Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 47

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 47   Monster of the night

“Ha! Ha! Ha!”

With the lightning lanterns in hand, we urged the horse to run. The sky was overcast, and heavy rain poured down, making visibility atrocious. There was hardly any moonlight, making everything nearly invisible.

Thanks to the lightning lanterns, we could somewhat visualize the surroundings, but it wasn’t as convenient as a flashlight. We could only run because we had been through this path multiple times, but we could hardly see.

The lightning lanterns’s intensity was low, and we had to be careful in handling it. Glass in this world is fragile. Just touching it won’t break it, but drop it, and it will inevitably shatter. It’s also susceptible to vibrations.

If we only had torches, moving in the rain would be impossible, making even walking on the night road difficult. So, we couldn’t complain.

The sound of hooves, the sound of rain, the sound of the wind, and the sound of thunder. Occasionally, the running lightning illuminated the surroundings.

If it didn’t strike nearby, we hoped for frequent lightning to brighten our path.

“Shion! Don’t go too fast!”

“I know!”

If we ran the horse at full speed, the lightning lantern would break, and more importantly, if there were obstacles, we might fall from the momentum. In such a case, one of us, or even my sister, could get injured, or in the worst case, lose our lives. That would be meaningless. We kept our nerves tense, making sure not to make any mistakes as we urged the horse to run. It was essential for us.

Occasionally, I could see Dad and my sister’s profiles illuminated by the lightning lantern. Tense faces. Undoubtedly, I must be making the same expression. Just running was dangerous, but there was something even more perilous. We hadn’t encountered it yet, but hopefully, we wouldn’t until we reached Istria. Unexpectedly, it happened. The scenery changed, and unconsciously, I looked up. In the sky, ‘it’ was looming.

“A-Aurora…?”

It was a curtain of light. A gathering of particles of light flowing in the sky. A fantastical yet eerie scene reminiscent of pale rubies. The thick fabric of light undulated in the sky. We were mesmerized, our gaze stolen by the sky. I had never seen a sky like this before.

“Dad, wh-what’s that?”

“What’s ‘that’? Thunder?”

“There’s light in the sky, right!?”

“What are you talking about! I can’t see anything!”

He couldn’t see it? Was I the only one who could see it? It was like magic. If I could see it and Dad couldn’t, then was it magic? Or was it something similar? Was there a creature? No, there couldn’t be.

If there were a creature capable of generating magic on that scale, it would be several kilometers in size. I didn’t know. What was happening? Was this some kind of omen? I didn’t know.

Anyway, I had to take my sister to Istria. We couldn’t afford to spend time on things we didn’t understand. Then, I felt a presence and turned around at the shoulder.

I couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t see anything. But there was definitely something. That feeling hit me. I stared intently at the rear. I couldn’t see it. Was it my imagination? Maybe I was too on edge, and my assumptions were becoming too intense.

Thinking that, as I was about to turn back to face forward, there was a change in my field of vision. Feet. Claws. Footsteps. All of a sudden, it stimulated both my vision and hearing. Thanks to that, I could immediately recognize the presence of someone or something.

“It’s a monster!”

As I shouted, Dad quickly turned around.

“It’s a pack of Bloodywolves! They crave human blood! They’ll relentlessly pursue us until they get their prey!”

I knew. There was quite a difference between daytime monsters and nighttime monsters. Nocturnal monsters were extremely aggressive and would actively attack humans compared to daytime monsters. Among them, the worst were the types that operated in packs. As the name suggested, Bloodywolves roamed the night world in search of blood. Encountering their pack meant most humans would prepare for death. They were undoubtedly formidable opponents.

Dad, with a sense of urgency, drew his sword from his waist. Dad was still riding, holding the reins and a lightning lantern. If he gripped the sword in that state, he would have to let go of something. While my sister was securely bound to Dad’s body with a rope, other parts were vulnerable. Dad reluctantly released the hand that held my sister and held the reins and lightning lantern in his left hand. It was quite unstable, and he couldn’t move as smoothly as usual. Entrusting Dad with the monsters was dangerous. I had prepared for that in advance. I had no choice but to defeat them.

“Just go straight! I’ll handle this!”

“Damn it! Don’t overexert yourself!”

I changed my posture facing backward. I then struck the horse’s hindquarters with a whip. The trained horse continued to run as if it were running rampant, ignoring my commands.

In this situation, I kept an eye on the threat behind us. Bloodywolves were wolves with red eyes. Their distinctive features included acting in packs, relentlessly running in search of prey during the night, devouring the prey, and then moving on. They were persistent and cunning.

If found, there was no escape, and their movement speed was equivalent to or even greater than that of a horse. They also possessed considerable combat abilities.

One individual had the strength of a goblin. You might think that goblins are not a big deal, but that’s not true. Goblins were not particularly fast, and they were not very intelligent. Therefore, they could be easily defeated with magic. Usually, they operated in groups of five or fewer.

However, Bloodywolves acted in packs of over ten. While defeating them with magic was possible, there was a significant problem. Due to the rain, fire and lightning magic were out of the question. Fire magic disappeared upon ignition, and lightning magic risked electrocuting myself or the horse.

Fall was also not an option. That left wind magic, water magic, and perhaps the single-target spell, Jump. In terms of attack power alone, the latter two were significantly inferior.

The Bloodywolves increased their speed, closing the distance. It was clear that they were coordinated, with other creatures following the lead of the combat wolves. Their intent was unmistakable—a relentless pursuit in a flowing, fish-like movement.

The full picture was still unclear, but the murderous intent of the creatures following the lead wolf conveyed a clear message: we were their target.Top of Form

“Gaaaah, Ruuaaaaauuu!”

The wolves that had maintained a certain distance suddenly accelerated. Their swift response revealed their cunning nature. They were aware of human weapons, likely being cautious of long-range weapons such as bows and arrows. Despite keeping a distance and pursuing us, they decided to close the gap, an unexpectedly clever move.

However, their judgment was incorrect.

I had been maintaining the magical energy gathered in both hands. It formed three layers: a cylindrical shape resembling a bullet, containing collected ‘rain’ internally; a blow gathered at the rear of the bullet; and a longer cylindrical layer covering the entire structure. The diameter was about three centimeters, and the size of the water bullets floating inside resembled actual bullets.

There were four of them, each with a magical energy amount of around twenty. While this amount was low for magic, it wasn’t used to sustain phenomena like fire or lightning. Instead, it utilized tangible substances, making it possible to achieve the desired effect with less magical energy, with the risk of needing more if handled poorly.

Four water bullets floated in front of my raised hands. I directed them toward the wolves.

With a satisfying ‘bash’ sound, the water bullets were unleashed. Three went straight, while one deviated slightly—perhaps an unexpected outcome. The wolves couldn’t react, and three of the water bullets hit them.

“Kyaaun!”

Several creatures jumped. It wasn’t clear, but it seemed they were hit in the torso. The power was more significant than I had anticipated—perhaps comparable to that of a handgun. Internally, I couldn’t help but celebrate.

“Aqua Bullet.”

I had been contemplating water magic that could be used on rainy days. It was a trial, but it worked out well. If it didn’t, I would have had to deal with it using Blow, a process that would take time.

The principle behind Aqua Bullet wasn’t overly complex. Normally, magical energy, when released into the air, became atmospheric magical energy. By exposing it to a phenomenon, it turned into magic. It was also possible to gather atmospheric moisture and solidify it, forming Aqua.

However, techniques like collecting water from a lake were challenging due to the nature of magical energy. This was because a considerable amount of energy was required to draw a large volume of water, likely because it involved energy opposing gravity and tension.

To address this issue, the solution was either to collect atmospheric moisture or gather water with as little energy consumption as possible. Rain provided an ideal solution.

Rain fell from the sky, naturally coming into contact with magical energy. It absorbed it naturally, turning into water magic. Of course, there was still some energy required to absorb the impact from the falling rain, but it was overwhelmingly less than the energy needed to defy gravity and lift water.

Results:

In the midst of the rain, creating magical energy consumed almost none of it, and water could be gathered.

The first aspect was the collected rain, serving as a substitute for bullets. The second was the magical energy fixed behind the water bullets, i.e., Blow. Within a single magical energy containing several small clusters of magical energy, Blow circulated. Extremely delicate manipulation was required, and since the scale was small, wind force was minimal, demanding considerable concentration. In reality, directing the direction of Blow itself was challenging.

To control its runaway nature, the third tubular magical energy was present, acting as the barrel in a gun. Assigning multiple magical energies and roles simultaneously made this magic incredibly inefficient. Moreover, fatigue was much more pronounced than when using regular magic. However, among the available magic, this should be the most effective.

I once again crafted magical energy and gathered water. If it proved effective, there was no reason to hesitate. I continued attacking with Aqua Bullet.

The wolves probably hadn’t expected to be attacked, causing confusion, and their speed decreased. Seizing the opportunity, I repeatedly unleashed Aqua Bullet.

Four shots at a time. Considering the number of opponents, it was minimal. However, the wolves didn’t recklessly assail us; instead, they maintained a distance, glaring at us. While wondering if they were on alert, I continued releasing water bullets.

Although there were times when one or none hit compared to the beginning, I paid no mind and continued casting magic.

Strange.

Despite being relentlessly attacked, they have consistently maintained their distance.

Already, around five monsters have dropped out.

Holding onto that anxiety, I continued to cast magic.

Whatever happens, there is very little I can do.

There’s no time to hesitate.

In that moment of determination, I widened my eyes.

“What!?”

When I released the water bullets, the wolves instinctively dodged.

Thinking it was a coincidence, I cast Aqua Bullet again, and once more, they dodged.

What is happening?

They have grasped the nature of Aqua Bullet.

Monsters possess magical energy.

Naturally, Bloodywolves are filled with magical energy, and their bodies faintly emitted light.

This means they can also see the form of magical energy.

The shape of Aqua Bullet is straightforward, and the magical energy barrel extends straight towards the target.

In other words, the aiming direction is clear.

If it goes out of control without restrictions, it might fly off in a different direction, but otherwise, it is released straight ahead.

The wolves understood that.

The suspicion quickly turned into certainty.

After two evasions, the wolves once again started sprinting towards me.

They intended to catch their prey without resorting to reckless tactics.

How cunning.

Perhaps the dropped-out wolves aren’t dead after all.

Is the power of Aqua Bullet lower than I thought?

However, at the moment, this is the only means at my disposal.

I need to think.

How to deal with them when they come attacking.

“Shion, don’t push yourself! If necessary, I’ll defeat them!”

Dad shouts.

Certainly, if it’s Dad, he can defeat the wolves.

However, protecting my sister and the horse while doing so would be quite challenging.

If possible, I should be the one to defeat them.

“Understood. But I can still do it!”

With a desperate expression, I continue to release Aqua Bullets.

Continuous use easily accumulates fatigue.

Normally, magic is primarily used to defeat the opponent in one go.

Long battles are disadvantageous, and magic users are not skilled in close combat.

But even saying that, the current situation remains unchanged.

I have no choice but to do it.

The wolves dodge my water bullets as they move zigzag.

They have indeed figured out a way to counter.

Gradually, they are closing the distance.

Ten, eight, six, four meters.

Close.

Impatience wells up.

Fortunately, they have targeted me.

But it’s pointless if I get killed.

I won’t allow myself to be killed.

For the sake of protecting Dad and my sister.

I absolutely won’t give up.

There are still things I want to do.

While resolving myself, I glare at the monsters.

They think they won’t lose in close quarters.

Perhaps they even believe I have no means of counterattack.

Come closer.

I’ll release a flare in close proximity.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll discharge a bolt, prepared for electrocution.

If I’m resolved, there are things I can do.

The wolves surround me.

The horse whinnies in fear.

Here they come!

“Shion!”

Dad is heading towards me.

He has disposed of several wolves.

But their numbers are still significant.

Monsters are still running alongside me.

They growl at me.

And then…

“Garuugaugau!”

One of them roars, and for some reason, they begin to slow down.

We don’t understand the situation.

What happened?

Why did the wolves suddenly start retreating?

Is it some kind of strategy?

With such suspicions, I keep a close eye on the monsters’ movements.

But my anxiety turns out to be groundless.

The monsters gradually distance themselves from us and disappear into the darkness of the night.

Both the sound and presence vanish.

“What on earth…?”

Dad was also bewildered.

So, he doesn’t know either.

What happened?

No, what is happening?

Instantly, I felt a chill.

People often say their spine is freezing, and experiencing it for the first time was unsettling.

Some presence.

I became aware that it was approaching.

“S-Something, s-something is c-coming.”

My lips trembled.

Reflexively, I turned to face the front and immediately gripped the reins.

“Dad! W-We need to run!”

“What’s wrong, Shion? Didn’t the monsters leave!?”

“I-I don’t know. But we need to go quickly! …Ah!”

Due to the trembling from an unknown source, I accidentally dropped the lightning lantern.

The shattered light source flickered and was left far behind.

But I couldn’t afford to pay attention to it.

I feel it.

It’s coming.

Right there.

Thunder roared.

In an instant.

Something ‘floating in the air’ appeared behind.

I shouted reflexively.

“It’s here! Speed up!”

Dad, still confused, urged the horse to run.

It’s already within our sight.

And it—it was not of this world.