"Ki manipulation…? Um, what is ki?"
"To put it simply, ki is the power that humans possess. Before the concept of ki was established, people apparently called it 'supernatural abilities' or 'PSI,' but to make it easy for you to understand, Sophia, it's the superior version of the six basic support magics."
"The six basic support magics mean it's a power that can enhance one's own abilities, right?"
"That understanding is correct. After all, the six basic magics were developed as support for learning ki manipulation, which is 'the sensation of one's own ki being activated through magic.'"
"I see…"
Sophia was listening carefully to my explanation, but she didn't seem to fully grasp it yet.
"Even if I explain it in words, it's hard to get a real sense of it. In that case, I'll cast a support magic on you now, so focus on what's inside yourself."
"Y-yes. Understood."
Sophia readily accepted my words and closed her eyes to concentrate.
"—All Abilities Up."
When I applied the buff to Sophia, she slowly opened her eyes.
"…It feels like the usual buff. Is this the sensation of the ki inside me being activated?"
Nodding at her question, I took out a single magic stone from my storage magic tool and placed it on my palm.
"That's right. While keeping that sensation in mind, try lifting this magic stone with Psychokinesis."
"U-understood. —Huh…?"
The magic stone that had been on my palm floated into the air, and a confused voice escaped from Sophia.
"How was it? Did it feel any different from usual?"
"No, Psychokinesis feels the same as always. But I definitely felt that the sensation of Psychokinesis and the buff were very similar."
"Both of those are the sensation of manipulating ki."
"So this is ki manipulation…"
"Ki manipulation was a technique that had only been passed down to a limited number of people until now. However, in the near future, this information will gradually become known in the form of rumors. And for explorers aiming to conquer the Great Labyrinths, ki manipulation will become an essential technique to learn. In that regard, Sophia, you're already quite far ahead of others."
"Is that because I can already use Psychokinesis?"
"That's right. In the past, Psychokinesis was apparently considered one of the endpoints of ki manipulation. From what I've heard, only a handful of people in history have been able to use Psychokinesis."
The person around me most skilled in ki manipulation, aside from Sophia, would probably be Hart.
Even he hasn't been able to learn Psychokinesis.
Most likely, among the humans alive today, only Sophia and I can use Psychokinesis.
"I see. Thank you for teaching me, Orun! Somehow, hearing about Psychokinesis makes me feel like my possibilities have expanded!"
"I'm glad you feel that way. Like I said earlier, I didn't want to narrow your future."
"You didn't narrow my future at all! Orun always expands my—our possibilities! I'm here now because you've taught me so many things! I don't know if I'll be able to walk the same path as you in the future, but I still remember those words you said back then!"
"Those words…?"
Not sure what she was referring to, I repeated her words, and Sophia gave a confident smile.
"'So that I can help Orun when he's in trouble—I will surpass Orun!'"
"..."
That was the resolve she declared on the day they became official explorers of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and the Twilight Moonbow was born.
"…That's right. Then when I'm in a pinch, I'll call for your help, Sophia."
"Understood! Leave it to me when that time comes!"
◇
After finishing my talk with Sophia, I headed with her to the entrance where Carol and Log were waiting.
"Ah, they're here~!"
Carol, who noticed us, waved at us.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"It hasn't been that long, so we weren't waiting at all."
"Yeah, yeah. More importantly, Sophia, Sophia! What did you talk about with Master when you were alone~?"
Carol kept pressing Sophia.
She must have judged from Sophia's demeanor that it was okay to ask, but Carol's sense of balance in these situations is still amazing as always.
"Ah, um, that's… I'll tell you later."
While watching their interaction with a smile, I almost forgot the main topic.
"—Oh, right. There was something I needed to give you three."
"Something to give us?"
"Huh? Are you giving us a present!?"
"It's more like returning something. Here, the necklaces I was holding onto for you three."
It was the magic stone necklaces I had given them when they went to conquer the 30th floor of the southern Great Labyrinth alone last year.
"Now that you mention it, we left them with Master."
Originally, these necklaces had a function that would notify me if my disciples fell into a pinch.
But since we would be acting separately from now on, and because I recognized them as full-fledged explorers, I had temporarily taken them back to switch the function, thinking it wasn't right to keep something like that on them anymore.
"I already told Sophia about the function, so ask her about it later. Honestly, I'd appreciate it if you never had to use that function, but if you need it, don't hesitate to use it. Also, I trust you, but please don't misuse it."
"I don't know exactly what it does, but this is something precious that Master gave us. I will never misuse it!"
"Me too! I'll treasure it!"
"I'm glad you say that. …It's about time you headed to the academy or you'll be late. But before that, is it okay to stay hidden over there—Luna?"
"Huh? Luna…?"
When I called out to Luna, who was hiding in a spot out of our line of sight, she stepped out with a bitter smile.
"As expected, I can't fool Orun."
"Luna came to see us off too!"
"Then you didn't need to hide."
"I'm sorry. After leaving the clan without saying anything, I was questioning whether I even had the right to see you off, and before I knew it, I couldn't step in front of you."
"Geez, you're overthinking it! We already settled the matter of Luna leaving with that conversation earlier!"
"Yeah. If you hadn't come to see us off, that would have made us sadder."
Luna smiled happily at my disciples, who had readily accepted her.
"Thank you. Then, if you'll allow me, please let me see you off as well."
With those words, Luna paused for a moment, then looked straight at my disciples and spoke.
"The time I spent exploring with you as fellow explorers was short—not even a full year. But as someone who watched over you from nearby, I can say with certainty: You three all possess incredible talent. That's why I truly believe it. You will be the ones to conquer the southern Great Labyrinth. Please hone your skills even further at the academy. And someday, accomplish the great feat that every explorer dreams of—'conquering the Great Labyrinth'—with your own hands."
In response to Luna's words, Log spoke up.
"Thank you, Luna. We will definitely conquer the southern Great Labyrinth! And as Great Labyrinth conquerors, we'll make the name of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky—and the Twilight Moonbow—resound throughout the world!"
"Yes, I'll be waiting for the moment your names echo far and wide."
After Luna finished speaking, I also opened my mouth.
"The path you three are about to walk will surely be a harsh one. It won't be an easy journey. Even so, I believe you will walk straight ahead without getting lost. —Because you are my proud disciples. Even if we end up walking different paths from now on, the fact that I am your master will never change. Our connection will never disappear. So walk the path you believe in."
"Yeah. We'll take Master's words to heart! We'll keep working so that Master can continue to think of us as his proud disciples!"
"Yeah. Then—"
At that point, I stopped speaking and made eye contact with Luna, and together we spoke the next words.
""—Take care.""
"""—We're off!!!"""
With that exchange as the final moment, my disciples turned their backs on us and left the mansion.
The door closed, blocking the sight of my disciples' retreating figures.
As if timing it perfectly, Telsche approached us.
"—Orun, the preparations for heading to the Kyokuto region are complete."