The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

Aeden quickly assigned the trainees into pairs, forming ten groups in no time.

"Man, I’m excited to try out Miss Aeden’s sword techniques!" one of them said eagerly.

"Oh? Aren’t you afraid I’ll pull tricks on you like Mister Völun did?" his partner teased.

"Bring it on, then!"

Aeden smirked at their enthusiasm before addressing them.

"Since all of you have been paired up, spread out so you don’t get in each other’s way. You may begin when ready."

As the trainees moved into position, she turned to a lone figure who had yet to be assigned.

It was the entrance guard from before—the man who had lost his family in the accident.

"And as for you…" Aeden gestured toward him. "Since you don’t have a partner, I’ll assign you to Völun. Are you fine with this arrangement?"

"Yes, ma’am," the man replied without hesitation.

"Wait, wait, wait. Why me, though?" Völun asked, clearly caught off guard.

"What do you mean? You didn’t help train them earlier, so of course, you’re going to do it now," Aeden stated matter-of-factly.

"But… I just finished a duel with you…"

"And? Didn’t I spend the entire time training them without your help? Now that I’m giving you the opportunity to fulfill the duty Sir Alguis assigned us, do you really dare to slack off again?"

Völun opened his mouth to argue but immediately realized he had no way to counter her logic. With a sigh of defeat, he scratched his head.

"F-Fine! Sheesh…"

Reluctantly, he took the wooden sword Aeden handed him and walked over to the former entrance guard.

The man greeted him with a respectful bow.

“I hope you take care of me, Sir Völun.” 

“Mhm,” Völun replied in a low tone, gripping his wooden sword.

Aeden watched as the twenty-one trainees, including Völun, began their sparring sessions. Though they struggled to apply the techniques they had learned earlier, she was relieved to see them at least trying to incorporate the fundamentals.

This session is meant to expose their flaws. By watching each other’s mistakes, they’ll learn what to avoid and recognize weaknesses in their opponents—skills that will serve them well in battle.

But this was only the beginning. Fighting monsters is entirely different. Their attack patterns are unpredictable, and reacting to them requires more than just memorized techniques. If these trainees are to stand a chance, they must learn how to counter and adapt to the unknown.

For that, they needed to master the basics first. A strong foundation would allow them to devise their own techniques in the future—ones that could help them survive against monsters far more dangerous than anything they had ever faced.

Aeden turned and spotted the pile of real swords still lying on the ground.

While they’re still training, I need to store those away somewhere safe…

Aeden walked toward the pile of swords, but just as she reached them, something occurred to her.

"Wait… I forgot Mister Soru was here too!"

She quickly looked around, intending to apologize to him. But to her surprise, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Eh? Where did he go?”

After a brief search, she gave up and turned her attention back to the swords, deciding to store them somewhere safe.

Meanwhile, Soru had quietly left the training grounds without notice. Feeling hungry, he made his way toward the campfire near the large house where they were staying.

Upon arriving, he saw two young women preparing breakfast. He hadn’t met them before, and for a moment, he considered waiting for the others before eating.

I shall go and wait for the others…

Just as he was about to leave, he spotted Alguis, Silas, and a few others approaching. Alguis quickly noticed him.

“Sir Soru! Looks like you got here before us,” Alguis said with a smile.

Soru stopped and turned toward him. Alguis stepped forward and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Let's eat together, shall we?"

Soru gave a small nod and followed them.

When they arrived, everyone was handed a bowl of food. They thanked the two women who had prepared the meal and began eating contentedly.

As they ate, the conversation shifted to the barricade project.

"Even though some of the women have been helping, we still don’t have enough manpower to build the barricades quickly," one of them said.

"You’re right," another added. "We barely started, but it’s already clear this will take more than a week to complete."

"But thanks to Miss Reika and her familiar’s ability, the heavy logs have become light enough for a single person to carry," someone pointed out. "And with Sir Alguis’s ability to manipulate the soil—turning it into mud when needed—our work has been much easier."

"Their contributions have made a huge difference," another agreed. "Without their abilities, it would’ve taken at least a month or more to finish everything."

All of them nod in agreement.

While everyone was chatting, some of them noticed the women who had helped with the barricade finally arriving. Though they had all left the worksite together, the women were late to breakfast due to hygiene reasons.

"Here they are. We left at the same time, yet they’re just arriving when we’re about to finish eating."

"Hahh… You know how women are," one of the men chuckled. "They care more about hygiene than us men."

Among the arriving group were Reika and Veylir. Reika spotted Soru and Alguis eating together. After grabbing her bowl, she casually sat beside Soru and started eating.

Moments later, breakfast ended, and after a short break, everyone prepared to return to work. As Soru stood up, Alguis approached him.

"Mister Soru, do you have any plans this morning?"

"Besides observing the trainees, I have nothing else to do."

"If that’s the case, why not watch us erect the barricades?"

Soru paused, considering the idea.

Observing them might be useful. I am curious about their process as well…

He nodded in agreement and followed them to the site.

In the distance, he spotted Veylir hovering over a pile of logs. Nearby, massive logs were being vertically split in half, their sharpened tips buried deep into the ground at an angle, forming part of the barricade.

Everyone moved to their designated posts and resumed working. As Soru silently observed, he took in the efficiency of their teamwork.

Reika and Veylir focused on processing the logs. Using an aerial-type ability, they effortlessly split them in half and carved pointed tips for easier placement.

<Gale Cleave!>

With a swift chant, a compressed wind blade materialized, slicing through the logs as if they were nothing but butter. Veylir then refined the tips using the same technique.

Once prepared, another aerial-type ability, Light Wind, was applied to the logs, making them lighter so that an average person could carry them with ease.

Three individuals were assigned to transport the processed logs, which were then erected diagonally into the ground. Meanwhile, Alguis used Surface Liquefaction to soften the soil, allowing the logs to be buried and secured more easily.

Thanks to that ability, the three of them managed to embed the processed log's body into the ground with minimal effort.

They repeated the process over and over, with Reika assisting Alguis in softening the ground using the same ability he was using.

Hours passed, and they successfully erected ten log pikes. Everyone pitched in, including the men and women present at the site. Soru watched in silence, observing their every movement as they worked tirelessly to fortify the area.

"Let's take a short break! It's already noon, and our snacks should be here any minute," Alguis announced.

Right on cue, the two women from earlier arrived, carrying a basket full of bread and some water. The workers took notice and gathered around to get their portions, Alguis and Reika included. Reika then approached Soru and handed her some bread and water. Soru took them and started eating.

"You know, I thought you'd eventually lend a hand after hours of just standing there watching us work. But it looks like I underestimated your ability to not get bored!"

"I saw how everyone worked together without leaving a single person behind. Each of you played your role efficiently. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the need to step in," Soru replied.

"Uh-huh... Well, since we’re social beings, teamwork is one of our intrinsic survival traits. Without it, living in this harsh world on our own would be much harder."

Reika noticed that the workers had finished and decided it was time to resume their work.

"All right… Let's get back to it~!" she called out cheerfully.

Soru watched her, noting how eager she was to help others. He paused, lost in thought.

I remember thinking that interacting with people might help awaken my emotions. But even after all this time, nothing has changed…

He took a step forward.

Maybe if I keep doing it, something will eventually happen.

Alguis noticed Soru approaching and welcomed him with a nod. Soru stopped, observing as the workers positioned the processed logs on the ground before raising them upright.

"Oh, Mister Soru, what brings you here? Want to take a closer look?" Alguis asked.

"I came to see if you needed help."

Alguis blinked in surprise. "W-Well, if you're offering, you could help carry those large logs over there to their designated spots."

Without another word, Soru headed toward the area where Reika and Veylir were working. Alguis simply shrugged and returned to his task.

When Soru arrived, both Reika and Veylir turned to him.

"Oh? Master Soru, have you decided to help us?" Veylir asked.

"Yes."

"That's great! With your help, we might finish this project faster than expected!"

On the other side, Reika watched Soru as he spoke with Veylir.

I didn't expect him to join us…

"Where should I place these finished pikes so they can be lifted and set into the ground?" Soru asked.

"Uh… from there to there," Reika said, pointing between two spots.

Soru turned toward the pile, counting a total of eleven pikes. Without hesitation, he stretched out his hand. In an instant, all of them vanished into thin air.

Reika and Veylir’s eyes widened in shock.

A second later, the missing pikes reappeared neatly near the designated area, ready to be erected. The sight didn’t just startle them—Alguis and the workers also witnessed it.

At first, they were stunned, but it quickly faded. Rumors about Soru's extraordinary and convenient ability had already spread throughout the settlement, so seeing it firsthand wasn’t all that surprising.

"Even though I knew Mister Soru had that strange ability, I never imagined it would be this useful!"

"Of course! With his ability, doing tasks like this became more convenient than ever!"

Reika stepped forward, activating her ability. Alongside Alguis, she softened the ground to help the workers insert the logs more easily.

The afternoon passed, and they decided to call it a day. As they looked at the unfinished barricade, they were surprised by how much progress they had made.

"To think we managed to surpass our expected progress… It's all thanks to Mister Soru's help!"

"Yeah! We saved so much time and effort on building these barricades!"

Soru overheard their conversation and glanced at them. Their smiles and cheerful expressions stood out to him.

I guess my actions had a strong impact on their mood…

He looked down at his palm, lost in thought.

If I keep doing this… will it eventually ignite my emotions?

A tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Alguis smiling at him.

"Thanks for your help, Mister Soru! With you around, the construction went faster than we ever expected!"

Alguis gave him a thumbs-up, his grin unwavering. Soru glanced back at the workers as they returned to the site, their energy still high despite the day's labor.

"...You're welcome."

Before they could say more, Reika approached them, Veylir walking beside her, chatting along the way.

"I thought you'd just stand around observing us the whole time. I was honestly surprised when you decided to help," Reika said as she reached him.

"Master Soru might not seem interested at first, but once he gets involved, he turns into a surprisingly capable fellow!" Veylir added with a grin.

"I only helped a little, that's all," Soru replied.

Alguis overheard their conversation and chimed in.

"Mhm. Mister Soru is a capable individual, indeed!"

With that, the group made their way back to the settlement alongside the workers. As they arrived, they encountered Aeden and Völun, who had just wrapped up their first day of training the volunteers in basic swordsmanship. The dwarves greeted Alguis with a respectful bow.

"Sir Alguis!"

Aeden’s gaze briefly shifted to Soru.

So he was with them earlier…

"Mhm. How did the training go with the volunteers?" Alguis asked.

"It went smoothly," Aeden replied. "Their proficiency isn't great yet, but they've shown signs of improvement. Considering it's only been a day, that’s promising."

"That's good to hear…"

Together, they headed to the communal grounds for dinner. Laughter filled the air as villagers shared stories about their first day of preparation for the coming wave. Though they had been anxious at the start, a new energy had taken hold—an eagerness to stand together and defend their home.

The second day arrived, and everyone resumed their assigned tasks. Meanwhile, Soru approached Aeden regarding his training in the Phantom Combat Technique.

"I apologize, Mister Soru. I was so occupied with training the others that I completely forgot about yours," Aeden admitted.

"It's okay," Soru replied.

Aeden paused for a moment.

"If you're still up for it, we could train after dinner. How does that sound?"

"I'm fine with that."

With their agreement settled, they parted ways.

Meanwhile, Reika and Veylir were back to their usual task—processing logs using their abilities.

As they worked, Reika decided to bring up something that had been on her mind for the past two days.

"Uh, Veylir… I've been thinking about this for a while. Would you mind hearing a request of mine?"

Veylir paused, glancing at her curiously.

"It's rare for you to ask me for something. Go on, what is it?"

"W-Well, since you're one of the oldest entities on this continent, I—"

"Hold on a second. I'm not that old, you know? If my lifespan were the same as yours, I'd be about twenty-one."

Reika gave her an annoyed look.

This dragon…

"A-Anyway," she continued, clearing her throat, "since you've lived here much longer, I was wondering… do you know how to wield any weapons?"

Veylir’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, I see where this is going…"

She placed a hand on her chin and closed one eye, striking a dramatic pose as if she were some wise scholar.

"Basically, you want me to teach you some Weapon Arts?"

"W-Well, something like that…" Reika muttered.

"Hmm… I never thought you'd take an interest in that…"

Veylir let the thought settle before continuing.

"…But I should tell you, I've only mastered one Weapon Art. Dragons, after all, don't need such meager techniques in combat—"

"If you know even one, then you can teach me!" Reika interrupted.

Veylir took a step back as Reika leaned in too close, her face practically glowing with excitement.

"...Alright, alright! I-I guess I could teach you," Veylir relented.

"Sweet!"

Scratching her cheek with a tiny claw, Veylir looked away.

"W-Well, don't get your hopes up. I only know the fundamentals—it's not like I'm that proficient or anything..."

"That's fine! That should be enough for me~!" Reika chirped.

Veylir edged away again, keeping some distance before Reika could close in on her.

"So, what kind of weapon art is it?"

Suddenly, Veylir’s expression turned serious. Reika immediately noticed and adjusted her composure.

"Oh, i-it's just the basics of Spear Arts," Veylir said. "Nothing fancy. I never really bothered learning its complexities."