Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Savage Territory: Priella Atria (3)
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The Magical Library—Celestia, the Illusory Archive—houses countless grimoires containing all sorts of magic.
Magic designed for interpersonal combat, or spells crafted as foundations for other magics—.
Extending to spells premised on use in everyday life.
Over the past several hundred years, the various magics I have created are stored here in the library in the form of grimoires.
And among them, there are bound to be grimoires that have yet to see the light of day, slumbering in some forgotten corner of the shelves.
Most are spells meant for specific situations, or ones too awkward to allocate pages in portable grimoires.
Alarm spells are a prime example.
“Crayton, you said you wanted to borrow a tracking spell?”
And right now, one such grimoire was being prepared for checkout.
Crayton, one of the members of Celestia’s Secret Society, had come to me requesting to take out a grimoire.
“Yes. I need a powerful tracking spell.”
Rustle, rustle—.
Amid the sound of grimoire pages turning.
Crayton nodded and explained his business to me.
“It seems one of the people I’m pursuing is adept at shaking off trackers.”
“…….”
“We’ve deployed the legion’s mages for the investigation, but we haven’t found even a single trace for days now.”
The reason Crayton needed Celestia’s magic.
It was tied to the opponent he was chasing.
“So, I’d like to check out a spell from Celestia to pursue such foes.”
He apparently needed magic to uncover traces against those skilled at evasion.
Despite mobilizing countless mages so far, they still hadn’t located the enemy.
In such a situation, it made sense that Crayton would want a spell that could serve as a solution.
“A spell helpful for tracking—.”
Swoosh—.
I lifted my head and looked at the middle-aged mage lost in thought.
Magic helpful for detecting hidden enemies.
Celestia had several spells of the type Crayton wanted.
Detection or scouting spells were among them.
“Not for implantation into an existing grimoire, I take it.”
“……Yes.”
“Then it’s better to choose one prioritizing performance over mana efficiency.”
I pondered the grimoires stored in Celestia, considering which would suit Crayton’s use.
And soon, I recalled one and snapped my fingers.
Snap—.
The moment I snapped my fingers, one of the grimoires shelved in the Third Archive flew straight toward us.
A single grimoire flew over, its pages fluttering.
Crayton, watching it, caught the grimoire with a startled expression.
“Th-this is……?”
“A detection spell, ‘Clairvoyance.’ It identifies and categorizes all information within a surrounding radius, storing it in your mind.”
—Clairvoyance.
Among the many spells in the library, this one specialized in identifying surrounding objects or analyzing information.
It was akin to the magic on the doctor’s monocle.
The reason such detection magic was classified in the Third Archive was simple.
Its range was excessively broad, and the volume of information it processed was overwhelmingly vast.
“It’s not purely for tracking someone, but it should still be plenty useful for pursuing enemies.”
It wasn’t a spell made from the start for chases.
Prolonged use might impose a heavy burden on the mind.
However, for finding foes specialized in hiding, there’d be no better spell.
It could clearly detect even the subtlest flows invisible to the human eye.
“Will you take it, Crayton?”
I asked Crayton, who was staring at the grimoire.
Swoosh—.
A moment later, Crayton, who had been deep in thought, raised his head and spoke to me.
“……I’ll take it.”
Crayton’s answer was affirmative.
There was no need to explain further to him.
“A fine choice. Just refrain from using it excessively.”
“Yes, Archmage Johan.”
Crayton Lukbart.
This was the moment the Secret Society’s second member used contribution points for the first time to check out a forbidden tome.
* * * * * *
The pillaging by the barbarians, led by Ervar Alliance’s Great Shaman Korkia, had now entered its fifth day.
Was it because Korkia’s shamanism was so overwhelmingly potent?
Their pillaging continued smoothly even into the fifth day.
Whenever Korkia located a mage from a passing magic legion with her spells, Woki would pursue and strike them down with his axe.
After days of banditry, the two had begun adapting to life in the city.
“Heh heh—. We snagged another one today.”
Swoosh, swish—.
As Korkia rummaged through the fallen mage’s belongings, she pulled out a gleaming crystal orb.
Polaris No. 1, the communication magic tool beloved by imperial nobles.
They had successfully harvested yet another one used by magic legion mages for contact.
“This makes three now. We’ve secured ones for you, the Great Chieftain, and myself.”
“……Good news.”
As Korkia held up the crystal orb from the mage’s pockets, Woki watched her with a faint smile.
Three treasures that could eavesdrop on the winds.
Securing items to converse with the Great Chieftain from anywhere was a satisfying gain for them.
“Guard it well so you don’t lose it, Korkia.”
“Young warrior, such needless worry. Do you think this old one would make that mistake?”
As Woki, axe slung over his shoulder, offered advice while gazing at Korkia.
Ignoring Woki’s warning, Korkia thrust the crystal orb high toward the sky.
Fwaaah—!
Korkia gazed at the orb’s iridescence reflecting the sunlight, her face alight with joy.
“Ahh, so beautiful—.”
Korkia’s peculiar gaze began admiring the orb with ecstatic fervor.
Slooowly—.
The old woman’s pupils captured the orb in her distorted gaze for a moment.
- Cawww—!
Soon after, a massive crow let out a cry as it began descending.
Whoosh—.
Drawn by the glittering orb, perhaps.
It swiftly flew between Korkia and Woki, landing vigorously on the orb with flapping wings.
“A crow……?”
“…….”
Blink, blink—.
Stunned, Korkia and Woki stared at the sudden arrival for a few seconds.
- Caw—!
The crow then spread its wings wide, snatched Korkia’s crystal orb in its talons, and took flight.
Flutter—.
Scattering feathers, a cold wind brushed the pair’s cheeks.
“……!”
In an instant, the crow had seized the orb and flown far away.
Woki gaped skyward at the fleeing crow.
The absurdity unfolding before him left him unable to react properly.
Korkia was equally stunned at losing the orb.
“Ah—.”
Having lost the crystal orb, Korkia immediately sighed and looked up at the sky.
Ah, aah—.
A deep sigh escaped Korkia’s lips.
Woki frowned at her.
“Korkia! Didn’t I tell you to keep the treasure safe!”
“No! That’s not it—.”
However, Korkia’s demeanor as she gazed at the crow seemed somehow off.
It wasn’t the expression one would expect from merely having a possession stolen.
Puzzled, Woki questioned her.
“What in the world—.”
“That’s a spirit.”
“What?”
Woki tried to protest the absurd claim from Korkia.
But a beat faster, a sharp voice burst from her mouth.
“It’s not just any spirit! It’s a top-grade spirit! Keeeyaaaaah—!”
“…….”
Top-grade spirit—.
An utterly unexpected entity had appeared before the barbarians.
Ah—.
A sigh escaped Woki’s lips as well.
* * * * * *
Snow began falling on the rundown streets of the north.
There, Crayton and Priella were walking side by side.
Crayton, pondering the barbarians who had come to the border fortress, had been dragged out upon suddenly hearing Priella say her spirit had vanished.
A top-grade spirit like that wouldn’t get lost, surely—but the mercenary before him seemed to think otherwise.
Priella, wrapped in thick furs with her hood up, was desperately searching for the spirit.
“Where on earth did it go?”
Priella glanced around, craning her neck.
She’d shown no interest before, but now that the spirit was gone, worry had set in.
‘Since we’re out, it wouldn’t hurt to bring her along to catch the barbarians.’
Crayton watched Priella, contemplating what to do after finding the crow spirit.
If you feed and house someone, it’s only right they earn their keep.
Moreover, as a mercenary from the Eight Swords Society, she was likely skilled in combat.
So, he figured bringing her to deal with the barbarians wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Kaman, where are you? I’ll give you 10 seconds—come out now—.”
“…….”
Crunch, crunch—.
As Crayton walked the snowy streets with Priella, his gaze fell to the grimoire in his arms.
The new grimoire he’d prepared this morning contained the spell he’d checked out last night using contribution points.
Per the library owner’s explanation, it was a detection spell called ‘Clairvoyance.’
Even foes adept at concealing their presence could be easily found with it, he’d been advised.
‘But don’t use it too long, or it burdens the mind.’
However, Johan hadn’t forgotten to warn about precautions when checking it out.
Avoid excessive use.
Aside from that, there were no notable side effects.
Hoo—.
As the two exhaled frosty breaths while traversing the snowy streets.
“Huh……?”
- Caw—!
Suddenly, a black-winged crow streaked across the sky toward them.
Flutter—.
Had its flapping gaze spotted Priella?
The crow spirit, clutching a gleaming crystal orb, approached her closely.
“Crayton, Kaman’s back.”
- Caw—!
Crayton’s eyes shifted to the crow spirit’s talons as it drew near.
Did spirits share the fondness for shiny things?
It seemed taken with the orb, having snatched one nearby.
“Looks like it stole a communication magic tool from somewhere.”
- Caw, caw—!
Hearing Crayton, the crow spirit cried out as if asserting ownership.
Crayton sighed deeply and addressed it.
“As if. Once the job’s done, return it to the magic legion immediately.”
- Caw……?
“Being a spirit doesn’t mean you get a free pass on everything.”
The search for the crow seemed concluded for now.
With Priella’s request fulfilled, it was time to resume magic legion duties.
Hoo—.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Crayton pulled out his grimoire and spoke.
“Miss Priella, you haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”
“You mean helping find the barbarians?”
“Yes. I’m about to use the tracking spell now.”
Rustle—.
Crayton opened the grimoire wide and stared into the empty air.
“With this grimoire, we can pinpoint their location. After that…….”
Just as Crayton began outlining the plan ahead.
Thud thud thud—.
In the corner of his vision, people in unfamiliar garb dashed by urgently.
An old woman and a sturdy man, clad in beast hides, hurried along in exotic attire.
They looked like barbarians crossing the street.
“The spirit! The spirit disrupted the shamanic flows! We must find and kill the elf right now—!”
“Didn’t you say pointy-ears couldn’t be here!”
“How was I to know! Enough chatter—move!”
No, they were definitely barbarians.
The two barbarians were fleeing in a panic.
Caw—!
Behind them, the crow spirit flapped, pointing them out.
“Oh no…….”
It seemed there was no need for the spell after all.
The barbarians were right in front of Crayton’s eyes, running away.
“Miss Priella, pursue them at once!”
“Got it.”
Priella took off after the barbarians, with Crayton following a beat slower.
Thud thud thud—.
As Crayton dashed urgently, his gaze fell to the grimoire in his hand.
Why on earth did I borrow this thing—.
Regret over the contribution points suddenly washed over Crayton.