Chapter 297 - Twelfth Story: The Result of the Duel
When I woke up, it was morning.
I was sleeping in a bed, wondering where I was.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
It was Eleanor-sama.
After Harris-sama collapsed and I fell asleep, I was apparently brought back to the village in Eleanor-sama's medium-sized bowl. After all, in addition to the ancestral ghosts, there were royals from three countries. The village head seemed to have opened his entire mansion.
"Good morning."
When I sat up, my body felt light.
I see, it's Dune. She must have replaced the bad water in my body for the first time in a while.
Dune was apparently munching on breakfast in the dining room.
Mel would be with her. I put the cylinder with honey in the storage bag. Since it's the countryside, there's also fresh water.
When I went to the dining room, everyone was there.
Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Gwyn-sama, Aira, Eowyn-sama. Plus Harris-sama. Quite a luxurious lineup.
For some reason, the two ghosts were also eating together. As invited, I sat next to the Queen.
"Oh, good morning. Are you feeling better?"
"Umu. The two of us were worried about you."
When the sun rises, normal ghosts disappear. What happened?
When I asked the two, they both showed me their left hands.
They were wearing gold rings on their ring fingers. The stones were blue. They were matching.
Is it some kind of charm?
"Oh, excuse me. I accidentally showed you the engagement ring I received from Eowyn-sama."
"Oh, is that so? It was the middle finger of the right hand. Wah-ha-ha. My mistake, my mistake."
On the middle finger of the right hand, they were wearing the same ring as the one Fiona wears.
They're definitely doing it on purpose.
Apparently, Eowyn-sama prepared all the rings. Did he expect my loss from the start?
"I heard the blue represents the Gram River. I heard you succeeded the name of the Gram Royal Family."
"Umu. Blue is also the blue of Finis. It is truly an engagement ring that exists for the two of us."
"Oh! It's embarrassing!"
They're quite flirtatious. Have they been purified too much by light magic?
"Congratulations on your engagement."
"Thank you! It's thanks to you."
"Thanks to me?"
"Because of you, we can live together now."
"Umu. We will be together forever from now on."
"Yay! I'm so happy!"
They were flirting while fluttering the tips of their long hair in front of my eyes. Being ghosts, they seem to be able to move their hair freely. I lost to these hair tips.
When I raised my hand to brush it away, my hand passed right through. She was acting triumphant with a "ho-ho-ho."
Dammit, I should have destroyed them with [Purification].
"But you also blew us away, so wasn't it good?"
"Thank you. Master, Madam. Please, go easy on me."
I'm a bit past my prime, but I'm a servant to newlyweds. I'll surely be exposed to their flirting every day.
"What's wrong? Did you hit your head?"
The two ghosts, who don't understand jokes, were tilting their heads.
Isn't it you lot who hit your heads? Your characters have changed.
"Jeanne. Use [Heal] on Harris."
I was requested by Eleanor-sama.
Harris-sama thrust out his forehead, which had a bump on it. It must be from when he collapsed.
After all, he collapsed foaming at the mouth. He'll be resting today.
"[Heal]!"
From my raised right hand, a faint yellow light burst forth.
"Eh?"
An impact hit my right shoulder.
This feeling... it's the same as when I first fired intermediate magic using a Black Stone.
"As I thought, that's it. Jeanne, you have become an advanced mage."
Eh! Really?
"The priest won against us. You blew us away quite spectacularly. In that moment, you had acquired the magic control of an advanced mage."
"Umu. We won the duel, but we lost the contest of magic control."
"Contest of magic control?"
"Here, look over here."
When I looked toward the voice, there were two pairs of ghosts.
Wait? There are two pairs...
"The Queen was a very famous mage when she was alive. The one next to Jeanne is an illusion created by technique. Surprisingly, it is not [Illusion]."
According to Eleanor-sama, she is a famous ghost in Northern Gram for those in the know.
She also knows several lost secret arts, and apparently said she might pass them on to a ghost she knows once the reconstruction of the mound temple and the joint burial of the two are finished.
"So. That's why, if there's someone who wants to train, I fight them at one rank above theirs. That way, I put a load on the opponent and draw out further power in an extreme state. That's why my mound was considered a training ground in Northern Gram."
That's the reason why many northern priests couldn't win even if they chanted [Purification] or [Holy]. Challengers were forced to fight against illusions. She was especially merciless toward the blue-painted. Of course, it was to protect the secret.
The only legendary priest who suffered a loss was a user of [Light], just like me. Because of that, the Queen knew about the First King series. However, she didn't even know about the combination with [Holy]. In the first place, it was only after the Queen became a ghost that it was discovered that combining [Holy] with attribute magic increases the power of the attribute magic. It's no wonder.
According to the Queen, the user of the First King series who came from Finis was an ultra-high-level mage, but apparently hardly used [Light]. He must not have had a Black Stone.
Does that mean, when I was fighting, you were somewhere else?
"No. In your case, I didn't use illusion. Didn't you know? [Light] can dispel illusions."
I see. So that's why the legendary hero won.
"You were strong. If it hadn't been for the two of us, we surely would have lost the duel too."
"Umu. It was quite a powerful magic, but it was no match for our eternal love."
"Oh, eternal love... I'm so happy!"
Yes, yes, thank you for the feast.
Wait? Does that mean...
"Um, so I'm released..."
"Umu. Since your rank has risen, there is no need to train."
"Yessssss!"
Now I can do the rat extermination!
"Are you okay? To prefer rat extermination over spending time with us. How rude."
No, well, I can earn money, so...
Everyone is looking at me with strange eyes. I have to change the subject.
"That aside, how did you fight the legendary hero of Finis?"
"It was the same. He came straight to me and said he wanted to fight because he wanted to train."
She's a bit sulky, but she answered me.
"Umu. That fellow first came to my place and said he had no intention of destroying me but wanted me to let him fight. He knew everything. He said he wanted to train because he was going to subjugate the Demon Lord."
First, as a test of strength, the ill-natured lord fought him first and was apparently overwhelmed.
"About when was this?"
"Hmm, was it about four thousand years ago?"
The Queen was also nodding.
Four thousand years ago would be the era when only the ancients lived, before people came from the continent. It was an era when the current Royal Family didn't exist. It's only natural that there are no records.
"Now, Jeanne. Let's confirm what happened to the First King series. When you rose to intermediate, the magic involving the Black Stones rose to intermediate. It might be the same this time."
We decided to experiment.
I have three types of Black Stones. They involve the magic of [Light], [Thought Communication], and [Anti-Sepsis].
The easiest one is [Light]. When I tried illuminating, not only did the light intensity increase, but it also became warmer.
It's about the same as having a basic [Holy] combined with it. I'll try to see how effective it is against monsters during the rat extermination.
Next is [Thought Communication], but this is easy.
I just need to have Aira step out of the magic circle.
I cast the magic on Aira and had her move.
While everyone was closing their eyes, Aira called out.
(Jeanne? Can you hear me?)
When I opened my eyes, she was at the edge of the room. The distance it reached had expanded several times.
As a result of various investigations, I found that the range of [Thought Communication] had expanded to the size of one room. Moreover, until now I had cast it on people and we gathered together, but it activated relative to the place centered on the activation point.
How big of a room? It's about the size of one village church. However, it was only within that room; even if I went to the wall and activated it, it didn't reach the other side of the wall.
In other words, it's perfect for secret talks.
"Was this not perhaps intended for the church sanctuary where villagers would flee when the Demon Race attacked?"
My interpretation of it being for secret talks was easily overturned by Eleanor-sama.
I see, there's that interpretation too. By the way, the range was the same when used outside. It might be reflected by walls.
Compared to before, it can be used with sufficient range even in places where there is no one who can draw magic circles.
Normally, scrolls for advanced magic become expensive, but in the end, it's labor costs. The First King series doesn't calculate labor costs. Since the material costs are the same, the price can stay almost the same. Adding one silver coin would be enough.
(It will be convenient. Thanks to that, the scrolls aren't that expensive, and even when the girls from the machine shop go back to their hometowns on vacation, if they give a few scrolls as souvenirs, they'll be able to talk with everyone in the village.)
Aira was also quite happy.
The problem is that since only I can use it, the number of scrolls is limited. Since all the magic without ranks became advanced, I suddenly became a user of six advanced spells, including the First King series with Black Stones. Even so, I'd be exhausted if I made thirty or forty a day. Since the effect only lasts for two hours, it's better to have people use magic circles for daily use. I'll have them use it for business trips.
The one who was even happier was Eowyn-sama.
His own illness was completely cured, and Dune's diagnosis showed that he could leave descendants. Well, originally it's an illness that doesn't have such problems, but at any rate, he was worried about it. The succession issue has moved on to choosing a partner. However, he himself is enthusiastic about measures against Just a Disease, from which he suffered, and is searching for patients not only in large towns but throughout the territory and gathering them in clinics. At the same time, he is studying the machine shop system that Aira is in charge of in Finis and is embarking on the management of machine shops for those who have difficulty in daily life, including wounded soldiers.
If [Anti-Sepsis] becomes advanced, the treatment speed for the seriously ill might also increase.
I decided to go back to Finis and cast this directly on the patients.
"As expected of Jeanne-sama. I believed in you. I knew that if it was Jeanne-sama, you would surely become an advanced mage."
That Jeanne-sama almost became a servant to a ghost. If that had happened, would he still have called me with '-sama'?
"Whether you are a servant or anything else, Jeanne-sama is Jeanne-sama."
This is already an illness. I suppose I have to leave him be.
After all, this person even prepared the ghosts' engagement rings before the duel.
The Crown Princes of both the northern and southern Royal Families announced the joint burial to the two ghosts and the village head.
"It is presumptuous of me, but I have a proposal for the two of you."
It's Eleanor-sama. She suggested making a play with the two ghosts as protagonists and making it popular.
In short, it's a tragic love story. The difference from previous tragic love stories would be the point that the two, who had been protecting the village even after becoming ghosts, are finally united.
The conflict that gave birth to the tragic love will be rewarded after death through the actions of a single priest who spreads the teachings of the Goddess.
"Oh? That's... It's embarrassing for us to be the protagonists."
The Queen said so, but she was looking at the ill-natured lord with an upturned gaze.
"If you are fine with it, I do not mind. If our love can become a bridge of friendship between the two countries, I have nothing more to say."
The man who wouldn't bow to women has turned into a playboy who spouts sweet lines. "Yay! Thank you!" the Queen, formerly an evil spirit and now acting lighthearted, hugged him.
It's getting tedious.
Just have them make stone statues of the two of you already.
"That is wonderful, as expected of Jeanne-sama. I thought it was a bit lonely for a place to commemorate the friendship between the two countries. Let us carve stone statues of the two and make them a symbol of friendship."
Drat, Eowyn-sama heard me.
The Queen is squealing with joy.
Eleanor-sama is smirking.
I shouldn't mutter careless things.
In the end, it was decided that when we officially visit Northern Gram as envoys in the spring, the unveiling of the new shrine and stone statues would take place. At that time, a ghost wedding ceremony attended by both Kings would also be held.
I feel like there was something similar recently. There might be another ghost wedding story somewhere else.