Fourth Report On Discovering Ancient Ruins and Adjusting Battle Plans Accordingly “Flame Lance.” A short incantation. Garnet glows red-hot, infused with magical energy, and a flash of light erupts right in front of Limis. Garnet cries out softly, paying no mind to the innumerable drove of low-level earth spirits around it. The light gathers force at once and forms a meter-long Flame Lance in the blink of an eye. The surrounding earth spirits hum incessantly in response to the opposing spirit’s presence. Toudou blocks the fist of a rock golem over twice her size and notices the spell being cast, sidestepping quickly. The Flame Lance shoots forward. The golem takes a defensive stance with both arms to block the attack. The Flame Lance blasts waves of phosphorescent fire in all directions as it flies toward its target like a shooting star. The thick lance pierces both arms of the golem, but it doesn’t lose momentum. The monster’s sturdy arms glow red and melt in seconds as the Flame Lance passes through them, the force of which sends the golem back a few paces. The Flame Lance refuses to dissipate and strikes the golem’s chest before exploding, blasting the monster to pieces. Hunks of debris fly toward Toudou, and she blocks them with her shield. The golem’s core has been destroyed, and its life force pours into Limis’s being. She gains a level. “Wow, Limis… Your magic is truly something else!” Toudou remarks in admiration. The dry, hot air is blown away by the cool valley breeze and dissipates. Toudou pokes at the golem’s melted remains with her boot. Aria sheathes her sword as she says, “The House of Friedia is among the top class of elementalists in Ruxe, after all.” “If I could just…control the force of it a bit more, it’d be perfect…” Limis sighs and shows no signs of embarrassment after being complimented. Garnet clutches the top of her staff and flicks its tongue out in disapproval at her response. The golem has been utterly obliterated. None of the remains are salvageable for sale. “Whoa, you’re not satisfied even with this?” “It’s enough to defeat them, but controlling the intensity and area of effect of fire elemental spells is really difficult.” Casting elemental spells requires entering a covenant with one of the vast number of elemental spirits throughout the world, and borrowing their power to conjure magic. Limis has entered a covenant with Garnet, a high-level spirit that even a low-level mage can use to produce fearsome phenomena. However, spirits of this nature tend to forget moderation from time to time. Of course, Flame Lance isn’t the only spell that Limis can cast. If she casts a lower-level spell, such as Flame Arrow, it won’t be as powerful, and she still hasn’t solved her problem of a lack of basic capabilities. Limis’s breath comes out in white puffs, and Toudou pats her on the shoulder to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Limis… You’ll be able to control your power soon. Let’s keep up the good work.” Limis stares intently at Garnet as she listens to Toudou. Spirits and humans think differently. She stares into its obsidian pupils, but even as the covenant bearer, Limis can’t understand what Garnet is thinking. “Yeah, there’s no use fretting over it… It’s not a bad thing to be overpowered anyway…” Limis quells the impatience lingering tortuously within her and looks ahead. Among all the golems that have stood in her path so far, there hasn’t been a single one she couldn’t defeat. Toudou and company arrive at the next town with ease. At this stage, they have no problem defeating high-level golems. Maybe they’re most afraid of Stey joining them? As I observe their steady progress, I turn to Amelia. “Lately, my relationship with Creio has gone south.” “…Why is that?” “It would seem that he sees putting Stey in direct contact with Toudou and his party as a huge risk.” “…Well, he’s not wrong.” Creio is a tolerant man. As long as he gets results, he’ll let almost anything slide. He’ll even pardon a little unlawful activity and provide me with necessary resources. For him to interfere with Stey’s work is a definite anomaly. Depending on the situation, Stey might even be one of Creio’s trump cards. She’s a truly terrifying girl. And the girl in question, following behind us, cocks her head to the side, more than likely dubious. “Ares, could you possibly be…complimenting me?” “Stey, your sense of humor is even worse than Amelia’s.” In all reality, it makes little difference. Is she jerking me around here? As I continue walking forward with that stupid thought on my mind, I suddenly hear a sharp sound coming from a cave ten meters ahead. A golem unlike any we’ve seen thus far takes one step out. For starters, it’s a different color from the previous golems. Its body is slim, about two meters tall, with a shiny black-red luster. It looks strikingly human, although there are two black stones stuck in its face in place of eyes. Furthermore, it’s wielding a spear with a similar luster to its own. Amelia takes a step back and furrows her brow, identifying the enemy in a whisper. “It’s a volcanic golem…” “I wonder why it’s appeared here and not near Toudou?” Volcanic golems are the type I’d expect Limis to have the most trouble with, given their high resistance to fire. The volcanic golem, with its sharp human form, moves smoothly and exposes its entire body in broad daylight. They are upper-level enemies, but with the holy sword Ex—able to cleave through most everything with ease—Toudou shouldn’t find them to be particularly powerful foes. However, Limis’s magic will prove useless against this type of golem. According to Wurtz, Limis is already aware which monsters prove to be the most difficult for her. Even with this knowledge, she’ll undoubtedly try to roast them with the elemental spells she’s so proud of. And that is precisely why the volcanic golems are going to play a crucial role moving forward. They will likely become the impetus for Limis Al Friedia to change her ways. The fact that we’ve come across one first is poorly contrived. The volcanic golem stops in its tracks and looks toward us with unfeeling eyes. Let’s take care of this quickly. I brandish my mace and take a step forward before suddenly noticing: Rooted to the spot, Stey is staring at the golem, unfazed by its presence. I look down at her. I know that she can cast elemental spells, but—just how battle-ready is she? “Stey, take it out.” Given her usual getup, I never thought she could actually fight. But this is Stey we’re talking about… Stey looks bewildered and blinks repeatedly, tilting her head. “Umm… Ares? It’s just, Papa told me not to show my magic too much.” “…You’re telling me now? It’s too late for that.” The golem slowly encroaches, pointing its shoddy spear at us. “Stey. Volcanic golems are not weak, by any means. They even use weapons. Don’t let your guard down.” “B-but… I just…” Stey looks at the approaching monster and begrudgingly pouts her lips. The volcanic golem stomps on the ground with all its might. The sound of the splitting earth rocks the air, and the golem gains speed like a flying arrow. Its spearhead is aimed directly at the back of Stey’s unprotected head. Her pupils contract in sudden shock, and I silently grab her by the nape of her neck to pull her back. I maintain my position and meet the golem’s spear thrust head-on. I grab the razor-sharp spearhead with my right hand and stop it. The golem’s entire body stops dead in its tracks. It tries to thrust farther, but it’s pitiful. Stey topples to the ground and looks up at me with frightened eyes. I stare at her even harder this time and order her again, “Kill it.” “Uh… Um… Ground Spike!” A boulder spike shoots from the ground and strikes the defenseless golem in the stomach. A loud shriek pierces the air, and the impact causes the spear to fall out of the golem’s hand and clatter a few meters away. Ground Spike is a low-level earth elemental spell. Living beings, whether human or monster, are quite weak to attacks from below. The stomach is generally a vital point, which makes this spell quite convenient for offense. However, golems have thick armored shells. The volcanic golem is blasted and topples over but soon jumps back to its feet. With four limbs planted on the ground, it stares at Stey. Its stomach is completely undamaged. Stey’s attack was simply too weak. The golem leaps into the air from all fours, this time attacking from above. Just as I start to think that maybe this is too much for Stey, I hear her whisper, “Cacao… A more solid one, p-please.” A massive pillar springs from the earth before my very eyes. This is different from Ground Spike—it’s a black, shiny pillar made of metal. It pierces the golem in the stomach, and this time, the monster lets loose a shriek far more piercing than before. It must be damaged—the golem crawls along the ground toward us. Stey clings to my leg, and her dark eyes are swimming with tears. They’re the kind of tears that make you think, Oh well, I guess I’ll help you out a little bit. “A-A-A-A-Ares!! Um, a little help, please!” “…Kill it yourself.” “Unbelievable! Ares, you’re a monster!” Stey’s pupils contract fiercely as she watches the golem inch closer. She opens her mouth, and her entire body shivers. “Ohhh n-n-n-noooo… I… I forgot the spell!” Truly a piece of work. Amelia stares at Stey, slack-jawed. Just then, Stey screams desperately, “C-Cacao, make it heavy!” Only a meter away, the volcanic golem’s entire body is suddenly pressed into the ground. Its hands crawl along the earth and dig into it. However, although its movements have been greatly slowed, it’s still not stopping. “Cacao! Even heavier, please!” “This is unlike any magic I’ve ever seen,” I can’t help but grumble, and the golem is pushed down ever farther into the earth, its movements now barely noticeable. What the hell is this? How can an incantation like that possibly have this effect? Amelia’s expression is impossible to read. Suddenly, Stey claps her hands together and gives a cheerful shout. “Oh, that’s right! It’s called Earth Gravity.” “How the hell could you forget such a short incantation?!” As Stey recites the spell, the golem sinks into the ground. Its body groans under the weight, and the earth cracks in all directions. It’s trying to stand up again, but the immense pressure prevents it from moving at all. It’s true that our environs facilitate earth elemental spells, but completely immobilizing a high-level golem means… Amelia… Stey might actually be really strong. Even though she should be quickly sapped of her magical energy from casting the gravity-manipulating spell, Stey’s still flopping around like a fish on a line. She shakes my leg with tears in her eyes. “Ares… You’re scary! That was so mean!” “You’re the scary one! Now finish it off!” The golem can no longer move, but it’s alive. The gravitational pull isn’t enough to destroy its armored shell. Stey’s lip trembles at my reproach, but she manages to pull herself together and put on a serious face. “Um… Uh… O black star, ruler of all creation! By my sovereign’s name, I shall not break the seal here! I ask not of right and wrong, but only to return to nothingness. We who possess all intentions can only despair at our worthless fate— Mmph?!” I grab Stey by the lips and pull her away from the golem as I stomp its head in. …What the hell was that terrifying recitation?! Toudou and company reach Fourth Town without incident. It’s borderline ominous how well they are progressing, but I’ve made every play I can come up with. All I can do now is pray. I’m gathering together the data I’ve accumulated so far when Stey sidles up to me, smiling. “Ares, can I go see Limis and the others?” “…For what reason?” “Heh-heh… For fun— Um, I mean, they must be kind of tired, so I thought I’d cast Heal for them,” she pleads, smiling innocently. She’s demonic. This was how she threatened me the first time. I can’t let her out in the open now, when things are going so well. “…No… I have a job I want you to complete.” “…What?!” Stey beams wholeheartedly. The only possible conclusion is that she loves working. If she was actually a respectable human, this would be perfect. I can’t help but mourn the loss of my previous companion. “W-well then, I guess… Ares, do you need my help?” The task at hand is an analysis of the results of the survey we conducted on the unusual occurrences in the region. The survey itself is finished, but the data has not been fully compiled. I pull out a file containing the data that Amelia so diligently gathered from local merchants and mercenaries and put it in front of Stey. It includes recent monster spawning information from Golem Valley, along with their numbers, types, additional information from mercenaries, raw materials gathered from monsters that merchants have bought or sold—a vast amount of data that has been meticulously compiled and totals 125 pages. “Use this to analyze monster spawning trends and summarize them, including the time, place, and number of golems that appeared.” “…You mean, for all of this?” Stey flips through the pages as she speaks. There’s a lot of data from the past month crammed into these pages. Analyzing it will take a considerable amount of time. My head hurts just thinking about it. “No, that’s not all. Amelia is currently gathering information from the area around Fourth Town as well. You don’t want to do it?” “N-no, I’ll do it! I love working!” “Can you handle this by yourself?” “Hmm… Well…” Stey puts her finger to her lips and cocks her head to the side. I still can’t get over the fact that based on looks alone, she really could be an honor student. “Can I ask Cacao to help me?” What the hell? …Cacao? I’m aware that it’s the name of the earth spirit that Stey has contracted with, but a spirit’s job is to aid in casting magic spells. To my knowledge, they don’t help with administrative desk work. “Can it actually help you…? Or rather—can it even read?” “Cacao always looks over anything I write.”
Chapter 24
13 min read