The Witch's Trial (4)
The spirit of the Golden Eyes was one thing, but first he had to deal with what stood right in front of him.
His primary goal was the Dragon's Breath.
And if possible, that shadow spirit as well.
"So? Still not interested in trading?"
"...No. Shedi's not something you buy and sell."
"Hmm? She doesn't seem to think so herself."
The black wolf was currently licking the blood of the two-headed hound from Roy's hand. Not simply because she wanted the blood—it looked far more like she was fawning over him, trying to win his favor. If flesh and blood had been what she truly wanted, she would have been tearing into the carcasses scattered on the ground instead.
"Why does Shedi keep doing this...? Fine then—my turn!"
This time Lily slid down from the black wolf's back and came toward Roy. Then she pressed her face right up against his.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Hold still!"
Close enough that their cheeks nearly brushed, Lily began sniffing around his hair, his cheeks, and near his ears. Roy recoiled in pure shock, his face stunned.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
In his past life, Roy had done every sort of thing imaginable with every sort of woman. Yet here he was, blushing over some suspicious fifteen-year-old girl. Even he could not understand why he was reacting this way.
Why is my body acting on its own...
The boy was only just entering puberty. Perhaps it was simply because he had never been this close to a girl his own age before.
Huu... Get a grip.
He forced himself to ignore the heart hammering against his ribs. Just then the girl spoke.
"What. There's nothing special about your scent... Just blood."
"What!?"
"I thought maybe you smelled like something Shedi would like."
"That doesn't mean you have to shove your nose in my face!"
"Why's your face all red all of a sudden? Did you summon a spirit the way you did with those golden eyes earlier?"
"It's not... that..."
Roy hastily turned away. What even was he doing right now. Being around this girl somehow made him feel like an idiot himself.
"Enough. If you're not giving me the spirit, give me back the sword. I'm busy with the trial, so stop interrupting."
"Hey, Roy!"
"......?"
"Can't you teach me how to make that sword? I'd feel bad just taking it, so if you teach me the method I can try it on my own weapons."
"S-sorry, but with skills that can't even fix a barrier, it's impossible. Learn how to weave barriers from the witch first, then come back. I-I'll think about it then..."
Now he was even stammering. Roy despised himself for it.
"Is it that hard? Barriers are already insanely difficult..."
"Of course. A barrier that shatters the moment you touch it is a hundred years behind this technique."
"I see..."
When no reply came, Roy turned to check Lily's face. The girl had her cheeks puffed out in a full pout.
"Don't you dare look down on the witch's magic! Especially not the likes of you."
Apparently he had wounded her pride again. Roy heaved a sigh and offered a rough apology. Normally he would not have cared about something like this, but a single word from this girl could cost him the Dragon's Breath, so he needed to keep things amicable.
"Fine. I'll forgive you just this once. Do it again and I really won't."
"Yeah..."
Lily vanished once more with the black wolf. Alone in the middle of the forest, Roy kept letting out deep, repeated sighs.
Ah, what am I even doing...
He slapped his own cheeks a few times with both hands, pulling his scattered thoughts back together.
Capturing mythical beasts was on an entirely different level from gathering phantom herbs.
Fortunately, the beasts listed on the scroll were not particularly aggressive. But they were cowards to match—rarely revealing themselves before Roy's eyes. They only showed themselves when they crossed dimensional boundaries to eat plants saturated with this land's mana, or to drink the water. That seemed to be how they absorbed the dense mana here.
But it was winter, so there were not many intact plants nearby. What remained was the water.
Roy followed the sound of water circling his ears, pushing through the mist for a long while. And he found it. A small pond.
This isn't stagnant water, is it...?
No—impossible. Even in midwinter, aquatic plants and water weeds grew lushly. A sight that made one forget the season unfolded before him. Checking with his Golden Eyes, he detected a denser concentration of mana in the water than expected.
This is incredible. Should I scoop some up and try making an aqueous solution with it?
Even at the lowest estimate, it should produce at least a lowest-grade solution. Roy decided to stake out a corner of the pond and wait. Naturally, he used stealth magic to conceal himself. Golden Eyes would make it easier to catch the timing of the beasts' appearance, but maintaining it constantly drained far too much mana.
How on earth did the Baron capture these beasts?
The Baron was clearly superior to Roy in swordsmanship. But he could not use advanced magic like stealth. And he would not have had Golden Eyes either, so the difficulty should have been far higher. How had he captured them? Roy found himself newly impressed by the Baron.
Hmm... Psychic Bind really is the way to go, isn't it.
Sitting quietly, Roy planned his strategy for when a beast appeared. To collect materials intact, he absolutely could not kill the beasts—only remove the necessary parts. For that, Psychic Bind seemed unavoidable.
Timing is everything.
Miss the timing and it was all for nothing. Like any skittish animals, the slightest suspicious sign would send them all fleeing.
He said it takes days... Looks like this is where most of the time gets eaten up.
Remembering the Baron's words, the boy grew impatient. After tens of minutes of boring waiting—he occasionally activated Golden Eyes to scan the surroundings—when suddenly a powerful presence registered behind him. And a voice.
"Shedi! Why are you doing this all of a sudden! Stop, I said stop! Ah, nooo!"
"What is this now..."
—Splash!
He thought a mythical beast had finally appeared—it was a spirit. A canine shadow spirit, no less. She charged at Roy as if he were prey and started licking his cheek, and Lily, riding on her back, was thrown by the momentum and plunged into the small pond.
The one truly suffering in this situation was Lily, not Roy.
"Ugh... Shedi... What are you doing. I told you to stay still while I changed clothes."
Roy's gaze locked onto the girl. It was an unavoidable law of nature.
This is getting more and more tempting. That little dog...
"L-Lily. Are you okay...?"
"What are you just standing there staring for! Hurry up and give me a hand."
"Uh. R-right... But why are your clothes like that... And..."
Roy had already figured out that Lily was an elf. From the moment he first entered the witch's house.
No species but elves could have looks like that.
So he had no particular desire to point out those pointed ears now.
"I don't know! It felt too warm so I was changing into lighter clothes. Then Shedi suddenly bolted toward you!"
"I-is that so?"
Whether she understood her master's feelings or not, Shedi was still glued to Roy's side, tail swaying gently. Roy vowed inwardly to catch her something delicious later.
Roy and Shedi. Watching the cozy scene between the boy and the shadow spirit contracted to her, Lily truly wanted to cry.
"What even are you... Shedi's my spirit..."
"Huh?! W-wait, hold still. I can feel something."
"What?"
But what was this. Of all times, the surrounding mana began to roil. The mist that had been fading under the warm sunlight suddenly billowed thickly over the pond. And the temperature around them plummeted.
"Don't tell me...!"
Roy's Golden Eyes detected a new presence he had never felt before. Right nearby, no less.
That is...!?
An Opinicus. A strange creature that seemed a mix of lion, eagle, and bear forms appeared—identical to what was written on the scroll from the witch. Roy prepared to cast without hesitation. What he needed was a feather from its wing. Bind it with Psychic Bind and pluck just one.
But he couldn't.
You've got to be kidding me!
Because another mythical beast appeared right after. A white horse with a magnificent golden horn on its forehead.
A unicorn too?
The scroll said that among unicorns, the finest horn was a unicorn's. Roy could almost hear the effect of the Dragon's Breath rising in his head.
Don't tell me... No way?
He had heard stories that unicorns were drawn to virgins.
Did it appear because Lily fell into this mana pond...?
He hurriedly shook his head. Impossible. Then how had the Baron obtained the materials back then. This was pure coincidence. But there was a problem. He had to acquire materials from both at once. The moment he harvested from one, the other might flee.
What do I do...
Roy hastily clamped a hand over the whimpering Lily's mouth and rapidly sought a method. If he lost them now, there was no telling when they would appear again. As non-aggressive types, these mythical beasts were highly cautious. And they would not be as stupid as ordinary animals. If he missed them now, they would sense the danger and likely avoid this place for a while.
Hmm...
But he did not have time for long deliberation either. They could vanish at any moment.
Feather and horn... Shall we give it a try?
Roy's Golden Eyes soon blazed with fierce light.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Meanwhile, Lily, soaked to the bone from the pond, struggled hard to escape Roy's grip.