Arien's Ability
Selena's mind reeled at the sight of the bear that had appeared before her. If it had been a humanoid monster, she might have stood a chance with basic swordsmanship—their size and movements were at least somewhat comparable. But animal types were different. Their quadrupedal nature granted them speeds that two legs could never hope to match. If it's a bear, then its strength... Bears were said to tear people apart, a phrase that held true even among the adventurers of De Marinda. This one was far larger than any normal bear, leaving her with nothing to say.
This was the moment to focus her mind and make full use of her vocal cords. Honestly, the previous undead hadn't been worth using the Siren's Song on. Those creatures were nothing more than bundles of obsession with the living, so severing their limbs and tendons had been enough. But a bear was...
"Ah..."
Selena had been about to sing the refrain that carried the power to bewilder enemies. Yet the moment she saw what happened next, she stopped.
"So it was Lady Selena."
The bear suddenly stretched and contorted before transforming into a human shape—one she recognized all too well. A white blouse paired with silver hair that looked like soft feathers. An expressionless yet undeniably cute face. It was the girl who had been with Bagan.
"Arien, was it?"
It was Arien. Of course Selena remembered her—the very same girl she had stopped with the Song of Binding. Even when entering this dungeon, Arien had created only the gills and tail of a Neo Shark to accompany them. There was no way she could forget.
"Hic... hic..."
Selena burst into tears. The relief of the moment was simply overwhelming. Her throat might grow hoarse from crying, but that didn't matter. Just knowing she had found an ally was enough to steady her.
"Continued crying will be problematic. We won't be able to move together."
"H-huh?"
"Your fear of the current situation is becoming an obstacle."
"H-huh?"
"I will synthesize a drug to help stabilize your mind. Hmm. Unfortunately, the components of Hypocte grass required to bolster courage are not present in your body. However, the components of Mira grass for stabilization are available. I will create a drug that utilizes Mira grass for a calming effect."
Selena stared blankly at Arien's string of incomprehensible words. Her tears dried up on the spot.
"Success."
A small potion now rested in Arien's hand.
"Please consume this. It will help you overcome the current situation."
Her blunt expression somehow inspired trust. Besides, there was no real choice in the matter. M-my throat is so dry. I wonder if it's safe to drink? Perhaps it was because she had been crying so hard, but the sight of the liquid sloshing before her was impossible to resist. Still, trusting Arien completely was difficult—her abilities were far too suspicious. How could someone turn into a shark and then a bear? And create strange potions from nothing? What kind of power allowed such feats?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Selena asked, "What exactly are you?"
She had already suspected as much—that this girl wasn't human. Arien answered as if she had expected the question.
"Arien's species designation is slime. However, thanks to Lord Bagan's assistance, Arien is now able to live as Arien. Arien is the protagonist of the novel Pharmacist Arien, and that is who Arien is now."
Her answer was tangled and roundabout, but one thing was clear.
"A... a slime?"
Selena couldn't escape her shock.
"Heart rate is rising rapidly. Please ingest the medicine immediately."
Left with no choice, Selena drank the potion at Arien's urging. Gulp, gulp. After several swallows, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over her.
"I can't think of anything at all."
"Heart rate stabilized. Fear has been overcome."
Selena, who moments ago had been too terrified to take even a few steps, now felt relaxed enough to take in her surroundings. It was undoubtedly the potion's doing.
"How strange."
Her tone and expression showed no surprise whatsoever. What kind of pharmacist could create something like this? And from a girl who looked far younger than herself? While she was lost in thought, Arien spoke.
"Our next objective is to locate Lord Bagan. Lord Bagan is more likely searching for us than attempting to clear the dungeon. We must move as well if we wish to meet Lord Bagan and Sister."
"Right. Let's go, then."
Arien's words made sense, and with her mind now calm, Selena felt she could accomplish anything. Leaning on each other, the two slowly moved forward.
***
Bagan gathered the natural mana scattered around him and converted it into his own within his core. However, due to the dimensional clash between Pandemonium and Pangea, the mana was endlessly impure, and purification took considerable time. While Pangea's mana converted instantly upon absorption, Pandemonium's required focused effort to purify before use. Still, it was better than nothing, so he steadily absorbed and purified the mana. Once his core was filled with pure mana, he began to move.
"Now, let's find them."
Searching for Arien and Selena on foot would be futile. Detection magic would be far more efficient, and the dungeon was simply too vast to search manually.
Vwoooom!
Bagan's mana slowly seeped into the space itself—grass, trees, even the sky and clouds—none of which appealed to him. He expanded carefully, starting from nearby areas, to avoid missing the two.
Urgh.
Unlike simply locating enemies, pinpointing specific targets with mana was no easy task. He had to recall their mana signatures and sift through all the information flowing back to him. This was fundamentally different from detection magic that instantly revealed how many people were where.
The incoming information is overwhelming.
Bagan's method of using magic involved manipulating mana through his core, realizing spells through exceptional imagination, and amplifying their effects with the Release trait. In other words, he possessed neither a dragon's superior intellect nor transcended biological limits. He was merely a homunculus slightly superior to humans. Processing vast amounts of information at once placed a heavy burden on his mental and spiritual energy.
Then it happened.
What's that?
While pressing his temples against the headache and continuing his search, something caught his attention. Among the countless draurds he had passed over while filtering unnecessary information, he noticed something odd. There were more than a few with severed or crushed limbs. They formed a trail, as if marking a path.
That could only mean one thing.
"Someone's tracks."
He focused his senses further along the clearly marked trail.
(Arien has done something quite impressive, hasn't she?)
Sally had already concluded it was Arien's handiwork.
"Yeah. I can't help but praise her for it."
Bagan resolved to give Arien a thorough head pat when they met again and committed the location to memory. All that remained was to move there himself.
I've used quite a bit of mana.
The distance was greater than expected, and the search had taken time. But even with what little mana remained, Bagan could still cast highly efficient magic.
"That way!"
Pointing in one direction with his finger, he invoked the most efficient spell possible with his remaining mana.
"Haste! Boost! And..."
Bagan's options weren't limited to magic alone. The traits he used in combat were also useful in everyday situations, so he employed them often.
"Acceleration!"
The 4th-class wind magic Haste, which enhanced overall agility, combined with the 2nd-class buff Boost and his Acceleration trait. Layered atop the homunculus's already exceptional physical capabilities, the result was remarkable.
I'm moving fast.
Whoosh!
Bagan darted through trees and undergrowth, leaping over roots as he raced toward their location. Within seconds, he arrived at the spot his detection magic had identified.
"This is it."
Indeed, there were crushed draurd corpses. But Arien and Selena were nowhere to be seen.
"They must have already left."
He had no mana left for another detection spell, and gathering more would take time. There was only one option left.
Now it's your turn to find me.
With that thought, he released Fear.
Zing!
It was the best way Bagan had to signal his position. The Fear spread rapidly through the forest, and soon, from a distance, he heard a familiar singing voice—a high, piercing falsetto that carried far into the sky.
"What? They were together?"
(It seems so. Let's ask what happened once we meet them.)
At Sally's words, Bagan nodded and moved toward the sound. With Haste and Boost still active, he quickly approached their location.
"Hah!"
"Kuaaang!"
There, Selena was cutting through a draurd's limbs with her scimitar while Arien, transformed into a Hilan Bear, pinned the creatures down to prevent movement.
"Arien! Selena!"
Bagan called out as he rushed toward them to check their condition. At first, they seemed entranced and paid him no attention, but after finishing off the remaining draurds, they finally noticed him.
"Hah! Oh, you're here."
"Ah, Lord Bagan!"
Selena showed little reaction upon seeing Bagan, while Arien, looking overjoyed, reverted to her girl form and bounced atop the draurd's torn body.
"Arien, you did great. Thanks to the trail of draurd corpses you left, I was able to find you."
Bagan gently patted Arien's head as he spoke.
"Hehe."
Vwoooom!
At that moment, Sally also materialized and embraced her.
"Arien, you must have been scared, weren't you?"
Though she hadn't been scared at all, Arien basked in the happiness of being held by Sally.