The Beginning of Puberty

Claire opened her eyes with a languid sensation, emerging from unconsciousness caused by fatigue from her battle with Teska.

Her head was dizzy, and her body felt heavy.

But it was better than usual.

Claire smiled wryly at the strange phenomenon of feeling physically better despite having shed so much blood in battle.

“Hmmm… ah.”

Claire stretched while she was at it. In the past, she couldn’t stretch even when her body felt stiff.

Because she once accidentally dislocated her arm doing so.

“Hehe.”

A sense of elation coursed through her entire body.

It felt like finally stepping out into the world after being confined in a tiny room.

“I feel like I can do anything.”

Claire’s sense of self was expanding.

Confidence she never had before was forming, and the list of things she wanted to do grew longer.

Growl.

At that moment, Claire’s body sent her a signal. This is it.

This time would be different from before.

“…Perhaps I could indulge in the luxury of eating meat first thing in the morning.”

She was now sturdy enough that she didn’t need to stick to a healthy diet anymore.

The thought made Claire even hungrier.

During their travels, how difficult had it been to pretend she didn’t mind while just watching her companions eat?

“…”

Claire immediately got out of bed and walked. Though her body was still delicate, the days of having to be mindful of every step were over.

Her walking became more natural with each step she took.

By the time she reached her door, Claire thought this process of growing accustomed was still lacking.

She could improve more. With that thought, she grabbed the doorknob.

Crack!

The doorknob couldn’t withstand her strength and shattered.

It was a disconcerting situation. This would be difficult even for a healthy ordinary person.

Claire never thought she’d fail to control her strength and crush a doorknob with her grip. Truly a bewildering situation.

“Hehe.”

But Claire laughed.

A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body. However, in Claire’s case, an overly healthy mind had taken residence in an overly healthy body.

Her inflated sense of self continued to grow.

“Well, this must be normal. Of course. Considering all I’ve been through.”

Despite saying that, Claire cleaned up the broken doorknob fragments to ensure no one would step on them.

“After all, I’m someone loved by the gods. Hehehe.”

Though she pretended to be nonchalant, the corners of her lips refused to come down. Thus, Claire’s puberty arrived dramatically.

* * *

After finishing the aftermath cleanup by morning, I headed to the dining hall to find Claire there.

Claire had piled her plate into a mountain and was eating in a way that was hard to imagine based on her usual self.

“You look healthy.”

“I am.”

“But won’t you get fat eating like that?”

“Someone said they don’t mind if I gained a little weight.”

“Who told you that?”

“Línea-unnie did.”

“If the doctor said so, then I guess it’s fine. Eat plenty.”

Honestly, I also think it’s better for Claire to have a bit more meat on her bones.

Still, seeing her eat like that makes me feel a bit spiteful.

Who’s paying for these guys’ food expenses? Certainly not me.

Clearly Línea will be covering the food expenses just like she is now.

But will that be free?

I’m not sure if Línea foresaw this situation, but she decided to put me in debt.

Well, clear financial relationships are good. Considering how much I’ve eaten for free, I shouldn’t be able to face Línea without shame.

Anyway, I’m Claire’s guardian. Even if Línea covers Claire’s food expenses, that responsibility ultimately circles back to me.

But I can’t tell a growing child to eat less either.

“Eat a lot while you have the chance.”

I had no choice but to accept the coming future. My only hope is that Claire’s voracious appetite is just an adjustment phase, and she’ll eventually eat normally.

Of course, I don’t know the outcome.

After all, even before my regression, I never shared a table with Claire.

At most, it was during the Saintess’s bizarre hobby of tea time.

“When I have the chance? You aren’t planning to restrict the diet of a growing child like me, are you?”

“I’m saying that during long journeys, there will be days when you go hungry. That is, if you’re no longer going to eat just that slop.”

“Fine. I understand what you mean. But couldn’t we just prepare more supplies?”

And who would pay for that?

Such words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I decided against it.

I don’t want to argue over money matters with a kid.

Children should ideally grow up without lacking anything.

Besides, Claire will show value worth the investment.

Let’s think of it as a bargain.

“…Well, alright. Looking at things now, we do have one more space in the luggage compartment.”

Most importantly, even though expenses will increase, it’s significant that Claire can walk on her own two legs now. We’ll be able to move faster than during our previous journey.

Out of concern for Claire’s safety, we’ve been cautiously driving the carriage through rough terrain until now, but that’s no longer necessary.

“So? How long are you going to keep eating?”

“Lost, have you tried this meat? It melts in your mouth! I guess all of you have been eating like this all along.”

“Yes, eat plenty.”

When she says that, I can’t urge her to stop eating. How could I when the child says she hasn’t been able to eat properly until now?

The conscience of a clergyman that remains within me wouldn’t allow it.

So I also ordered some appropriate snacks from the chef and sat down in a chair to wait for my meal to arrive.

It’s strange to be sitting across from this fellow like this.

That expressionless face doesn’t seem much different now than before.

“Lost.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t resent you.”

“I see.”

I thought as much.

Even in worse situations than this, she didn’t resent me.

Claire Ryan is both intelligent and rational.

She might have tried to find reasons to resent me, but the more she searched, the more she would have reached the conclusion that she shouldn’t resent me.

This time should be the same.

She must have made her own rational judgment.

“I realized deeply through this incident that I should be resenting someone else.”

I may have killed Burke, but it was the half-demons who created the situation where I had no choice, and beyond them, the Seven Blades, demons, and Belial.

Once caught in their hands, there’s no turning back. That’s how vicious their method is.

In exchange for power and immortality, they put a leash around people’s necks—those damn bastards are the root of all this.

“You’ve been facing them for a long time.”

“I’m facing Duke Wallace Hope. The tenth trial and the devil. If I can just defeat him, our options will certainly broaden.”

Unfortunately, this can’t be a fundamental solution. Even if Belial is defeated, demons will remain.

As long as demons remain, half-demons will inevitably increase in any world.

Unless all of them are eradicated.

Human malice never disappears.

That’s why it’s positioned as the last trial that can never be erased.

“But things will get better, right?”

“No, at best, we can prevent things from getting worse.”

The conclusion of everything I do.

That’s all an individual like me can accomplish through effort.

I can’t change the world alone. Isn’t that obvious? The world is a place where many people live together.

“That’s enough.”

“What’s enough?”

“It’s enough reason for me to continue this journey to the end with you.”

“I see, so you’ve reached a conclusion.”

“Isn’t that why you came looking for me?”

Talk about self-importance.

Of course, I did have business with her, but not first thing in the morning.

Meeting her here was coincidental. I was planning to eat too.

In truth, I had no intention of hearing Claire’s answer.

She had already shown her answer through her actions.

“Well, now that I’ve heard a definitive answer, our destination is set.”

“You mean Alfheim?”

“No? We’re going to headquarters.”

“…?”

Claire, who had been continuously shoving food into her mouth, stopped for the first time.

Only then did I remember, seeing her dumbfounded expression of disbelief.

“Um… are you abandoning me and leaving? Huh? But I’ve gotten stronger. I even defeated a demon!”

I had said we would go to headquarters if she couldn’t awaken her holy power.

But what can I do? Just looking at the amount of food Claire is consuming, we’ll be tight on funds going forward.

Of course, food expenses aren’t the issue.

How much can a child eat… no, she does eat a lot, but that won’t hinder our journey.

Yes, the issue lies elsewhere.

“Can you see the state of the fork you’re holding?”

“Ah.”

Claire looks down at the fork she’s holding in surprise after my comment.

The fork, crushed by her grip.

It seems she’s much stronger from the start than I anticipated. This is a pleasant surprise.

I thought she would need some growth even after awakening her holy power.

“While you might figure out how to control your strength on your own, finding a weapon that can utilize your power is another matter.”

Overwhelming strength. Perhaps she’s on par with Titan.

Though it’s impossible to gauge how strong Titan has become now that he can manipulate mana, it’s clear that Claire possesses strength comparable to Titan who doesn’t use mana.

Yes, she’s stronger than expected.

And that’s just considering the physical aspect.

“I didn’t really think deeply about the physical implications of your holy power awakening in the first place.”

I thought she would become stronger.

But I assumed her abilities would lean more towards holy power.

So I had planned to assign her Templar or priestess duties instead of paladin, gradually developing her.

But if she’s starting out by breaking through the defenses of one of the Seven Blades and snapping his neck, that’s a different story.

Even if she won, I imagined it would be a dogfight, not such a one-sided, rat-catching beatdown.

“How do you think you can best utilize that strength?”

“Wielding a sword, perhaps?”

“As if a sword could withstand your strength. If you’re going to fight focusing on strength rather than technique, a blunt weapon would be better than a blade.”

If Claire were to swing a sword, the sword would just shatter like glass.

It’s a weapon that can blow off someone’s head just by swinging it.

Of course, there are different types of blunt weapons.

“Since we’re on the topic, let’s check. Are you done eating?”

“Ah, wait a moment. Let me just finish this.”

Claire straightens the bent fork, then stabs the meat on her plate without even cutting it with a knife, and stuffs it into her mouth.

She looks completely happy, but…

“…I’ll have to teach you table manners from the beginning.”

It was a sight that couldn’t pass for a noble lady by any measure.

* * *

The method to check Claire’s strength compatibility with a blunt weapon was simple.

“So you’re asking to borrow my hammer, which is like my soul?”

“Yeah.”

“Here it is.”

Unnecessarily acting high and mighty.

I thought he’d crack my head open just because I asked to borrow a weapon.

Thankfully, Titan isn’t completely inflexible.

“Will you be able to lift it?”

“Not sure.”

Honestly, I’ve never even thought about trying to lift it. Why would I bother with such a brutish hammer?

But since I’m the one who asked for it, I should at least try.

It would be awkward to now ask Titan to carry it for me, wouldn’t it?

“…”

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

Clearly my strength isn’t nearly enough. To lift this, I’d need aura to settle more firmly in my body.

Still, it’s not that I can’t lift it.

After all, I have holy magic.

Swoosh!

If I borrow the power of Vidar, the god who hunted the monster of the half-river, I should be able to lift this easily…

“Can’t lift it?”

“…What was this material again?”

Despite using holy magic, the overwhelming weight makes it impossible to lift completely.

This isn’t just ordinary steel.

It feels like it weighs no less than Titan’s body weight.

“I can lift it though?”

While I was overwhelmed by the weight, Claire lifts the hammer.

Both of them are absolute monsters. Why did Línea ever think of herself as a monster?

As Titan said, it’s ridiculous.

“Hmph, so Lost can’t even lift this much? Perhaps you should work on your strength?”

“This damn brat?”

When did this kid become so cocky?

“Anyway. If you can lift it, that’s fine. Try swinging it once.”

Claire positions herself with the end of the hammer on the ground.

But she can’t lift it.

She was able to lift it initially because she carefully balanced the center of gravity to keep it parallel to the ground.

But swinging is different.

“Hmm…”

Since the hammer is heavier than Claire.

Regardless of being able to lift it, there’s no way Claire could use it.

Claire, holding the hammer, must have realized something was off too.

“Hap!”

But with her inflated self-esteem, Claire ignited her fighting spirit despite knowing something was wrong.

Yes, gripping the hammer with both hands, she put in all her strength and swung.

“Ack?!”

Not the hammer, but her own body.

Claire, who swung herself into the air along with the handle, widened her eyes in surprise before crashing to the ground.

Even with tremendous strength, one can’t defy the laws of physics.

Using all her strength to lift the hammer only resulted in her body being lifted off the ground instead.

“Now do you understand why we need to go to headquarters?”

“…”

For the first time in her life, Claire rolled across the floor ignominiously without bleeding and looked at me with empty eyes.

Too much of anything becomes poison.

I needed to bring Claire’s inflated mindset back to reality.

“It’s not actually anything special. There are quite a few cases like yours.”

It’s a common issue for martial artists who have honed their aura to the extreme.

And to begin with, many of the Pantheon Temple’s combat groups utilize both holy power and aura. They naturally have heightened physical abilities.

How should one appropriately utilize such power?

Ordinary knights don’t concern themselves much with refining technique.

Templars fight with their bare hands.

Then what about paladins?

“If you can’t significantly change your physique despite your efforts, you must rely on tools.”

They modify their own body weight to freely wield any heavy weapon.

“At headquarters, there’s armor that will be perfect for you. A very precious one. And if I ask for it, they’ll give it to me.”

“Precious and excellent armor.”

A gleam appears in Claire’s eyes, which had been brimming with undisguised dissatisfaction.

Indeed, Claire hasn’t received any support besides the sniper rifle until now.

“Yes, precious and excellent armor.”

But also incredibly heavy armor.

So heavy that even Claire at her prime before my regression would frown at it.

This is my gift for Claire, whose life seems to have gotten a bit easier.