Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 181

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 181   Abyss

The training time was only about two hours.

During that time, I taught the knights how to use spells so that they could harness magic. Some had no issues as they already possessed magical abilities, but not everyone could emit oral magic. As a result, out of fifteen people, ten became magic users.

Considering the brief training duration, this was deemed a satisfactory result. When considering the goal of becoming magic users, spells proved to be quite efficient.

“This is magic…”

“I heard rumors, but to think it truly exists.”

The knights who awakened to magic were surprised and delighted. On the other hand, those who couldn’t become magic users had complex expressions.

The knights who became magic users were now paired with Marie for simple coordination and practice. Notably, Winona, the Count, and Carla did not participate. The three were ordinary people and lacked significant combat abilities. Carla, in particular, might have some skill, but she was primarily a scholar.

“Lord Shion, it’s time to depart. We’ve shared the minimum information in a short time. Magic training can continue on the way.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Dominic’s expression was tense. It seemed he was nervous, which was natural considering the sudden significant responsibility assigned to him. There could be several reasons for Dominic being appointed as the captain of the Knights Squad. One possibility was that King Ralfgang wanted Dominic to achieve some accomplishments. Otherwise, it would be unlikely for Dominic to be chosen out of the blue. Of course, putting a complete outsider in an important position was not possible, but given Dominic’s significant involvement in the current issue, his appointment could be justified. Another likely reason was our relationship. Dominic and I had spent over six months together, becoming somewhat close. While it was unclear how much King Ralfgang knew about us, he probably had some awareness of my involvement in magic, magical tools, Lazy syndrome treatment, magic knowledge, techniques, and even the decoding and analysis of fairy language. He might have some understanding or be investigating my value to some extent. In any case, without some motive, he wouldn’t have supported our research. Despite hiding the existence of magical creatures and engaging in research on fairy language, we faced no repercussions. This could imply that he owed us a favor in some way or simply did not want to hinder his son Dominic’s actions. In any case, I believed King Ralfgang harbored no ill intentions.

However, to be honest, the situation for dealing with the Crimson Day is quite inadequate. Despite the entire region of Ajolam being on high alert, the city appears as usual. Moreover, even though the Knight squad are an elite few, one cannot expect much in terms of rear support. The anomaly in Alsphere is not perceived as a significant threat.

It’s unavoidable.

Not many people in the Kingdom of Lystia are convinced that the Scarlet night, magical creatures, or the demons will appear. To accept such abnormal phenomena, one must witness it firsthand. The soldiers had already prepared their equipment and loaded it onto the carriages.

“Everyone, board the carriages. We are heading to Alsphere from here.”

With Dominic’s command, everyone quickly boarded the carriages. I headed towards Winona and the others.

“Well, I’ll be going.”

“Take care, Shion sensei! Marie-sama! Don’t push yourselves too hard!”

“I can fight too, you know… Well, I’ll leave it to you this time. If things get dangerous, both of you come back running.”

The Count and Carla looked worried.

“Yeah, it’s okay. Despite appearances, I’m quite fast on my feet.”

“I’m with him, so it’ll be fine. Shion will definitely protect us.”

With a light-hearted response, I felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed like I was also tense. Winona, standing next to the Count, tightly held her hands in front of her chest.

“L-Lord Shion, Lady Marie…”

“Winona, it’s okay. We’ll be back soon.”

“Yes… We’ll be waiting for you.”

Winona looked at me with a teary-eyed expression. I smiled to shake off the feeling of being pulled by the back of my head.

“When we get back, let’s go out together, okay? It’s a promise.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it!”

Winona’s anxiety seemed to have eased a bit. I gently patted her head as she awkwardly smiled. I found Winona closing her eyes like a content cat, and it warmed my heart. I let go of her gently and turned my back to the three of them.

“Well then.”

“We’ll be going.”

“Take care!”

Winona and the others waved their hands as Marie and I got on the carriage. As the carriage moved forward, Winona and the others became smaller and smaller. Their figures strangely lingered in my heart.

〇●〇

We arrived at the entrance of Alsphere and began preparing our belongings. In our bags were provisions such as food, water bottles, lightning lamps, thunder stones, a few hand towels, knives, and blankets. It was equipment for approximately four days. Since the cave was narrow and we couldn’t carry heavy loads, this was the limit. With our cloaks on, preparations were complete.

“Now, let’s step into Alsphere! Tighten your focus and move forward!”

All the knights wore determined expressions, and it was understandable, given the ominous forest in front of us. Even if you’re not a magic user, you can’t see the Crimson Day unless you possess magical power, but there should still be a sense of something unusual compared to the usual.

The eighteen of us formed a formation and advanced. Marie led the way, followed by Dominic, Bruno, and others, with me as the rearguard. The three of us with magical perception – me, Marie, and Dominic – needed to be at the forefront or rearguard. The front needed to be ready to fight immediately, making it meaningless if you couldn’t use magic. However, if Marie and I were grouped together, we couldn’t respond to attacks from the opposite direction. Therefore, this formation was chosen.

Although no one could use magic, everyone was equipped with iron lightning swords, so we should be able to fight to some extent. However, the iron lightning swords were still in the experimental stage. They could release attacks infused with magic, but they required recharging after a certain amount of magic was released. It was less reliable than magic, but having a countermeasure made a difference.

Walking through the eerie forest, we arrived at the cave.

“How eerie… it’s like the Abyss from the creation myth.”

Someone among the knights remarked. I knew a little about the creation myth. The name “Melfi,” given to the blue fairy, was borrowed from the creation myth. Although I knew it was the story of the world’s origin, I honestly didn’t remember much. I just knew that a huge cave or labyrinth would appear. I believe its name was the Abyss.

“Abyss, huh… Let’s call it that from now on. It’s clearer than saying cave.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. So, shall we enter the Abyss, Marie sensei?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Marie, at the front, entered the Abyss with a lightning lamp in hand. We followed suit, one by one, entering the hole.

Inside, the space was filled with red crystals. Countless crystals were embedded in the rock walls, emitting magical energy. However, this magical energy was different from the usual, matching the Crimson magic.

Are all these crystals the same as the Crimson magic in the sky? If so, could the Abyss be like the belly of the demons?

We still didn’t know what the demons was exactly. Einzwerf appeared humanoid and seemed to possess vampire-like characteristics, but we didn’t know if other demons were humanoid. Perhaps the Abyss itself was a demon… but that seemed highly unlikely.

Rock walls were rock walls; there was no pulse of life. It’s okay. Don’t worry. Relying on magical perception, I continued to sense the surroundings. So far, there were no traces of monsters or demons. However, we also had to consider the possibility of non-magical entities.

The Abyss was narrow. To be prepared for unforeseen circumstances, we needed to be mentally ready. By anticipating all possibilities, we could respond immediately. Footsteps echoed steadily.

The knights were relatively lightly equipped. Wearing plate armor in such tight spaces would only be a hindrance.

After walking for about an hour, the path forked.

“What do we do? Which way should we go?”

No one answered Marie’s question. I moved to the front to check the paths. The effective range of my magical perception was roughly 100 meters. I still couldn’t sense anything.

Marie looked at me, and I shook my head in response.

“I think the direction where the fairy village was is probably to the left, but I’m not entirely confident. The Abyss is narrow, and my sense of direction might be off.”

“That’s true… But if we have no other information, we have no choice. Let’s follow Shion-sama’s suggestion and mark the path to the left.”

I approached the wall to leave a marker. At that moment, I suddenly felt something odd. There was a spot where my magical perception didn’t react. The Abyss should be filled with Crimson magic, so a location with no magical energy was strange. Additionally, Alsphere had magical energy permeating natural objects, so finding a place without magical energy was rare. Even if there were areas with no magical reaction, they usually felt hazy. However, the sensation I was currently experiencing was different. It felt like a clean cut, as if a portion of magical energy had been erased with an eraser. I was drawn to the spot where the magical energy was disappearing.

“Shion? Is something wrong?”

Marie’s worried voice reached me from behind, and I bent down to pick up what caught my attention. It was a stone, or more precisely, a mineral. A sparkling mineral about the size of my palm. In this area filled with Crimson magic, there was absolutely no magical energy around this particular mineral. It looked as if the mineral was erasing the magical energy.

“This mineral has absolutely no magical energy.”

“R-really. My magical perception isn’t reacting… is it not just the absence of magical energy but actively canceling it out?”

“I don’t feel anything at all; what on earth is this?”

As the three of us puzzled over it, Bruno leaned forward and examined the mineral.

“Oh, that’s a ‘Fairy Stone’. It’s a mineral used to trap fairies. There are folks who occasionally sneak into Alsphere and steal them. I’ve seen it a few times.”

“I see, a Fairy Stone.”

I vaguely remembered Count Goltba mentioning something similar. A stone used to trap fairies. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it might have some use, and I was slightly intrigued.

“Sorry for taking up your time. Let’s go.”

I drew an arrow on the wall. I could have used a knife or any nearby stone, but I decided to mark with the Fairy Stone to see what would happen. Strangely, I couldn’t sense any magical energy from the marker. It seemed like the fragments of the Fairy Stone left on the wall were causing the magical energy to disappear. I hadn’t thoroughly researched Fairy Stones yet, and assuming their properties based on appearances could lead to misunderstandings.

“Oh, this makes it much clearer. You can easily see it even from a distance. Well done, Shion.”

“Yes, I can somehow feel it too. Well, to be precise, I can’t sense magical energy, but this is helpful, Shion-sama.”

Marie and Dominic nodded with expressions of understanding. From now on, we would use these markers. With magical perception, even if we were far away, we could still know the position of the markers. It would make getting lost less likely. We continued walking, encountering several forks and making our way for five hours. Eventually, we emerged from narrow passages into a somewhat wider area. It was filled with tightly packed red crystals, reflecting the light from our lightning lamps. It was eerie, but at least it was brightly lit.

“Let’s take a break for today,” Dominic commanded.

At Dominic’s command, everyone unloaded their belongings and rested as they pleased. After five hours of continuous walking, fatigue had set in. While walking normally wouldn’t cause much exhaustion, being in a dark and narrow space with the uncertainty of enemy encounters made it different. Even an hour in such conditions would be significantly tiring, let alone five hours straight.

Even battle-hardened knights, accustomed to daily training and combat, seemed to share the same fatigue. Dominic, Marie, and I sat nearby, dropped our bags, and took out portable rations—abnormally tough jerky, bread, and water flasks.

“The Abyss seems larger than I expected. If we can’t reach the depths in a day…”

“With limited supplies, it might be wise to consider turning back if we can’t reach the depths in two days.”

“As Shion-sama suggests. The return journey might take longer than the way there, so we need to make a prompt decision.”

Dominic seemed to be considering various factors. Perhaps I didn’t need to interject with my thoughts. Unlike his usual carefree demeanor, he seemed constantly alert. Well, he was carrying the lives of everyone on his shoulders.

I noticed Marie’s quiet state, and when I turned to her, she seemed lost in thought, absentmindedly eating her bread. Fatigue and perhaps the events from the morning were weighing on her. I felt the same. There were things that needed to be discussed, but what should I say? Moreover, this wasn’t the right place or time for such conversations with everyone around.

Lost in my thoughts, I snapped back to reality when I realized Marie was looking at me.

“…I’m going to sleep.”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Goodnight.”

Normally, I would make a joking remark about gaining weight if you sleep right after eating, but today I couldn’t say anything. Marie covered herself with a blanket, turning away from me. It seemed difficult to initiate a conversation now. It would be better to wait until after resolving the issue with the Crimson Day and then discuss things again. That’s what I convinced myself.