We’re finally leaving to the slime forest today.
When I headed to the plaza like usual, Aira-chan greeted me halfway there, “Sei-san, good morning!”
“Ah, Aira-chan. Morning.”
When I turned towards the voice, I saw her rushing towards me.
I stopped and waited for Aira-chan to catch up to me before walking again.
“We’re in the same group today.”
“Yeah, we sure are.”
Aira-chan and I smiled happily.
I’ve been on subjugation missions many times before, but this was the first time I was going on one with Aira-chan, causing me to be excited.
This time, all the mages from the Court Mage Division who were going to the slime forest were those who could use offensive magic.
Apart from holy magic, Aira-chan can also use water and wind magic, so she was put in the same group as me.
“Are you also going to be attacking today Aira-chan?”
“Yes. I’ll attack while observing the situation.”
“Observing the situation?”
“We’re the only two who could use holy magic, so I was put in charge of healing.”
“Ooh? Dreves-sama can also use holy magic, can’t he?”
“My seniors told me that the head magician would probably not be healing anyone-…”
“Ah…”
I accepted Aira-chan’s answer as she smiled wryly.
Head Magician-sama mostly attacked when we went to the West Forest.
I can be in charge of healing by myself if I use AOE magic, but then MP consumption would be a problem.
It’s probably better for both Aira-chan and I to be in charge of healing.
I thought while walking, and we reached the plaza.
The people who were assigned to different areas were also here, so it was bustling even though it was morning.
We looked for where our group was because it seemed like everyone was gathered in their groups.
When I looked around, I found a group of people wearing robes in the bustling crowd.
It was the Court Mages.
Those people are probably assigned to the slime forest.
“Aira-chan, we’re with them, aren’t we?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
When I called out to Aira-chan and walked towards the group, I saw that Leo-san was amongst the knights.
Looking closely, I saw that there were a few mercenaries too.
Huh? Why?
When I approached them while tilting my head in curiosity, Leo-san found me and raised his hand.
The people near him also noticed me when he did this.
“““Good morning, Sei-sama!”””
“Oh, good morning…”
Amazing.
Their voices overlapped each other’s perfectly.
I was a little surprised when I added in the volume of their voices.
I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
Leo-san and the mercenaries, who were next to them, were also surprised. Even Aira-chan looked as if she was shocked.
It was the knights from the 2nd Knight Order who greeted me with a dazzling smile and a loud voice.
I feel like I’ve seen all these people before.
But, I was more curious about Leo-san and his crew.
I thought that the knights and the mercenaries would be working separately…
“Good morning, Leo-san.”
“Mo… Good morning.” Leo-san tried to greet me like he usually does, but he noticed everyone’s gaze and corrected himself.
“You can talk to me normally. It’s better that way.”
The people in the 2nd Knight Order sharpened their gaze, but when I went closer to them, their eyes softened.
“So why are you here?”
“We’re joining you today.”
“You are?”
I asked him about it because I was curious, and found out that they would be accompanying us on the request of Feudal Lord-sama.
Rare herbs grew in the slime forest, and it was the largest harvest spot in Klaussner.
Feudal Lord-sama heard that the forest had been devastated by the slimes and decided to dispatch Leo-san and his crew.
It was an important place, so he wanted to send someone, who knew the previous state of the forest, to be his eyes and confirm the current situation.
Apparently, this had only been decided last night since the knights and mercenaries had trouble working with each other.
It was decided that Leo-san would take part in the slime subjugation, but he wanted a few of his mercenaries with him. Apparently they had a little dispute and the decision was made at the last minute.
The knights also couldn’t agree amongst themselves about who would be going to the slime forest.
So it was easy to imagine that this problem would get even worse with new people joining in.
Thanks for all your hard work, Captain-san.
“Morning, Sei.”
“Sei-sama, good morning.”
Captain-san and Head Magician-sama joined the group while I was talking to Leo-san.
It was twice as dazzling when they stood next to each other causing me to squint a little.
Aira-chan and I greeted them. Then, Head Magician-sama looked at Leo-san and tilted his head in curiosity, “This is?”
“This is Leonhardt, the person in charge of the mercenaries at Klaussner.”
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Leonhardt.”
“The mercenaries will be joining us today.”
When I introduced Leo-san to Head Magician-sama, Captain-san told him what was happening today.
Head Magician-sama accepted the reason for why there were unfamiliar faces here. He smiled gently and nodded gracefully.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yuuri Dreves, the Head Magician of the Court Mage Division.”
“Ah! I look forward to working with you today!”
“Me too.”
Leo-san widened his eyes when he heard Head Magician-sama’s introduction.
The mercenaries also looked as if they were flustered.
All of them fixed their postures and stood upright.
Are they doing this because Head Magician-sama has a high position in the Royal Palace?
Huh? But then Captain-san also has a high position, doesn’t he?
Were they also like this when they first met him?
I thought questioningly, but those questions were answered straight away.
When Captain-san and Head Magician-sama left, the mercenaries started muttering to themselves.
“So that’s the Destruction Devil?”
“Yea.”
“Devil?”
“Ah, please keep it a secret.”
“What do you mean?”
Devil, what a dangerous name.
I asked Leo-san in curiosity. He lowered his voice so that no one could hear him and told me that the Destruction Devil was Head Magician-sama.
He got this nickname because he’d burnt a whole area while subjugating a large demon before.
Some mercenary teams had been there at the scene, and so Head Magician-sama became a hot topic between them, and they were struck with awe.
Head Magician-sama had cast an AOE fire attack in front of them, and he was smiling as the flames illuminated his face.
The only thing that was left behind was a grey world.
“It describes him perfectly.”
“Doesn’t it?”
I could understand why he was called a devil after hearing the story.
He had said a lot of ghastly things at the West Forest, but since he didn’t stay true to his words, he had probably held back.
The West Forest was safe.
“What’s wrong? You look weird.”
“Nothing. I just think it’ll be nice if he held back.”
“Held back?”
“I hope the forest will be in one piece…”
“Re-enacting the nightmare? Stop it.”
Leo-san’s expression turned bitter at my remark.
But, you know, I’m a little worried.
Even though the black swamp had appeared at the West Forest, there wasn’t much damage to the forest because there were only a lot of demons.
Therefore, Head Magician-sama might have chosen magic that wouldn’t damage the forest.
On the other hand, the outskirts of the slime forest was fine, but the inner part was filled with dead trees because of the slimes, so the forest was already damaged.
I was worried that if Head Magician-sama saw this and concluded that the forest was already done for, then he won’t hold back.
I also agreed with Leo-san and didn’t want a re-enactment of the nightmare.
Even if the forest had already suffered a lot from the slimes, I didn’t want it to be damaged any further because of the medicinal herbs which might still be there.
It was decided that I would be travelling in the same carriage as Head Magician-sama.
So I’ll tell him to restrain himself on the way there.
Yes, I’ll do that.
I, who had heard a disturbing story from Leo-san, headed towards the carriage with a new resolution.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing… You have a good physique,” I told the knight, who was tall enough for me to have to look up, what was on my mind and he laughed.
“Thank you very much!”
I hadn’t intended to say something that he had to thank me for, and some of the knights were looking at him in jealousy.
But, those people are really fit.
I thought that Leo-san’s build was really good when I’d first met him, but these knights here won’t lose to him.
Whether it be in height or thickness.
When I say thickness, I don’t mean fat, but muscle.
They were so muscular that Captain-san would look slender next to them, even though he wasn’t thin.
I don’t even need to bring up Head Magician-sama.
Captain-san said they were all known for their defence, but aren’t they known for their muscles?
“Do you like guys who are fit?” The person who had called out to me was Leo-san. He was on the opposite side of the knights.
“Pardon?” I reflectively asked him to repeat himself.
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“It seems like you’re really charmed by the Knight-samas.”
“I, I’m not. It’s just rare to see such tall people.”
“Really? There are a lot of knights with good physiques.”
“But today, the knights here are all the tallest ones.”
“I see.”
I’m really not fascinated by muscles.
But, my friend in Japan would probably look at them with fascination.
“Hmmm Boss, aren’t you a little too worried about 【Saint-sama’s】type?”
“Whoa, spring has finally come for Boss!?”
“Huh? What’re you saying?”
“He always pays attention to 【Saint-sama】~.”
“You guys… Don’t fool around and watch your surroundings!”
“Boss got angry ~.”
“Hey.”
The mercenaries also joined in when I talked to Leo-san.
Or rather, they were making fun of him.
The mercenaries all seemed to get along really well, and even if a vein had popped up on Leo-san’s head in anger, they just laughed and replied to him.
It was all thanks to everyone that we could talk while travelling like this.
The journey towards the slime forest was great, and we were progressing faster than the last time I went there.
One of the reasons behind this was that we had more people than last time, but the biggest reason behind this was because Head Magician-sama was here.
“It’s here!”
“It is. 『ICE SPEAR』.”
The mercenary in front shouted and Head Magician-sama went out to the front and dealt with it in a calm manner.
A thick ice wedge drove into the demon that looked like a pitcher plant and it was defeated in a single attack.
Yes.
Even if demons appear, they were defeated straight away by Head Magician-sama.
For example, Head Magician-sama defeated demons, which took normal magicians several attacks to defeat, in a single attack.
He’s too strong.
At the moment, the forest hasn’t been damaged that much.
The only damage done to the forest right now was when someone cast wind magic, which missed its target and cut off a tree branch.
I had asked Head Magician-sama to be careful in the carriage, so it seemed like he was carefully picking which attributes to use.
“Ooh, amazing.”
“He killed it in one blow!”
The mercenaries said in admiration because the battles finished without anyone having to get ready.
It probably looked extremely amazing to them because they weren’t used to seeing magic.
I also applauded the first time I saw him finish a demon in one blow.
On the other hand, the mages looked horrible.
“Erm, we don’t have to attack, right?” Aira-chan was bored because she had nothing to do, so she frowned and spoke to the mage next to her.
“Yeah, it’s not a good thing though…” Although the mage said it wasn’t good, they didn’t feel like stopping Head Magician-sama.
They frowned like Aira-chan and smiled bitterly.
Even if they did try, he might not stop.
For some reason or another, a depressed aura surrounded the mages.
“We don’t have it this easy when we go on normal subjugations.”
“Yeah, but it’s always like this when we’re with Head Magician-sama.”
“It is. But it was really dangerous at the West Forest.”
“Head Magician also seemed like he was having a hard time then.”
“There’s a limit to how much a person can handle, so it’s hard to deal with a large number of demons.”
“He’ll probably be able to handle it somehow, even if a large number of demons appeared.”
“If he does, then the forest would be completely gone!”
“““Aah…”””
Their conversation was unsettling.
Are the mages remembering that incident that the mercenaries were talking about where Head Magician-sama got that nickname?
Either way, I really want him to hold back from destroying the forest.
We progressed towards the forest in this manner and then, it was decided that we would be taking a break.
We were also at the slime forest, so apparently they wanted to take a break before we entered the forest.
We gathered in an open space for our break.
Several people were on alert and everyone took turns to take their break.
I thought about helping with preparations, but a nearby knight set up a folding chair and urged me to sit on it.
Everyone’s still preparing, is it really fine for me to sit down?
I hesitated a little, but the matter was settled when he held out his hand to assist me.
Nothing would be accomplished if I stayed standing, so I gave up and sat down.
“Thank you very much.”
“It’s really nothing!”
“Mm, I want to help with the preparations…”
“You don’t have to! Please rest here Sei-sama! We’ll do the rest!”
I talked to the knight after I sat down and he replied energetically.
He’s definitely from the 2nd Knight Order.
I thought as I looked at his glistening eyes.
Should I talk about something?
It’s slightly uncomfortable to sit here in silence.
Now then, what should I do…?
I looked around and saw that Captain-san was still talking to Head Magician-sama and the knights. He still looks busy.
Luckily, Aira-chan happened to walk pass, and I quickly spoke to her.
Aira-chan also hesitated, but the mages urged her to go, so she approached me nervously.
The knight also prepared a folding chair for Aira-chan and encouraged her to sit next to me.
“Good job.”
“Thank you, though I haven’t done anything…”
“Me too. We didn’t even have the chance to cast healing magic.”
“Nor offensive magic.”
“Dreves-sama quickly defeats all the demons. He’s so amazing.”
“He is.”
My discomfort decreased because Aira-chan was here.
I would feel really bad if I was the only one taking it slow, while everyone around me was busy.
But, I didn’t feel so bad with an accomplice.
Although, I did feel guilty for making her my accomplice.
I heard someone’s footsteps approaching while we were talking and giggling.
I looked towards the direction of the noise and saw Head Magician-sama walking towards us.
Speaking of the devil.
“Good job.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Head Magician-sama had finished his conversation with Captain-san and so he decided to take a break with us.
I thought he was going to sit next to me, but he didn’t and asked me to give him my cup.
Why? I thought as I passed the cup to him and he filled it with water.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you very much,” I gave him my thanks and looked into the cup and saw ice floating in it.
He combined ice and water magic?
I was thankful because I was getting hot.
Head Magician-sama also made water for Aira-chan in the same way.
Aira-chan took the cup as if she was extremely grateful for it and was surprised when she saw the ice in the cup.
It was only ice but even so, it was ice.
Ice was precious in this world, so of course people would be surprised if someone gave it to them without hesitation like Head Magician-sama did.
Aira-chan thought the same thing as me and asked Head Magician-sama if he had used ice magic as well.
You’re somewhat like a Court Mage… Even if you say something like that he is a Court Mage.
“Eeh! You only used water magic?”
“Yes. The trick is to imagine cold water when you cast the spell, so that you’d produce cold water.”
“Water can turn into ice with just imagination?”
“It can. I tried to see how cold it could get and it turned into ice.”
Ice produced only with water magic.
Aira-chan was surprised and repeated the question, and Head Magician-sama laughed as he answered.
Then, Head Magician-sama suddenly turned his head towards me. I tilted my head in confusion and he said another surprising thing, “I thought of it when I saw the【Saint】technique.”
“When you saw it?”
“Yeah. You used the same technique but the effect was different, wasn’t it?”
He’s probably talking about the time at the research institute and West Forest.
As he said, when I used it at the research institute it had increased the effects of the herbs and when I’d used it at the West Forest it had purified the black swamp.
I agreed with him when he asked me in confirmation, and his smile got wider.
“It’s impossible to imagine fire turning into water since they’re two different things, but it’s possible to change the temperature of water.”
“So, you did that to change the water into ice?”
“Yes. But, you need to be able to manipulate your magic to a certain degree.”
He even brought up magic manipulation here.
Magic manipulation sure has a lot of uses.
If ice can be produced with water magic, then I wonder if Jude and Aira-chan can make it.
Like Head Magician-sama said, you need to be able to manipulate your magic to a certain degree. But I don’t know how well you have to be able to manipulate your magic.
However, he hasn’t tested if a person who only holds water magic could cast ice magic.
Simple magic, such as producing fire, water and ice, could manifest if one just imagined it, but they haven’t discovered what would happen with complex magic.
Captain-san also came towards us when we were talking about this.
He had several bags in his hands.
“Good job.” Our voices all lapped together and we all laughed.
Captain-san sat next to me and gave us the bags.
“Are these cookies?”
“Yeah. We probably won’t be able to take breaks after this, so it’s better if you have them now, right?”
“It is. Thank you very much.”
I thought the bags looked familiar and it turned out that these were the rosemary and walnut cookies I had made for rations.
Captain-san also passed the bags to Aira-chan, Head Magician-sama and the nearby knights.
Everyone opened their bag and started eating after they confirmed that Head Magician-sama was sitting on the opposite side.
The smell of rosemary faintly drifted in the air.
“Did you make these, Sei?”
“Yes, I did. They’re not that sweet, so I hope you like them.”
“Wow! Thanks for the food!”
Aira-chan picked up a cookie and put it into her mouth.
The cookie was small so she could fit the whole thing in her mouth.
Aira-chan smiled after she’d finished eating and I was a little relieved.
“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten something you’ve made, Sei-sama.”
“I can’t eat her food like I do in the Royal Capital.”
“You too Captain Hawk? But you were here together.”
“I’ve only had it two or three times since I’ve come here. She can’t borrow the kitchen much while we’re here.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
After the conversation had finished, both Captain-san and Head Magician-sama each put a cookie in their mouth.
Captain-san, who had tasted the samples, ate the cookie happily like he always did.
I know that Captain-san doesn’t like sweet food, but I wonder if Head Magician-sama likes it.
I wonder if it’s not enough since he likes sweet food.
I’m worried about his reaction because I’m the one who made it.
“Do you like it?” I waited for him to eat the cookie before I asked him this question.
“It’s not that sweet, but it’s alright as a meal. The rosemary and walnuts give it a nice smell. It’s delicious.”
I was worried, but his evaluation was better than I thought it’d be.
Head Magician-sama didn’t mince his words when he told me his thoughts on the cookie, probably because he was also a researcher.
After confirming this, I found out that the others liked the cookies too.
A lot of people wanted this as rations for subjugations so I will adjust the recipe once I get back to the Royal Capital.
I can’t make rations at the research institute on top of my work with potions, so I’ll probably entrust this to another store.
1) Captain-san told me this after he’d returned to the Royal Capital and had a talk with Director.
Then, when everyone finished their break, we headed towards the forest again.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
We proceeded deeper into the forest and reached the area where the slimes appeared, causing the Court Mages to also participate in battle.
“『WATER WALL』!”
A water wall appeared to guard against the poison that the slimes were spewing out.
The well-timed wall blocked the poison, and as soon as it had disappeared, the mercenaries swung their swords, shoving the slimes back.
Then, another mage cast offensive magic to finish the slime off, ending the battle.
“Jou-chan, thanks!”
“You’re welcome!”
Aira-chan had cast 『WATER WALL』.
The mercenaries, who were standing between the mages and the slimes, thanked her and Aira-chan smiled in response.
Although they had to improvise, they worked well together.
It’s about time.
“『AREA PROTECTION』.”
“Woah! Support magic?”
“Thank you very much 【Saint-sama】!”
“You’re welcome.”
The support magic that I had cast on myself had timed out, so I recast it.
If this were a game, then it would be easy to tell when to recast the spell because the remaining time would be reflected on the screen, but this world didn’t have anything convenient like that.
I had no choice but to cast the magic on myself and keep track of time.
I cast AOE magic since there were a lot of people and I had to measure time, so the mercenaries were also buffed.
Unlike the knights and mages, a lot of the mercenaries had never had support magic cast on them, so they got a bit excited every time I cast it.
Some people would say ‘thank you’ to me each time, and I had mixed feelings as I got used to being called 【Saint-sama】.
“There are more slimes now.”
“We’re nearly at the same place as last time.”
“Now comes the hard part.”
I nodded at Captain-san who said ‘hard part’ and looked at Head Magician-sama.
Head Magician-sama noticed a gaze on him and tilted his head to ask what was happening, and I shook my head side to side.
A little further ahead was the place where we’d withdrawn from.
Are there still a lot of slimes?
There probably are.
I became weary when I recalled how many slimes had popped up last time.
Even if we had more mages this time, they might not be able to cope with the slimes with their usual offensive magic.
AOE magic would probably be more effective from here on out.
My request to Head Magician-sama about holding back also ends here.
There was less green around, and the landscape was becoming deserted.
I looked down and couldn’t find any medicinal herbs.
At the end of the day, a person’s life was more important than medicinal herbs.
If it is required, Head Magician-sama could cast magic faster than I could cast the【Saint】technique.
Having the front of the forest remain was good enough.
I sighed in my mind and proceeded to the depths of the forest.
“Shyt! There’s too many of them!”
“Don’t break formation! Mercenaries too!”
“Yeah, I got it!”
As expected, many slimes came out all at once when we reached the area where we withdrew from.
The knights and mercenaries made a semicircle as if they were surrounding the mages and I, and the mages cast offensive magic from behind.
Physical attacks didn’t affect slimes much, but the knights could damage them a little by swinging their swords, and they could also hold the slimes back.
Moreover, we didn’t get hit by the liquid that the slimes vomited out as they literally protected us with their bodies.
Even if we can heal wounds and abnormal status with recovery magic, what hurts will hurt.
In fact, the knights, who were being attacked, were grimacing.
I earnestly cast healing magic on them while thinking that they must be in a lot of pain.
“Sei!”
“Hawk-sama!”
A slime fell down from above when I cast recovery magic on the knights who had abnormal status.
My reaction was late because I had just finished casting magic and was a little distracted.
Captain-san pushed me out of the way, so I didn’t receive any damage, but he had.
The slime, which had fallen down, coiled around Captain-san’s right hand and began dissolving it.
Magic gently started rising from the inside of my chest.
However, someone put their hand on my shoulder to stop me from activating my magic.
“It’s not time yet.”
I looked back and saw it was Head Magician-sama.
“Dreves-sama!”
“『FIRE ARROW』.”
The slime let go of Captain-san’s hand and fell onto the ground when the fire arrow pierced through it.
Head Magician-sama cast the next spell immediately and defeated the slime.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. There! Sei-sama, cast healing magic.”
“O-okay. 『HEAL』.” I quickly cast healing magic on Captain-san when prompted by Head Magician-sama.
“Thanks.”
I finally let out a sigh when his skin returned to its original colour, and the wound was healed.
“Sei-sama,” Head Magician-sama called out to me as I sighed.
I turned to look at him. Surprisingly, he had lowered his eyebrows and gave a hesitant smile.
“Yes?”
“There’s too many slimes. About the thing, you asked me-…”
“About not damaging the forest too much, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s fine.”
It was decided that I would do my best to not use the 【Saint】technique until we reached the black swamp, because it consumed too much MP.
Also, the more extensive the effect of the skill, the more MP it consumed.
We didn’t know how big the swamp was, so it was better to not use it with the materials shortage.
Head Magician-sama had stopped me because he concluded that it wasn’t useful to activate the technique against one slime.
If I refrained from using the technique against demons, then I had no choice but to rely on Head Magician-sama.
Because he could use AOE attacks.
However, he would damage the forest because it was an AOE attack.
I was extremely reluctant, but it would be too selfish of me to refrain him from using AOE magic in a situation like this.
Thus, I let him run wild.
The speed at which we were moving increased after I gave him my permission.
We were also able to damage a lot of slimes in one go because Head Magician-sama cast AOE attack straight away.
The slimes that weren’t defeated in the first attack would then be defeated by the other mages.
Thanks to that, the knights and mercenaries didn’t suffer from injuries or abnormal status, and my MP consumption also decreased.
I felt sorry for the knights and mercenaries who did their best to endure the attacks from the slimes until now.
If I knew it would be like this, then I would have let Head Magician-sama do as he liked as soon as we got to the area with the slimes…
More slimes appeared the further we went, and we finally found the black swamp when we felt as if we were in a slime pond.
The swamp, which filled the area where dead trees were sparse, was wider than the one at the West Forest.
Isn’t it okay just to call it a lake?
I was at a loss for words, and I didn’t have much time to look at the swamp.
Like with the one at the West Forest, slimes gushed out from the swamp one after the other, and we didn’t have any time to spare even though we were dealing with them.
“Keep them back!”
“Use any kind of wall magic!”
““『ICE WALL』.”” ““『EARTH WALL』.””
Captain-san yelled and the mages cast their magic in succession, and walls of ice and dirt sprouted from the ground.
The slimes, which came from the sides, were cut down with swords by the knights and mercenaries, then pushed back.
Thus we were able to approach the swamp, but the slimes’ attacks became more violent when we reached a certain distance.
I wanted to use the 【Saint】technique, but if we don’t advance further, then the range was too broad, and I might not have enough MP to cast it.
“Sei-sama. Can you purify the black swamp from here?”
“I think it’s better if I get a little closer.”
“Then, I’ll scatter the slimes, so advance at once.”
Even though he didn’t need to hold back anymore, he still chose what magic to use.
That was what I thought when I saw the magic he used next.
“『INFERNO』.” He cast, and flames burst out from the ground.
At the same time, the other mages quickly built a water and ice wall in front of us, 『WATER WALL』『ICE WALL』.
I see. Is this to alleviate the hot air?
“Woah, awesome!”
“So this is the Destruction Devil’s speciality?”
“I haven’t seen Head Magician’s best fire attack in a long time.”
“Now’s not the time to be impressed! We have to move forward!”
“Alright, let’s cool the ground with ice and water magic.”
The mages cast water and ice magic after Head Magician-sama’s attack and they killed the surviving slimes as well as cooled the ground at the same time.
Water vapour surrounded the area, and another mage blew it away with wind magic, returning our vision to us.
We moved forward at once, and I concentrated on activating the 【Saint】technique when everyone got into formation again.
After a while, I felt magic swelling up from the inside of my chest.
The magic became a golden torrent and swept towards the swamp from under my feet.
Then it spread further and covered up the dead trees.
My magic purified the slimes on contact and they turned into black hazes before disappearing.
But the speed at which my magic was spreading slowed down a little when it hit the black haze.
The further it went, the wider it got. Finally, it was enough to cover up the whole swamp.
I put my hands in front of my chest as if I was praying, and imagined it pushing away the black haze as I spread it further.
Please purify the swamp and all the demons.
While thinking this, I activated the technique when the gold haze covered the swamp.
The parts of the forest that were being covered by my magic sparkled. The black haze was covered in light as it was being purified and we couldn’t see it anymore.
The light snapped, and golden particles fell from the sky after the black haze had completely disappeared.
“““…”””
No one said anything as they watched the gold particles fill the air.
After that, only the dead trees and bare ground remained.
References
| 1. | ↑ | Future |
Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam
We’re finally leaving to the slime forest today.
When I headed to the plaza like usual, Aira-chan greeted me halfway there, “Sei-san, good morning!”
“Ah, Aira-chan. Morning.”
When I turned towards the voice, I saw her rushing towards me.
I stopped and waited for Aira-chan to catch up to me before walking again.
“We’re in the same group today.”
“Yeah, we sure are.”
Aira-chan and I smiled happily.
I’ve been on subjugation missions many times before, but this was the first time I was going on one with Aira-chan, causing me to be excited.
This time, all the mages from the Court Mage Division who were going to the slime forest were those who could use offensive magic.
Apart from holy magic, Aira-chan can also use water and wind magic, so she was put in the same group as me.
“Are you also going to be attacking today Aira-chan?”
“Yes. I’ll attack while observing the situation.”
“Observing the situation?”
“We’re the only two who could use holy magic, so I was put in charge of healing.”
“Ooh? Dreves-sama can also use holy magic, can’t he?”
“My seniors told me that the head magician would probably not be healing anyone-…”
“Ah…”
I accepted Aira-chan’s answer as she smiled wryly.
Head Magician-sama mostly attacked when we went to the West Forest.
I can be in charge of healing by myself if I use AOE magic, but then MP consumption would be a problem.
It’s probably better for both Aira-chan and I to be in charge of healing.
I thought while walking, and we reached the plaza.
The people who were assigned to different areas were also here, so it was bustling even though it was morning.
We looked for where our group was because it seemed like everyone was gathered in their groups.
When I looked around, I found a group of people wearing robes in the bustling crowd.
It was the Court Mages.
Those people are probably assigned to the slime forest.
“Aira-chan, we’re with them, aren’t we?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
When I called out to Aira-chan and walked towards the group, I saw that Leo-san was amongst the knights.
Looking closely, I saw that there were a few mercenaries too.
Huh? Why?
When I approached them while tilting my head in curiosity, Leo-san found me and raised his hand.
The people near him also noticed me when he did this.
“““Good morning, Sei-sama!”””
“Oh, good morning…”
Amazing.
Their voices overlapped each other’s perfectly.
I was a little surprised when I added in the volume of their voices.
I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
Leo-san and the mercenaries, who were next to them, were also surprised. Even Aira-chan looked as if she was shocked.
It was the knights from the 2nd Knight Order who greeted me with a dazzling smile and a loud voice.
I feel like I’ve seen all these people before.
But, I was more curious about Leo-san and his crew.
I thought that the knights and the mercenaries would be working separately…
“Good morning, Leo-san.”
“Mo… Good morning.” Leo-san tried to greet me like he usually does, but he noticed everyone’s gaze and corrected himself.
“You can talk to me normally. It’s better that way.”
The people in the 2nd Knight Order sharpened their gaze, but when I went closer to them, their eyes softened.
“So why are you here?”
“We’re joining you today.”
“You are?”
I asked him about it because I was curious, and found out that they would be accompanying us on the request of Feudal Lord-sama.
Rare herbs grew in the slime forest, and it was the largest harvest spot in Klaussner.
Feudal Lord-sama heard that the forest had been devastated by the slimes and decided to dispatch Leo-san and his crew.
It was an important place, so he wanted to send someone, who knew the previous state of the forest, to be his eyes and confirm the current situation.
Apparently, this had only been decided last night since the knights and mercenaries had trouble working with each other.
It was decided that Leo-san would take part in the slime subjugation, but he wanted a few of his mercenaries with him. Apparently they had a little dispute and the decision was made at the last minute.
The knights also couldn’t agree amongst themselves about who would be going to the slime forest.
So it was easy to imagine that this problem would get even worse with new people joining in.
Thanks for all your hard work, Captain-san.
“Morning, Sei.”
“Sei-sama, good morning.”
Captain-san and Head Magician-sama joined the group while I was talking to Leo-san.
It was twice as dazzling when they stood next to each other causing me to squint a little.
Aira-chan and I greeted them. Then, Head Magician-sama looked at Leo-san and tilted his head in curiosity, “This is?”
“This is Leonhardt, the person in charge of the mercenaries at Klaussner.”
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Leonhardt.”
“The mercenaries will be joining us today.”
When I introduced Leo-san to Head Magician-sama, Captain-san told him what was happening today.
Head Magician-sama accepted the reason for why there were unfamiliar faces here. He smiled gently and nodded gracefully.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yuuri Dreves, the Head Magician of the Court Mage Division.”
“Ah! I look forward to working with you today!”
“Me too.”
Leo-san widened his eyes when he heard Head Magician-sama’s introduction.
The mercenaries also looked as if they were flustered.
All of them fixed their postures and stood upright.
Are they doing this because Head Magician-sama has a high position in the Royal Palace?
Huh? But then Captain-san also has a high position, doesn’t he?
Were they also like this when they first met him?
I thought questioningly, but those questions were answered straight away.
When Captain-san and Head Magician-sama left, the mercenaries started muttering to themselves.
“So that’s the Destruction Devil?”
“Yea.”
“Devil?”
“Ah, please keep it a secret.”
“What do you mean?”
Devil, what a dangerous name.
I asked Leo-san in curiosity. He lowered his voice so that no one could hear him and told me that the Destruction Devil was Head Magician-sama.
He got this nickname because he’d burnt a whole area while subjugating a large demon before.
Some mercenary teams had been there at the scene, and so Head Magician-sama became a hot topic between them, and they were struck with awe.
Head Magician-sama had cast an AOE fire attack in front of them, and he was smiling as the flames illuminated his face.
The only thing that was left behind was a grey world.
“It describes him perfectly.”
“Doesn’t it?”
I could understand why he was called a devil after hearing the story.
He had said a lot of ghastly things at the West Forest, but since he didn’t stay true to his words, he had probably held back.
The West Forest was safe.
“What’s wrong? You look weird.”
“Nothing. I just think it’ll be nice if he held back.”
“Held back?”
“I hope the forest will be in one piece…”
“Re-enacting the nightmare? Stop it.”
Leo-san’s expression turned bitter at my remark.
But, you know, I’m a little worried.
Even though the black swamp had appeared at the West Forest, there wasn’t much damage to the forest because there were only a lot of demons.
Therefore, Head Magician-sama might have chosen magic that wouldn’t damage the forest.
On the other hand, the outskirts of the slime forest was fine, but the inner part was filled with dead trees because of the slimes, so the forest was already damaged.
I was worried that if Head Magician-sama saw this and concluded that the forest was already done for, then he won’t hold back.
I also agreed with Leo-san and didn’t want a re-enactment of the nightmare.
Even if the forest had already suffered a lot from the slimes, I didn’t want it to be damaged any further because of the medicinal herbs which might still be there.
It was decided that I would be travelling in the same carriage as Head Magician-sama.
So I’ll tell him to restrain himself on the way there.
Yes, I’ll do that.
I, who had heard a disturbing story from Leo-san, headed towards the carriage with a new resolution.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing… You have a good physique,” I told the knight, who was tall enough for me to have to look up, what was on my mind and he laughed.
“Thank you very much!”
I hadn’t intended to say something that he had to thank me for, and some of the knights were looking at him in jealousy.
But, those people are really fit.
I thought that Leo-san’s build was really good when I’d first met him, but these knights here won’t lose to him.
Whether it be in height or thickness.
When I say thickness, I don’t mean fat, but muscle.
They were so muscular that Captain-san would look slender next to them, even though he wasn’t thin.
I don’t even need to bring up Head Magician-sama.
Captain-san said they were all known for their defence, but aren’t they known for their muscles?
“Do you like guys who are fit?” The person who had called out to me was Leo-san. He was on the opposite side of the knights.
“Pardon?” I reflectively asked him to repeat himself.
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“It seems like you’re really charmed by the Knight-samas.”
“I, I’m not. It’s just rare to see such tall people.”
“Really? There are a lot of knights with good physiques.”
“But today, the knights here are all the tallest ones.”
“I see.”
I’m really not fascinated by muscles.
But, my friend in Japan would probably look at them with fascination.
“Hmmm Boss, aren’t you a little too worried about 【Saint-sama’s】type?”
“Whoa, spring has finally come for Boss!?”
“Huh? What’re you saying?”
“He always pays attention to 【Saint-sama】~.”
“You guys… Don’t fool around and watch your surroundings!”
“Boss got angry ~.”
“Hey.”
The mercenaries also joined in when I talked to Leo-san.
Or rather, they were making fun of him.
The mercenaries all seemed to get along really well, and even if a vein had popped up on Leo-san’s head in anger, they just laughed and replied to him.
It was all thanks to everyone that we could talk while travelling like this.
The journey towards the slime forest was great, and we were progressing faster than the last time I went there.
One of the reasons behind this was that we had more people than last time, but the biggest reason behind this was because Head Magician-sama was here.
“It’s here!”
“It is. 『ICE SPEAR』.”
The mercenary in front shouted and Head Magician-sama went out to the front and dealt with it in a calm manner.
A thick ice wedge drove into the demon that looked like a pitcher plant and it was defeated in a single attack.
Yes.
Even if demons appear, they were defeated straight away by Head Magician-sama.
For example, Head Magician-sama defeated demons, which took normal magicians several attacks to defeat, in a single attack.
He’s too strong.
At the moment, the forest hasn’t been damaged that much.
The only damage done to the forest right now was when someone cast wind magic, which missed its target and cut off a tree branch.
I had asked Head Magician-sama to be careful in the carriage, so it seemed like he was carefully picking which attributes to use.
“Ooh, amazing.”
“He killed it in one blow!”
The mercenaries said in admiration because the battles finished without anyone having to get ready.
It probably looked extremely amazing to them because they weren’t used to seeing magic.
I also applauded the first time I saw him finish a demon in one blow.
On the other hand, the mages looked horrible.
“Erm, we don’t have to attack, right?” Aira-chan was bored because she had nothing to do, so she frowned and spoke to the mage next to her.
“Yeah, it’s not a good thing though…” Although the mage said it wasn’t good, they didn’t feel like stopping Head Magician-sama.
They frowned like Aira-chan and smiled bitterly.
Even if they did try, he might not stop.
For some reason or another, a depressed aura surrounded the mages.
“We don’t have it this easy when we go on normal subjugations.”
“Yeah, but it’s always like this when we’re with Head Magician-sama.”
“It is. But it was really dangerous at the West Forest.”
“Head Magician also seemed like he was having a hard time then.”
“There’s a limit to how much a person can handle, so it’s hard to deal with a large number of demons.”
“He’ll probably be able to handle it somehow, even if a large number of demons appeared.”
“If he does, then the forest would be completely gone!”
“““Aah…”””
Their conversation was unsettling.
Are the mages remembering that incident that the mercenaries were talking about where Head Magician-sama got that nickname?
Either way, I really want him to hold back from destroying the forest.
We progressed towards the forest in this manner and then, it was decided that we would be taking a break.
We were also at the slime forest, so apparently they wanted to take a break before we entered the forest.
We gathered in an open space for our break.
Several people were on alert and everyone took turns to take their break.
I thought about helping with preparations, but a nearby knight set up a folding chair and urged me to sit on it.
Everyone’s still preparing, is it really fine for me to sit down?
I hesitated a little, but the matter was settled when he held out his hand to assist me.
Nothing would be accomplished if I stayed standing, so I gave up and sat down.
“Thank you very much.”
“It’s really nothing!”
“Mm, I want to help with the preparations…”
“You don’t have to! Please rest here Sei-sama! We’ll do the rest!”
I talked to the knight after I sat down and he replied energetically.
He’s definitely from the 2nd Knight Order.
I thought as I looked at his glistening eyes.
Should I talk about something?
It’s slightly uncomfortable to sit here in silence.
Now then, what should I do…?
I looked around and saw that Captain-san was still talking to Head Magician-sama and the knights. He still looks busy.
Luckily, Aira-chan happened to walk pass, and I quickly spoke to her.
Aira-chan also hesitated, but the mages urged her to go, so she approached me nervously.
The knight also prepared a folding chair for Aira-chan and encouraged her to sit next to me.
“Good job.”
“Thank you, though I haven’t done anything…”
“Me too. We didn’t even have the chance to cast healing magic.”
“Nor offensive magic.”
“Dreves-sama quickly defeats all the demons. He’s so amazing.”
“He is.”
My discomfort decreased because Aira-chan was here.
I would feel really bad if I was the only one taking it slow, while everyone around me was busy.
But, I didn’t feel so bad with an accomplice.
Although, I did feel guilty for making her my accomplice.
I heard someone’s footsteps approaching while we were talking and giggling.
I looked towards the direction of the noise and saw Head Magician-sama walking towards us.
Speaking of the devil.
“Good job.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Head Magician-sama had finished his conversation with Captain-san and so he decided to take a break with us.
I thought he was going to sit next to me, but he didn’t and asked me to give him my cup.
Why? I thought as I passed the cup to him and he filled it with water.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you very much,” I gave him my thanks and looked into the cup and saw ice floating in it.
He combined ice and water magic?
I was thankful because I was getting hot.
Head Magician-sama also made water for Aira-chan in the same way.
Aira-chan took the cup as if she was extremely grateful for it and was surprised when she saw the ice in the cup.
It was only ice but even so, it was ice.
Ice was precious in this world, so of course people would be surprised if someone gave it to them without hesitation like Head Magician-sama did.
Aira-chan thought the same thing as me and asked Head Magician-sama if he had used ice magic as well.
You’re somewhat like a Court Mage… Even if you say something like that he is a Court Mage.
“Eeh! You only used water magic?”
“Yes. The trick is to imagine cold water when you cast the spell, so that you’d produce cold water.”
“Water can turn into ice with just imagination?”
“It can. I tried to see how cold it could get and it turned into ice.”
Ice produced only with water magic.
Aira-chan was surprised and repeated the question, and Head Magician-sama laughed as he answered.
Then, Head Magician-sama suddenly turned his head towards me. I tilted my head in confusion and he said another surprising thing, “I thought of it when I saw the【Saint】technique.”
“When you saw it?”
“Yeah. You used the same technique but the effect was different, wasn’t it?”
He’s probably talking about the time at the research institute and West Forest.
As he said, when I used it at the research institute it had increased the effects of the herbs and when I’d used it at the West Forest it had purified the black swamp.
I agreed with him when he asked me in confirmation, and his smile got wider.
“It’s impossible to imagine fire turning into water since they’re two different things, but it’s possible to change the temperature of water.”
“So, you did that to change the water into ice?”
“Yes. But, you need to be able to manipulate your magic to a certain degree.”
He even brought up magic manipulation here.
Magic manipulation sure has a lot of uses.
If ice can be produced with water magic, then I wonder if Jude and Aira-chan can make it.
Like Head Magician-sama said, you need to be able to manipulate your magic to a certain degree. But I don’t know how well you have to be able to manipulate your magic.
However, he hasn’t tested if a person who only holds water magic could cast ice magic.
Simple magic, such as producing fire, water and ice, could manifest if one just imagined it, but they haven’t discovered what would happen with complex magic.
Captain-san also came towards us when we were talking about this.
He had several bags in his hands.
“Good job.” Our voices all lapped together and we all laughed.
Captain-san sat next to me and gave us the bags.
“Are these cookies?”
“Yeah. We probably won’t be able to take breaks after this, so it’s better if you have them now, right?”
“It is. Thank you very much.”
I thought the bags looked familiar and it turned out that these were the rosemary and walnut cookies I had made for rations.
Captain-san also passed the bags to Aira-chan, Head Magician-sama and the nearby knights.
Everyone opened their bag and started eating after they confirmed that Head Magician-sama was sitting on the opposite side.
The smell of rosemary faintly drifted in the air.
“Did you make these, Sei?”
“Yes, I did. They’re not that sweet, so I hope you like them.”
“Wow! Thanks for the food!”
Aira-chan picked up a cookie and put it into her mouth.
The cookie was small so she could fit the whole thing in her mouth.
Aira-chan smiled after she’d finished eating and I was a little relieved.
“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten something you’ve made, Sei-sama.”
“I can’t eat her food like I do in the Royal Capital.”
“You too Captain Hawk? But you were here together.”
“I’ve only had it two or three times since I’ve come here. She can’t borrow the kitchen much while we’re here.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
After the conversation had finished, both Captain-san and Head Magician-sama each put a cookie in their mouth.
Captain-san, who had tasted the samples, ate the cookie happily like he always did.
I know that Captain-san doesn’t like sweet food, but I wonder if Head Magician-sama likes it.
I wonder if it’s not enough since he likes sweet food.
I’m worried about his reaction because I’m the one who made it.
“Do you like it?” I waited for him to eat the cookie before I asked him this question.
“It’s not that sweet, but it’s alright as a meal. The rosemary and walnuts give it a nice smell. It’s delicious.”
I was worried, but his evaluation was better than I thought it’d be.
Head Magician-sama didn’t mince his words when he told me his thoughts on the cookie, probably because he was also a researcher.
After confirming this, I found out that the others liked the cookies too.
A lot of people wanted this as rations for subjugations so I will adjust the recipe once I get back to the Royal Capital.
I can’t make rations at the research institute on top of my work with potions, so I’ll probably entrust this to another store.
1) Captain-san told me this after he’d returned to the Royal Capital and had a talk with Director.
Then, when everyone finished their break, we headed towards the forest again.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
We proceeded deeper into the forest and reached the area where the slimes appeared, causing the Court Mages to also participate in battle.
“『WATER WALL』!”
A water wall appeared to guard against the poison that the slimes were spewing out.
The well-timed wall blocked the poison, and as soon as it had disappeared, the mercenaries swung their swords, shoving the slimes back.
Then, another mage cast offensive magic to finish the slime off, ending the battle.
“Jou-chan, thanks!”
“You’re welcome!”
Aira-chan had cast 『WATER WALL』.
The mercenaries, who were standing between the mages and the slimes, thanked her and Aira-chan smiled in response.
Although they had to improvise, they worked well together.
It’s about time.
“『AREA PROTECTION』.”
“Woah! Support magic?”
“Thank you very much 【Saint-sama】!”
“You’re welcome.”
The support magic that I had cast on myself had timed out, so I recast it.
If this were a game, then it would be easy to tell when to recast the spell because the remaining time would be reflected on the screen, but this world didn’t have anything convenient like that.
I had no choice but to cast the magic on myself and keep track of time.
I cast AOE magic since there were a lot of people and I had to measure time, so the mercenaries were also buffed.
Unlike the knights and mages, a lot of the mercenaries had never had support magic cast on them, so they got a bit excited every time I cast it.
Some people would say ‘thank you’ to me each time, and I had mixed feelings as I got used to being called 【Saint-sama】.
“There are more slimes now.”
“We’re nearly at the same place as last time.”
“Now comes the hard part.”
I nodded at Captain-san who said ‘hard part’ and looked at Head Magician-sama.
Head Magician-sama noticed a gaze on him and tilted his head to ask what was happening, and I shook my head side to side.
A little further ahead was the place where we’d withdrawn from.
Are there still a lot of slimes?
There probably are.
I became weary when I recalled how many slimes had popped up last time.
Even if we had more mages this time, they might not be able to cope with the slimes with their usual offensive magic.
AOE magic would probably be more effective from here on out.
My request to Head Magician-sama about holding back also ends here.
There was less green around, and the landscape was becoming deserted.
I looked down and couldn’t find any medicinal herbs.
At the end of the day, a person’s life was more important than medicinal herbs.
If it is required, Head Magician-sama could cast magic faster than I could cast the【Saint】technique.
Having the front of the forest remain was good enough.
I sighed in my mind and proceeded to the depths of the forest.
“Shyt! There’s too many of them!”
“Don’t break formation! Mercenaries too!”
“Yeah, I got it!”
As expected, many slimes came out all at once when we reached the area where we withdrew from.
The knights and mercenaries made a semicircle as if they were surrounding the mages and I, and the mages cast offensive magic from behind.
Physical attacks didn’t affect slimes much, but the knights could damage them a little by swinging their swords, and they could also hold the slimes back.
Moreover, we didn’t get hit by the liquid that the slimes vomited out as they literally protected us with their bodies.
Even if we can heal wounds and abnormal status with recovery magic, what hurts will hurt.
In fact, the knights, who were being attacked, were grimacing.
I earnestly cast healing magic on them while thinking that they must be in a lot of pain.
“Sei!”
“Hawk-sama!”
A slime fell down from above when I cast recovery magic on the knights who had abnormal status.
My reaction was late because I had just finished casting magic and was a little distracted.
Captain-san pushed me out of the way, so I didn’t receive any damage, but he had.
The slime, which had fallen down, coiled around Captain-san’s right hand and began dissolving it.
Magic gently started rising from the inside of my chest.
However, someone put their hand on my shoulder to stop me from activating my magic.
“It’s not time yet.”
I looked back and saw it was Head Magician-sama.
“Dreves-sama!”
“『FIRE ARROW』.”
The slime let go of Captain-san’s hand and fell onto the ground when the fire arrow pierced through it.
Head Magician-sama cast the next spell immediately and defeated the slime.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. There! Sei-sama, cast healing magic.”
“O-okay. 『HEAL』.” I quickly cast healing magic on Captain-san when prompted by Head Magician-sama.
“Thanks.”
I finally let out a sigh when his skin returned to its original colour, and the wound was healed.
“Sei-sama,” Head Magician-sama called out to me as I sighed.
I turned to look at him. Surprisingly, he had lowered his eyebrows and gave a hesitant smile.
“Yes?”
“There’s too many slimes. About the thing, you asked me-…”
“About not damaging the forest too much, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s fine.”
It was decided that I would do my best to not use the 【Saint】technique until we reached the black swamp, because it consumed too much MP.
Also, the more extensive the effect of the skill, the more MP it consumed.
We didn’t know how big the swamp was, so it was better to not use it with the materials shortage.
Head Magician-sama had stopped me because he concluded that it wasn’t useful to activate the technique against one slime.
If I refrained from using the technique against demons, then I had no choice but to rely on Head Magician-sama.
Because he could use AOE attacks.
However, he would damage the forest because it was an AOE attack.
I was extremely reluctant, but it would be too selfish of me to refrain him from using AOE magic in a situation like this.
Thus, I let him run wild.
The speed at which we were moving increased after I gave him my permission.
We were also able to damage a lot of slimes in one go because Head Magician-sama cast AOE attack straight away.
The slimes that weren’t defeated in the first attack would then be defeated by the other mages.
Thanks to that, the knights and mercenaries didn’t suffer from injuries or abnormal status, and my MP consumption also decreased.
I felt sorry for the knights and mercenaries who did their best to endure the attacks from the slimes until now.
If I knew it would be like this, then I would have let Head Magician-sama do as he liked as soon as we got to the area with the slimes…
More slimes appeared the further we went, and we finally found the black swamp when we felt as if we were in a slime pond.
The swamp, which filled the area where dead trees were sparse, was wider than the one at the West Forest.
Isn’t it okay just to call it a lake?
I was at a loss for words, and I didn’t have much time to look at the swamp.
Like with the one at the West Forest, slimes gushed out from the swamp one after the other, and we didn’t have any time to spare even though we were dealing with them.
“Keep them back!”
“Use any kind of wall magic!”
““『ICE WALL』.”” ““『EARTH WALL』.””
Captain-san yelled and the mages cast their magic in succession, and walls of ice and dirt sprouted from the ground.
The slimes, which came from the sides, were cut down with swords by the knights and mercenaries, then pushed back.
Thus we were able to approach the swamp, but the slimes’ attacks became more violent when we reached a certain distance.
I wanted to use the 【Saint】technique, but if we don’t advance further, then the range was too broad, and I might not have enough MP to cast it.
“Sei-sama. Can you purify the black swamp from here?”
“I think it’s better if I get a little closer.”
“Then, I’ll scatter the slimes, so advance at once.”
Even though he didn’t need to hold back anymore, he still chose what magic to use.
That was what I thought when I saw the magic he used next.
“『INFERNO』.” He cast, and flames burst out from the ground.
At the same time, the other mages quickly built a water and ice wall in front of us, 『WATER WALL』『ICE WALL』.
I see. Is this to alleviate the hot air?
“Woah, awesome!”
“So this is the Destruction Devil’s speciality?”
“I haven’t seen Head Magician’s best fire attack in a long time.”
“Now’s not the time to be impressed! We have to move forward!”
“Alright, let’s cool the ground with ice and water magic.”
The mages cast water and ice magic after Head Magician-sama’s attack and they killed the surviving slimes as well as cooled the ground at the same time.
Water vapour surrounded the area, and another mage blew it away with wind magic, returning our vision to us.
We moved forward at once, and I concentrated on activating the 【Saint】technique when everyone got into formation again.
After a while, I felt magic swelling up from the inside of my chest.
The magic became a golden torrent and swept towards the swamp from under my feet.
Then it spread further and covered up the dead trees.
My magic purified the slimes on contact and they turned into black hazes before disappearing.
But the speed at which my magic was spreading slowed down a little when it hit the black haze.
The further it went, the wider it got. Finally, it was enough to cover up the whole swamp.
I put my hands in front of my chest as if I was praying, and imagined it pushing away the black haze as I spread it further.
Please purify the swamp and all the demons.
While thinking this, I activated the technique when the gold haze covered the swamp.
The parts of the forest that were being covered by my magic sparkled. The black haze was covered in light as it was being purified and we couldn’t see it anymore.
The light snapped, and golden particles fell from the sky after the black haze had completely disappeared.
“““…”””
No one said anything as they watched the gold particles fill the air.
After that, only the dead trees and bare ground remained.
References
| 1. | ↑ | Future |
Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam
