Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Illusory Shadow Inferno (2)
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Even after returning to Abaca, Galen continued to enjoy his status as Maera's guest for the time being.
"Do you have any urgent business that requires you to leave?"
"Not really."
"Then, could you wait a few more days? The matter has grown larger than expected, so the settlement needs to be handled differently."
"Do as you see fit."
In return for his ready agreement, Galen was given a guest room in the church.
It naturally couldn't compare to the inn that Doni had arranged during his previous stay, but it would be ridiculous for the church's facilities to be inferior to those of a high-end inn.
Staying in such adequately splendid accommodations for free left Galen with no complaints. He had long since reached a position where he no longer needed to worry about the cost of a room.
Maera was the busy one, not Galen, so he spent his time leisurely resting.
Of course, as always, this didn't mean he was just lazing around doing absolutely nothing. In a world with limited entertainment, wasting time like that would drive him mad from boredom.
"Yaaawn..."
Sinking into the armchair in the living room of his guest quarters, which doubled as a reception area, Galen stretched out with a long yawn.
By the time he had returned from the Devil's Cradle, it was late autumn, and the weather had grown quite chilly.
Nights required the fireplace without fail, and it wouldn't be odd to light it during the day as well. Stacks of firewood were already piled neatly beside it.
A few logs from that pile were inside the fireplace. The fire wasn't lit.
Galen's drowsy gaze turned toward the interior of the hearth.
The moment he focused on his inner mana—specifically, the mana of the Illusory Shadow Inferno—his vision changed.
Darkness draped over the logs. The unlit fireplace was dark to begin with, but this was a different kind of shadow altogether. A false shadow visible only to Galen. An illusory shadow.
'Bang.'
Galen murmured silently.
Fwoosh!
With a sound far gentler than Galen had anticipated, flames ignited atop the shadow.
As the blaze roared fiercely, the Illusory Shadow Inferno's mana poured out steadily. Mana served as the fuel to sustain the flames. It felt like pouring mana in place of oil.
Whoosh!
Soon, the flames conjured by the Illusory Shadow Inferno spread to the logs.
When he withdrew the mana, the black shadow fell silent. But the fire that had already taken hold didn't extinguish itself.
'At first, I thought it was definitely superior to Redna's in every way...'
Aside from a minor scuffle at the Bron brothers' tavern, he had only truly clashed with a fire spirit once, and since he had killed Redna right then, he hadn't delved deeper.
Still, when imagining a hypothetical duel between Redna and Carne, Galen would have bet on Carne.
Unlike the spirit, which merely spewed fire like a flamethrower, the Illusory Shadow Inferno could ignite anything within sight. The difference in convenience was on another level.
However, after returning to Abaca and beginning serious training, he realized it wasn't that simple.
Why?
Galen removed the shadow from the logs and extended his left hand forward.
A new domain of shadow formed in the air above his palm—not directly on the skin, but about the length of a finger joint away.
This time, he focused solely on the "inferno" aspect, minimizing the "explosion."
Flick!
With barely more than a whisper of sound, a quiet flame flickered to life. A leaderless blaze floating in midair.
But it didn't last long. Galen soon furrowed his brow. The flame snuffed out, and he shook his left hand.
"Ow, hot."
A spirit hurriedly moved from his wrist to cover his palm. The cool touch of water soothed his reddened skin.
That was right.
The Illusory Shadow Inferno, despite being a fire-attribute spell itself, offered no fire resistance or immunity whatsoever!
'Just because I have Water Flow Manipulation doesn't mean I won't drown, but still...'
Redna casually carried a fist-sized fireball nestled in her cleavage and wrapped flames around her hands like gloves. Even when spewing fire inside the tavern, not a single scorch mark was left on the furnishings.
She took no damage from her spirit's flames. He didn't know if that applied to all fires, but at least she seemed immune to her own abilities.
But the Illusory Shadow Inferno?
It made no distinction between friend and foe, even for its own explosions or flames. Nor could it extinguish fires that spread beyond the shadow.
If he had to nitpick, well.
This wasn't a spell that "controlled" fire—it was one that "caused explosions." The fire was just a bonus.
An ultra-aggressive spell that coolly ignored defense, betting everything on offense. The mindset of "I might die, but I'll take you with me."
'...Was the founder of the Burtaine Family a bit too much of a macho type?'
Galen shook his head.
In truth, magic in this world was more about specialized abilities than all-purpose utility. It maximized strengths while covering weaknesses with other means—a concept he could understand.
For example, the Oceanis Family offset Water Flow Manipulation's weakness without water by operating along coastlines.
The Burtaine Family did the same: the drawback of getting caught in close-range blasts? Just don't use it up close.
Mages weren't built for close combat anyway, so they typically moved with escorts.
If you never planned for melee in the first place, what did it matter if it was problematic up close? Kill them before they get near.
The inability to extinguish spreading flames was similar. Why worry about it from the attacker's side? If you cared that much, you wouldn't start the fire.
Ignoring those flaws left behind destructive power that would make even Galen gasp. Excelling as a long-range bomber alone was enough to make a name as a mage.
'Luckily, I can compensate with my other abilities.'
If forced to allow enemies close, switch to the safe Water Flow Manipulation. Or block access with a spirit wall, like this time. If the fire spread uncontrollably? Douse it with water immediately.
Galen just needed to harness the Illusory Shadow Inferno's overwhelming offense. It would be useful in daily life too, like lighting fires—things water couldn't do, no matter how strong.
'...But to do that, I need to level it up first.'
Galen glanced at his status window and gave a wry smile.
It was progressing smoothly and quickly in the early stages, but it still wasn't up to par for real combat. His standards had risen thanks to Water Flow Manipulation, making it even more so.
He'd need to grind at it consistently for at least a month to make it somewhat usable.
Splash!
Galen launched a Water Spirit Bullet to extinguish the fireplace flames, then draped the shadow over the logs once more.
Fizzle!
The wet wood naturally wouldn't catch. With the intent of drying the moisture, Galen kept channeling the Illusory Shadow Inferno.
He repeated the practice until his mana began to run low.
Knock knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
Thinking it might be Lilia dropping by since morning, he opened it to find an unfamiliar man.
"Are you Galen, sir?"
"Yes. And you are?"
"From the Mercenary Guild. The matter you requested is complete..."
"Can I go right now?"
"Of course."
Perfect timing—his mana had run out just as he was wrapping up the fire play. Galen followed the staff member immediately.
"Brother Galen!"
Halfway across the church grounds, a familiar voice called out.
Lilia, who had been hurrying somewhere, came scampering over.
"Where are you off to? Who's this?"
"He's from the Mercenary Guild. I have business there."
"Oh, can I come along?"
"Weren't you on your way somewhere?"
"I was going to see you!"
"Well, suit yourself."
Galen nodded readily, and Lilia promptly stuck to his side. The trio headed to the guild.
With everything pre-arranged, Galen and Lilia skipped procedures and were escorted straight to the guild master's office.
"Welcome, Lord Galen."
A middle-aged man old enough to be Galen's father bowed deeply.
"Lady Lilia is here too?"
"Just tagging along for a look!"
"Ignore her; she's just following me."
"Y-yes, of course."
Galen took the guild master's greeting in stride and sat down.
When he met Nijerte's guild master, he had been respected, but not to this degree.
Abaca's guild master was polite to the point of clear deference in both demeanor and speech.
The gulf between a fresh Silver debut and a Gold who had crushed a demon's head was immense.
"We've finished reviewing the documents submitted by the church."
"Any issues?"
"Pardon?! We double- and triple-checked!"
"Ah, no. Of course not. The church... Lady Lilia wouldn't make such a mistake."
The guild master flashed a smile that was clearly rehearsed. His rugged, ex-mercenary face twisted somewhat grotesquely, but Galen let it slide as an effort.
For reference, the "church documents" were a list of demons hunted in the frontier zone, compiled by Jenny with Lilia's assistance—not written by Lilia herself.
Additionally, Maera had personally visited to subtly inform them of Galen's exploits in the Devil's Cradle.
At this point, even if the church submitted fakes, the guild would have to accept them. Their backing of Galen was that obvious.
Even without documents, the guild had long gathered rumors from the frontier and harbored no doubts about his prowess.
"The Abaca Mercenary Guild unanimously recognizes Lord Galen as Gold rank!"
"Wooow, congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Lilia cheered as if it were her own achievement. Galen inclined his head gracefully. The guild master added,
"We should have announced it sooner, but you've been in the frontier... and even after returning to Abaca, you went straight to Elta..."
"I've been quite busy lately and forgot to stop by the guild."
"Oh, no, we're not blaming you at all, Lord Galen!"
"Nor was that my intent."
Galen shrugged. The guild master chuckled awkwardly before pulling a stack of papers and a gleaming metal badge from his desk drawer.
The badge was offered first. As expected, its design was far more luxurious than the Silver one.
He had been Gold-level for a while in terms of power, but having tangible proof to show others felt different. Like a sense of promotion.
Examining the mercenary badge from all angles, Galen asked,
"By the way, what about the badge I got in Nijerte?"
"Do as you wish. Most keep them as mementos, but discarding it is fine. We'll notify the Nijerte guild. Your official rank will be 'Silver of Nijerte, Gold of Abaca.' Reissues for loss can be done at either guild."
"I see. Understood."
Galen nodded and pocketed the badge.
The guild master then offered the stack of papers, glancing slightly at Lilia as he said,
"And here's the item you requested. The source being us... well, it's not a huge issue if it leaks, but please..."
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to cause trouble with it. It's purely for reference."
"Y-yes. Much appreciated."
The guild master bowed subserviently. After paying the fee, Galen pocketed the papers and left the office.
Lilia tilted her head curiously.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I'll tell you later."
"A secret you can't share?!"
"Less a secret and more... I'm not expecting much, but I want to test it anyway. If it works, I'll brag about it then."
"Promise you'll tell me!"
"I will."
Galen replied with an inner wry smile.
He wasn't just brushing her off—he truly had low expectations. But he still needed to check.
Before leaving this place, where mages were most common.
'The status window's mechanics.'
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