Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Spirit Magic (4)
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After seeing Honey Pig materialize and Amelin's startled reaction, I felt even more potential in him.
"Honey Pig, can you fly in the sky by any chance?"
[Honey?]
"Spirits can fly in the sky, right? Maybe you can too, Honey Pig?"
In the game, spirits—whether animal-shaped, humanoid, or some exotic form—often appeared by suddenly descending from the heavens and landing on the ground.
[Honey!]
Honey Pig responded energetically, absorbing even more of my mana, just like when he had materialized.
"A flying Honey Pig... All it has is a cute vibe."
Ridel, who had been watching Honey Pig and me from the side, shared her thoughts.
"But can it really fly in the sky?"
"It's a spirit."
"Now that it has a color, it's a bit hard to tell if it's a spirit or a pet pig."
Ridel's comment was spot on—materialized Honey Pig looked nothing more than an adorable baby piglet.
And the next day.
[Honey!]
"Whoa. It's real."
Honey Pig had evolved into Flying Honey Pig.
"Well... Spirits can fly by nature, so."
This time, Amelin wasn't all that surprised.
"But the spirits handled by the spirit mages I know usually fight on the ground unless they're naturally airborne types."
"It depends on the spirit's origin, Your Highness. Spirits born from souls that originally lived on land fight in the way they're most accustomed to."
"I see."
That explained why octopus-shaped spirits tanked freely in the air while wolf or humanoid ones stuck to the ground.
[Honey!]
Honey Pig, soaring through the sky, landed on my shoulder.
[Honey~.]
He rubbed his cheek against mine.
It was incredibly soft and plush.
"H-Honey Pig! C-Can you do that to me too?!"
[Honey?]
"Honey Pig, do it."
[Honey!]
Honey Pig flew up, landed on Tenka's shoulder, and rubbed his cheek against hers.
"Hah... haaaah! Ahh! What supreme softness!"
I'd thought the same last time, but Tenka was totally smitten with Honey Pig's charm.
Honey Pig always stuck close by my side.
That meant he witnessed my daily routine up close.
During morning spars with the knights, he'd be too at risk on my shoulder, so he'd watch me from Ridel or Tenka's arms.
When receiving magic lessons from Amelin, Honey Pig watched my spells with intense focus.
To an outsider, it might look like a cute animal marveling at some wondrous phenomenon unfolding before it. But with our path connected, I could faintly sense Honey Pig's emotions.
[Honey!]
Honey Pig was watching my magic with a sense of "this looks delicious."
Since my spells were made from my mana, maybe it felt like the same sustenance to him?
With that thought, I tried feeding him some magic.
Not literally—just water conjured by magic.
[Honey!]
But Honey Pig devoured the water I made like it was a delicacy.
Watching that, Amelin tried making water for him too.
"H-Honey Pig. Want to try my water?"
Amelin cast a spell, letting droplets fall from her fingertip.
[Honey.]
Honey Pig didn't even glance at it and turned his head away.
"Ahh! H-Honey Pig only drinks water made from Your Highness's pure, pristine mana..."
"Pure, pristine mana? What's that supposed to mean, Amelin?"
"Oh, just something I made up. Your Highness's mana is exceptionally high-quality... Even with the same amount, its potency is on another level."
"Really?"
Her words sparked a sudden worry in me.
Honey Pig was a spirit.
Spirits had lifespans utterly different from humans.
What if, after our contract ended eons from now, he refused contracts with anyone whose mana wasn't like mine? What if his tastes became so refined he starved from mana deficiency, too picky to eat anything else?
Stroking Honey Pig, I said,
"Honey Pig, no being picky. You have to eat well even if it's not my mana."
[Honey? Honey!]
Through our path, I could tell he understood.
[Honey!]
"Ah, he's drinking it!"
And sure enough, Honey Pig lapped up Amelin's water.
I immediately petted and praised the obedient little guy.
"Good job, Honey Pig. No pickiness—eat a variety and stay healthy."
[Honey!]
He responded vigorously, and when he absorbed more of my mana after, it felt like he was just happily indulging.
But the next day.
I was dropping water droplets for him again.
"Hm?"
Something felt off from yesterday.
Yesterday, it was just drinking the water. Today, it felt like he was absorbing the droplets straight into his mouth.
Curious, I made a larger droplet.
[Honey!]
"Huh?"
Before it reached his mouth, the droplet broke down.
The physical water unraveled like a ball of yarn, deconstructing into mana as it entered Honey Pig.
Screeech.
"Young master's breakfast will be ready shortly..."
"Ridel, fetch Amelin right now."
"Is it urgent?"
"Yeah, something I need to check immediately."
"Understood."
I had Ridel bring Amelin, then recreated what I'd seen.
"D-Deconstructing and absorbing magic-made stuff directly?"
"Ever seen anything like this?"
"N-No. And I've never even heard of a spirit that could do it."
"Try feeding him one of your droplets too."
"Y-Yes!"
Amelin conjured a massive droplet in the air and offered it to Honey Pig.
"Honey Pig, eat up."
[Honey!]
Honey Pig opened his mouth and absorbed the droplet—its volume rivaling his body—deconstructing it into mana just like mine.
"Buh-buh-buh."
Amelin trembled in shock at the sight.
"D-De-decomposing magic itself to absorb it. Even from someone who's not its contractor...!"
"Different from when he drank your water yesterday?"
"C-Completely different method! That was just drinking the created water—not breaking it down into raw mana!"
Amelin stared at Honey Pig again.
"I couldn't understand why Your Highness summoned such a tiny spirit. Mr. Kirigumo was right. Nothing about the spirit you summoned could be ordinary. Judging your actions by old standards was foolish and idiotic. Y-Your Highness! Honey Pig! Could you let me observe Honey Pig from now on? I'm not a spirit mage, but Honey Pig is definitely worth studying—enough for a full thesis!"
"Sure, if it helps me learn more about Honey Pig, why not."
"Th-Thank you!"
I stroked Honey Pig.
"Honey Pig, you're turning into something truly amazing."
[Honey? Honey!]
A week had passed since discovering Honey Pig could deconstruct and absorb magic itself.
From that day, Amelin fed him various spells daily.
Though a summoning mage, she could wield basic elemental magic too—earth, fire, wind, ice, and more.
She observed as he ate the conjured results.
In summary, Honey Pig could deconstruct and devour anything made of mana.
'Not a physical tank, but a magic-nullifying tank spirit? Or maybe Honey Pig has even greater potential.'
It wasn't what I'd expected, but honestly, I could handle physical attacks fine. Ranged or AoE magic was the real pain to counter.
If Honey Pig grew to absorb even more powerful mana and block spells, it'd be a huge help.
Of course, I still hoped for physical tanking too.
Honey Pig's growth was dazzling.
Mine, on the other hand, felt stalled.
Not a drop in growth rate—no.
The knights I sparred daily had patterns and swordplay I'd mastered, so I was winning every time lately.
Spars with them were now warm-ups; real fights were with Gillek.
The stall was in build expansion.
I knew countless builds from Savior of World, but few were immediately viable here.
Magic was fine—I was learning plenty from Amelin.
For spells she didn't know, I could leverage imperial authority to import books, have her learn them, then teach me.
But acquiring killer moves was tough.
Evasion was covered by Kirigumo's Cloud Mist Fist.
I wanted a broader arsenal of attacks.
Stealing and using Trund's technique last time felt great, fueling the desire.
Eagle Pursuit was good, but more options were always better.
That's when it happened.
"We're here, bro~."
"Long time no see, bro~."
"Let's play, bro~!"
My little brothers.
The triplet 10th, 11th, and 12th Princes had come to the mansion.