Chapter 211: Ais: Ethan Is the One I Admire!
Bang!
Rumble!
A deafening explosion shook the entire 17th floor violently.
Even the 16th and 18th floors above and below trembled from the impact.
The attack known as [Broken Phantasm] possessed enough destructive power to destroy a city wall, and that was with only a D+ Rank Noble Phantasm.
"What happened?"
When everything finally calmed down, Tiona could not help speaking.
She raised her head and saw an enormous field of rubble. The crystal wall area from before had practically been flattened.
As for Goliath, it had already vanished without a trace. Under such a terrifying strike, even a floor boss had been instantly killed without any ability to resist.
"Hey, you've got to be kidding, right?"
Tione was no better than her younger sister. Her face was filled with shock.
That attack just now was already comparable to Riveria's strongest magic, wasn't it?
Just what kind of monster was Ethan? He had defeated Ais in weapon combat, his magical firepower rivaled Riveria, and his growth speed was unbelievable.
"So strong."
Ais stared blankly at the destruction before her. Even she was shocked by the power Melammu Dingir had unleashed.
And unlike Riveria's wide-area attack magic, Melammu Dingir emphasized pure destructive power.
"You've got to be kidding…"
Lefiya's eyes widened in shock. Even if she gave everything she had, she could not produce destruction on this level.
How long had it been? Ethan had already grown this terrifying?
Step, step.
Ethan walked forward and carefully examined the aftermath.
The power was indeed impressive.
Trading one D+ Rank Noble Phantasm for this level of destruction was definitely powerful, but Ethan still felt somewhat regretful.
After all, he was not Gilgamesh. He could not use this Noble Phantasm however he wished without concern.
His Noble Phantasms were ultimately limited. Every one he used was one less in his stock.
"Not bad."
"???"
Hearing Ethan's evaluation, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya all stared at him with wide eyes.
He called this "not bad"?
He had one-shot Goliath and practically turned part of the 17th floor into ruins, yet this was only "not bad"?
Still, they only complained internally.
In this world, powerful people naturally inspired awe. Ethan's current strength was already enough to make others fear him.
If he could instantly kill Goliath, whose potential was around Lv.4, then ordinary Lv.5 adventurers probably posed no pressure to him either.
Not to mention Ethan already had a record. He had defeated Ais again and again, eventually helping her reach Lv.6.
That alone showed how powerful he was.
"All right, it's getting late. I still have something to do, so I won't stay and chat."
"Okay, take care."
Tiona answered subconsciously, still not fully recovered from what she had witnessed.
"Can I go with you?"
However, Ais suddenly spoke, immediately asking to accompany him.
For the past month, she had been searching for Ethan.
Aside from wanting to prove that she had become stronger, the greater reason was the Skill that had suddenly appeared.
[Liaris Freese]
It was a Skill that allowed her to grow rapidly.
In only one month, her ability values had risen at a speed comparable to six months or even an entire year in the past.
And Lv.6 was completely different from Lv.5. Improving at that level should have been much harder.
Because of that, Ais wanted to stay with Ethan even more.
After all, according to the Skill's description, fighting alongside the object of her admiration would greatly increase its effect.
Although Ais did not really understand what "admiration" meant, she knew that the only person who felt special to her was probably Ethan.
Riveria, Loki, and the others were different.
They were family.
"Hm? Aren't you going with Tiona and the others?"
"I want to be with you."
The simple and straightforward Ais said it without hesitation.
"Eh?! Ais-san actually likes—"
Lefiya felt as if lightning had struck her from a clear sky. Her entire world cracked apart.
Her beloved Ais-san actually liked this guy?
How was that possible?!
"Cough, cough. Ais, do you know what those words mean?"
"Hm?"
The expressionless girl tilted her head, confusion covering her delicate doll-like face.
Ethan immediately understood.
She had no idea how shocking her words sounded.
She probably meant the same thing as during those twenty-something days before. She simply wanted to act together with him.
"Ais, what you just said is basically a confession. You can't say things like that casually."
"Oh. Then because Ethan is the person I admire, I want to be with you."
Once again, Ais used the calmest tone possible to say something utterly explosive.
"Ais-san… waaah…"
Lefiya was almost crying.
She admired Ais, while Ais admired Ethan.
What kind of ridiculous cycle was this?
Tione, however, frowned slightly.
Ais's growth over this past month had been extremely fast. She had also heard Finn mention that Ais had obtained a special Skill related to emotions.
Judging from Ais's behavior now, that Skill was probably connected to Ethan.
Because the effect of [Liaris Freese] was far too abnormal, neither Loki nor Finn and the others had told anyone about it.
Even Ais had been ordered to keep quiet and absolutely never reveal it.
"Ais, do you know what admiration actually means?"
Ethan did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Still, he did not think Ais had genuinely developed romantic feelings for him.
It was not that he lacked confidence. It was simply that Ais probably had nothing in her head except becoming stronger.
Combined with her poor social skills, she was also rather slow when it came to emotions.
Unless they experienced many things together until their feelings naturally developed, trying to win her over would be nearly impossible.
Sure enough, hearing Ethan's question, Ais shook her head in confusion.
"Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding."
That single sentence struck both Ais and Lefiya like a hammer.
The "admiration" Ais understood was merely the emotion described by her Skill. She could not really understand Ethan's words either, leaving her dazed.
Lefiya, meanwhile, was completely stunned.
If admiration was the emotion furthest from understanding, then since she admired Ais-san, did that mean she was the person furthest from truly understanding Ais-san?
The innocent elf girl suffered a violent shock to her heart.
"I don't understand. But I still want to act together with you."
In the end, Ais gave the same straightforward answer.
Ethan felt as though he had punched cotton.
Everything he had just explained might as well have been for nothing.
…
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