Chapter 273 Agreas, We’re Breaking In!

After the meeting with Ajuka, I returned home, where Ravel immediately established a communication link with Riser of the Phoenix House. That said, because we had to assume the possibility of eavesdropping, even lightly hinting at anything classified was off the table. In the end, it was nothing more than a brief greeting and a confirmation that he was safe.

Still, the 3D holographic image of Riser on the other end looked as arrogant as ever, so he was probably fine.

“Ravel. If you want, you could return home for a bit. Or should I go with you?”

I suggested it casually. It wasn’t like it would be any trouble to accompany her or meet him directly.

But Ravel shook her head.

“No, I’ve already confirmed that my brother is safe. Besides… returning home right after a call like that feels a bit embarrassing.”

Ah. Yeah, I could see that. The kind of situation that would definitely earn her some warm, teasing stares as a “brother-adoring girl.”

“Meow~ So? What did you end up talking about with Lord Ajuka?”

Kuroka, who had been staying behind at home just in case, tilted her head. I placed a barrier around the room for safety and then explained what Ajuka had told me.

“Hmm… cheating in Rating Games, huh. Well, it’s not like rotten nobles are rare. No reason the games would be an exception.”

Kuroka didn’t seem particularly interested. Not surprising, she wasn’t a player in the Rating Games anymore. She didn’t exactly carry a strong sense of justice either.

Well… no sign of Khaos Brigade attacking, at least.

In the original timeline, Vali and his group were supposed to have retrieved information about Agreas around this time. But in this world, discovery might be delayed, especially if the traces from the Khaos Brigade’s teleportation incident were what led them there in the first place.

In the end, nothing happened that night, and we went to sleep.

==========

The Next Day

As always, it was time for another sparring match with Crom Cruach.

I dodged just before his fist connected—

A grazing blow still tore across my cheek, drawing blood, but the wound was slightly shallower than before.

“…Hm?”

For a fraction of a second—so brief a normal person wouldn’t even notice it—the Black Dragon God sensed something off.

His relentless close-range assault didn’t change, but my injuries were becoming subtly, consistently less severe than before.

My footwork technique has clear weaknesses. Against someone like Crom Cruach, who fights purely on instinct, it barely works. Its biggest flaw is close-range pressure like this, or being forced into long-range combat where I can’t close distance. It shines only in mid-range fights where the opponent cautiously probes.

If it doesn’t work on a monster like him…

Then I need something else.

My first thought was the so-called “Perfect Vision” technique from a certain delinquent-knight protagonist, reading an opponent’s mind to the point of near-future prediction.

Yeah. That got rejected in about two seconds.

What kind of ridiculous cheat is that? Reading someone’s values, identity, and even predicting blinks if you’re close enough? No way in hell that’s real.

Understanding myself is one thing. Fully understanding another person? The difficulty gap is beyond heaven and earth.

Still… the direction of observation itself wasn’t wrong.

Up until now, I’ve been using accelerated thought to read movements and respond after the fact. But maybe I can go one step further.

Specifically, reading the pre-movement signs.

Muscle relaxation. Subtle expansion. Fluctuations in aura right before motion begins.

Normally, those are too faint to notice. But I’ve been constantly sensing my own body, muscles, blood flow, even electrical signals and aura, since I was born into this kind of life. With that experience, I might be able to catch the moment just before an attack begins.

Like a hyper-aware instinct… or the predictive vision of some fictional prodigy fighter.

If I had to name it…

“Shirabe”—the Reading of Signs.

…Yeah. Sounds a bit cool. Not that it matters. It’s still a downgraded version of anything truly broken like Perfect Vision.

And I’m not there yet. I still miss Crom Cruach’s signals too often. Even when I sense something, I can’t always translate it into action.

So I just need to look harder. Observe more. Don’t get distracted by power fantasies. My foundation is perception, not brute force.

See it. See it. See it. See it. SEE IT!!!

“Kuahahahaha! Your spirit is sharper than before! Something bothering you? No matter, then I shall grow more serious. Try to keep up!”

I filtered out Crom Cruach’s voice. In theory, someone like that delinquent-knight guy might analyze even tone and breathing but I can’t do that. What matters to me is rhythm, muscle tension, aura, intent.

See it. Read it. Survive it.

And so, our exchange of blows continued.

==========

When I regained awareness, I was lying on my back.

Something soft supported my head. A faint, pleasant scent filled the air.

…Ah. This is a lap pillow.

I remembered the sparring match, but my senses had gone fuzzy somewhere in the middle. I must’ve collapsed.

For a second I thought it was Ravel, but no. This was Kuroka.

What was strange, however, was the constant clattering above me, and the fact that her arms occasionally bumped my forehead and chin.

“Kuroka-san? I appreciate the lap pillow, but what are you doing? Playing an action game or something?”

“Ahh, hold on, Ikkie. I’m about to cut off its tail.”

I tilted my eyes upward slightly.

She was playing.

Of course she was.

Her controller movements were slamming directly into my face.

I sighed and sat up, moving to the sofa beside her so I wouldn’t get in the way.

…Why do I feel so unsatisfied about this?

Kuroka finished her hunt with a flashy draw attack and began carving materials from the monster before finally explaining.

“Your spar with that Black Dragon got both of you sharper and sharper. But you got covered in shallow wounds, and eventually you just ran out of blood and dropped from the sky like a cut string. Crom Cruach caught you by the neck to save you. Someone watching probably could’ve stepped in too, though.”

So I didn’t get finished off—I just hit my limit.

My brain had been running at full throttle. I completely forgot about stamina and damage.

Honestly, without pushing that far, I wouldn’t have been able to read him at all.

“I healed you with Ravel’s tears, but you still didn’t have enough blood, and training time was over. So we purified you with magic, changed your clothes, and brought you here. White and Ravel were taking care of you earlier, but they went to help with lunch. I was watching you—and also waiting for you to wake up. Nyah~”

“…And you chose to play games.”

“What else was I supposed to do? Just wake you up normally? Boring, right? I even considered how many monsters I could hunt before you woke up.”

I seriously considered grabbing her tail.

But before I could, Ravel entered the room.

“Kuroka. Has Ikkie awakened?”

“Nyah As you can see.”

Ravel sighed lightly.

“The lunch is almost ready. It’s hamburger steak. You need blood recovery, Ikkie-sama, so meat is perfect. But please don’t overdo training like that again.”

“…Yes. I’ll be more careful.”

I actually got scolded. That was rare.

Looking back, Crom Cruach wasn’t wrong—I’d been too mentally high-strung. Riser’s situation had probably eased my tension without me noticing.

As we headed toward the dining room, I instinctively grabbed Kuroka’s tail as she passed.

“Hey—!”

“Revenge.”

She immediately protested, and we continued bickering like that until lunch ended.