remember when your birthday is?
“Hm? Uhhh.” Fran knitted her eyebrows and tilted her head.
No, she did not. But what kind of miracle would it take for today to be her birthday? Did the very foundations of the world recognize the day Fran regained her name as her new birthday?
She was Nameless before. On this day, she was once again named Fran.
I felt a bit sorry for her parents, but it was better than not having a birthday.
I guess it’s your birthday today, too! That calls for double the celebration!
“Birthday?
Yeah! You’re thirteen today!
“Really?”
Yep! Happy birthday!
“Hm. Thanks.”
I had prepared a lot of things for our first anniversary, but I didn’t think we’d end up celebrating her birthday, too! Heh heh heh. Well, I have a surprise for you! Can you guess what it is?
“A surprise… Pancakes?”
Oh? Good answer! Correct!
“Ooh.” Fran happily clapped her hands. For her, pancakes were reserved for special occasions, which meant they were her first guess. She was already excited. Her cheeks flushed. Pancakes were her other favorite, though they were a different sort of favorite from curry.
Heh heh heh. While you were asleep, I quietly prepared some special pancake batter!
“Special batter!”
Fran’s eyes sparkled upon hearing the magic words. I wasn’t about to betray her expectations, either!
Over the course of the week, I had been quietly preparing the batter, asking Amanda to buy me whatever ingredients weren’t available. The cream topping was ready. All I needed to do now was cook Fran some fresh pancakes.
First of all, I’m going to cook up ten pancakes at the same time just for you, Fran!
“Teacher, that’s awesome!”
Ha ha! I know! I set up ten cooking stations. Ten frying pans over ten fire spells. Ten invisible hands poured batter on each one. Everything was done telekinetically, and it was a cinch now that P.A. was backing me up.
All telekinesis output is within margin of error.
All right, and now for the pièce de résistance!
“That’s so cool, Teacher!”
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Fran clapped harder when she saw me flip the pancakes with the flick of ten telekinetic wrists. She was drooling, too. Now would be a good time to wipe that off her lips.
And it is complete!
“Woooow!”
A ten-story pancake tower with ten toppings on the side!
I stacked the pancakes one after another on a plate in front of Fran, finishing the stack off with butter and maple syrup. On a separate platter were bowls of whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and nuts and jams of all kinds. All she needed to do was help herself to however many spoonfuls she wanted.
How’s that!
“It’s amazing! I love it! Can I eat it now?”
Of course! Go for it!
“Hm! I’m going in!” Fran cut into the top pancake and put it in her mouth. “Om nom nom!”
Well?
“Hm!” She merely nodded, but her smile told me I had achieved a perfect score. She quickly stuffed herself with pancakes, and her lips got sticky with maple syrup.
Amanda watched her, smiling, and asked her a question. “Say, Fran?”
“Nom?”
“Which one’s better? Curry or pancake?”
“Hm…?” Fran tilted her head for a while and swallowed. “Curry cheers me up!”
“So you like curry more?”
“But pancakes make me happy! They’re both good in different ways,” said Fran. She resumed eating her pancakes when—
Rumble.
Her stomach rumbled. In the middle of her eating pancakes. It must have been triggered by her talking about curry. She was now looking at me pleadingly. “Teacher…”
Okay, okay. I’ll get you some curry, too. Just for today, all right?
“Hm!” Fran wasn’t usually expressive, but she always smiled whenever she had my cooking. I couldn’t be happier, either.
Of course, I couldn’t let her have whatever she wants all the time. She might get fat if I did. But every once in a while was probably fine…
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