How to Tame a Spirit (2)
"What!?"
"W-we have to go back, don't we?"
"No. We've come this far—we can't turn around now. It's fine. The thing's strong, but I've faced something like it before. This one just seems a little tougher."
"Roy..."
"Really, it's fine. Your own safety comes first. You brought all the amulets, right?"
"Yeah."
For today, Roy had crafted special amulets and distributed them to his assistants. On top of the brooches he had already given them, each of them now carried three or four layers of protection. Nothing serious should go wrong.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to drag this out today by fretting over mana conservation or anything like that."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing you need to know about."
Asking Noah to keep watch for the creature's approach, the party pressed slowly deeper into the cave.
The path led down, and farther down, and deeper still, until at last they reached a broad open chamber where the trail simply ended. The vast space looked almost as if it had been carved out on purpose.
"The path ends here, but I can still feel the heart of the mana vein farther below."
Noah suddenly seized Roy's arm and tugged.
"What is it?"
"There. That place, without a doubt. From there it looks as though one can descend. Likely a hole the creature itself dug. Carry me there, Master."
"I told you clearly—until I give permission, you stay quiet."
"Yes, yes. Of course. I understand."
Roy regarded Noah, who kept bobbing her head, with cool eyes. The look was a warning: this time he had no intention of indulging her whims, so she had better read the room. Drunk on the thick fragrance of mana, however, Noah seemed to miss the meaning behind his expression.
Roy, Noah, and the three assistants entered the enormous hole the creature must have excavated. According to Noah, the core of the mana vein lay on the far side of this tunnel. And the one that had dug it would be waiting there as well.
I don't know what kind of monster is waiting, but I'll finish it in a single stroke.
Descending the hole into the depths, Roy said nothing more.
Roy raised the index finger of his right hand and pressed it to his lips. Meeting each of their eyes in turn, he made certain they understood: from this moment on, extreme caution was required so the creature would not detect them.
Don't make a sound. Wait here quietly.
That was what his eyes said. He also held out both hands in a clear signal not to move any farther, so even if someone failed to read his gaze they would still grasp the atmosphere and not act on their own.
He released the elven magic he had been maintaining. Pitch-black darkness swallowed them.
Alone, Roy finished the short remaining stretch of tunnel and stepped into the chamber where the creature waited. Thanks to his Golden Eyes, he could take in its presence even in darkness that hid his own hand in front of his face.
A Giant Worm... and not a small one, either.
He had half-expected something like a snake or a worm, and the monster before him matched the prediction exactly.
Through the Golden Eyes the surrounding mana washed over him—quantity and density rivaling even the Witch's Forest. He could almost picture Noah's face, flushed with excitement, without needing to look.
That was not all. The aura pouring from the colossal monster itself was anything but ordinary. Yet he had no intention of experiencing that power firsthand.
Strike first, win first!
The situation differed from the day he had brought down the corrupted unicorn. Back then he had needed a vast amount of mana simply to summon Noah; today he did not. Then he had also been able to ride a shadow spirit and flee or reposition at will. Today that option was gone. If that massive body charged, his own life might be one thing, but the lives of the ones behind him would hang by a thread. Even with the amulets, there were limits.
So I'll end it in a single breath.
Kuuung—! Dududududuk.
Living in such darkness had made the creature sensitive to mana reactions despite its bulk. It twisted its body and swung its head toward Roy. The enormous form scraping across the ground produced a deafening roar that shook the entire cave, and it loosed a screech so ear-splitting it defied description.
Before the spell could scatter, Roy activated the magic. Silent Casting. He had completed the incantation in advance while passing through the tunnel the creature itself had dug.
Goodbye, you overgrown maggot.
Kwang! Kwakwang! Kkwagwagwagwang!
Roy's magic slammed into the Giant Worm from every direction. A continuous thunder of explosions rolled through the cavern, loud enough that it seemed the whole cave might collapse. Stone dust actually rained from the ceiling. The sound was so violent that anyone who failed to cover their ears risked ruptured eardrums; Anna, Chloe, and even Jack waiting behind could not hold back their screams.
"Kyaa—! Is this place collapsing right now!?"
"Royyyy! What in the world are you doing!?"
"Uuuugh, we're all going to be buried alive..."
But their voices were swallowed by the noise filling every corner of the space and scattered into nothing.
Kkwagwang! Kkwagwagwakwang!
The fierce tremors and detonations continued without pause for a long while. Then, not long after, silence returned. Fortunately, the cave had not fallen in.
"......"
"What just..."
At that moment a faint light appeared along with a boy's voice—the same elven illumination magic Roy had used at the cave entrance.
"It's over. Come this way."
The three assistants and Noah moved carefully toward the source of the light. Then their mouths fell open.
"Wh-what is that? That disgusting thing? How is it so huge?"
"It's a Giant Worm."
"Roy. You killed it?"
"Who else would have?"
"I didn't even hear any chanting..."
Before their eyes lay a single enormous worm, its entire body riddled through, vomiting strange fluids as it died. What had pierced it were long spikes that had erupted from the cave floor and walls—not one or two, but dozens, hundreds of conical stakes driving through the worm's body into the ground and jutting out in every direction.
The three of them swallowed hard. They had never heard of magic like this. It was clearly earth magic, yet such spikes normally rose from a single point in one direction. What they saw now had erupted from the floor, the walls, even the ceiling—scores of them. Even if the thing in the middle had been some other monster, no matter how huge or powerful, it could never have survived. That was the children's shared impression.
Questions to satisfy their curiosity soon poured toward Roy. He simply held up an open palm.
"It's still too early. You're only temporary, assistant researchers at my laboratory. Once you become full researchers, I'll teach you."
"That's so mean!"
"Isn't it only natural? You want to take a spell someone spent a long time carefully creating, with no conditions at all—do you think that's fair? Hmm? Chloe, you tell me."
"......"
Chloe, who possessed the richest mana among them, had been the most eager with her questions. Yet under Roy's reply she could not manage a single word.
"I don't think I could use it even if I learned it..."
"Me neither..."
The two who had inherited baronial bloodlines seemed bothered by something else. But Roy spoke.
"No. You can. The scale will be smaller, of course, but if you control the mana well you can use it effectively. Especially in a cave like this, large-scale fire magic isn't practical. The spell instantly burns away the surrounding air, and the smoke that follows is nothing to ignore. You could kill the monster and then stupidly suffocate yourselves. That's why I used earth magic. You should learn it too."
"Whoa... so that's how it is."
"Burning it would definitely make a nasty smell. In a cave it would be even worse."
Roy skillfully redirected the children's attention away from Silent Casting. In truth he could have taught them now without issue, yet he decided to put it off as long as possible. At their current skill level, even if he explained it they would not be able to learn it right away.
"Hmm..."
He had toppled the Giant Worm in an instant, but much remained to be done in this cave. Especially the spirit currently clinging to his body and whining—he needed to peel her off first.
"Noah, go stand to the side. There's still a lot to do."
"Understood."
Noah obediently trotted over to a corner, then opened her mouth again.
"See? I am listening well, am I not? So you must feed me mana until I am stuffed full, all right? Hmm? Master!"
Her mouth said one thing while her body fidgeted restlessly. A mana drunkard if ever there was one—no, worse than a wine drunkard. For the moment, though, he ignored her moderately and began the work.
"Chloe. I'll tell you the location; you pull the mana stone out of this thing's body."
"M-me? Why me of all people?"
Chloe shuddered. He understood. Digging through the body of a giant worm that was still leaking fluids for a mana stone was a job none of them wanted.
"Ah, you don't want to? Fine. Assistant Chloe, minus one point. Anyone else want to step up first?"
"Me! I'll do it."
"Uh, um, I can do it too."
At the sudden deduction Chloe's face twisted in disbelief and she shouted.
"What is that even supposed to mean!? Why is my score being cut!?"
"I told you earlier. Special privileges go only to those who become full researchers. From now on there will be evaluations. Fairly."
"...Then you should have said so earlier! What kind of person tells you after you've already refused!?"
"I asked you first because you have the most mana. You're the one who refused. I don't need researchers who lack motivation in my laboratory."
"Ha... fine, I'll do it!"
Roy smiled wickedly inside.
They're still kids—easy to handle. Perfect.
In the end Chloe, with the greatest mana reserves, used her sword to split open the worm's torso. Her expression was a sight to behold. Everyone watching wore similar looks.
"Doesn't look like there's anything useful besides the mana stone. Almost no blood, and the gut is just packed with dirt and pebbles. The hide isn't worth much either."
Roy gave Chloe another order.
"Chloe. You can use earth-attribute magic, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then bury this corpse underground so it's out of sight. It's huge, so I'd like the one with plenty of mana to handle it."
"...Why aren't you doing anything yourself?"
"What, you don't want to?"
"I'll do it! I'm doing it! I'm asking why you've been standing there with your hands free, just giving orders!"
"I used powerful magic, so my mana is nearly gone. I need to leave a little in reserve just in case."
Roy was working Chloe like a mana slave.
Count bloodline mana really is insane. Still, I should keep doling out rewards while I work her.
A short while later, Chloe had buried the Giant Worm underground without a trace left behind. Roy spoke to her.
"Well done. Chloe, plus one point."
"O-only one point?"
"No. Two points. The earlier minus is gone too."
"......"
Watching Chloe fail to look particularly happy, Roy wondered if he had been a bit too stingy.
"Chloe. Can you use earth magic again around here to make a square room? Like a box—hollow inside. A door we can enter through would be nice too."
"What?"
"This one's worth ten points. Want to do it? Or..."
"I'll do it! Just wait."
Roy beamed.
Mm, this seems like a good method. I'll have to use it again later.
Meanwhile, Anna and Jack, watching the whole scene from behind Roy's back, slowly shook their heads. They had already caught on: with nothing more than points that cost him nothing, Roy was training a count's daughter without taking any losses himself. And they realized something else as well. If they wanted to become full researchers, they too would have to slave away at whatever Roy ordered in order to earn points.