Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 48

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 48   Wraith

A faint light. A greenish light.

Vaguely drifting towards us from behind is an object.

Its speed exceeds that of the wolves, and it hovers in the air.

Not an object, yet not a living being.

It was humanoid.

However, not human, with a pale face and sunken eyes visible.

The feet are not visible, and it wears a tattered dress.

It seems to be a woman, but with extreme thinness and most of the hair fallen out, it’s not quite clear.

If described in words I know, it would be a ‘specter’ or perhaps a ‘wraith.’

Or maybe ‘wraith,’ an otherworldly being classified as a monster.

In the eerie presence floating in the dark night, a chill ran down my spine.

“Dad! What is that!?”

Dad turned around abruptly but quickly faced me again.

“What is that!? There’s nothing there!”

I had anticipated it.

However, the result left me dumbfounded.

Dad couldn’t see it.

Neither the wraith nor the curtain of light in the sky.

I don’t know the reason.

But I’ve had a similar experience before.

Magic.

The ability to perceive and recognize magic is determined by the presence of magic.

The fact that I can see it while dad can’t suggests the involvement of magic.

However, even if that’s understood, the reality of the wraith approaching remains unchanged.

“A humanoid monster is coming this way! Probably, only I can see it! I don’t know why, but it might be similar to the principle of magic!”

“What did you say!? I’ve never heard of such a monster! Well, in any case…”

Dad didn’t cast doubt on my words.

However, along with his anxiety, he muttered something in a voice too low for me to hear.

“Anyway, I’ll try to repel it! Dad, just keep the horse running!”

“Oh, alright! Since I can’t see it, Shion, guide me!”

An opponent not of the typical monster kind.

This is quite troublesome.

We’ve been able to avoid many dangers thanks to the information about monsters gathered by our predecessors.

However, it seems Dad is unaware of wraiths, and we don’t know how to deal with them.

Facing an unknown enemy is dangerous.

But monsters don’t care about our situation.

We have no choice but to do something.

Top of Form

“Screaaaah!”

A high-pitched, wailing voice of a woman.

The unpleasant, almost tangible sound from behind made me scrunch my face.

But Dad didn’t react.

I see.

It’s not just about vision and touch.

Even auditory perception doesn’t work for those who don’t possess magic against entities related to magic.

Until now, it was only about magic itself.

However, the wraith seems to have a will of its own.

A specter.

In other words, if it’s an entity like a ghost, does it contain magic within itself?

Or is it something like a will that resides in magic itself?

Either way, it might not be susceptible to ordinary weapons.

Regardless, it’s an opponent I should deal with.

I gathered magic at my fingertips, preparing the Aqua Bullets.

Four water bullets floating in front of me.

Without paying them any mind, the wraith fluttered through the air, swaying left and right.

After a few seconds, I released the prepared Aqua Bullet.

Three water bullets flew straight towards the wraith.

Impact.

There was not even a gesture to dodge.

But.

“What’s wrong, Shion!? Did you succeed!?”

“Worst-case scenario. As expected… It didn’t hit. No, it hit, but it passed right through.”

The opponent was in a semi-transparent state.

If it was a ghost-like entity, physical attacks wouldn’t work.

So, I thought magic might be effective.

However, Aqua Bullet is a magic that shoots a mass of water.

It’s magic, but what’s being propelled is matter, and I felt there might be no effect.

As expected, it had no effect on the wraith.

“What about other magic!?”

“Other than Aqua, there’s only Blow… Flare and Bolt are unusable in this heavy rain!”

This is bad, bad, bad.

Blow won’t work against the opponent.

If the opponent were formed by the gathering of particles, it might have been effective.

But it wasn’t.

Because in this storm, the wraith showed no signs of feeling resistance from the wind.

It looked as if it were dancing gracefully.

In other words, wind magic would undoubtedly be ineffective.

It will take another hour to reach Istria.

During that time, it’s impossible to keep running.

What should I do?

The monsters screamed, and their mouths opened.

Three pitch-black cavities were directed at us.

My whole body trembled at their terrifying appearance and the pressure.

But I couldn’t run away.

I had to protect my sister.

I absolutely couldn’t let her die.

If something happened to my sister…

I couldn’t go on living.

Unable to come up with a solution, I stubbornly unleashed Blow and Aqua Bullet at the wraith.

None of it had any effect on it.

“Shion, I’ll do it! Where is it!?”

“Straight behind!”

Dad throws a dagger as I instructed, but unsurprisingly, it had no effect, and the dagger that touched the wraith’s body disappeared into the darkness.

“No, it’s useless. Weapons don’t work after all!”

“Damn, what the hell should we do!?”

Dad is not as composed as usual.

I’m the same.

My family is on the brink of death.

It’s only natural for me to be like this.

The wraith is closing in.

Whether it targeted me or not, it approached, emitting a horrifying sound.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

At this rate, I and everyone else will be killed.

With a clanging sound, the wraith’s fingers turned as sharp as blades.

Even though my attacks don’t land, its attacks can reach me?

From the looks of it, undoubtedly, the wraith’s attacks will reach me.

The wraith laughs.

With a face filled with madness directed at me, it spasms subtly and leaps into the air.

Then, it falls towards me, aiming directly at me.

Inescapable.

I’m going to be killed!

Am I going to die in a place like this?

Without being able to save my sister?

I don’t want that!

Instantly, several words flashed in my mind.

Magic, goblin, magic reaction, Trout, Wraith, Laziness syndrome, abnormal events.

Scenes from my life passed in an instant.

Is this a life flashing before my eyes?

Am I going to die?

The wraith’s claws were in front of me.

Touching those means death.

Death.

… I won’t die like this.

I won’t die!

In a place like this, I won’t die!

It was unconscious.

I raised my hand.

In an instant, the image of goblins attacking my house overlapped with the wraith.

The wraith’s claws were already approaching me.

I couldn’t grab the opponent’s arm.

However, I could “protect my head with my right hand.

I slid my hand along the tip of the wraith’s claws.

A surge of magical pulsation skyrocketed.

An unprecedented amount of magical power surged throughout my body.

An abnormal release of internal magical power.

My entire body felt powerful, and it gathered in my hand.

Dazzling amounts of magical power were emitted from my right hand.

In the next moment, the wraith’s claws crumbled from tip to base.

It collapsed as if the ashes were scattered by the wind.

It was truly a “purification.”

“Kyaaaaa!”

The wail of the Wraith was not born of madness but a cry of anguish. While clutching its hands and writhing in pain, it distanced itself from me. However, the magical erosion had already begun to corrode the Wraith. Even as it moved away from me, it continued to crumble from its fingertips. Slowly disappearing up to its arm’s base, the Wraith shifted its gaze from me to my father and sister.

My hair stood on end. It intended to kill my father and sister, not me. The Wraith suddenly accelerated, emitting an overwhelming intent to kill despite being on the brink of death. It raced through the air.

“Dad!”

As I shouted, my father seemed to understand the situation and immediately shifted his gaze behind. However, he couldn’t see. My father’s gaze moved around anxiously. It had come to this. It was do or die.

I placed my feet on the shed and bent my knees. I began gathering magic, preparing to fly at any moment.

But time was running out. My decision was too slow. At this rate, I wouldn’t make it in time. Should I go without jumping? But then, the distance would be too far. I needed to get closer. But there wasn’t even time to move the horse. Besides, even if I touched the Wraith next, I wouldn’t have time to mold the magic. It would take five seconds for the magic to be released outside the body.

All the magic had been depleted in the previous magical reaction. If I had maintained contact with the magic, it might have been possible to save the situation. However, that would have been an impulsive and thoughtless action. Either way, there was no solution.

Damn it! If only I had thought more. If I had come up with a solution earlier, maybe something could have been done! At this point, there’s only one option left.

Without using any magic, I’ll have to jump. Even without molding magic, I contain magical energy within me. Just like monsters, whose bodies emit light even without releasing magic, indicating the presence of magical energy.

Compared to my father without magical energy, I undoubtedly have the advantage. Maybe, in my natural state, I have some kind of resistance. Moreover, the Wraith doesn’t know that it takes time for me to release magical energy.

If I jump, there’s a possibility it might be surprised and flee. There’s no other choice. When it descends, I’ll jump. I gather my resolve and tense my legs.

The Wraith descends. My father frowns and glares behind, but there’s no Wraith in his line of sight. I stare at the Wraith in the sky.

Even in the darkness, the monster’s form is clearly visible. The luminous body is visible only to me. My father can only see within the range of the lighting lantern. Just four or five meters. The Wraith glides down.

Fast! Whether it realized its impending demise or not, it’s intending to attack my father with all its might. Just a bit more. Wait until it arrives, just a bit longer. …Now!

I carefully timed it and tensed my legs. The Wraith entered the effective range of the lighting lantern. In that moment, my father, who had been scanning around, suddenly stopped. At the end of his gaze was the Wraith.

Six seconds. I rapidly molded magic. Magical energy gathered at my feet. It’s slow. But time is of the essence. I jumped with only ‘my own power.’ In mid-air, I molded magic, clung to the Wraith’s body, and released magic. There was a ‘sensation of a monster.’

“Kyaaaaa!”

With a scream, the Wraith stopped in front of my father, showing an expression of agony, then disappeared beyond the light’s reach.

“Kyaaaaa!”

It now sounded like nothing more than a high-pitched noise. That was the Wraith’s death throes. The Wraith, drained of magical energy, vanished immediately. As I fell, I looked down at the ground. The terrain spread out in my field of view. There was not much magical energy stored at my feet. It was not enough to absorb the impact. I thought I was going to die, but my body came to a stop halfway. My body was quickly lifted, and I found myself back on top of the horse.

“Are you okay!?”

“Uh, thanks, Dad.”

It seemed that my father had instantly supported my body. In that split second, he made a judgment, raced his horse right next to mine, and supported me—all with just one hand. It was an incredible display of strength. Without even having time to admire his extraordinary judgment and physical abilities, I felt relieved. There was no sign of the Wraith behind us. It seemed there was only that one entity.

“It seems we managed. There are no more monsters.”

“I see. That’s good, but you really did something reckless.”

“I had to do it that way, or we wouldn’t have been able to defeat it… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. If it weren’t for you, we might not have come out of this unscathed. But that humanoid monster with a terrifying appearance, what was it? It’s the first time I’ve seen that type among the nocturnal monsters.”

“So, you did see it, Dad.”

“Yeah, it became visible when it got closer. It seems Shion could see it from afar, though.”

So, it wasn’t visible from a distance. It didn’t seem to be because the Wraith’s body was glowing. In that case…

“Anyway, let’s hurry. We can’t be sure another monster won’t appear.”

“… Yeah, you’re right. Let’s hurry.”

We urged our horses forward. Released from intense tension, I was reminded of the sensation of rain. In any case, we had to hurry to Istria. I looked up at the curtain of light floating in the sky. It continued to glow ominously in red.