Rimuru and Iruma's Adventures in the Netherworld

Arrow Near The Knee

Iruma POV

A long time passes without me making any progress, only staring at the feather in my hand, the light in the room growing orange as the sun starts to set.

I groan loudly and fall back onto the mat on the ground. I hadn't been able to figure it out, and that's getting to me. "What is wrong with me?" I pause and look out onto the horizon, taking a moment to think about all the time I'd spent in Tempest training. "If I can figure out my skills, I can figure this out... I just need to try a little harder."

It's just a spell, right? I just need to form a clear picture in my mind of what I want and say the spell's name, but forming that clear picture is the hard part since I have to pick the right one. It has to fit me as a person and what I want; that's what Master Bachiko said.

I think back on what Hinata had last told me too. "If you can't do something, you can always think about a different way to do it." I recite it out loud.

But, the problem is that I'm not sure there's a different way to do this.

My skills work just fine with imagining what I want to happen and then pouring in the right amount of magic, and Rimuru said before that skills are based on spells... So they have to work pretty much the same way, right?

{{No, no, no! You are thinking about it all wrong, Iruma-boy!}}

"Ali!?"

My eyes dart to my ring, but Alikred is nowhere to be seen.

"Did you just speak to me in my mind!?"

{{I have always used telepathy to speak with you, I just didn't bother showing my beautiful face this time! Did you seriously just notice?}}

"U-uh... yeah, it always seemed like you talked normally to me."

{{I have no mouth to speak with, so I have no clue how you came to that conclusion.}}

"So... can you tell me what you meant when you said I was thinking about this wrong?"

{{You're fixating too much on the magic itself when you should be focusing on the feelings you're putting into the spell! You're too stubborn, too uncreative! I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with you!}}

"But I don't know what feelings to use for it. That's my problem." I look around the room. "I mean, no one else is even here... We aren't in any danger. What am I supposed to feel? It's just a calm summery day!"

{{You do realize you can get a different tutor, right? You don't need to become an archer, you can instead do something more within the scope of your talents. Forcing yourself won't help you whatsoever, so why not give up instead of banging your head against a wall?}}

"I can't give up that easily!" I feel a bit of anger boil up.

{{Well, you'll need to consid-}}

Suddenly a puff of smoke emerges from my ring and Ali materializes in front of me. "I get it, I get it! I am sorry, Lady Ciel!" He shivers in fear as he bows in front of my ring.

I almost don't want to ask what happened since Ali looks terrified right now. I'm guessing he did something to make Ciel mad again.

"Ignore most of what I just said! I was wrong! Very wrong!"

"Sure..."

"But, my point about you using that spell wrong still stands. You need to dig deep, Iruma-boy, find all those embarrassing feelings you have hidden, and bring them to the surface. Only then can you create a bow that suits you to your mentor's standards, since you are so intent on impressing her."