Chapter 42

*Clang!*

In the middle of the training ground, the clear sound of two metals clashing echoed.

A sharp blade and a blunt metal end collided, sending sparks flying.

The sound of metal scraping filled the air as the two weapons clashed.

The winner of this bout was Amon.

“Ugh.”

Cash stepped back.

Logically, when a sword clashes with a spear, the sword is at a disadvantage, but the result was the opposite.

Amon’s sheer strength was overwhelming, completely disregarding leverage and weight.

This wasn’t much of a practice.

“Can you tone it down a bit?”

“Sorry. It just came out unconsciously.”

Amon acknowledged Cash’s complaint.

The purpose of this training was to sharpen Cash’s combat sense.

But overpowering her with brute strength wasn’t helpful.

Cash parried Amon’s slightly weakened strikes, still in awe of his monstrous strength.

“I fought a Scavenger with enhanced skeletal implants last time, but why are you so strong!?”

Cash had undergone genetic enhancements.

The enhancements included basic boosts to strength, agility, and stamina.

It was a high-end procedure, so she was confident she wouldn’t lose to most opponents.

But Amon’s destructive power far surpassed that.

“Even when we first met, I thought about it—how does a vanilla human like you outclass even the beastmen and Ains?”

The day they first met.

Amon had stabbed a dagger into the building’s wall and used it as a foothold to leap to the third-floor window.

In other words, he had the strength to shatter a building’s exterior with a dagger and the agility to reach the third floor in two jumps.

What was even more absurd was that Amon was in his vanilla state—no enhancements whatsoever.

There was only one explanation.

“Do you have dragon blood in your ancestry or something?”

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.

Even in Britain, knights with dragon blood in their veins were only at that level.

Of course, even with dragon blood and a one-in-a-billion genetic jackpot, Amon’s combat prowess couldn’t be fully explained, but it was at least somewhat understandable.

Amon just smiled bitterly and kept his mouth shut.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about his Divine Power.

‘Sorry, but it’s not time for that yet.’

Cash was a good person, but it was too early to reveal Amon’s secret.

In fact, it might be better if she didn’t know.

Amon brushed off her curiosity once again.

Cash had to let it go, again with no answers.

But her mind was still filled with curiosity about Amon’s secret.

‘Could it be Mystic Power?’

She had once wondered about it.

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

‘Why would a Mystic Power holder be here?’

If he had Mystic Power, he could walk into any major corporation and demand an office, and they’d give him one on the spot. There was no reason for him to work as a mercenary.

Moreover, Amon had never displayed the miracles typical of Mystic Power holders.

Compared to healing baldness, walking on water, or controlling blood, his exceptional physical abilities seemed mundane.

So, she concluded that Amon wasn’t a Mystic Power holder.

Besides, there was another reason she thought this way.

‘Because of her.’

—

Speak of the devil, a guest arrived at the training ground.

A beautiful woman with white hair and golden eyes entered.

She wore a modified nun’s habit for combat.

The black veil and habit did little to hide her voluptuous chest and firm hips.

Her name was Sonia.

The strongest trainee combat nun at the seminary,

A Mystic Power holder known as the Saint of Gunpowder,

And Amon’s lover.

The reason Cash was certain Amon wasn’t a Mystic Power holder was because of Sonia.

The two had grown up in the same orphanage.

Considering the rule that only one Mystic Power holder exists per region, Amon couldn’t possibly be one.

“A~~mon~~”

As soon as Sonia entered the training ground, she looked for Amon.

She immediately spotted him and ran toward him.

With every step, her apricot-colored thighs peeked through the slits in her habit designed for mobility.

Her ample Divine Power reserves swayed as she ran to Amon.

Amon set down his sword and quickly wiped his sweat with a towel.

But before he could finish, Sonia hugged him.

“Hehe!”

Amon’s sweat soaked into Sonia’s habit.

“That’s gross.”

Amon tried to push her away, concerned.

But Sonia was stubborn.

“It’s going to get wet during training anyway, so what’s the big deal?”

“That’s your sweat, this is mine.”

“What’s the difference? We share the same bed.”

“Sigh.”

Amon always tried to stop her, but he always gave up in the end.

Sonia reveled in Amon’s sweat.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a pleasant smell.

If you didn’t know it was Amon’s sweat, you’d naturally wrinkle your nose.

But when the sweat transferred to her habit, it mixed with Amon’s scent.

Since they lived together and used the same detergent, her clothes naturally carried his scent, which she loved.

She deliberately transferred enough sweat to her habit before letting go.

After they separated, Amon looked at Sonia with concern.

“Aren’t you dressed a bit too provocatively today?”

Even to Amon, Sonia’s outfit was too revealing.

Not just the slits, but if you glanced up from her thighs, you could see a red string tied in a knot.

Of course, it looked good.

But he didn’t want others to see it.

As if sensing his feelings, Sonia smiled and said,

“Don’t worry. I wear pants underneath at school.”

“What about when you come here?”

“I wore a long coat, so don’t worry.”

Amon unconsciously sighed in relief.

Seeing this, Sonia’s lips curled into a grin.

“Were you jealous?”

She poked Amon’s cheek.

Amon turned his head, his ears turning red.

Sonia didn’t miss this and kept teasing him.

Unable to take it anymore, Amon blatantly changed the subject.

“Go sit over there for now. I’ll take care of Cash.”

“Okay!”

Beaming, Sonia let go of Amon.

As she walked to the corner of the training ground, she bowed her head to Cash.

“Hello. Thank you for always taking care of Amon.”

Sonia didn’t feel the slightest bit threatened by Cash.

Of course, Cash was beautiful enough to catch anyone’s eye.

But Sonia trusted Amon.

In this world, artificial beauties like Sonia or Cash were common, but Amon had never even glanced at them.

Even when he had to stay in a red-light district for a mission with the Hixen Group, he never once strayed.

This was proven by a unicorn horn rod.

So, she didn’t feel threatened by Cash.

Moreover…

“Please take care of Amon’s back.”

While Sonia was learning Divine Magic at the seminary, she understood better than anyone that Amon needed reliable comrades to watch his back.

Especially after a recent betrayal by a beastman, the need for trustworthy allies was more urgent than ever.

If she started distrusting every female comrade, Amon’s remains might end up being delivered to their home.

Cash, flustered by Sonia’s polite greeting, bowed back just as politely.

“I’ll do my best.”

Hearing Cash’s response, Sonia retreated to the corner.

Her mesmerizing hips swayed as she headed to the bench.

Amon couldn’t take his eyes off her retreating figure.

Cash watched this scene with a bitter expression.

‘No way he’d have eyes for me with someone like that around.’

With such a beautiful and kind girlfriend, there was no way Amon would even glance at Cash.

So, Cash had long since given up on her feelings for Amon.

It wasn’t even clear if it was romantic feelings.

Before she could even develop a crush on Amon, she learned about Sonia’s existence and deliberately kept her feelings at bay.

From the bench, Sonia was openly sniffing Amon’s sweat-soaked towel.

‘I wonder what Amon’s scent is like.’

Every time Sonia did this during training, Cash couldn’t help but feel curious.

But she had never smelled it herself.

Cash forced a bitter smile and quickly wiped it away.

She gripped her staff tightly, trying to push away her wandering thoughts.

“Let’s start again.”

She focused on Amon’s sword instead of his face.

With a hint of disappointment and frustration, she thrust her staff toward Amon.

—

*Clang! Clang!*

The dazzling melee between Amon and Cash echoed through the training ground.

Before Sonia arrived, the training had been focused on specific stances, but now it was a comprehensive sparring session.

Amon randomly executed the stances he had shown so far, and Cash responded accordingly.

*Crack!*

Her staff swung with enough force to potentially break Amon’s sword.

But as usual, Amon blocked it without even flinching.

Meanwhile, cold sweat dripped down Cash’s forehead.

When practicing each move individually, she hadn’t realized how overwhelming it would be when they were chained together.

But she could feel herself growing in real-time.

A faint smile crept onto Cash’s lips.

Thanks to Amon’s handicap, the match was evenly matched.

Even Sonia, sitting on the bench, was captivated by the dazzling display.

Then, suddenly, Amon’s sword slipped from his hand.

Normally, Cash would stop her attack, but this training wasn’t like that.

‘Practice like it’s real.’

Before starting this training, they had agreed.

No matter the situation, treat it like a real battle.

No killing blows, but no holding back in pursuit of victory.

This was Amon’s condition.

If she trained with the assurance that she wouldn’t get hurt, she might slack off.

And this rule applied both ways.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Her eyes gleamed.

She didn’t miss the opportunity and thrust her staff toward Amon’s thigh.

The tip was blunt, but it would hurt if it hit.

As she thrust, she was certain of her victory.

But what happened next made her doubt her eyes.

*Thud.*

The staff she had thrust sliced through empty air.

And Amon’s foot landed on the staff.

The sudden added weight caused Cash’s body to tilt downward.

In that moment, Amon caught his slipping sword mid-air and swung it.

The blade stopped just beside her neck with a whooshing sound.

“Fooled you?”

Amon smirked triumphantly.

Cash realized she had fallen for a feint and laughed in defeat.

Once again, Amon had won.

—

After Cash’s spar, it was Sonia’s turn.

Sonia eagerly pulled out a gun from her case.

A long, beautiful black rifle emerged.

The stock bore the engraved logo of <Colson Atelier>.

It was a prize she had won in a shooting competition long ago.

A rifle made exclusively for her in this world.

Carbon fiber and alloy barrel, grip and stock tailored to her hand, sights adjusted for her face size—the list of specs was endless.

She gripped the rifle’s handle and inserted the magazine horizontally.

With the magazine in place, the rifle resembled a cross.

“Ready.”

Amon nodded and picked up a training iron sword.

The two waited for Cash, the referee, to signal.

“Start!”

As soon as the signal dropped, Sonia’s finger pulled the trigger.

*Ratatatat!*

Using her Magic Power as gunpowder, rubber bullets poured out.

The sound was heavy, like that of a machine gun.

The caliber of the rubber bullets was substantial, and the rate of fire was impressive.

The design completely ignored recoil, unusual for a rifle.

But Sonia’s stance was perfectly stable.

She calmly tracked Amon with the barrel.

Even as she fired, her bracelet glowed, restoring her Divine Power, which she then used to enhance her shots with Divine Magic.

*Boom!*

An explosion created by Divine Magic targeted Amon.

“Wow… Every time I see this, I can’t believe such a thing exists.”

Cash muttered to herself.

Probably no one else in the world could fire something like that so casually.

The mobility of a rifleman, the healing of a cleric, the firepower of a machine gunner, and the explosive power of a mage—all in one.

The title “Saint of Gunpowder” wasn’t for nothing.

But what was even more absurd was that Amon could overpower Sonia.

He deflected bullets and dodged Divine Magic.

Using Sky Walk, he moved in three dimensions, making it hard to hit him.

Before long, Amon closed the distance.

Unfazed by the crossfire of magic and bullets, he forced his way through and got close to Sonia.

As the distance closed, Sonia slung her rifle over her shoulder and drew a dagger and pistol from her thigh.

She tried to counter Amon by channeling Divine Power.

But objectively, Sonia’s close combat skills were inferior to Cash’s.

Once the distance was closed, she stood no chance.

“Aww. I was confident today.”

Like Cash, Sonia was disappointed by her loss to Amon.

Following Cash’s example, Sonia received feedback.

The feedback was about how to create a more effective barrage, not about improving close combat skills.

After all, it was too inefficient for a rear guard to train in close combat.

Humans are limited in what they can do.

Just as Amon didn’t practice long-range sniping, Sonia focused on her role.

The feedback session ended.

In summary:

“So, instead of focusing on firepower, I should focus on disrupting the timing of my shots?”

“Right.”

Amon had pointed out her unconscious rhythm.

Even with a crossfire, it could be breached if the rhythm was predictable.

Sonia considered the feedback and revised her strategy.

—

But she didn’t test the new strategy here.

“That’s enough for today.”

It was time for dinner.

Sonia and Amon packed up their gear.

Cash also started packing before leaving the training ground.

“I’ll head in first.”

“Good work today~”

Soon, Amon and Sonia left the training ground arm in arm.

Cash also packed up and headed out.

But before she left, something on the bench caught her eye.

‘A towel?’

It was a towel soaked with sweat.

She instinctively looked around.

Amon and Sonia seemed unaware they had left the towel behind.

She called Amon.

“You left your towel.”

Hearing Amon say he’d come back, Cash picked up the towel.

She waited for Amon, holding the towel.

The scent from the towel tickled her nose.

The more she smelled it, the redder her ears became.

‘A side effect of the procedure…’

Genetic enhancements always came with side effects.

New allergies could develop, or previously harmless substances could become toxic.

In Cash’s case, she had a peculiar sensitivity to certain smells.

The problem was that it happened to be Amon’s sweat.

As the intoxication rose, her cheeks flushed.

Her self-control began to weaken.

Her nose inched closer to the towel.

Just before her nose touched it—

*Creak!*

“I came back for the towel.”

The training ground door opened, and Amon returned.

Startled, Cash pulled her face away from the towel.

She rolled it up and tossed it to Amon.

“Thanks!”

Amon caught the towel and left again.

Cash remained in the training ground, quietly watching the door where Amon had disappeared.

Then, she suddenly looked down at her hand—

*Sniff.*

She smelled the lingering scent on her hand, her face turning even redder.

She smiled contentedly and grabbed the doorknob with her other hand.

From that day on, Cash insisted on using her left hand more than usual.

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