Chapter 768 - Chapter Seven: Magic Practice ②
I don't know if it's the proper way or a shortcut, but I managed to do it. My knees were shaking so much I felt like I was going to fall, so I went to the corner and crouched down, leaning my back against the wall. When I pressed both hands against the ground, I felt something squishy under my right hand. I reflexively looked at my right hand and saw a slug. It was nearly three times the size of a normal slug, so it was a monster. It was nibbling on the short grass growing between several pebbles scattered in the corner of the room.
"I wonder when it crawled in?"
I shook it off my hand and moved to a different spot. Germana produced water with quite a bit of force using [Water], so I washed my hands with soap.
Still, I didn't think a slug would climb all the way up a mountain where there's nothing but short grass. Don't they usually stay in much damper places?
"It grew up here."
Following where Germana pointed, I saw several of them clustered together.
"Grew up? On top of a mountain like this?"
Wasn't mana supposed to be thin in places like this where only grass grows? Even under normal circumstances, it's an environment where they shouldn't exist, so for them to turn into monsters is quite rare.
"That's because I brought normal slugs from the fortress at the foot of the mountain."
"Eh?"
"What was that?"
The Priestess and I both cried out at the same time.
The slugs Germana brought turned into monsters on top of the mountain? I don't quite understand.
According to Germana, she wanted to monsterize the ordinary slugs that were at the fortress at the foot of the mountain. So, she said she had been checking on them several times a day since coming here. I had assumed she was looking at the stonework of the walls, but I was wrong.
"These pebbles are like Pseudo-Magic Stones."
The pebbles in the corner where the slugs were gathered seemed to be like Pseudo-Magic Stones. That's why the slugs were gathering there. And the slugs became monsters. The small ones are probably because they just recently monsterized.
"What do you mean, 'like' Magic Stones?"
The Priestess immediately pressed for details.
"These."
She took several pebbles out of her pocket.
"Magic Stones? Or something like them?"
"Something like them."
When I was shown them, they looked like ordinary pebbles.
"Are these pseudo-magic stones?"
Pseudo, huh, Priestess...
"When I hold them like this, they take on a little bit of mana. When I exchanged them daily and gave them to the slugs, they monsterized and became these slugs."
That's more than just a 'little bit' level.
"Then, if I'm always stuck to Germana, can I replenish my mana?"
The Priestess's eyes sparkled. If she could replenish it, she looked ready to cling to her and take deep breaths.
"Replenishing is impossible. However, even without clinging, if you stay near me for a long time, you'll be influenced to some extent."
"Influenced? That's nice."
"Is that so..."
Wait a minute.
"Hey, could it be..."
My heart started racing a bit.
"What?"
"You're always with me, right?"
"That's right."
"Am I being influenced by Germana's mana?"
"Perhaps."
"Could it be that you're doing this for my sake?"
Mary had said that because the Four Great Spirits participated in the banquet, many high-level mages or better appeared in the Class of 175. Even setting aside Lyudmila, there are three out of eight. Normally, even having one would be amazing.
"It's a sightseeing guide fee. So I suppose it's for my sake."
"Heh?"
"The rent is paid by the Priestess. Living expenses are covered by the Sertoria Royal Family. However, the payment for the compensation for the guide who takes me around to various places had not been discussed."
"U-um, is that okay? That's a huge compensation. I definitely think it's an overpayment."
It's true that we go to various countries and have banquets with various races, but... basically, it's mostly desolate places like where we are now, or fortresses and caves. They are far from being tourist spots.
"Is that so? I don't know the recent market rates. But this is fine."
Is it really okay? She's one of the Five Great Spirits, right? Though she did say the fifth one isn't neutral...
"Isn't it fine? In exchange, you just have to take her to various places."
"That's right. As long as both parties agree, there's no problem. So, please keep introducing me to various races like you have been. Like what happened the other day; thanks to Jeanne, I'm experiencing many things I couldn't even imagine, let alone experience, when I was human."
By 'what happened the other day,' she must mean the Dragonewt birth. Certainly, normally a human wouldn't even be allowed to be present. In the first place, even I couldn't have imagined it.
I feel somewhat apologetic, but come to think of it, she's the person who will eventually become my predecessor. I should rely on my senior here.
"Thank you, Germana. Once again, I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, I look forward to working with you too."
The Priestess passed through my body again. This time it was probably on purpose.
According to Germana, it's better not to tell others too much about the influence gained by those who are with her. However, she said it's okay to quietly tell those who notice, so basically, I'll keep quiet. However, given Mary's words, Eleanor-sama and Price-sama might have noticed. Also, perhaps the Headmistress as well. However, Germana, who is also a roommate at the Ghost Mansion, is an Associate Class of 175 member and there are regulations. So, when I return to Nakanohara, I intend to tell the Class of 175 and the Associate Class of 175.
I've managed to perform [Voiceless] and simultaneous activation of two types without fainting. From now on, I will aim for the efficiency of magic control while raising the magic control power itself so that I don't collapse after one go.
What will I do? It's a repetition of the same thing.
From the next day, I practiced magic every day while checking on the slugs, using their growth as emotional support.
And so, another five days passed. It was the following day.
As usual, we ate breakfast and departed from the fortress. We went to the Western Peak and split into the second-phase construction group and the magic practice group.
I had the main body controlled by Eleanor-sama carry me near the stairs leading down to the basement.
Just as the bowl was about to descend.
"Wait."
Germana stopped the descent. Wilson-san applied [Camouflage]. In response, Eleanor-sama ascended rapidly. By the time I hurriedly applied [Magic Reflection], Bonnie had already released a [Mute] scroll.
"Your response is fast. Wonderful."
Germana was surprised.
This is likely the result of our experiences so far. Even I have experienced quite a few emergencies. Not to mention the Henry Party, who have repeatedly entered countries illegally; it must be a daily occurrence for them.
"Did something happen?"
We were being praised by one of the Five Great Spirits, but Eleanor-sama wasn't smiling. Wilson-san immediately applied [Camouflage]. In other words, Wilson-san also noticed an anomaly after being told by Germana.
"There are likely demons in the basement. They are quite skilled."
Could it be the Demon Lord? Or a high-ranking executive?
"Shall I go take a look?"
It was the Wetlands Priestess who had merged with me. Anti-Magic Materials don't work on ghosts. She slipped out of my body.
"They're probably in the room with the magic circle, so it's better to enter a different room and observe from there."
The rectangular basement has the magic circle room in the back, and a narrow room in the front that could be called an anteroom where the Priestess and I practice magic with Germana. She was telling her to observe from there.
"Understood. I'll be very careful."
At Germana's unusually detailed instructions, the Priestess's expression stiffened.
The Priestess went out to scout. The bowl positioned itself diagonally above the basement, as if entering the sun. After the Priestess left my body, she vanished. It was likely teleportation.
We watched for a while.
Suddenly, a sound like a thunderclap was heard.
After one thunderclap, a second and a third were heard. After that, several unpleasant sounds like metal striking something hard, 'gyarin, gyarin,' were heard. Just as the sounds stopped, the Priestess returned.
"They were there. Two demons. Both have huge horns growing out of them."
She held up both index fingers to make horns on her head, then extended her arms.
"Horns about this long."
Her elbows were completely above her head. They are considerably long horns. Could they be the Four Heavenly Kings?
"They were testing the strength of the walls with lightning magic and a massive, pitch-black sword. But you know, they slashed with that sword, and it only left a scratch like a streak."
As expected of the stone material devised by the Dwarves and Elves. I heard that in experiments, it withstood ultra-high-level magic used by the two Great Spirits, slashes from Henry-sama's sword, spear thrusts from Price-sama, and even Will's charge with her sword held at her hip. As expected, it can only be broken by a strike from a Fire Dragon holding a custom-made silver spear.
The demons further cast [Crevasse], tried to make holes with [Curve], and tried to move some of the stones with [Clump Stone], but it didn't work at all.
The stone material has a specific orientation, and the side painted with black paint has the anti-magic effect. The side not painted is just ordinary stone unless mortar is applied. That's why [Clump Stone] can be used when stacking them to make a stone wall, but once the surfaces are aligned and fixed with Elven mortar, no magic will work on it.
"They were discussing something, so I stepped out for a moment."
They didn't seem to notice the Priestess at all. The Demon Lord noticed a hidden ghost. The Vice-Demon Lord did not. The executives didn't notice either. This must be the difference in rank.
"They are the Four Heavenly Kings. There is no doubt."
Eleanor-sama concluded. Judging by the length of the horns, there was no mistake.
"Let's trap them."
I was surprised by Eleanor-sama's countermeasure. I don't think she means to stack stone walls, do I? I don't think the mortar would dry in time.
Wilson-san used [Clump Stone] to fly several relatively large stones and block the entrance to the basement. Because [Mute] was active, there was no sound. The entrance itself was only about the width of a single door, so once Wilson-san got serious, it was blocked in one go. He stacked a second layer, and then used [Clump Sand] to pile up dirt and bury it so it couldn't be moved.
If they use [Teleport], they'll end up soaked in holy water. I wonder if they'll fall for it?
We temporarily retreated upward and hid in the sun.
"Here they come."
Germana sensed them.
"This is..."
Wilson-san increased altitude.
"Jeanne, please cast [Sight]."
"Yes."
Just as I was about to cast it on everyone.
"DOOOOOOON!"
A loud sound, enough to make one wonder how much gunpowder was used, rang out, and the area around the entrance exploded.
"What was that?"
The Priestess interjected.
"Jeanne, do you understand?"
Germana even had the composure to ask me. But thanks to that, I was able to calm down a little.
"Probably, they released mana and blew away the dirt covering the stones we piled at the entrance..."
Previously, when a Lindwurm was trapped by [Glaciate], I saw it release mana all at once and blow away the ice. Even though it was a special version made by a Lich, even a B-rank was like that. An A-rank demon executive, especially one of the Four Heavenly Kings, would certainly be able to do what just happened.
"Blew it away... then, did the Dwarf's stone wall break?"
The Priestess was clinging to the bottom of the bowl, watching.
"I wonder. The explosion was in a specific direction, right? Doesn't that mean the earth and sand only flew in the direction of the entrance hole? Since it wasn't fixed with mortar, it was blown away by immense pressure."
"I think so too. If it had been fixed with mortar, the released pressure would have bounced back and put themselves in danger. Since they knew that, they probably only blew away what we just stacked."
According to Germana and the Priestess, the stone wall of the basement seemed to be safe.
"Ah! They've come out. Jeanne, hurry and cast [Sight]!"
At Bonnie's voice, I hurriedly remembered what I had to do.
One demon came out.
Its horns were certainly long. It must be one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"It seems they used quite a bit of mana. They are considerably exhausted."
Germana could tell.
"That means that one is a decoy."
It was the Wetlands Priestess. She knew there was another one.
"The opponent knows we can hide ourselves. Do not be careless."
It was Eleanor-sama. We defeated Number Two by ambushing them while hidden.
"Then, are we just watching?"
"Of course not, we will attack."
"That's the spirit!"
In the end, battle maniacs all act the same.
I sent word to our allies not to approach the peak and to guard the fortress. The explosion just now will definitely attract the allies' attention. It's fine for them to scramble, but the opponent is too dangerous.
"Then, it's just us!"
I don't quite understand why the Wetlands Priestess is happy, but it's not good for the damage to increase. Since there are no active heroes, the best we can do is drive them off.
"Here we go."
The bowl accelerated and dived toward the demon. The demon was looking around without moving from where it had blown away the stones. It looked slightly crouched, probably preparing to jump.
The diving bowl twisted and circled around to the upper rear of the demon. It was a surprise attack from the north. In a surprise attack, the first blow is everything.
"Now!"
"Yes! [Holy] Overflow!"
It was an eight-shot Overflow with reflection plates.
I fired from behind the opponent at a distance of about twenty paces.
"A hit!"
When the Priestess gets fired up, pale blue flames rise from my body, which she has merged with.
The demon suddenly fell forward as if struck on the back of the head.
From our perspective, the bowl passed over the rolling demon from the right rear and exited to the left front. We were decelerating rapidly and were almost directly behind, so it was easy to aim.
"[Holy] Overflow!"
Another eight-shot burst. If two hit...
"Ah! The [Holy] was blocked!"
Before I knew it, the demon's body was covered in a black mist. It was [Dark]. The [Holy] I fired hit the mist and the light dispersed as if it had been diffused.