Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 183. The Bumpy Family And Late-Night Training

“Huh?”

When we returned to the base in the western slums that serves as our shelter, a small change had taken place.

“Well, this is impressive.”

Somehow, the camper van was now hidden behind a wall, entirely out of sight.

“This makes it way less conspicuous.”

“Hmph. It was that fool’s idea. Executing it was a pain, but the suggestion itself wasn’t bad.”

The dwarf Hagg glared irritably at the elf, Yaralai.

“Yaralai’s idea?”

“Hey, today, everyone… go out for a bit.”

When I raised an eyebrow, Yaralai pointed at the camper van, and then gestured towards my arm.

“Stow the car… go outside.”

“Ah, I see.”

While Yaralai and I stayed behind to finish the leftover soup kitchen meal and some stir-fried potatoes Lalaila had thoughtfully prepared, I listened to her explanation.

“Today, training. Akira and Lalaila will do it.”

“Lalaila and me?”

Surprised by this unexpected turn of events, I turned to Lalaila.

Her emerald-blue hair, now cut into a sharp short style, framed a face that could rival an entire squad of Earth idols. She blinked her dazzling eyes a few times.

“Me?”

“Yes. Lalaila… volunteered to hunt goblins. That means she’s a warrior. As her parent, I must train her.”

“Well… I did learn a lot in the past…”

“That was for children. This time, it’s warrior-level training.”

“Ugh…”

A rare groan escaped from Lalaila’s lips. I could understand her feelings all too well.

“Hey, Yaralai, is this really necessary?”

“Necessary.”

“Got it…”

With such a firm declaration, there was no room for argument. Well, she is his daughter—he wouldn’t push her too hard.

“Let’s move out, then.”

We stowed the camper van in a container and entrusted the base and its protective wards to the widow Viola. Following Yaralai’s lead, we headed outside the city walls.

◆

“Spirits! O you ravenous, parched earth! Stir the dust and strike down the foe with your presence!”

The ground in front of me suddenly surged upward, and dirt exploded into the air. If my reaction had been even 0.1 seconds slower, I would’ve been swept up in that eruption.

“Damn it!”

I’d dashed forward to close the distance, and that was my mistake. The welcome party of spirit magic hit me head-on. I fully activated my waves, slowed my momentum to zero, and twisted mid-air to avoid the spray of dirt.

As I rounded the explosion, I caught sight of Lalaila—only to see a massive fireball filling my vision.

“What!?”

The sound of the exploding dirt must’ve drowned out her incantation—or maybe she hadn’t chanted at all. Completely caught off guard, I couldn’t dodge in time.

“Shit!”

I fully powered my defense waves, deflecting the watermelon-sized fireball with my fist to avoid a direct hit.

“Huh?!”

This time, Lalaila’s voice was the one filled with surprise. Sorry, but I’ll use this opening to close the gap!

I shot forward like a bullet to close the distance, but—

“Spirits! O tempestuous winds! Ravage and blow away!”

Just as I reached out to grab her, a fierce wind struck from the side, flinging me away.

“Ugh!”

The speed was too much; I tumbled head over heels, slamming into the dry ground of the wasteland and rolling further. Damn, that hurt.

I must’ve rolled at least 30 meters. This was on par with a traffic accident. What the hell is happening to my body?

I scrambled to my feet only to see three glowing swords floating in front of Lalaila.

“Enough!”

Yaralai, acting as the referee, raised his voice.

“Haa…”

“Whoo…”

Both Lalaila and I sighed, and the glowing swords vanished.

“Ha! She’s quite the talent, wielding both spirit magic and imaginary magic.”

Before I knew it, Faf, the tan-skinned girl with horns, was standing silently next to me, holding her smartphone.

“Yaralai… I’m reaching my limit…”

Indeed, we’d already repeated this training scenario more than ten times. A simulated battle, starting from 200 meters apart. Yaralai’s goal seemed to be teaching me how to fight against magicians and Lalaila how to deal with warriors.

It was brutal, though. At first, Lalaila held back against me, but Yaralai scolded her, turning every match into a full-on battle.

For the first six rounds, I’d managed to win by tapping her on the head. But after that, things got deadly serious. Those last four rounds felt like they might actually kill me.

“Akira, this is what a battle against a capable spirit user looks like. At this distance, it’s a fight for your life. Remember that.”

Yaralai was speaking Elvish now. Hearing his fluent speech again felt slightly jarring.

“Even with this much distance… Akira, you’re amazing…”

Lalaila, out of breath, approached me. I handed her a water bottle, which she guzzled down.

“Yeah, I never realized how tough magicians are. Until now, it’s always been hand-to-hand combat. Even in Pilatus Castle, I didn’t encounter any.”

“Akira, there were magicians there too. It’s just that either I or Sake Barrel took them out immediately.”

“Seriously?”

As expected, Yaralai is on another level.

Thinking about how he pinpointed and eliminated magicians in that chaotic castle, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. By the same logic, though, wouldn’t Lalaila be the first target in a real battle?

“Lalaila, you need to exploit your opponent’s openings more. There are plenty of warriors like Akira out there.”

Ouch. That stung. But I guess Yaralai was only being tough on her because magicians are the primary targets in battle.

“Remember today’s training. Be grateful to one another.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

We exchanged brief words of gratitude. As I raised a hand in acknowledgment, Hagg approached.

“Your waves are still inconsistent. Time for more training.”

“We’re not done yet?!”

“Best to drill it in while it’s fresh. Look, she’s still going.”

Lalaila was casting magic with a strained expression.

“Dad! Seriously! I can’t do this anymore!”

“Your enemies won’t stop because of that. You’re wasting energy on your magic. Be more efficient and exploit openings.”

“You’re the last person who should talk about wasted energy!”

“True, my techniques aren’t efficient. But I focus on sustainability. Choosing the right magic is even more critical than avoiding waste.”

“Ugh…”

It seemed Yaralai’s training was just as brutal. He wasn’t holding back on his own daughter.

“Akira! Quit zoning out!”

“Whoa!”

I barely dodged a heavy swing from a war hammer.

“Are you trying to kill me?!”

“You put too much force into your waves in sudden situations like this! You might dodge, but you can’t transition to your next move!”

And so, the day was filled with grueling training until late into the night.

Goddess, do you really have to make even my friends go through hard mode?