NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 36. The Motivation to Practice a New Skill
"That damn old man! He thinks that since he's already with one foot in the grave, he can make jokes at anyone's expense without any fear...", Kara expressed her displeasure after they left the Adventurers' Guild.
Ophelia didn't know if Kara was truly as upset as she seemed or if she was exaggerating because she saw that she was amused by what had happened. However, she was absolutely convinced of one thing: Kara was extraordinarily cute when she was sulking.
"There, there, don't be upset. You know how old people are...", Ophelia began to gently pat Kara's head, her tone very soothing.
"......."
"What happened?", Ophelia asked, noticing that Kara had stopped walking and was looking at her as if she were a stranger.
"How should I put it? I didn't expect you to play the big sister role so well..."
Since in her mind the word "Ophelia" had started to become synonymous with "seduction," Kara didn't expect Ophelia to have such a side, capable of calming emotions so effectively rather than igniting them.
Hearing Kara's response, Ophelia felt the urge to pull her by the ears. What was Kara trying to say? That she didn't seem like a trustworthy person?
"Maybe you've forgotten, Kara, but I am an older sister..."
"It's not that I forgot, but I didn't expect you to have such a soothing aura. I rather thought that to calm your little sister down, you would make her blush by kissing her on the cheek, or pressing her head into your cleavage while hugging her...", Kara let her imagination run wild (proving that she has a talent for writing yuri novels).
Well, Ophelia couldn't say that such episodes had never happened, but each time they occurred unintentionally. How could she resist when her little sister was so cute?
"Let's put that aside. More importantly, how did you manage to use the same skill as the old man to make the money float? As far as I know, only those with the Mentalist class or its derivatives can control objects with the power of their mind...", Ophelia tried to change the subject, not wanting Kara to discover that her suspicion was mostly correct.
"Oh, right. I think I haven't told you yet that I can learn any skill I see...", Kara said nonchalantly, as if she had mentioned she could breathe.
"Huh? You can learn any skill just by seeing it? There's nothing else required?" Ophelia asked, remembering that the ability to learn skills could be found in certain types of demons, but the conditions were quite complicated. For example, some vampires can steal skills from their victims, but they need to feed on their blood daily for a week.
"Yes, I just need to see the skill in action. For instance, I could use without any problem the skills you used to attack me yesterday. Of course, that doesn't mean I can use them as effectively in combat as you from the beginning, and even less in various combinations, but I don't think I would have a problem mastering them perfectly over time if I wanted to..."
"That's truly amazing! You probably already mastered hundreds of skills..."
Seeing how enthusiastic Ophelia was, Kara didn't quite know how to tell her that she hadn't paid much attention to learning other skills until then.
"...Not really. It's not been long since I got this ability, so I haven't had the chance to see any skills that suit my fighting style. Plus, it's more satisfying to destroy my enemies using my bare hands...", Kara justified her lack of interest in acquiring new skills.
Hearing what Kara said, Ophelia couldn't help but think to herself how great it must be to be so powerful that you no longer need to worry about skills.
"So you used the old man's skill just to humble him? You don't plan on getting familiar with it?"
"Well, it's quite an interesting skill with many applications, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to use it on other occasions. Imagine how funny it would be to make the opponents float towards me so I could cut them in half with my claws...", Kara tried to motivate herself to step out of her comfort zone, not really feeling like trying new things.
Ophelia didn't know what to say after hearing that the first situation that came to Kara's mind suitable for using the skill she just learned sounded like something out of a horror story. Couldn't she imagine using the skill for something more fulfilling for ordinary people, like flying?
"...I think you could find other uses for it if you think about it more....", Ophelia finally said, a bit irritated that such a skill, which many dream of having, had fallen into the hands of someone who didn't seem to know how to appreciate it.
"Hmm, I think it would be interesting to use in bed too..."
Ophelia had to admit to herself that Kara had a pretty vivid imagination when a subject interested her. Too bad there weren't many such subjects.
'It seems that for Kara, a skill is only interesting if it can be used in battle or during sex...'
...................................
Even though it was still an hour before noon, since the place Kara intended to take Ophelia to was a high-end restaurant where you had to wait a while after ordering for the food to be served, they headed straight there after leaving the Adventurers' Guild.
Given that the prices at this restaurant were far too high for the average person, Kara and Ophelia had no trouble finding an available table even without a reservation. They were led by a young waitress to a table by a window with a direct view of the fountain in the city center.
After studying the menu for a few minutes, the two ordered the dishes that seemed most appealing to them. The waitress then brought a bottle of fruit wine that looked very expensive and poured them each a glass to enjoy while waiting for their food.
Kara wasn't a big fan of wine; she preferred to drink only cold water even on festive occasions. However, seeing Ophelia's lips glisten after she sipped from her wine glass made the drink in front of Kara suddenly very tempting.
Of course, Kara would have much preferred to kiss Ophelia, but since it was neither the time nor the place for that, the only way she could find out what Ophelia's lips tasted like at that moment was by drinking from her own wine glass. Yet, it seemed Kara was not destined to be content with half measures, because just as she took the glass in hand, two young men appeared beside their table. Judging by their clothes and physique, they seemed to come from very wealthy families and were not too familiar with hard work.
"Young ladies, would you do us the honor of accompanying us during lunch? My friend and I just arrived from the capital and we’re not very familiar with this city, so we’d appreciate it if you could give us some information about the main attractions. Of course, to compensate you, we’ll cover the bill..." began the shorter of the two, who seemed quite skilled at chatting up girls, while his friend nodded like a duck, unable to decide whether to look at Kara or Ophelia.
Hearing the young man's words, Ophelia expected Kara to have a fit of anger, but to her surprise, Kara was very calm and even had a benevolent expression.
'It seems even Kara feels obliged to respect etiquette in such an upscale environment...'
"Yes, I think I can help. I know a place where you can see the entire city...", Kara said with a bit of enthusiasm in her voice after the young man finished his pick-up lines.
Seeing that they were successful, the two young men began to congratulate each other with their eyes, not noticing that the window had started to open by itself.
"I'm glad to hear that. So... huh, what's happening?", stopped talking the shorter one, who was intending to suggest that Kara and Ophelia move with them to a bigger table, as he noticed he was suddenly rising.
Unfortunately for him, his desire to be taller was not fulfilled; instead, he was lifted into the air by Kara using the Advanced Telekinesis skill she had just learned, and before he could realize what was happening, both he and his friend were flying out the window, then up into the sky, Kara stopping when their screams were barely audible.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!"
"Help!!!"
"I'm sure from a height of over 100 meters, they'll have no problem finding all the city's attractions...", Kara said after closing the window, not wanting their screams to ruin the ambient music.
'So much for etiquette... But I must admit the entire operation was very clean. Anyway, at least Kara found the motivation to practice her new skill...', Ophelia thought to herself, who, like the other restaurant patrons, had watched what Kara did with her mouth agape.
