"So soft." Fran mumbled as she slowly awoke from her dream about a Lonely Man on a Hill of Swords. While she was still a little tired, she felt better than she had in a long time. Everything from the previous day had seemed like a dream. Though she thought that she must still be dreaming when she started to get up, only to find that, rather than laying on the ground, she was in a bed… an actual bed.

There were no sheets, but the large lumpy mattress was very soft, and the monster skin blanket was much thicker and warmer than what she had been using before. And she had a pillow, a real feather pillow! Fran pushed her face into it and breathed it in, making sure that it was real.

[You're awake.] Archer said, drawing the girl's attention away from the bed she was in.

They were in a room, one with stone walls and ceiling. There wasn't much light, only some sprinkling in through the doorway, but with Fran's [Night Vision] it wasn't a problem for her. She could even see a table and some chairs nearby, along with a dresser, all made out of stone.

Archer was there as well, leaning up against the wall beside the doorway.

"Nn." Fran said, nodding her head. "Where are we?"

[We're just in a hole I dug out using [Earth Magic]. I know it isn't much, but it will do as temporary lodgings while we are finishing your training and getting you prepared to face the world.] Archer said, flouting up off the ground. [There are a change of clothes for you in the dresser, and some warm water ready outside. Don't take any of the leather armor, you won't need that yet. Clean yourself up while I make breakfast.]

"Okay." Fran said, getting up from her bed… her bed. It still felt unreal.

She walked over to the dresser and pulled out the clothes, there were four sets of clothes in there for her to choose from, aside from a set of scaly leather armor.

She ended up picking out a linen top and skirt, as well as a pair of silk panties. She didn't know where Archer had gotten the material to make them, or when he had the time. They were plain, but still nicer than anything she had ever owned before. They even had holes in them for Fran's tail.

Taking the clothes, she walked up the stairs that made up the entrance to the little home that Archer had dug out from her and stopped in her tracks when she saw a bathtub… a bathtub full of warm water that was just barely steaming in the cool morning air.

A bath.

[And here I thought that cats didn't like baths.] Archer said as she saw the look of bliss on Fran's face as she relaxed in the large stone hole in the ground that Archer had filled with hot water, using basic [Water Magic] and [Fire Magic].

As it turned out, the Magic in this world was incredibly useful for day to day tasks, like boiling water, or building a house of stone. With just level 4 [Earth Magic], one could move a good deal of rock at a time. He even had something called [Purification Magic] that was just incredible for getting the blood stains out of the Slave Trader's linen pants and silk shirt, before Archer unmade them in order to create Fran's new clothes.

It was lucky that the bastard was so fat, as it gave Archer plenty of material to work with. He also scrapped the tarp on the wagon to create Fran's bed and pillow, using some of the wood for the bed frame. The bed was stuffed full of the woof from a ram-like Demonic Beast that Archer chanced upon before he had been stuck in the ground, while the feathers for the pillow came from a nearby bird that he found in the night. It had very large eggs, which were now going to be breakfast. He had barely managed to have time to properly tan some of the monster hides to make a basic set of leather armor and some comfortable shoes, before the timer on the [Body Split] Skill ran out.

"Nn. Never seen a cat before, but I like baths." Fran said, almost purring herself. "I used to have them with my mother, before she died."

[...Is that so? Well, you can take another bath tonight if you wish, but for now, breakfast is going to get cold.] Archer informed the girl.

"Nn." Fran nodded.

She was a little slow to get out and get dressed.

She didn't seem to mind Archer seeing her naked, perhaps because he was just a sword, or maybe because she honestly didn't care. Wasn't like Archer cared either. Beyond her being too young, he was quite literally a sword.

Though he would be willing to admit she was a pretty young thing, and that she showed all the signs of one day becoming a heartbreaker when she grew up... She'd look better if she wasn't so dangerously malnourished.

Stats, healing magic and the girl's own determination kept her performing as if there was nothing wrong, but one did not recover from years of neglect after just one night. Her bony ribs were easy to see on her thin frame and her face was ever so slightly sunken. Archer would like to delay the start of their journey until she was back to full heal. A week, at the very least.

With her appetite, malnutrition would soon be a problem of the past.

[Once you are done eating, we can get back to your training.] Archer said as Fran scarfed down an omitted that was probably big enough for two people.

"More sparring?" Fran asked between bites.

[Not today. The Skill I used to produce a sparring partner for you has a 24 hour cooldown and only lasts for 10 hours. So I will use it again for you tomorrow. Today we will focus on getting you used to using the various Magic and Skills that we now share. But don't fool yourself into thinking this is going to be easy. I will work you hard.] Archer told the girl.

"Nn. Will do my best." Fran said before continuing to eat, but after a few more bites she stopped again. "Archer?"

[Hm? Is something the matter?]

She looked up at him, her face still stiff and near expressionless, but her eyes warm. "Thank you, for everything."

[...You're welcome, my Master.]

"...Could you not call me that?"

Archer couldn't help but to start laughing as the girl gave the smallest of pouts. [If that is your wish, Fran.]

Fran could feel it all around her, the gentle wind. It cradled her, wrapping itself around her form. Sense it all around her, and she felt connected to it. It was not just around her, it was within her.

She knew what it would do. The exact way it would bend every blade of grass. How it would brush past her hair. The smells it would carry to her.

And if she wished, she knew that she could bend it. That she had the power to guide the wind and choose where it would blow. She could control what it would bring.

A pressure. Moisture in the air and an oppressive heat. The wind was stirring, rotating. Pressure pressing against pressure. Power building and being pulled apart. A charge was in the air. Inside of her. She could feel it growing. It was going to…

*Biri* *Biri*

Fran's eyes slowly opened to see small arcs of electricity jumping between her finger tips. The catgirl felt a shiver run up her spin as she watched the sparks, and a rare, wide smile crossed her face.

[Looks like it worked this time.] Archer said.

"Nn!" Fran said, simply nodding her head, though her eyes were shining with excitement and her ears were happily twitching away.

[From what I can tell, you have a very strong talent for the Lightning Element, while only a weak talent for Wind and Fire. But you weren't able to learn Lightning Magic until after you first practiced Wind and Fire. Strange.] Archer said, though his words were lost on Fran who was quickly becoming lost in her own little world.

They had been practicing learning magic, with Archer using his [Telepathy] to implant imagines and ideas of the elements into Fran's mind, helping to push her to learn the magic on her own. He had explained a lot of stuff about self-hypnosis and making oneself understand and believe being important to using Magic, but Fran hadn't really understood much of it.

She had no talent for learning Earth or Water Magic, but in the short time spent, Fran had increased both Fire and Wind Magic to level 2. She didn't know much about learning magic, but she felt that managing to achieve two level 2 magic types in just a few hours had to be good, even if the Skills she shared with Archer were more powerful.

But the one she had really wanted to learn was Lightning Magic, and not just because it was one that Archer didn't yet have.

While some people found it scary, Fran had always been fascinated by lightning. As a child, she would sit in the dark and stare out the doorway at the raging storms, 'ew'ing and 'ah'ing over the bright flashes of light in the darkness. So when Archer had told her that she had a natural talent for Lightning, it had felt like fate.

And now, that wondrous and beautiful power was at her fingertips.

[We've already reached the limit of my knowledge about how to practice Elemental based Magecraft, since it's never exactly been my specialty. We will need to seek out more information on it later.]

"Nn!" Fran nodded again, though she wasn't really listening. "Biribiri." But suddenly, the plug was pulled on her fun and the sparks disappear. "Ah!?" Fran vocalized in surprise before realizing she no longer knew how to control the mana needed to perform the spell. Archer had unequipped the [Magic Manipulation] Skill from his [Skill Sharing]'s memory slots.

[It seems that even though you've learned a few spells, you still don't have the means to cast them on your own. Sadly, I have no idea how to train for the control of mana in the air.] Archer said with an almost humming quality to his voice. Then he noticed the face that Fran was making. [Come on, don't pout. I'm just saying it would be nice if you know how to use it on your own.] He said before reequipping the skill.

"...Archer leaving?" Fran asked. Her voice was calm, but her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Her life had already taken such a turn because of Archer. It felt like if he disappeared, everything would go back to the way it had been.

[...Don't worry. I'm not planning on going anywhere without you. But it wouldn't hurt for you to be able to handle yourself. And it might give us some clues on how you can get even stronger.] Archer reassured Fran.

"Right." Fran said with a nod of her head. Archer wasn't planning on abandoning her, but she should work hard to be useful. She didn't want to just be a burden to him.

[Well, I might not know how to unlock [Magic Manipulation], but I might have something that would work for [Vigor Manipulation]. Though it might be a bit painful.] Archer said.

Archer had explained about the difference between the Skills to Fran earlier.

[Magic Manipulation] is the ability to move about the Mana in the air in order to perform Magic, while [Vigor Manipulation] allowed for the control of the Magical Energy within the body in order to perform Techniques. Without [Magic Manipulation] one could not do Magic, and without [Vigor Manipulation] Techniques were impossible.

"Learn: how?" Fran asked, now eager to learn. Archer explained to the girl the existence of the magic channels inside of the body and how they could be opened by having someone pushing magical energy into them and forcing them open. Archer insisted that it was a horribly painful experience and told Fran that she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to, but Fran was prepared.

She would do almost anything to get stronger.

[Alright, I'm going to start. Are you ready?]

"Nn." Fran said around the piece of leather that Archer had given her to bite down on.

Archer's strength had been present in her body ever since she had first equipped him. It had always felt like it was settling down on her like a warm blanket, and made her feel safe and confident. However, Archer's energy was now coming much more forcefully and focusing on small areas of her body.

It felt like her spin was on fire, and the small girl's body began to spasm as the most intense pain of her life racked her entire being.

[Fran. Are you alright...] Archer's voice echoed inside her mind, full of concern. She could feel that he was considering pulling back.

(Don't stop!) Fran couldn't speak, but she shouted in her mind. She willed herself to grab onto the power, holding tight to it no matter how much it hurt.

The pain lingered, even after Archer stopped. It didn't start to go away until after the sword used healing magic on her. After it was over, Fran spat out the leather, fell to her knees, and vomited for the first time in over a year.

She had thought she wasn't capable of vomiting anymore, that her time as a slave had trained her body never to give up anything, no matter what. But it seemed she was mistaken.

[Easy there. Deep breaths.] Archer said, and Fran felt him using his telekinesis to pat her back.

"Did it work?" Fran asked as soon as she had the breath to.

[...Yeah. About that. You seemed to have developed a Skill called [Vigor Control].]

"...Awesome."

[Vigor Control]: The Evolved version of the [Vigor Manipulation] Skill. Grants more precise control of the magic energy within the body, increasing the effectiveness and decreasing the cost of Technique based Skills. Increases the effectiveness of all detection based Skills.

A story that has been sitting around in my Google Docs file for a few months, since Tensei shitara Ken deshita used to not have a category.

Archer is under the limitation of only being able to call on one Noble Phantasm a day, and he can't do it in a day in which he used Body Split to help speed up Fran's training or help her fight, creating a little bit of a dilemma for him.

For those trying to write a Tensei shitara Ken deshita story, the values of the mana stones seemed to multiple by 4 with every increase in threat rank.

G - 1

F - 2~4

E - 5~16

D - 17~ 64

C - 65 ~ 256

B - 257 ~ 1024

A - 1025 ~ 4096

S - 4097+

Meanwhile EXP increases by 10 with each rank.

G - 1G

F - 10G

E - 100G

D - 1,000G

C - 10,000G

B - 100,000G

A - 1,000,000G

The amount of Mana points required to rank up the sword is equal to 100*(current rank), and with each rank up it gets 5*(new rank) Evolution Points.