Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 53

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 53   The true value and evolution of each

After meeting the three of them, my life underwent a complete change.

First, in the morning.

I headed to the forests, wastelands, and mountainous areas near Istria with Rafina and Brigit.

It was for the purpose of subjugating monsters.

As a precaution, I accepted a request from the Adventurers’ Guild and headed to a nearby hunting ground.

The reason is simple and straightforward.

Infusing magic into monsters, that is, performing “purification,” to grasp the sensation of supplying magic.

Even if I infused magic for the treatment of lazy syndrome, it would be dangerous to do it directly on a human.

So far, I’ve made magic react with monsters twice, turning them to dust.

I’ve tested if there is a magic reaction with my sister, but it was very small magic, and it was just by touching her.

So, we decided to conduct a living experiment first.

In the dimly lit forest with dappled sunlight, the three of us advanced.

My weapon is magic, and thunder and fire. I have confidence in my ability to fight.

Brigit seems to be able to defend herself to some extent, carrying a standard longsword on her waist.

The reason she joined us is to investigate the reactions of monsters in detail.

To obtain information about encountered monsters.

And as insurance in case there are other changes besides nighttime monsters.

It’s premature to conclude that only Wraiths have appeared.

There is a possibility of other new monsters appearing.

The fact that Brigit expressed her desire to participate after learning about Wraiths is significant.

Anyway, I agreed as long as she could defend herself, and we have come to this point.

She seems to be okay.

She doesn’t seem to confirm the ecology of monsters herself much for monster investigation and is familiar with combat techniques.

The problem is,

“Haa, haa! The armor is so heavy!”

It’s Rafina.

She’s walking behind us, panting heavily.

Structurally, she should be at the front.

In reality, at the start, she said something like, “I’ll take the lead! Follow me!”

However, after walking for an hour.

She ended up in the current state.

The steel armor must be heavy for the petite girl.

I think both Brigit and I would be in the same condition if we wore something like that.

However, be it pride or a sense of duty, she never takes off the armor.

Perhaps it’s her formal attire. I’ve never seen anyone else dressed similarly.

Brigit and I occasionally stop, waiting for Rafina to catch up, then move forward, stop again, and repeat the process.

“I-I can still go on! I can do it!”

Even though she hasn’t done anything yet.

I sigh quietly and gaze at the trees.

I don’t sense any magical presence.

If it’s nearby, focusing might reveal it to some extent.

But still, without visual confirmation, it’s hard to be certain, and the sense is only vague, at best.

Ultimately, relying on the five senses is the only option, and remaining vigilant against surprise attacks is always necessary.

Brigit seems to understand that, glancing around while waiting for Rafina.

Perhaps Brigit is more reliable than Rafina.

Even after an hour, we haven’t encountered any monsters.

Kobolds are the main inhabitants around Istria, with goblins a bit further away.

Although there are various other monsters, I’ve hardly seen them.

Targets for subjugation received from the Adventurers’ Guild are mainly Kobolds or goblins, and their subspecies.

In other words, there are almost no other monsters.

I didn’t pay much attention to it, but there are experts, so let’s ask and hear their stories.

Matching Rafina’s walking speed leaves us with too much time.

“Brigit, aside from goblins, kobolds, and orcs, there aren’t many other types of monsters, right?”

Brigit, who had been mostly silent, suddenly broke into a bright smile. Her eyes noticeably sparkled.

“Yeah. Strictly speaking, those three are subhuman species, you know? The formal name for goblins is ‘Goburin.’ Gobu is a specially mutated species! Kobolds and orcs are as they are. But these three are special; they’re said to be ancient monsters that have existed for a very long time. There’s a theory that they’re among the few monsters that survived the war a thousand years ago, the Rugure War. However, the Rugure War itself is questionable, and there’s hardly any documentation before that time, so it’s mostly just a rumor! Other monsters, especially nocturnal ones, are scarce, with only Bloody Wolf, Winged Bat, and Dark Rafflesia, and of course, there are rare species. There are still many unknown monsters out there. But those kinds are very weak and can’t survive. So, during the day, these three species are predominant and are harmful to humans! Therefore, the appearance of new monsters, especially dangerous ones that attack people, is unprecedented in the past few hundred years! Wraiths might bring about a significant change in the history of monster ecology; they’re such beings! Isn’t that amazing!?”

She spoke rapidly, or rather, I couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying. She was so enthusiastic that I blacked out midway. It was exhausting to listen to her so intently. However, completely disregarding me, Brigit continued her explanation.

“A thousand years ago, there were not only monsters but also demon races, or so the rumors go. Even though it’s just a rumor, anyone familiar with monsters knows about it, and it’s still a topic of debate. Personally, I think there might have been demon races. It’s more romantic that way! Supposedly, demon races had appearances similar to humans and were highly intelligent. Well, if they were a race that perished a thousand years ago, they probably don’t exist anymore. During the Rugure War, each country cooperated to subjugate the massive number of monsters born. It was so extensive that even against monsters, the term ‘war’ was coined. Oh, the monsters at that time were probably more abundant than now; I wish I could have seen it.”

“Y-Yeah.”

The words I finally squeezed out were so hoarse that they didn’t feel like my own.

I understood.

When asking Brigit about monsters, I should be prepared.

“Haa, haa! Curse you, monsters! To think that, in fear of me, you would set up such a trap! This slope! Clearly, isn’t it unnatural?”

It’s natural. Rather, we climbed up here normally.

Cole is at the clinic in the morning for examinations and such.

He agreed reluctantly to spend a few hours in the afternoon assisting with Lazy syndrome research.

He seemed quite dissatisfied, but he gave his consent for the time being.

By the way, he can’t fight, and there’s no need for him to come for monster subjugation, so he’s not here.

I can handle a few goblins on my own.

However, if I do that, I might not be able to concentrate on defeating them and infusing magic.

People are needed at all times.

I’ll believe that it’s better to have the two of them with me.

While Rafina catches her breath, Brigit continues to chatter on about monster trivia.

Amidst that, I sense something amiss and blurt out instinctively.

“Shh!”

As I say that, Brigit covers her mouth with both hands.

Rafina also shifts her gaze, wondering what’s going on.

Several footsteps.

One, two… six.

Quite a lot.

It’s not entirely unusual since we’re a bit away from Istria.

However, encountering this number frequently is not typical.

Our goal is goblins.

While kobolds tend to act in groups, goblins rarely do so with just a few individuals.

Six bodies make it quite rare.

Feeling a strong sense of discomfort, I equip the Raika and get ready.

They approach.

I see their figures.

“What the… that…”

There, what appeared was a Hobgoblin.

However, its skin color was not the typical earthy or green but rather red.

And in its hand, it held a large sword.

Unlike kobolds, goblins usually don’t handle weapons.

But there are exceptions, goblins that handle tools.

And that’s what this goblin is.

A Goblin Warrior, an upper-class species of Hobgoblin.

It boasts considerable strength, with one being as powerful as about ten Hobgoblins.

Leading the way is the Goblin Warrior, followed by five regular goblins.

“What the!? A Goblin Warrior in a place like this!? They’re supposed to only inhabit large nests! Th-this, this is an unprecedented emergency situation!”

Brigit shouted with an expression that could be interpreted as both joy and fear.

Indeed, for a monster present in this situation, there was a sense of incongruity.

Troublesome. If it were just goblins, we could handle them, but a Goblin Warrior is quite dangerous.

Dad could probably defeat one easily on his own.

But can we handle it?

This might not be the time for experiments involving living creatures.

“What… what is that!? Is that the so-called goblin!?”

This reaction.

Seriously?

Rafina, are you really a knight?

As Cole mentioned, perhaps the so-called 75th Royal Guard is only involved in menial tasks.

This is troublesome. Brigit might be able to fight, but she said her self-defense has its limits.

In that case, it seems like I’ll have to handle it somehow.

“Gyigya!”

The goblins have long noticed us.

It’s only natural with all the commotion.

Acting on instinct, they suddenly sprint towards us.

The fact that they’re not coordinated is the only saving grace.

The Goblin Warrior seems relaxed and stands behind the goblins.

This is fortunate. They’re off guard.

If I defeat the goblins in one move, we’ll have a good chance.

“Both of you, stay put!”

“Y-yeah!”

“U-understood!?”

Even though their voices sound confused, I start running while molding magic without waiting for a response.

They seem to have targeted me, as all five of them are closing in on me.

Short-sighted. It’s helpful that they don’t have heads for strategizing.

Monsters are indeed simple. Despite the danger, they can’t match humans with tools and wisdom.

I surround my feet with Blow and gather magic in both hands.

In that state, I move close to the goblins and immediately place a Flare right beside them.

They tremble at the sudden appearance of the blue flames.

Seizing the opportunity, I jump sideways.

In an instant, having moved about three meters, I land and release the remaining magic toward the Flare.

Contact, explosion.

Bomb Flare.

An explosive magic within fire magic.

It boasts tremendous power, but it can’t be activated instantly.

Therefore, if someone knows how to counter it, it can be easily avoided. However, the goblins don’t know about the existence of this magic.

As a result, the goblin that took a direct hit is blown to pieces.

However, as soon as I land, the magic’s aftermath shrouds the monsters’ forms in smoke.

The explosive shockwave generates smoke, obscuring the view.

But with that much power, I should have been able to defeat the goblins.

The Goblin Warrior at the back remains motionless.

Not even flinching at the magic?

I don’t think it knows.

It just probably has great confidence.

It’s troublesome.

Before the smoke clears, a shadow moves.

“Aaargh!”

The goblin screamed loudly as it kicked the ground. It was not whole, having lost one hand and splattering blood. However, it was still moving. It seemed like the other four had been defeated, but it had managed to survive.

This is bad. I can’t activate magic for another five seconds. Before those five seconds pass, the goblin will reach the two of them. Even if I run, I won’t make it in time. It’s just one goblin. I think the two of them can handle it, but Rafina, whose breathing hasn’t settled yet, was fumbling to draw her sword. However, her slender sword looked conspicuously unreliable and appeared untouched, almost brand new. While Rafina struggled under the weight of her armor, Brigit drew her sword and assumed a defensive stance. She seemed more composed than I expected.

“Gyah!”

The goblin swung its remaining hand, but its deadly claws didn’t reach Brigit. She deflected the claws with the belly of her sword and smoothly advanced. Losing balance, the goblin took a step forward. Brigit flowed gracefully to one side while raising her sword. The goblin’s arm wasn’t severed – it seemed like Brigit lacked the strength to cut through the bone. Despite the goblin groaning in pain, it fiercely attempted to bite Brigit. Rafina stumbled. Anticipating the goblin’s attack, Brigit released her grip on the sword, rotated, and moved to the right. The monster’s fangs stabbed where she had been. Without missing the significant opening, Brigit, still with the sword embedded in the goblin’s arm, grabbed it again. Rotating and exerting force, she severed the goblin’s arm. Attacking without losing momentum – she had quite the skill. However, her proficiency was probably around Bronze Rank. Average for a swordsman. She might be impressive as a scholar, but as a swordsman, she’s just average. The goblin, now without both hands, collapsed to the ground, bleeding to death. It seemed to be succumbing to blood loss. I recalled something as I stared at the goblin’s body. The magical light had vanished ‘a few seconds before’ it died. Thanks to Brigit, we managed to defeat it somehow. Rafina finally stood up.

“Oh, oh? Brigit took it down. Well, she’s doing quite well!”

You haven’t done anything, though.

Anyway, only one enemy remains.

Five seconds have passed, and I can activate magic again.

Brigit has proven herself to be quite capable in battle.

If that’s the case, we should be able to defeat the Goblin Warrior.

It finally started moving.

Calmly advancing step by step.

Its presence is abnormal. The aura of a powerful opponent.

What should I do?

Bomb Flare probably won’t work anymore.

Magic effective against such a massive figure. Yet, it activates quickly.

Since caution is likely, magic with a slow activation won’t be effective.

Considering that I need magic for the jump, the magic power in my hands is around fifty.

The power will be weaker, but the goal is to observe the opponent’s reaction.

I have to do something, anyway.

“Ugh! Take this! You! I’ll fight too! Ugh! Even though I just took it off, it’s too heavy to use! Grrr!”

From behind, I hear clattering and scraping sounds.

It seems Rafina is still grappling with her armor.

“Aaaaaaah, enough already! Annoying!”

Turning to my shoulder, Rafina had taken off her armor. Her figure was better than I expected, and her breasts, hidden by the armor, swayed. Even through her clothes, their size was easily discernible. Wearing the short coat of the knight’s squad, it probably didn’t provide much defense.

With her now lighter attire, Rafina turned her shoulders, checking her physical condition.

“Wait, wait! Are you planning to charge into that thing? You’ll die!”

“Hehe, if you thought I was just a beautiful, pure, righteous, and proud lovely female knight, you’re completely wrong!”

“N-no, don’t say things like that.”

“I’ll show you my true power! Behold! I am Rafina Spel! The legitimate child of my father, Marquis Alfred Spel, who rules the Zeppenlast territory in the Lystia Kingdom! I am Rafina Spel of the Istria 75th Royal Guard!”

Ah, she says that every time. Anyway, the Goblin Warrior is approaching, so I should keep it distracted.

I channeled electricity into the magic gathered in both hands and released a Lightning Bolt. The red thorns raced through the void, attacking the Goblin Warrior. Electricity isn’t something living beings can easily avoid. It reaches the target in an instant, making it too late to react even when visually perceived.

Or at least, that should have been the case.

The Goblin Warrior completely dodged the bolt. It seems it anticipated my move. When I cast Flare or Bolt, when I release magic, my hand stretches out. It seems it noticed that when I cast Flare and Bolt, the magic is released from my hand, and to exert its full power, I have to extend my hand forward. I used that kind of pre-motion when casting magic. It predicted my intentions during that split second.

I was a bit shaken, but because I could anticipate it, I quickly moved on to the next action.

“Magic doesn’t seem to work! Leave it to me!”

“Rafina, it’s dangerous!”

Ignoring my warning, Rafina headed toward the monster. What reckless behavior. Did she not observe any of the battles until now? Her reaction to the goblin seemed like it was her first time seeing one. Moreover, judging from her performance so far, she didn’t seem reliable or strong.

She’s going to get killed.

I felt anxious, but I didn’t forget that there wasn’t enough time for the magic to be reactivated. The time it takes for the reactivation is too long. It needs to be faster. If only I could cast it more quickly. Light. Heat. It was gathering in my hands.

“Huh?”

It activated, but ‘it’s still just one second.’ Strange. Why has it been shortened by four seconds? I don’t care about the reason now. I need to support Rafina.

I ran, keeping Blow on my feet to prepare for the jump. Gathering the surrounding moisture, I created Aqua a few meters above the Goblin Warrior. Rafina and the Goblin Warrior were closing in on each other. In the sky, I synchronized the timing and dropped Aqua. It should be in the blind spot for the monster, just barely invisible. As Aqua hit the Goblin Warrior, I released a Bolt.

Aqua Bolt.

Flowing electricity through water bullets.

It had a longer duration and increased power compared to a regular Bolt. Sparkling currents. In the flickering light, the Goblin Warrior paused. It didn’t make a sound.

It immediately started moving again.

Was it ineffective? No, there should have been some damage. As support for Rafina, it was somewhat weak. I quickly prepared my magic. Somehow, I could use magic right away. Why? Since when? Perhaps—since that day I saw the curtain of red light?

Top of Form

“Yaaaah!”

Rafina swung her slender sword, and the Goblin Warrior swung its large sword. There was an obvious difference in physical strength. There was no way she could win in a direct confrontation. Clash.

I, who was convinced of Rafina’s defeat, was left dumbfounded. In conclusion, Rafina was still alive. If that were the only case, it would have been a relief. However, she had pierced the Goblin Warrior’s throat with her sword.

One-strike kill. In the blink of an eye, I couldn’t comprehend the situation. But I could see it. Rafina appeared to approach the monster straight on and dodged the Goblin Warrior’s attack at the last moment with a minimal movement of her body.

The smaller the movement in avoiding an attack, the overwhelmingly faster the follow-up attack could be delivered. With a counterstrike, Rafina thrust her sword without any wasted movement, piercing the Goblin Warrior’s throat with a single blow. It was astonishing.

The evasion and the efficient single strike – her movements reminded me of Sister, although Sister was superior. She withdrew her slender sword, immediately took a step back, and after confirming that the opponent wasn’t moving for a few seconds, she shook off the blood splatter and sheathed her sword.

Perhaps her slender sword prioritized speed. The lack of visible wear might be due to her stance of finishing the fight with a single blow, without swinging the sword unnecessarily.

“Heheh, how about that! Have you seen my strength? It’s not just the sword! I’m also a top-notch archer! Gahaha!”

“R-Rafina, you were strong. Wasn’t this your first time seeing a monster?”

“Goblins, yes. But Zeppenlast is mostly inhabited by orcs. So, my opponents were mainly orcs.”

Orcs are the strongest among the three. They don’t exhibit group behavior, lack intelligence, but possess extraordinary physical toughness. Due to their large bodies, they are difficult to defeat, requiring a small squad. If she had been facing such monsters, it might explain her capabilities. Dealing with large-sized monsters might have taught her the skill of aiming precisely to bring them down in a single blow.

“If I didn’t have this armor, dealing with monsters like this would be a walk in the park! Brigit was quite impressive, and Shion’s magic exceeded my expectations, but in battle, I’m the one with the upper hand. Leave the next one to me! Uhahaha!”

Certainly, she was strong, and it was reassuring to know she could be relied upon. While that was very much appreciated, it seemed like she was forgetting our main objective.

“…Supplying magical energy might be quite challenging.”

When the opponent is too strong, you have to prioritize defeating them, and when there are many opponents, you can’t afford to hold back. Creatures acting alone were scarce, and capturing without killing was also difficult. Just understanding that might be considered a harvest. Let’s proceed more cautiously next time.

“Now, let’s go! I’ll leave this armor here! I’ll go complain to the armor shop later!”

Breathing heavily, Rafina briskly moved ahead.

“That person… seems to have forgotten our original purpose?”

“Probably.”

Together with Brigit, I sighed. Well, it was a pleasant miscalculation that she turned out to be quite helpful in battling monsters. For now, let’s explore the forest for about another hour and then return to town to prepare for the afternoon.