The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

Chapter 271: Magic, Request, and Bal’s Training

One magic book was thin and light-weighted. The other was…thick, heavy, and luxurious. It had antique leather bindings. The round jade and the shining cross-shaped mark in the middle were decorated with jewels. White iron adorned its four corners. The gems embedded in the fastener also shone brilliantly.

Is this actually a holy book related to the God of Light rather than a magic book? It’s probably not related to the book’s weight, but the mana contained within is also quite dense.

“…Do you know the type of this thick, magic book?”

“It’s probably something Granny Leyleba stole from some country.”

“Stole…from some country…”

“It’s in the past. Have you known that there was a huge elven empire boasting a domain ranging from the east to the south?”

“The Great Befaritz Empire?”

That’s quite old. It’s an elven empire said to have perished a thousand years ago.

“Correct. It was a country that achieved its independence…during the chaos of the civil war in that empire. I think nowadays the Religious State rules that area though. I remember Granny proudly telling me that she destroyed one of the Light buildings, which was close to its completion, and stole several light objects deposited in there.”

Religious State Hesliphat, eh? Light buildings probably refer to the temples there? That country’s abnormal aversion towards demonic influence could also be related to Granny Leyleba…

Records of a devilish dragon swooping down on them through a Tear of the spirit world might also exist in their scriptures.

“…For the time being, I will simply try reading this thin magic book.”

I did as I was told. The reading finished quickly and without any issues. The book crumbled away in the instant I read it. The spell I learned from it was 『Water Current Manipulation (Water Control)』.

Alright, next up this bulky one.

The instant I unfastened the clasp of the thick magic book, it absorbed my mana. Moreover, the cross decoration on the cover shifted. A decorative cross rose to the surface in the middle, and the surface of the book itself caved in, tracing along the rim of the cross. Had the book’s interior a cross-shaped hollow space?

By reflex, I looked at Sazihali next to me. She shook her head, indicating that she didn’t have a clue either.

Right when I had turned my eyes at her, lights in the shape of ladybugs were emitted from the floating, cross-shaped decoration. The cross began to rotate like a mirror ball, scattering light into the surroundings. Then the cross naturally stopped moving at some point.

What, so it’s not a magic book, but an optional cross weapon?

The cross remained still, continuing to cast strong ladybug-shaped lights. As those lights converged into one, the cluster of lights headed straight ahead, hitting the stripe-patterned jade resting on the bookshelf.

Don’t tell me, it’s connected with the book’s surface decoration?

But, that was exactly what was happening here. The jade, which was showered by the light, apparently gained power. It started to emit light rays in the same shape as its stripes. Those rays linked up with the light emitted from the cross. Light and light united, giving birth to a dazzlingly beautiful gleam.

At the same time, light ladybugs and bonchichi appeared around it, and dispersed.

“…That’s quite the shock. For such magic…”

It’s magic?

I call my doubt on this, but I’m also surprised, and just when I was about to agree with her, the jade on the shelf began to tremble.

It wriggled, left the shelf, and zeroed in on the cross floating in the air. The jade and the cross clashed, and even the magic book itself was drawn towards the clash by the cross. Cross, jade, and book turned into a trinity, and fused with each other.

After a while, a single, big cross was formed. It looked like a cross spear. Its end was pointed like that of a stake, and the horizontal bar at its tip was shorter than the vertical bar.

I was basked in the light from that shining cross spear. Immediately following, a long-eared elf manifested in front of my eyes, a light illusion of an elf.

The transparent elf looked around, asking, “Where am I?”

After intently glaring at Sazihali, the elf fixed his eyes on me. While taking on a gentle look, he revealed a stiff smile, as if carved onto his face, and spoke, “…Warrior of light, return me to my original place, the sacred altar located on the Golden Hill of Arost.

What?

“Just who are you…?”

“I’m Ygir Fortonal.”

“And that’s who?”

“How saddening…you don’t know of Ygir’s song…? It’s the name inherited by a holy crusader blessed by Light God Lulodis and Light Spirit Fortona.”

Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere. 1

“With me you mean that cross?”

“Correct. It’s the Cross Spear of Arost 『Holy Spear Arost』 blessed by the Light God and Light Spirit. It’s about stabbing this spear back into Arost’s hill.”

With this, the floating Holy Spear Arost approached me. Once I grabbed it with my right hand, I could sense mana from the spear.

“So you accepted… When you’ve fulfilled mine wish, the blessing shall stay with you.”

Right after those words, the illusion faded away, leaving only the spear behind.

“…Shuuya Kagari, it looks like you’ve accepted a strange request.”

“Isn’t the theft of your grandmother the original cause here?”

Sazihali reacted by lifting one eyebrow, “…You might say so. Until you return it to Arost’s hill, it’s the same as if having obtained that holy spear, right?”

“Probably. I could use it as my own without ever returning it. However, unfortunately I’ve got plenty of spears as it stands.”

I might switch out Magic Spear Gudorl with this one, though.

“Didn’t Ygir Fortonal mention that you’d be able to obtain a blessing if you return it?”

“Well, I guess I’ll take it slowly. For now I’m going to store it away.” I said and put the spear into my item box.

Then I pondered about the Water Control spell I had just acquired. It was a spell allowing me to manipulate water currents by touching them.

Broadly said, I’ll be able to swim faster in oceans and rivers, and it’ll ease the steering of ships? I might even become capable of walking on water. I can imagine that this would be quite useful for aquatic battles. It’ll also be of use when I dive into the bottom of the sea after passing through a mirror.

At a first glance, this seems plain, but…for me, it’s the biggest gain here. Moreover, it’ll work without the need to chant. The language spells I’ve learned so far are:

Elementary: Ice Sphere of the water attribute.

Elementary: Ice Blade of the water attribute.

Intermediate: Frozen Arrow of the water attribute.

Intermediate: Purifying Water of the water attribute.

Advanced: Water Cure of the water attribute.

Advanced: Frozen Snake Arrow of the water attribute.

Extreme: Frozen Dragoness of the water attribute.

Dark Wall of the darkness attribute.

Adding to that, Water Control with an unknown class.

In total I’ve got four crest magic types.

Water attribute, Water Wall Array.

Water attribute, Water Resistance.

Water attribute, Freezing Splash.

Darkness attribute, Dark Shackles.

Generally I’ve only used Freezing Splash for battle. Water Wall Array and Water Resistance, these two might be good to use in hot places. I could have used them at Devil’s Mountain…

However, in my case, it’s unnecessary to force their use, so no helping it.

Dark Wall is pretty obvious: a spear user and wall magic don’t mesh.

If I were to fake my identity, posing as a sorcerer, as a scheme to infiltrate a place, it’d likely be plenty useful… But I got absolutely no clue where I’d find such missions.

Since I’ve obtained the blessing of Water Goddess Akreshys, it’s become possible for me to cast water spells without chanting thanks to the effect of < Instant Wand of Water >.

“…The shape of the item box, where you stored away the spear so smoothly, is a bracelet, huh? It sure is a shape you don’t see often, especially with the crystalline surface.”

“Ah, yeah. I think it comes from a labyrinth.”

“Hoh… Well, you’re a divine beast master, and a spearmaster who might appear in legends, after all. It’s likely an outrageous item.”

“Haha, legends, eh? In my eyes, you’re an ancient dragon respected as a great being that would appear in legends.”

“…Don’t say such embarrassing things into my face…Anyway, let’s go outside? There’s a place I want to show to Balmint.”

“Sure, it appears like there’s another corridor as well, though…” I commented while turning my eyes to the end of the corridor continuing from the living room.

“…At the end of the stairway leading beneath you’ll find an underground passage leading to a labyrinth filled with monsters.”

A labyrinth? What a weird home. I’m slightly interested, but the matter with the magician also piques my interest.

“I’m curious as to what kind of monsters appear in there, but no need to take me there. Rather than that, I’d like to meet that black-haired magician you mentioned earlier.”

“Very well. We’ll head to her place after training Balmint. I just hope that she’s still alive.”

Is the magician in circumstances that make it likely for her to die?

I left the living room together with the laughing Sazihali. We headed through the earlier corridor towards Bal and Rollo. It was night outside, but since the walls were shining, I could immediately spot the place where Bal and Rollo were playing.

“Gao~”

“Nyaa.”

I don’t really get what…Bal and Rollo find so funny, but they’re single-mindedly working their claws on the wall.

A big amount of rock scrap had fallen to the ground at their feet.

Err…the obsidian located at the outer wall has a pretty inner wall. It’s a part of Sazihali’s home, though… I timidly look in her direction, but…she isn’t angry or anything.

That’s good. Sazihali picks up the slime from the cistern and places it on her palm, then she nods several times at that slime. It appears that she got the magician’s message.

“Sliyo…don’t repeat yourself over and over again as if you’re at your wits’ ends. We’ll go there later. After all, my important spear-using guest wishes to see your mistress.”

“The honored guest of Lady Ancient Dragon? But…the military forces are…”

“I don’t care. Be it Hazarn or Geronas, I’ll prioritize my own business.”

Sazihali said, and released the slime. Or rather, the slime’s name is Sliyo? How cute.

“Understood. I shall wait for Lady Ancient Dragon over there.”

Sliyo bounced away, making its soft, slimy belly cave in, expand in the next moment, and clash into the ground. Using the impacts in such a way, Sliyo headed towards the mountains at a terrifying speed.

Slimes are…amazing. Or rather, it’s the first time for me to have seen a slime that could talk normally…

The slimes of the labyrinth I know of are more inorganic, only serving as food ingredients. Sliyo was a cute, ball-shaped slime.

As I was deeply impressed by Sliyo, Sazihali cast a smile at me, and then headed over to Rollo and Bal.

“…You guys sure are enthusiastic about this. But, that’s no playground. Don’t scratch the wall from now on. Divine beast, you understand me as well, right?”

“Gaoo.”

“Nyao.”

The two listened to Sazihali’s warning. They immediately stopped what they were doing, and moved over to her.

“Hyahyahya, what adorable children. Alright, it’s already night, but daytimes don’t matter to us. Follow me, I will show you the training ground.”

“Gao?”

Balmint trailed after Sazihali.

“Nn.” Rollo purred throatily, and returned on my shoulder.

We left the cave, and kept walking towards the opposite site of the cliff, obviously taking a detour. As the moon was shining, I was fine even without < Nightvision >.

We immediately reached the opposite site. There were many flat rocks all over the place that reminded me of ski jumping lanes.

“This is the place where I also practiced flying in my childhood. Balmint, starting today, you’ll train here as well. Now, show me your back.”

“――Gaooo.”

Bal showed his back after whirling around on the spot. Sazihali grabbed his four wings with her hands while crouching, and forcibly spread them to the sides.

“You’ll maintain them in this state from now on. It’s to remember the sensation of spreading your wings in this way. Got it?”

Sazihali was doing the fun stuff of spreading and contracting Bal’s cute wings.

“Gaooo!” Bal cried out full of spirit.

“Hyahyahya, that’s a lively yell.”

“Gao!”

“Okay. Don’t move your spread wings. Now listen. Focus on jumping while using your feet to leap off the tip of the smallest rock. Just jump and ignore your wings. Understood?”

“Gaa, gaoo――”

Bal cried as if saying, 『Got it gao』. He ran towards the tip of the rock, and jumped. He leaped for a bit, and landed properly. He might have flown for a short moment.

“Nyaoo.”

Rollo raised a paw on my shoulder, and performed a cat punch as if to say, 『Well donyaa』.

“No, no, completely wrong. I told you to first focus on jumping rather than flying, didn’t I?” Sazihali scolded Bal with a stern look.

She was apparently unhappy about Bal having moved his four wings a bit. Afterwards, the instructions of the demon coach Sazihali kept echoing on towards the cliff top. Since she had folded her arms beneath her chest, her boobs were pushed up, appealing themselves.

Even as I cheered on Bal, I paid more attention to Sazihali’s breasts than Bal’s flight training.

◇◇◇◇

In the end, the training continued until the sun rose beyond the horizon.

“I think this much should be fine for today. We’re going to meet the magician Shuuya Kagari said he wants to meet.”

“Gaoo.” Balmint cried with a voice that seemed somewhat tired.

“Bal, take a good rest.”

“No need! Now that you’ve given him into my care, you’re not to meddle in this, Shuuya Kagari.”

Ugh, I got scolded. She’s a super-strict mother.

“Okay, sorry.”

“We’re high ancient dragons. It’ll be problematic if you think of him at the level of humans. It’s different if you want him to be a soft and flabby dragon, who can’t fly, in the future, though.”

That’d be no good. A pig that can’t fly is just a normal pig.

“Well, that makes sense. I leave Bal to you.”

“Hyahyahya, it’s fine as long as you understand. Now then, we’re off――”

Sazihali transformed into her draconic form, gently picked up Bal with her mouth at his neck, and placed him behind her head. After sending a signal in my direction for an instant with her draconic eyes bordered by a red color, she looked up into the night sky, flapped her wings, and immediately flew up high into the sky.

“I guess we’ll follow her lead.”

Rollo, whom I had spoken to, transformed after jumping down on the slope. She immediately entwined a tentacle around my waist.

“Nnn.”

I felt like she told me that we should quickly be off with her deep, throaty growl.

Having mounted Rollodeen’s divine beast back, I activated the Kaleidoscope while leaning down on her warm, black fur.

“GO!”

Immediately following my signal, I felt how my body was lifted up instantaneously. Rollodeen might have left behind claw marks on the slope, but we were high up in the sky by now.

Rollodeen chased after the thick tail of Sazihali who was flying ahead of us.

The location of the labyrinth, where the female magician lives, is…

Just like Sazihali had mentioned, her stronghold wasn’t that far away. It was on the other side of two big mountains. We descended to the valley there by circling. I followed the figure of the red dragon, clearly displayed on the Kaleidoscope. At the same time, I sensed magic source responses everywhere…

Sazihali landed first. Then she brandished her long tail at the entrance of a big cave that looked like the mouth of a giant. She blew away a great number of monsters while crushing them with her tail.

Next she turned her bulky head towards a monster, which possessed a pig head and had thrown spears at her from the ground, and snapped at its upper body, including the throwing spears.

Blood furiously gushed out from the dragon’s fang wounds on the pig gorilla’s remaining body half.

Sazihali changed the scales beneath her chest into stakes while chewing, and shot the scale stakes at a large goblin like a Gatling gun. Swordsmen and magicians were also riddled with holes, besides the large goblin.

A melee all of a sudden, eh…?

At that point, a mysterious flash appeared from within the forest on the opposite site where Sazihali was fighting. The flash was accompanied by a thundering roar spreading like a ripple, and the flash drew a curve, forming a single loop.

It was an empty loop of mana typical of gate magic. Moreover, there were many of those mana loops?

A monster army of evil showed up from those, swarming towards the cave. There were also humanoids in addition to the monsters…reinforcements, huh? This means war, doesn’t it?

Sazihali was struggling at the cave’s entrance. Half of the monster army was scorched by the fire breath unleashed by her, but the other half rushed inside the cave. Even Sazihali in her draconic form couldn’t fully stop their advance.

Balmint, who was sitting behind her head, properly observed all her movements. His innocent, round eyes made it obvious that he didn’t have a shred of worry. It made me feel slightly relieved.

Accordingly, I shifted my look towards the monsters that were invading the cave. Humanoids with disgusting upper bodies, and the lower bodies of locusts with many cut lines of knives. Large goblins wearing weapons and armor. Crooked abominations possessing four arms and two, outstandingly tall heads that were cracked vertically. Gorillas with pig heads which had chains connected to battering ram-shaped weapons coiled around their waists as they carried those weapons. Humanoids holding longswords and wearing leather mantles and armors with badges affixed to them, reminding me of military forces. A group of humanoid magicians wearing the same mantles while holding wands.

Humanoids were attacking Sazihali by shooting light threads out of their arms.

The owner of the labyrinth, the female magician, might be in danger. Since the gates have vanished, it doesn’t look like the enemy’s numbers will keep growing, though.

However, those disappeared gates… Are they of a system different from the 24-faceted orb I use? They were also different from the magic crest-based gates Kuna cast. I guess they are summoning gate-types.

While watching this spectacle, I ordered Catiza. She turned from a finger to a third arm, affixing the arm beneath my right armpit.

I used the new lower right arm to draw Murasame from my waist. Next, I concentrated on my shoulder dragon. Just for caution’s sake, I’ll go with the Evil Dragon King armor, I think…

The corresponding image materialized. Violet scales were spit out of Hal’Konk’s mouth, and within several milliseconds, my whole body was wrapped up in a brand new Evil Dragon King armor.

The rings with the uneven patterns deployed towards my hands from the upper arms.

Murasame’s blade buzzes. I have three arms now, but I’ll first go with a two-spear + Murasame style.

“Rollo, we’re going to join in as well.”

“Nn, nyaaaaa.”