I Can’t Run Away From the Girl Who Saved Me

145 – Exam (1)

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Once again, time passed naturally like the flow of water.

When I open my eyes, I train, eat, take a short break, and then train again.

I was so tired that I had no intention of eating dinner, but I forced myself to eat the meat Sylvia had hunted, and then went straight to bed to sleep. This cycle continued.

Strangely enough… no, as if to prove that this arduous training was worth it, my body began to gradually adapt to this lifestyle.

The poor physical strength that would leave me panting after just a little bit of running, and the wobbly legs that had to rest the next day after running all day are now a thing of the past.

I couldn’t tell exactly whether my legs had finally given in to the rigorous training or if I had just gotten used to running, but I was a little thrilled that I could at least keep up with Sylvia’s light trot.

Sylvia, my training instructor and motivator, also seemed pleased with this change in me.

Although Sylvia was clearly delighted with my growth, it seemed that she was a little competitive since I narrowly avoided not only the branches but also her beloved large sword once out of three times.

To be honest, I only noticed the difference in fatigue right away, and I didn’t really feel any changes in my body’s appearance.

At least, whenever I did my night shift, I saw Sylvia caressing my body and smiling happily, so it seemed clear that I had a more fit body than before.

Sylvia’s waist, which was bending like a bow and making louder sounds than before, was also proof of this fact.

As you can probably tell from what I just said, the conclusion is that the night with Sylvia continued.

As for me, that was the only way to encourage Sylvia, who was reluctant to go to the Demon King’s castle.

Besides, it was the only way to relieve my guilt for forcing her on that journey, which was nothing but a reminder of her mistakes.

Of course, Pia noticed every time she rocked her hips under her, but Pia didn’t show any complaints after seeing Sylvia’s weak side that she had been trying to hide.

No, at least he didn’t voice his complaints.

Sylvia would breathe heavily and slowly lift her top, and she would make a shaky expression and quickly disappear, but she never scolded me for it.

As a spirit shaman, I had a duty to manage Pia’s stress, so whenever Sylvia wasn’t around, I spent time with Pia and tried to please her as much as possible.

I wonder if Pia recognized my efforts.

As the days passed, I was also gradually becoming more proficient at spirit drinking.

“Ash.”

“… huh?”

One morning,

Unlike me, who was grilling fish caught from the lake, Sylvia, who seemed to have no appetite and was only eating a few small winter berries, spoke to me with a serious expression.

I stared at Sylvia like that, wiping the ash from the corner of my mouth.

“what’s the matter?”

“You know… Alice,”

“Sister Alice?”

Sylvia nodded and continued.

“Isn’t it about time you came?”

“Oh… Is that so? I guess so, since you said a month… Hmm…”

I scratched my temple.

I, too, had been spending quite some time in the woods now, and since all I did every day was train and have s*x, it was becoming increasingly difficult to count the days.

I don’t know exactly, but it felt like the month that Sister Alice had promised was almost over.

Or maybe it’s already passed.

“My sister will be back soon.”

“… Hmm.”

Sylvia seemed a little nervous, crossing her arms and groaning softly.

Clearly, Alice and Sylvia must have hated each other intensely, but is he worried that Alice won’t show up even though the appointed time is approaching?

Well, they were soon going to have to go on a journey together, back to back, so it was unprofessional to keep growling at each other.

And Silvia, the legendary warrior, and Alice, the Pope’s direct inquisitor, were clearly professionals among professionals.

I nodded slightly as I looked at Sylvia, who was in deep thought.

“Yeah… I’m worried too. I heard the outside world is a mess… I wonder if something happened.”

“Huh? Ash, what are you talking about?”

“hmm?”

Sylvia opened her eyes wide as if she had heard a strange sound and asked me again.

“Why are you worried? What if something happened to Alice?”

“Uh… isn’t that what Sylvia said too?”

“No, I’m not worried about her?”

“…”

“I just thought it was time for that unlucky girl, Alice, to come.”

I guess not.

It seems that the word ‘pro’ meant someone who does everything while growling.

Sylvia slowly lowered her arms and nodded as if she had made up her mind about something.

“That means that the day we set out on our journey to the Demon King isn’t far off, Ash.”

“…ah.”

I let out a short sigh.

Suddenly, I felt like the future that had only vaguely felt like it was right before my eyes.

“So, all training schedules for today are canceled.”

“Huh? Really?”

At the sudden news of the training cancellation, a big smile spread across my face without me even realizing it.

Sylvia stared at my face like that and then laughed in disbelief.

“under,”

“Ah… no, that’s it.”

“Ash… aren’t you too happy?”

“Ha, haha… Training is hard.”

Even though I had gained some physical strength and had some free time, training was still difficult and arduous.

But even so, I blushed slightly, feeling ashamed that I couldn’t even think of hiding my momentary joy on a topic where my goal was to become stronger.

Sylvia continued with a snicker.

“Hmm… I know how you feel, but it’s still too early to like it that much.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I plan to take a test today, not train.”

“test?”

“Yeah. A test. To see how much Ash has grown and if he’ll die during the journey.”

“… how?”

Sylvia slowly spread her palms and recited a short spell.

Then he smiled at me and asked.

“Remember this?”

A thumb-sized chunk of ice slowly began to form on Sylvia’s palm.

“… Ah, that is…”

I remember it clearly.

Back in the days when I still called Sylvia “Sylvia-san.”

It was the ice shard she had been throwing at me with the intention of training my magic ever since the day I was chased by a monster bear and almost killed.

Sylvia slowly threw the ice up with one hand and caught it again, saying:

“The rules are similar. Just like before, I’m going to throw this at Ash.”

“Do you know… that really hurt?”

“Um… this time,”

At that moment, I felt a sharp gust of wind brush past my face.

It felt like a sharp, heavy wind had passed by, scratching my cheek.

Her hair, which had grown longer than before, blew wildly.

I slowly turned around and saw a small hole in the wall.

I couldn’t see any movement, but it seemed like Sylvia had thrown a piece of ice past me.

“If it hits, it won’t just end with the pain.”

“…I’m dying.”

“As long as it’s not instant death, it’s okay. I’ll somehow keep you alive, and when Alice comes, you’ll be completely healed.”

Sylvia blurted out the scary words without any hesitation.

The scene I had seen before, where the bear’s body exploded just by being hit by the ice cube she had thrown, slowly played out in my head.

Soon enough, the bear corpse in the scene began to be replaced with my body.

Of course, that power is so powerful that if you hit it right, you’ll die instantly without even being able to do anything.

“… her,”

“Ash.”

Sylvia spoke softly to me as I sat there dumbfounded.

“If you really want to go to the Demon King, you have to be able to do this without any trouble. I mean, you have to be able to easily take down the bear that almost killed you that day.”

“… I guess so.”

To be honest, the Demon King was so big and strong that I felt distant.

I knew how terrifying it was, but I couldn’t even imagine how strong it was, so maybe that’s why I was able to vaguely feel courage.

But if the bear I met that day were to appear before my eyes again, would I be able to defeat it?

I couldn’t be sure.

But Sylvia seemed to have noticed my doubts and spoke in a firm voice.

“The current Ash can definitely do it.”

“… I know my stamina has increased, but I don’t think I can take down that bear.”

“That’s right, Ash probably doesn’t have the intense image of success that comes from such a victorious experience.”

Sylvia slowly got up from her seat and continued speaking.

“So, I’ll create that image for you. If you pass my test today, it means you’ve already surpassed that bear.”

“… Is that really true?”

“Then, today’s test will be just as difficult.”

I nodded.

“Surely… it would be difficult to melt something flying at that speed…”

“Oh my, who told you to melt the ice?”

“… uh?”

Sylvia approached me slowly, bowed her head, placed her hand on my shoulder and said:

“Today’s test, the passing condition is not melting or dodging ice shards. Ash has already improved his running speed, his reflexes, and he has become better at controlling spirits, so he should be better at using magic, so that would be too easy.”

“… Then, what are the passing conditions…”

Sylvia laughed.

It was a raspy laugh, as if asking why such an obvious question.

Her eyes and lips, which sparkled like red flowers on her pure white skin, were curved into a crescent shape.

That sight seemed very ominous for some reason.

After a while, Sylvia stopped laughing and said to me.

“Of course you’re going to knock me down”

“… yes?”

Before I knew it, I was using polite language again.

“Of course I won’t use a sword. All I’ll use is this ice magic, no, not even ice magic, I’ll just throw magical ice at you with all my might.”

“… Are you crazy?”

“If you knock me down, you’re just a bear. Right?”

“Sylvia…”

Of course, that’s natural.

Even if Sylvia doesn’t use her sword, if I can defeat her, I won’t be able to fight a bear anymore.

But I could be sure that I wouldn’t be able to beat Sylvia with that level of penalty.

Unlike the Demon King, who I felt was somehow vague, I knew better than anyone else how strong Sylvia was.

I muttered with a trembling voice.

“… I can’t.”

“It’s a bad habit to give up so early, Ash, but it won’t be easy to completely subdue me.”

“It’s not that it’s not easy, it’s that it’s impossible.”

“… Your head is stiff again. That’s another bad habit of Ash’s.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sylvia patted my head lightly and spoke softly.

“It’s not like I’m going to risk my life with Ash or anything.”

“… uh?”

“The conditions for passing are strictly subjugation. That is, either knock me down, or immobilize me, or create a situation where I can no longer attack… That should be enough.”

I realized in that moment how stupid I had been thinking.

In reality, it was clear that neither Sylvia nor Alice expected me to defeat the Demon King myself.

What I have to do is support those two people.

If I could just tie the Demon King’s feet or make him stumble for a moment, I would have done my share more than enough.

I realized Sylvia’s intentions and slowly looked at her.

She also noticed that my trembling had stopped and smiled faintly as she continued speaking.

“In a real fight with your comrades, that alone is practically everything. The finishing touches are left to the person next to you. In reality, Ash will help us more in that way than defeating the enemy.”

“… Yeah, that’s right. I thought that was so stupid.”

“Ash is smart, but he can be a bit stupid sometimes.”

Sylvia said that and slowly walked out of the cabin.

Just before the cabin door closed, she spoke softly.

“Come out when you’re ready. That’s when the test begins.”

“…”

I sat down on the floor and took a moment to collect my thoughts.

No, it would be more correct to say that he was planning a strategy.

But no sharp numbers came to mind.

Of course, it was a test that could be passed by making Sylvia incapacitated for even a moment, rather than fighting like crazy, but that didn’t mean it was an easy test.

Subjugation was easy to say, but she was an outrageous being who could stand up even after being hit by a tumble spell that would knock people over.

The magic I can use, the movements I can make.

Even with all that in mind, the right answer didn’t seem easy.

At that time, when I was wondering how I could defeat Sylvia,

“Ash.”

Pia appeared out of nowhere and held my hand tightly as she spoke.

“Ash, let’s do it.”

“… Pia?”

“Come on, you can do it. Ash.”

I looked at Pia who suddenly appeared.

With both ears pricked up and the tail standing straight up, it looked like a dog or a wolf getting angry.

“… Pia, why are you suddenly like that?”

“…just one,”

“huh?”

“I have to hit that woman at least once.”

.