Chapter 527 - Chapter 1: Effects of the Black Stone
As a reward for going to the Dragonewt Village and talking to the Chieftain, I received the fifth Black Stone from Gnome.
With this, I am also ultra-high-level. Moreover, I'm an eight-stone user. Furthermore, I can use an eight-shot volley.
I wonder how much power it has.
I decided to try the eight-shot volley of Light right away during rat extermination. After all, rat extermination is the origin of monster extermination, and there are many lessons to be learned.
Even if it's on a small scale, firing Light at a pack of rats will be the first time since Engrio. At that time, I allowed a charge from the rats who had lost their escape route. Moreover, the effect of the Light itself was only that bald rats with no hair were created. Since I've become ultra-high-level, I want to believe I can defeat them properly.
As for the plan, I will launch a surprise attack from above on the rats that are scavenging chicken carcasses. If I fire Light from above the vertical hole, the light will be blocked by the walls of the hole and will only go straight down, so it won't diffuse. Therefore, it won't affect the next hole. It's a perfect plan, even if I say so myself. If possible, I want to aim for total annihilation in all five vertical holes.
When I peeked from above the hole using a mirror, there were rats.
Lately, I've been scattering chicken carcasses once every two or three days. Previously, I scattered them every day. There was a time when Lyudmila happened to forget to scatter them. That girl is also busy during harvest and threshing time. However, the rats must have thought food would be scattered, as they were gathered at the bottom of the hole. I thought it was strange and tried stopping the daily scattering, but it turns out that even though they are rats, they are unexpectedly serious and come to check every day. Since then, I've been scattering food at intervals. It's better if Lyudmila's burden is light, and lately, the expeditions of Beatrix and me, who are the main force of rat extermination, have increased. I try to make sure at least one of us remains for rat extermination, but there are times when that's not possible. Especially since Bonnie joined the Henry Party, it has become noticeable.
Now, as for the result of the experiment, it seems the rats that were bathed in light with an ultra-powerful subduing effect turned into completely bald rats with no hair on their bodies and scattered.
I say "it seems" because I fainted the moment I fired it and don't remember.
Apparently, other magic and the First King series require different magic control.
The rat extermination was canceled, and I was apparently carried to the Ghost Mansion on a bowl, and when I woke up, I was sleeping in the bed in my room.
"If you were going to do it, you should have used Holy so they wouldn't escape. With that kind of thing, hair will grow back immediately and they'll recover."
I was complained to by Beatrix.
The fact that bald rats return to normal immediately has been confirmed with the rats Eleanor-sama keeps. It's probably just the amount of hair that fell out that's different, so even if it all falls out, it should return to normal.
"Since we already know they can be defeated with Holy, it wouldn't be an experiment."
"An experiment, huh. We are monster exterminators, not driving-away-ers. If they escape, it won't be profitable."
That's certainly true. No matter how much hair falls out, it's not counted in the subjugation count.
However, the matter might be serious. Light is convenient in various ways, but in the end, it means it's not a magic that subdues monsters as it is said. However, from my experience so far, if it's a Revenant made from a corpse, I should be able to defeat it in one hit. Though, if it's an ultra-high-level magic-user, they can defeat nearly ten in one shot with Overflow, and for that matter, the beginner-level Purification is even more effective.
"How is the power of the wall? Did it become a bit sturdier?"
The wall is more reliable than the mid-level holy magic Magic Reflection. Among them, regarding fire and lightning magic, it can be said to be almost invincible, except for Megiddo Fire. If the opponent is human, one is enough, and even with an over-ultra-high-level like a Dragonewt, if you layer three, it's almost invincible. If someone strengthens it with Holy, it becomes even stronger. However, against magic that throws things with weight like water or earth magic, or magic that applies enough pressure to blow away even heavy things like wind, I was pushed back along with the wall. However, it has been proven in collaboration with the Elf Prince that if there is a sturdy support like a Wind Barrier cast by someone with powerful magic control, it can sufficiently oppose such magic.
"I wonder? It seems there will be a test when we go to the Royal Capital next week. I'm being told to try and see how far it works against Wilson-san's magic."
"It'll definitely be Megiddo Fire."
"Megiddo Fire can't be done unless it's a priest of the Headmistress's class. You know that too, right?"
When we had a flame battle with the Fire Dragon, I alone wasn't enough. And, while it might be okay now, unlike Magic Reflection, I can't activate other magic while creating a wall. Another ultra-high-level priest would be necessary.
"It's okay. It seems Harrison-san will participate."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Yeah. When you were in the Northeastern Forest, I went to my village. Then the Henry Party came. At that time, they were requesting a clinical examination."
"A clinical examination?"
"Yes. Depending on how much your magic control has improved, it seems the next request will come."
I haven't heard anything about this.
However, this might be unavoidable.
After leaving the Dragonewt Village, we had a banquet in the Beastman forest at the foot of the mountain, which was fine, but Gnome got drunk and fell asleep. Well, it can't be helped, so I stayed one night and talked to Gnome the next morning, and was told to go to the Dragonewt Village again, and this time I was made to participate in a village elder meeting held in the Chieftain's village. As for the content of the meeting, it was formally decided that the young Dragonewts would be brought down to the foot of the mountain to do strengthening... or rather, fertility treatment, together with the Lich. After that, there was a banquet, and again Gnome fell asleep, so I stayed for another night. At that time, I had also called Salamander, thinking I'd have him breathe fire to wake Gnome up if he fell asleep, but he ended up falling asleep together with him. In one way or another, time passed uselessly. In the end, the day I received the Black Stone was a full moon. I went to the Northeastern Forest immediately to recover, and after that was over, I finally managed to return to the Ghost Mansion. I had parted with the Henry Party after conveying the penalty to the eloping couple together with the guide. They probably went to Regnentes as they were. I returned by Alex's Teleport, so I hadn't heard about what happened after we parted. In short, it's all Gnome's fault.
"Where are we going?"
Beatrix seems to have met the Henry Party in her village, went to the Primordia Royal Capital with Harrison-san, and heard about the so-called next request.
"It seems to be an exploration of the Demon Realm on the border between Primordia and Engrio."
"The Demon Realm on the border?"
If it's on the border, wouldn't Engrio's consent be necessary? Besides, there's the promise with Serena. First of all, both countries should be at war right now.
"That is, the requester is the Church, it seems."
"The Church?"
"Yeah, the Western Church, was it? It seems to be the Primordia Royal Capital Great Church."
Cadogan-sama, huh. I see. Since the Western Church is half-tacitly allowed to act independently.
According to Beatrix, the destination is the border of Primordia and Engrio... to be precise, the Demon Realm itself is not included in either country. The Demon Realm itself is the border. In other words, the one who suppresses it can make it their own territory. Or is it?
"I don't know about that part, but since it's apparently a wetland, wouldn't it be the same even if it's suppressed?"
It's a wetland where evil spirits nest. It's scary just to imagine. Neither of them would want it. However, since it's not a forest, it's outside the scope of the promise with Serena.
"So, are we going there?"
"It seems so. A long time ago, when the border line was being decided between Engrio and Primordia, that wetland became a problem, apparently."
To be precise, it seems they ended up pushing the management responsibility onto each other. They would normally change their eye color and fight over even a tiny bit of territory, so it must be a truly terrible place.
"You know that border fort? The place we went before. If you go south from there, the wetland apparently spreads out. It's said to be connected to the sea. This time it's a survey of that place."
I see. That's how it is. If the subjugation targets are things like evil spirits, Edward-sama is essential, but since he's busy with the war, it won't go as far as subjugation. However, why do it at this busy time?
"Because it's now. Apparently, there's a place that's a small bay, and there's a plain area where it wouldn't be strange to have a sandy beach and a small fishing village. But the hinterland is that wetland, right? There's also a small stream, so they won't have trouble with water, but apparently no one lives there. And, you know how a plague is currently spreading on the continent. For the Western Church... for Cadogan-sama, he wants to build a church and an isolation ward at that bay and accommodate patients brought from the continent. It's close to the continent, and there might be prisoners, but it's geographically isolated from the surroundings, so it's just right, isn't it?"
I see. Is that it? If it's earthbound spirits or evil spirits rather than monsters or magic beasts, they can be prevented with a barrier. Since there's no poison, the water in the stream will also be safe. It'll be fine if they use a large-scale barrier like the one that dispelled the rumors of the curse in Beatrix's village to purify it and create a barrier that keeps out things like evil spirits, like the one used to build a Great Church. That's why Harrison-san is involved. Since Harrison-san is a stray priest, he can be easily hired, and after all, he's an expert in evil spirit extermination.
However, for Beatrix to know this much...
"So, I'm going too. Since the opponents are evil spirits, I'm just the bowl operator for movement, though."
I see. Certainly, the bowl users in Primordia are in no position to be doing evil spirit extermination.
"By the way, now that you've become ultra-high-level, has the effect of light magic changed?"
"I haven't tried them all yet. That's why I'm testing them in the Royal Capital."
"Which ones have you tested so far?"
"Hmm. Only two."
There was no time...
"Also Sight. When I got the Black Stone, I tried it on myself right away."
"How was it? Until now, you were able to see far away, right?"
"Yeah. Now that I'm ultra-high-level, I can enlarge the things I want to see that are far away."
For example, suppose there is a person far away. It's a distance where you normally wouldn't even know if it's a person. When you look at that person with high-level Light, you can clearly tell it's a person. You can see further than a veteran scout. However, the size doesn't change. With ultra-high-level Sight, the thing you try to see appears larger. Within the same field of vision, the enlarged object looks as if it has approached. If you move your attention to something else, it switches. By the way, you can also enlarge small things nearby. However, since things like insects look huge, to be honest, I don't really want to see them.
"Hmm. Insects, huh. What's the other one?"
"The eight-shot volley of Light."
"The rats' hair fell out, right?"
"Because even in the Beastman village or the Northeastern Forest, Light is hard to use. For recovery, you have to narrow down the light intensity."
Raising the power isn't that much of a struggle once you learn the knack... though I do faint if I exceed the limit... but lowering the output is quite tiring. Of course, Beatrix, an ultra-high-level magic-user, knows that well. But even so, it's a bit sad to only know that the rats' hair fell out.
I have to try many more things.
And so, it was decided that I would test in the Royal Capital together with the Henry Party, which now included Beatrix. As judges, they had gathered Harrison-san, Phillips-sama, and Harris-sama. It seems all three of them will participate in the evil spirit countermeasures in the wetland in response to Cadogan-sama's request.
"Oh, Jeanne-dono, good of you to come."
"Jeanne, are you well?"
"Yo, Jeanne. You look energetic today too."
Everyone looks energetic as usual. Though, the only one I'm meeting after a long time is Harrison-san. I meet Bishop Phillips once a month at the Medical Research Institute in the Royal Capital. Harris-sama is a semi-regular at the farm banquets, and a regular at the Royal Palace banquets.
"I heard it's evil spirit extermination this time."
"Oh, you already know. I hear they are evil spirits, but they are just many in number and not vicious spirits like the one we fought before. Since no monsters have been confirmed either, I think it won't be that difficult."
If Harrison-san says so, it should be fine.
The place we flew to on the bowls of Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san was the tip of a cape with a three-story lighthouse, and it's a wasteland. Rocks are sticking out from the ground, and there's only grass growing, with no shrubs, let alone trees. Since it's at the edge of the sea and the coast is a cliff, and there are no ponds or rivers, it would be unsuitable for agriculture. It's a terrain that occasionally exists on the coastline of the Royal Capital area. If you go one station south, there is a highway, but it's completely separated by a forest. In that sense, it's perfect for experiments with large-scale magic. Likely, Eleanor-sama occasionally uses it as an experimental site.
In the lighthouse, there was one resident lighthouse keeper who was a disabled veteran and one dog. The lighthouse keeper is wearing the prosthetic leg Matilda made. He seems to live on the second floor. On the first floor, there were two bedrooms with several beds lined up, perhaps for guests, and a kitchen. In the basement, there was a warehouse where food and water were secured. There was also a teleportation magic circle. Once a month for a week, a replacement comes from the navy, and he can return to his home in Uminohara. On the days he's not at the lighthouse, he apparently does office work at the naval base in Uminohara. In other words, he must have been former navy or naval infantry. Although it's less compared to active-duty soldiers, he gets an allowance. He seems to be able to live sufficiently. It must be a measure for needy disabled veterans.
"Are you doing well?"
"Were you well? Please have this too."
Henry-sama speaks casually, and Eleanor-sama hands over a bottle of wine and a new work made by Miana. The wine isn't a cheap item, though not as much as continental ones.
"Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, thank you always, always."
The lighthouse keeper, like a former soldier, straightened his posture with a proper appearance.
"What kind of business is it today? Is it a magic experiment?"
After the prayer by Phillips-sama was over, the lighthouse keeper asked.
As I thought. The fact that the lighthouse keeper saw through it easily is proof.
"That's right. We'll prepare one bowl, so please guard the surroundings as usual."
"Understood."
Actually, the lighthouse keeper was also in on it.
"By any chance, are you Bishop Jeanne?"
"Yes. That's right. Have we met somewhere?"
Did we happen to be on the same ship when I went to Finis?
"I knew it! No, I haven't met you, but a female priest wearing a green field uniform was famous even in the naval infantry I used to belong to. Was it Light? They said if you illuminate them before a battle, they will surely win. If possible, I'd like to request it as a commemoration. Ah, if possible, from your mouth."
I get it, I get it. Really, for it to have spread even to the navy. I thought they didn't know because nothing was said no matter how many times I boarded a ship. Oh, come to think of it, there was someone who was scouted from the naval infantry to the Paratroop Jaegers. Can't those guys do something about it?