I gripped the handle of the axe and peeked down to check on it. As luck would have it, I now held in my hand an ultra-reliable jet-black battle-axe. Honestly, its appearance was a bit fiendish.
All right, control initiated.
No one had noticed my spell. Helpfully, normal Earth-spell weapons were brown; none were this black. Even if the criminal spellcaster gang or my three companions saw the battle-axe now, they would think I’d had it stashed in my sleeve the whole time. As long as I didn’t send it flying through the air like an RC toy, anyway.
That was the problem, though. Even though I’d used my sorcery on this Earth Battle-Axe, I couldn’t make any long-ranged attacks with it lest I expose myself as the Sorcerer King, which would put me at risk. In the end, this little guy would have to stay by my side.
You must understand, however, that, I, of course, wasn’t thinking of doing anything reckless like using this axe to fight in melee combat. A man must know his limits. There was another, more legitimate reason for which I had conjured this weapon and ensorcelled it. In short, it was the only defensive move I could think of that would increase the chances of survival for my three companions. In other words, it was my last resort.
You see, I had realized something unique about being the Sorcerer King while I was using sorcery to fight the monkeys and the ancient Earth Dragon in that miasma-filled wasteland: Whenever I activated my sorcery, my spatial awareness spiked to an absurd level.
Think about it. The first time I used NTR, not only was I able to stop several hundreds of stone bullets in the air at the same time, I also managed to accurately and simultaneously return every single one straight into each individual monkey’s head. The monkeys were annihilated by that meteor shower, and all the monkeys immediately perished via direct headshot. Not one shot missed.
It had been the same with the fight against the ancient Earth Dragon, during which I fired my Earth Spear like a high-speed missile. I had controlled its trajectory to target the dragon’s blind spots while rotating it at extreme speeds. Such a feat wouldn’t have been possible with my natural human abilities, but it had been with my sorcery-heightened spatial awareness. Using that same power, I now hoped to act as a shield for my companions.
In our group, I likely had the quickest recovery rate and greatest resilience. Then again, I hadn’t exactly trained my body or anything, and I didn’t want to get hurt, either. But this party relied on me and Gol; the rest were a fragile girl and the elderly. Mr. Chotos might hold out for a bit, but the other two would absolutely die from even the lightest of attacks. I had to protect them.
I glanced over at them. Mr. Chotos and the grandpa stared in terror at the spellcaster group before us. Only Teru looked at me with her wide, sparkling eyes. “Mr. Nemaki, your eyes are really pretty.”
Eh? Are you flirting, Teru? Is now really the time?
Ha, this was certainly unexpected. But, you know, she had already dipped her toes in dangerous waters with that marriage proposal when we first met. I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Exactly what kind of response could I give that wouldn’t harm this passionate lady? Hmm…
I was seriously troubled. Just then, Mr. Chotos spotted the battle-axe sticking out of my sleeve, turned pale, and grabbed my arm. “Hey, Nemaki, you can’t fight those spellcasters! We have to run.”
“Eh?”
What’s wrong, mister? Why’s your face so pale? Did you actually think I would throw my weapon at those creeps over there? Come on, my guy. Your best joke is your face, okay? We’ve been together for like a week now, so you should know I know my own weaknesses.
“It’s true that you could probably do something about those spellcasters in front,” said Mr. Chotos. “But you definitely can’t win against that man in the back. Even I know that golem wielder.”
“The man in the back?”
I had been under the impression that the busty lady was this group’s greatest asset. Was I wrong? Indeed, just as Mr. Chotos said, a man wearing a purple Inverness-style robe stood in the back of the spellcaster gang. Was that person a golem wielder like me? To think the first person I met who shared my profession would be a criminal… I was shocked. Appalled!
“Is that guy famous?”
“Yes. He’s a renowned elite of the Spellcaster’s Association—the strongest golem wielder in Sadie territory. His name is Ginem Bari.” Mr. Chotos couldn’t look away from him. “He’s a ‘jester golem’ wielder—those are also light-class golems, but they’re even faster than shrine golems. You have to understand how that completely removes your advantage, yes?”
“Sorry, I’m not really getting it…”
“I knew you’d be like this,” Mr. Chotos said with a trembling sigh.
I did recall seeing the name “jester golem” in Illustrated Guide to Golems. They were indeed faster than those busty shrine golems, so they had to be speedy as heck. I had only skimmed that passage, but were they really so amazing?
“Besides, the problem isn’t that he uses jester golems. That man, Ginem Bari, he’s…”
As I listened to Mr. Chotos, I studied this Ginem fellow. He was lanky, with narrow almond eyes, and he looked to be in his twenties, so he probably wasn’t that much older than me. His wavy navy-blue hair would’ve been unique in my original world, but in this world, it was common. In this respect, his appearance couldn’t really be called gaudy. But, as Mr. Chotos seemed to be trying to imply, he had a different air about him.
I see… So this was what a standard golem wielder was like. I really had a feel for it now.
Actually, ever since I’d heightened my senses with sorcery, I had been concerned about something, which is to say, there was something behind Ginem Bari. It had quietly lurked there the whole time.
At that moment, I locked eyes with Ginem Bari. The fox-eyed spellcaster grinned and laughed.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wielder of the Red-Eyed Golem. I’ve heard rumors that you’re quite good.” Ginem Bari’s confident smile made it clear he was convinced he would win against me. He opened both arms wide, expanding his purple robe. “First, let’s make some introductions. These guys are my adorable partners.”
The moment Ginem Bari made this announcement, four shadows—two on either side of him—jumped out from behind his flapping robe. These shadows resolved into four eerie, lavender golems.
Mr. Chotos let out a cry. “That man…Ginem Bari… He controls four golems at the same time… He’s a ‘multiple golem wielder’…”
Mr. Chotos’s complexion was getting quite bad. Sweat rolled down his forehead, pulling down his thinning hair. He looked way worse than he had while working beneath the wagon. “How could this be? The Four Jester Wielder Ginem Bari… To prepare such a thorough countermeasure against Nemaki… Could this be the Paisley Company’s doing…?”