Chapter 60: A Man Exceeding His Master

Lilly: “........huh?”

With eyes full of tears, she looked up into Igni’s face.

Igni: “So please, don’t cry.”

Igni wiped the tears from her face gently.

Lilly: “Igni…..?”

Igni already made up his mind.

Igni: “I appreciate your efforts, Lilly. You worked so hard, and you were doing it for me.”

Lilly: “But…… BUT! Because of me, the [Saint] was……”

Igni: “It’s okay. That’s already in the past.”

Igni wrapped his arms tight around Lilly.

<<<<>>>>

[Oye, Igni.]

[What, Grandpa.]

His grandfather spoke to him the exact second Igni mastered the only Spell he could use - {Fireball}.

[What kind of person do you think becomes popular?]

[.......isn’t it strong men?]

[That……..is only one kind. That is simply one factor.”

[..........what do you mean?]

[If you have many factors of Popularity……….don’t you see how that person would be more popular?!]

[That…..yeah, of course but……..?!]

[Hm...yes. SO, listen well, Igni. In order to be Popular, there are many things to learn, but next, what you need to study is……….HOW TO FLIRT!!]

[FーFlirt………..?!]

[Yes! Now that <YOU HAVE GAINED STRENGTH>, next, you must become a man of value for women…….!]

[VーValue……..?!]

[Yes……….! And listen to me with utmost care……….that……..!”

[ThーThat……?!]

[That is “a man that is fun to be with”...!]

[“A man that’s fun to be with”?!]

[Yes! When she is sad, you lift her spirits up and make her smile! Just by being with you, she feels more energetic……! That kind of Popular Man!!]

[........?!]

[HENCE! The Secret Art of Popularity No. 6! ーー”Women love eloquent men!”]

[GーGrandpa! But… you know I’m an idiot, right?! I wouldn’t be able to make any girl laugh?!?!]

[Of course I know that. But, were you able to use a [Miracle] of [Magic] from the beginning?]

[BーBut! That’s impossible!]

<SLAP!!!>

[HOW DARE YOU GIVE UP EVEN BEFORE TRYING!!]

[............!!!]

[YOU CAN DO IT…….!! JUST LIKE YOU ACHIEVED THE [MIRACLE] of [MAGIC]!!]

<<<<>>>>

………….this…...is incomplete……..!!

Igni grits his teeth when no one is looking.

Unlike Spells, you cannot directly see your words.

You cannot see the progress and growth from hard effort and practice like you do with Spells.

So my technique is still undeveloped…….!

I couldn’t have trained this in the [Demon King’s Realm] with nobody else around…..!

Igni: (But…….I still have to try……..!)

Igni: (If I don’t……..a girl will……...cry…..!!)

Igni: “Lilly, listen to me. My mother died right after giving birth to me. And I was thrown out of the house by my father when I turned 12.”

Lilly: “.......Igni?” Igni: “So….so I don’t have many memories of someone <doing something for me>.....”

If she is suffering and hurting, then look at the situation from a positive light.

Igni: (Can I really do this…?)

Igni: (No.)

Igni: (Not “can” I….I “will”....)

Igni: “That’s why it made me happy. Lilly, you were <working so hard to do something for me>.”

Igni smiles at her warmly.

Igni: “Lilly, if you do that, it’ll make me want to fall in love with you.”

He gently holds her hand.

Lilly: “........Igni~...”

Lilly’s face turns bright red as she stares into Igni’s eyes.

Igni: “So Lilly, can I ask for your help?” Lilly: “Yes.” Igni: “Could you…..handle those two over there?” Lilly: “Yes.”

Igni: “Then I leave it to you.”

Lilly: “You can count on me!”

Lilly wipes her eyes, smiles brightly, and heads towards the sisters who were panicking under the [Comet] {Meteo}’s {Fireball} Spell.

Igni: (Lilly is strong.)

Igni: (She should be able to hold them back.)

Rose: “What were you mumbling to her about, Igni?” Igni: “I needed to ask her for something.”

Rose: “Like what?” Igni: “I asked….if she could give me some time to speak with you alone.”

Igni smiles kindly at Rose.

Rose: “I~I’m sh-till mad at you~ you know~…..”

Rose’s face goes bright red as she hurriedly tries to stay mad at Igni.

Igni: “That’s okay. You don’t have to forgive me.”

Igni immediately takes Rose’s words and glides on top of it.

Igni: “What do you want to do to me? You want to kill me?”

Rose: “No~....I don’t want….you to die~”

With that Rose walks right up to Igni.

Rose: “You know that I love you, Igni.” Igni: “Thanks.”

Rose: “That’s why, I want to be with you.” Igni: “As do I.” Rose: “But……...huh?”

Rose’s eyes goes wide with Igni’s words.

Igni: “I told you, right? I will free you from the duties of the [Saint].”

Rose: “ThーThat was just a lie to fool the [Demon Race] girl though…..” Igni: “No. I thought of that solution just for you, <ROSE>. <JUST. FOR. YOU.>”

Rose: “For…...me……?” Roses eyes glow and melt into puddles.

Igni: “3 years…..thank you for waiting for me all that time.” Rose: “Of course, anything for you.” Igni: “But I need you to wait just a little longer. Until I can retrieve the [Demon King]’s body from the [Demon King’s Realm].”

Rose: “Of course! I’ll wait! I’ll wait for you to return, Igni!!”

Igni: “Then, we can be together.”

As Igni speaks, he looks deeply into Rose’s eyes and smiles.

The [Comet] {Meteo} is now right above Igni and the group’s overhead.

Igni: “I’ll end this quickly.”

SoーーIgni erased his Spell.

The [Comet] {Meteo} was just a bluff.

It was just an elaborate, overexaggerated distraction in the end.

“It disappeared, sir?!”

And sucking in a long breath….

Igni: “Here I come! {Fireball}!!”

The next moment, the entire sky was filled with <COUNTLESS> {Fireball}s!

Igni: “32,768 {Fireball}s. Now……[Equip Flame] {Ignite} : {Homing}”

Some at the Kunoichi girl, and also at the 2 new sisters who joined.

He inputs and registers their Magic Power.

“Sister! We have to run!!”

“But this girl’s strong!”

The elder sister fighting with Lilly yells back.

Panic spreads over the younger sister’s face.

“【Invincible Stronghold】Stance, sir.”

But instead of running, the Kunoichi girl firmly grounds both her feet and initiates Magic Power and…….envelopes her body.

“It can’t be helped! Sister!! Commencing Emergency Retreat!”

“What?! We’re doing ‘that’?!”

As soon as the sisters began retreating….

Igni: “[Air Bombing] {Fire}”

Igni dropped all {Fireball}s in the sky.

<ZUDODODODODO………..!!!>

As if the Giant Rollant started trampling the ground, the earth shakes, and the sound of explosions fill every inch of the air.

Over 30,000 {Fireball}s came flying down towards 3 specific people!

Impacts clashed with other impacts as the land was repainted with the colors of Hell.

Then……

“.......you are strong, sir.”

The Kunoichi girl murmurs her words as her clothes falls apart.

She’s hiding and holding fairly voluminous breasts that came tumbling out.

But she is not visibly damaged in any other way.

“That was so hot! We almost didn’t make it.”

“That’s why we should have retreated earlier!!”

The <SHADOWS> dripped in an oozing fashion as 2 girls appeared.

“See?! Those are the [Extreme]-class Wizards that my Fate has drawn here today! It won’t end that easily!”

Somehow being tied up already, Kuro screams aloud at Igni.

Igni: “.........I see…..”

As he observed the three who survived, he nodded slowly.

Yoori: “Igni! All 3 of them are fine?!”

Igni: “No, don’t worry. I’ve already finished my <COMBAT POWER ANALYSIS>.”

Igni confidently answers back at Yoori.

Igni: (My heart won’t…….be distracted by…….the breasts right before my eyes!!)

Igni looks at the Kunoichi girl as he solidifies his resolution.

Igni: (Right now…...I’m…..POPULAR!!)

On top of his already overly optimistic, positive thinking, his motivation, stamina, and “wanna-look-cool” gauge were all adding more fuel to the fire as it exceeded MAX capacity!

“Ugh…...I can’t fight like this, sir!”

But he still stole glances at the breasts like any other boy would even after saying all that.