‘I know who you are; what you do; what you see.
But I don’t know anything connected to you; I don’t recognize them.
If you can’t help me, then knowing that you’re there watching me motivates me to continue.
Don’t you think that it is time to stop watching me from that side?
I know you’re powerless, but you can fight against the odds.
I know you’re weak, but you can win against the strong.
I know you’re a coward, but you never give up.
It is very irritating, but it is very true.
I hate you for being better than me, but it’s the reason I like you.’
----------------------------------------
…
…
(Do you have any more questions?)
[None so far.]
(Let’s switch then.)
We switched places. I’m now Eula.
So much for introducing the university to Eula.
I need to start dealing with the Death Caravan.
…
I passed the gates going to Loncross.
(Eula, which way is Pollen?)
I let her use one of my eyes and her magic. She draws a map and a line which connects my current location and the location of Pollen.
There are two main roads that can be crossed. I need to adjust my plans then.
(Eula, what is the main difference between the two roads?)
She drew the advantages and disadvantages of each roads.
Basically…
…
(Alright, I’ve memorized it.)
She withdrew the drawing and I took control of the magic and the eye again. I’ve already gotten used to switching my perspective back and forth from third person view to first person view that I can now cast and maintain the magic very efficiently, yet Eula is still better than me.
I feel like I practiced enough on how to control my body during third person view. Because the perspective is away from me, my reactions are kind of messed up. Sometimes, I react sooner or earlier than needed which messes up my timing. There is also a blind spot depending on where is the location of my perspective. It’s like controlling myself in a game except the controls are my body.
Still I need to use the magic’s exploit to deal with the caravan.
I formed several plans to deal with the caravan. Half of the plan will put me on the forest road, half of the plan will put me on the mountain road.
Which plan should I execute then?
-Executing 'RP-Shift'……- -'RP-Shift' Start. O = 0T-
After deciding to traverse the forest road. I head towards Pollen.
(Eula, do you have a magic for transportation or anything for faster movement speed?)
[Give me a minute.]
She is listening intently on the class. I would’ve been fun if my friends saw this. I don’t particularly like studying.
[Sorry, I don’t know any magic for long distance travel.]
I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
[But we can make a bike using magic. I don’t know how to make one though.]
(Same here.)
Luckily, I considered this situation. I guess magic isn’t as convenient as depicted in the fictions.
[I will go to the library for information on how to create one during your break.]
(Nice! I’ll go find some materials then.)
I forgot that she is a genius. I wonder if she can create it though.
Well, it can’t hurt to try. Besides it will be great if I have one.
I assume the materials I need are some woods for the…I forgot what do you call to that part. Some metals for the wheels and chains and rubber for the wheels… and the handle… and the seat.
Trees will be anywhere anyways so I’ll acquire wood last. I don’t think I can easily find metals within the forest so I need to acquire one before arriving. The problem is the rubber.
…
[Nathan, what is the ‘career plan’ your teacher is talking about?]
I still have to submit one.
(The career plan is…)
…
I arrived at the start of the intersection of the two roads leading to Pollen. Since I decided to pass the forest road, I’ve picked up several plants and rocks along the way which I think will help to traverse the forest and will help to do my plan.
Eula’s information about this spot having a bunch of people is true, but it is more crowded than I anticipated.
I hope that my choice of road is correct.
-O = 3T-
After resting for a couple of minutes, I started running towards the forest road.
I peeked from my eyes.
It’s about time for Eula to take the break.
(What’s your first impression about the set of classes you took?)
[Aside from taking nearly half of the time due to new students introducing themselves, I like how each teacher have their own style of teaching.]
…
…
…
We both found a manual that shows how to make a bike. We only need the parts now.
Eula stumbled upon the types of bikes.
[We’ll create a mountain bike.]
(How fast can you read Eula?)
[I don’t know.]
I mean, I noticed how fast she reads at the library, but not as fast as this though.
“Nathan.”
It’s Devon. What’s he doing here?
“Devon?”
“Seriously, what’s with you today? First, you’ve gone to school very early, then you’re here in the library. I’m also feeling something different about you this time.”
(I told you this guy is pretty sharp.)
[I can see that.]
“Are you perhaps… in love with me~~?”
“Hell no!”
“Ehhmm!!!”
“Devon, we are in a library.”
(Nice one, Eula!)
[Don’t mention it.]
…
…
“I know someone who has a lot of technical knowledge about bikes. I can call him now if you want.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“*sigh*”
Looks like the bike will have to wait.
This forest is very dense. According to Eula, Cee forest is made by… uh… I only remembered the pronunciation which is /sisisisi/, or is it /sisisisisi/.
“Haha…”
I shouldn’t laugh at her name. I should be amazed how it is said by only using a single syllable several times.
*chuckle*
“Ehhmm…”
This forest is made as a shortcut for travelling between many cities. I wonder how long it took to finish constructing this road. Planning the shape of the road looks very troublesome though since they had to avoid certain obstacles while connecting it to certain cities.
-O = 5.3T-
I want the bike now. I am already exhausted from travelling this far. I have to say, it is amazing that Eula’s stamina to last very long that I’m able to run this far until I feel exhausted is amazing. While her stamina is incomparable to mine, I think she can last as long as Devon.
There’s still time until Eula’s next break so it’ll have to wait.
-O = 5.8T-
There’s this path that I don’t remember seeing from the map. Maybe, I just forgot it. The path is also made of dirt but the size of the path is pretty consistent that it is obviously artificial.
(Eula, can you show me the map again?)
I let her use the magic. She then draws the map while pointing where I’m at.
(How did you know where I’m at? Is there a GPS magic?)
[I don’t know what a GPS is, but I’m observing you the entire time so I can accurately assume your position on the map.]
It means she is able to listen to my classes while watching me. Listen, as in actively listen, not pretend listen.
(I wonder what the limitation of a genius is.)
[It depends per people.]
(How about you?)
…
…
(Speaking of the devil, are those people what I think they were?)
[Probably, just ask them. It could be anything. Why did you stop doing that?]
(I’m hoping to meet them.)
[You…]
“Hey little lady, mind if we accompany you.”
(Thugs, bandits, muggers, what do you call them?)
[Whatever you want. So, this is your first battle against a human. Sorry, it probably is my limitation so you can do it yourself.]
(I said sorry already!)
[I know. What are you going to do now?]
(You’re used to dealing with these, aren’t you?)
[Yes, it happens from time to time. They even helped me acquire some supplies I needed sometimes.]
(Nice Eula.)
[What?]
(I am having doubts regarding to how you would react if I tried taking their stuff.)
[What are those doubts then?]
(Like, “Just because they are taking their stuff doesn’t mean we are taking theirs.”. You probably guessed my point.)
[Do not worry, I only apply those philosophies depending on the situation. This time, their risking their stuff for mine, so it’s only fair.]
(True Enough.)
“Are you bandits?”
“No, no, no. We are here to ask if you see a certain person.”
“Maybe, I don’t know many people though.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have a portrait of that person here, perhaps you recognize him along the way.”
Those four bandits, maybe, are surrounding me while getting the paper inside their bag.
“Sorry if you’re being intimidated by us. It’s only if you tried to escape in case we determined that you know this person.”
“I understand.”
[Let me use my magic. If it turns out they’re fake, then I will teach you something.]
(Sure, can I use and control the third person view even if you are using the magic?)
I let her use the magic.
[Yes, you can control the view, but I can only supply controls for basic view shifts.]
(Really?! I thought you can’t since it requires magic. What do you mean by basic view shifts?)
[Left, right, up, down. If you plan to shift the view intricately, then the shift might be far from your expectation. The shift will also be delayed a bit.]
(Just make it so the view is constantly in the back of my head.)
This is the solution I’ve come up if I need to fight in third person while teaming with Eula.
(Not always though, don’t shift the view if I move very suddenly. Well, you can judge yourself how to move the view itself.)
[That view shifting works too. I’ll try to manage.]
He brings up a picture of a person and showed it to me. I showed my thinking pose.
“Hmm…”
(Know him?)
[I don’t know. Let me think.]
I closed my eyes.
(‘Mana stick’)
I hopped backwards avoiding the knife stab of the bandit showing me the picture, then blocked the sword that tried to stab me in the back.
“You’re good. Unfortunately, you can’t escape us.”
[You also noticed huh.]
(When did you noticed?)
[While he is getting the ‘paper’ inside his bag. How about you?]
(When he brought out the ‘paper’. How did you notice?)
[I sensed a very faint continuous magical reaction coming from the bag, even if he accidentally touched the knife several times from searching for the papers, it shouldn’t be continuous unless he is holding the knife. Never mind that, I actually thought that the bandit perfectly concealed the knife while bringing out the paper.]
(What’s a magical reaction?)
[I’ll tell you after this.]
I am waiting for a counter attack.
…
They are not attacking me. They probably want me to attack first so they could counter attack me.
There are several usual scenarios here based on the stories I’ve read. First, they will overpower me at the start of the battle then suddenly someone will help me. Second, they will overpower me at the start of the battle then I somehow managed to escape. Third, they will attack me first which I will counter attack then I win. Fourth, they will attack me but I can only avoid then we will have a draw leading to me running away or someone comes to help me. Fifth, before the battle starts, someone will interrupt the battle which stops the battle or makes the battle harder.
It means the scenario right now where I need to attack first is not usual. It usually happens if the protagonist is angry.
“I think our miss here is having cold feet.”
They want me to attack first. Fine, I’ll show them.
Right now, there is a ‘touch blast’ in my hands and feet.
I used the ‘touch blast’ from my feet to launch myself to the bandit who showed me the paper.
Since he is trying to dodge to the right, I put the ‘mana stick’ to my left hand and tries to hit him with the ‘touch blast’ on my right hand.
He blocked my ‘touch blast’ using ‘touch blast’, maybe. He then tried to hit me with his knife. I twisted my body trying to hit him before he hit me.
He backed out from hitting me with his knife, he used it to block my ‘mana stick’ instead.
Eula replenished my two ‘touch blast’.
[Pay attention, I’m going to show you the ‘shot’ variant. This is ‘shot pierce’]
She casted the ‘shot pierce’ which looks like a normal ‘pierce’ for me.
The bandit casted ‘touch pierce’ into his right hand to block against the ‘pierce.’
It suddenly splits into bunch of smaller ‘pierce’.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Sh*t!”
He managed to defend against three of those smaller ‘pierce’ yet he still received many small cuts.
There is an opening!
[‘Pierce’ right hand!]
I thrust the ‘mana stick’ at him using my right hand which he blocked with his knife. I slide my right hand to the ‘mana stick’ intending to keep it conjured while advancing my right hand to hit him with a ‘touch pierce’.
His nearest comrade approached us while the other two are preparing some magic.
Eula casted several ‘shot piercing blast’ to hit the other three bandits. They managed to avoid it but it hindered the two bandits far away and the approaching bandit.
The bandit that I’m trying to hit let the ‘mana stick’ pass through while ducking to the right to avoid the attack and to counter attack me.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t noticed that my left hand is approaching below. I managed to land a ‘touch blast’ which sends him flying towards the approaching bandit.
“Ah!”
(That ‘touch blast’ looks weaker.)
I expected the blow to be much powerful.
[He has an ‘armor’ magic.]
(Why are you not teaching me that magic?)
[It strongly depends on the body physique rather than the magic output.]
(So, it is because your body is weak that casting it is useless.)
[Yes, which is why all magic that I can cast needs to be dependent or very dependent to magic output.]
“You’re a strong lady, but you can’t win against us.”
[Do you want to control the magic? It’s already break time here, I want to focus on learning how to make that bike.]
(Yeah, go ahead.)
I’m now controlling the magic. There are 63 ‘bar’, a ‘shot piercing blast’, a ‘reinforced blast’, two ‘shot blast’, and three ‘shot pierce’.
(What will happen if I combined ‘shot’ and ‘touch’?)
[You wasted some mana because it is pretty useless in this situation.]
I won’t do it then.
I ran towards the path that is not in the map.
“Get back here!”
If this path turns out to be dangerous, then I might need to use them to get out of the situation.
I am baiting them to continue onwards to the uncharted path.
“There she is!”
By doing that and using the trees, I am able to hide against them.
“She’s gone again! Stop hiding from us and come out!”
There are times that I continued fighting them so that they will not get bored from searching for me. There are times that I acted that I am about to lose. There are times that I acted that I am exhausted that I am sitting beside a tree to act like I am taking a rest which I let them sneak up on me.
-O = 6.3T-
There is an open space here in this forest, in the middle of this glade there is a cabin.
Seeing as this is where the path ends and there are no other paths within the glade, this is the end of this place.
“Boss! There is a cabin over there.”
“Looks like she escaped over there. Ok boys, we’ll raid that cabin.”
“What if she’s not there?”
“Then we’ll take whatever’s in there. This place must have great goods since this path only leads here.”
They are now raiding the cabin. I wonder what’s going on inside. This is a perfect time to rest.
I peeked from my eyes. She is currently learning how to make a bike.
-O = 6.7T-
[I now know how to make a bike. The only problem is the materials. Unfortunately, I did not find any feasible substitute for the rubber during your travels.]
(That’s unfortunate.)
I waited for several minutes.
-O = 7.1T-
Those bandits are taking way too long. It means two things, there is a secret exit, or something dangerous is keeping them inside. In any case, I need to check it for my plan.
I approached the cabin. I am like in a horror movie.
I might see ghost. Ghost. Hahaha… Ghost!
[What’s with the ghost?]
(I love ghosts!)
[That’s unexpected.]
(Do you know that if I have a chance on taking a ghost as my girlfriend, I will dump my girlfriend for that ghost?)
[You’re a jerk.]
(Don’t be jealous, I know that they aren’t real.)
[I AM NOT! Besides, it’s the fact that you’ll break your girlfriend’s heart because of that selfish reason that I’m angry.]
(I know that…I am sorry.)
[Don’t say that, it’s not like you did it, but don’t ever say that again.]
(Sure.)
I opened the door to the cabin, but I didn’t enter. This is the usual trap in horror genre. I need to make sure that the door stays open before going inside.
It looks bigger inside. I see that there is a stairs leading to a second floor and another one leading underground, probably the basement or a cave system.
I cut several thick strong logs nearby and used it to make sure that the door stays open.
I could probably destroy the door, but since there is magic, it probably won’t work if there is a ‘barrier’ magic or something relevant. So, if I use the logs, then it might hinder the barrier from appearing while making sure that there will be an exit.
I used ‘blast’ to put the logs in place.
I entered the cabin, then I released the door.
As expected, it is trying to close itself, but the logs prevented it from doing so. This is the most important thing to do if you want to involve yourself in a horror situation. Actually, the best thing to do to live in a horror situation is to not enter the door, but if you want to take a peek, don’t let the entrance from closing just like I did.
“Who dares enter my cabin?!”
There is a creepy voice. Come on! They are supposed to show up later on. Hey, author, I hate you for doing this. (Author: Don’t be ridiculous.)
“It’s Ytor.”
“How dare you to stop the door from closing!”
So, that person is actually complaining for destroying that mechanism. I actually don’t know what will happen if I destroy the setup of a horror situation so this could probably happen if I did that huh.
“It looks like it can’t be opened inside so I did that.”
“What did you came here for?”
“I’m looking for someone.”
I want to know what happened to those bandits. They must be screwed when they entered this cabin.
That voice is silent, I wonder what he’s thinking about.
“So you’re here for that girl who arrived earlier. Take her away! I don’t want to see that girl again!”
Of course, someone came here already. That reaction seems pretty annoyed though, I can’t imagine someone being able to annoy someone who is the mastermind of a horror movie.
“Okay… I’ll wait for her here.”
I waited for quite some time.
I saw a girl crying in front of me. She looks surprisingly well for me, well except for the fact that she’s crying.
“Waaahhh! Thank you for saving me!!”
This girl is slightly smaller than me. So she cried at my chest when she hugged me very tightly.
I also hugged her, then I patted her hair.
“There, there. Don’t cry~. Big sister is here for you.”
I remember how my sister used to cry whenever our parents scold her pretty bad for doing something reckless. She knows that I want to scold her, but before she could run away, I will hug her and always tell to her that if she doesn’t want me to scold her, then always be safe in the end.
[An admirable big brother… or big sister in this case.]
(You don’t need to say that!)
I brought her outside while she continuously cries. When she sobered up, she suddenly fell asleep. I go back inside the cabin.
“What happened? Why is she crying?”
“That girl is very annoying, she is extremely scared that she managed to avoid every traps, but she doesn’t want to go out the entrance since she is convinced that the door is closed. I tried to imply to her multiple times that the door is now open, but she won’t trust me anymore.”
“Hahaha! That’s actually pretty annoying. So, what happened to those bandits that came earlier?”
“I used them to my experiment.”
“Let me guess, you want to know what the best method for scaring someone.”
“Yes, why did you think so?”
“First, you said that you’re doing an experiment. Since you blatantly said it to me, then it might be something not bad. I think those bandits are actually unconscious somewhere here. Second, the girl who’s crying. I think you know why.”
“Still, why did you do that to the door?”
“I know many scary stuffs, my instincts just kicked in when I felt it here. In other words, I can help you with your research.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
There is a magic being casted in front of me.
“Take this, I am Meno Truffle.”
“What’s this?”
“I call it a mobile phone. Please, don’t say a word about this to anyone. Using this, we can talk even without an antenna, but you can’t reconnect it to other mobile phone like the phone.”
So, phone is how they can communicate from far distances. Does the translator really have to use the word phone for this?
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep this a secret. Is there any other users of mobile phone though?”
“There are others, why?”
“Just in case that it is accidentally known by the public, I know that it isn’t only me.”
“Who are you again?”
“Ytor. Just call me Eunice Ytor.”
“Eunice Ytor. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice meeting you too.”
[Nathan, ask him if he had a Rabbitbrush]
“Do you have a Rabbitbrush?”
“I think I have there somewhere. What will you use it for?”
“I need it to make something.”
“Take it as a thanks for taking that girl away.”
“No problem, where is it though?”
“I know I put it somewhere on the second floor.”
I’ve searched the second floor for ‘Rabbitbrush’, I actually don’t know that, so I am waiting for Eula’s response.
[There it is.]
So this is the Rabbitbrush.
(Is this what you need to create rubber?)
[Yes. I think three is more than enough.]
I took three and go outside. I talked to Meno using the mobile phone.
“Thank you for giving us this plant.”
“You’re very welcome. Anyway, I’ll go there now to improve the cabin. I’ll call you if I need help to improve things.”
“Sure.”
I stuffed the mobile phone inside.
I need to wait for this girl to wake up, so now would be a good time to make that bike.
(Let’s switch.)
[Not now, there is still class.]
(Alright.)
What should I do to this girl?
(Do you have a magic so that I can easily carry this girl?)
…
(What?)
[I am having doubts that you really have a plan. Even if you have one, it seems you adjust your plan repeatedly.]
(It seems that way, yeah.)
[Anyway, let me use my magic.]
She’s now using the magic.
[Do you remember the magic that the bandits were using earlier? That is ‘force’ magic.]
(It’s not ‘blast’?)
[‘Force’ is more stable than ‘blast’ that it lasts longer before it dissipates. Unlike the ‘force’ magic where its power can be charged after it is casted, the power of ‘blast’ can be charged before it is casted.]
(So, you’re saying that ‘blast’ is more powerful than ‘force’ but blast is like a one-time explosion while ‘force’ is like a power-up that lasts for a moment?)
[Yes.]
(How did the bandit blocked the attack if the ‘blast’ is stronger?)
[He used ‘force’ and ‘armor’. It is not a combination magic, but more like two magic complimenting each other for better result.]
No wonder something feels different when we battled the bandits.
[Anyway, you cast ‘force’ like this.]
As usual, she showed me how to utilize the mana to cast it. Still, learning new magic is harder than learning a new variant.
[In our case, the magic you want to use is ‘touch shot force’. You need to cast it to the part of your body which will do the carrying.]
(Let me try.)
I used the magic again.
…
-O = 7.7T-
It took a very long time to learn the magic, but I can carry her now.
Looking at her, I’m intrigued by the studded gauntlet she wears on her right hand. I bet that it has a hidden weapon.
If I had to say what she is wearing, then I have no idea. It’s not my fault that I can’t explain it. Blame the author for making my knowledge like this. (Author: You don’t have to say that.) I can say that she is wearing shorts but the top is… uhh… I give up. Just say that it is very beautiful.
She has a smooth, long, black, twin-tail hair. She is wearing sandals. Looking closer, I see that her nails is very sharp. She has a tattoo at her neck showing a one-winged butterfly stabbed by a knife with four symbols on its handle. If this is an actual character of the literary system that this world uses, then the translator magic has this loophole where it can’t translate something in some circumstances.
I wonder… If my story is written, then who is the narrator? It can be me, but I can’t even narrate the appearance of that girl properly. It can be Eula, but the story might be more focused on the school life. It can be both of us, but I can’t see how the story can be not confusing with two narrators. It can be just be an actual narrator unrelated to the story, but then there is an existence who knows us all which is pretty scary. It can be the author, but that doesn’t make any sense.
It might be funny if the author is the one who actually described the girl. You know what, I think I know a way to force the author. (Author: Go on.)
Listen, “Author”. If you, the author, doesn’t describe the girl, then there is a high chance that it might be a very important piece of information crucial to the plot. Basically, I already spoiled what will happen in the future… Wait, I’m supposed to threaten the author. Alright, I failed. (Author: Nice try, I won’t describe her though, someone else will.)
Uhh… Oh yeah, her face. Somewhat childish, I guess. Everything else about her seems pretty average, I guess, for me.
[She is a member of the ‘Fly Die High’.]
(I’m listening.)
[I don’t know anything about the group other than their existence.]
I have gone back to the road to continue searching for the Caravan.
-O = 8.2T-
“Uhnnn. What’s that noise?”
This girl that I am carrying is awoken by a noise of someone screaming, perhaps.
Is it coming from the other road which is the mountain road I didn’t pick?
(Eula, Map!)
She drew the map, it turns out that this location at the forest road is very close to a section of the mountain road. You can basically switch roads here.
“What’s happening?”
“Great timing, we’ll deal with the Death Caravan so be prepared.”
I charged for more ‘touch blast’.
She’s not responding.
“Helloooo! Anyone there?!”
“W-W-W-Wh-What did you just s-said?!”
“Anyone there?!”
“Not that!”
“Helloooo?!”
“Before that!”
“We’ll deal with the Death Caravan?”
“Are you crazy?! Who are you anyway?!”
“Ytor, just call me Eunice Ytor. How about you?”
“Sofia Lycan.”
“You have a wonderful name~.”
“Thank you~… No! I mean, there’s only two of us to deal with the Caravan. How are we supposed to do that?”
“Trust me. We’ll succeed.”
“No way! I’m not doing this!”
She’s not cooperative, as expected.
*sob*
“After I risked my life to save you from that monstrous place. Sofia… you…”
*sob*
I remember the day me and my family are on a vacation. I desperately hate to go out that day since there is a game event that day. If only I didn’t have a feud against them, then they would still be alive and my sister wouldn’t receive her illness. I regret my decision that day. I know it’s my fault and I didn’t even managed to say sorry.
“Sorry! Sorry! Uhh… Please don’t cry, uhh…uh… I will help you Eunice…And…uh… please, I’m sorry.”
“But… you said you’re not doing this.”
“About that…I will help you so please forget about that…uhh…I’m not doing ‘letting yourself deal with the caravan alone’ so, uhh, yeah… I will help you. Please let me help you~.”
[Did you think about that?]
(Yeah, I hope that the story is not in my perspective. Otherwise, it will reveal some of my past. Also, let me distract you from the topic to make you stop thinking about what you think I am thinking by asking. How’s the classes so far?)
…
…
After a while, I stopped crying.
“Follow me.”
She’s shaking and completely nervous.
I hope that I don’t regret choosing her as my possible companion.
“Look at me.”
I held her hand and look straight into her eyes.
“Listen, I know that you don’t trust me. We’ve only met earlier this day. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. I didn’t even have any intentions of saving you earlier, you were begging for help.”
I stopped her from saying something by touching her lips with my fingers.
“I am also begging for help, just like you did to me. You might be feeling insecure in helping me, you might be scared to what we will be dealing with. You might be thinking that we can’t do this, but I honestly wanted to deal with the caravan by myself long before I asked you for help. If I am this confident in doing this by myself, then how confident do you think I am if you helped me?”
I removed my fingers to let her speak. She is thinking right now.
“You might be one of those adventurers who thinks highly of themselves.”
This is one of the statements I’m most afraid of. It is only common sense for them that if many adventurers can’t even deal with the caravan, then what can one person do?
“I don’t know. Do you think I am one of those though?”
In any case, her opinion about me is really important.
She closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. Looks like she’s starting to calm down.
“Fine, I can’t let you deal with that alone.”
We kept on walking through the forest. I wonder…
“Are you…”
“What is it?”
“No, never mind. Follow me.”
(I know that it is insensitive if I asked for her age, right?)
[Don’t worry about it. Based on her name, I’m highly positive that she’s older than me.]
(What?!)
“Actually, I’m thinking if you are actually older than me.”
“I think not, I’m only 20 years old.”
(She truly is.)
“Then, you’re older than me by 3 to 4 years.”
Eula’s 16 while I’m 17, reminder for the viewer who forgot, missed or didn’t know because the author didn’t wrote it. (Author: I wrote it on chapter four.)
“I’m impressed that you’re an adventurer at your age.”
Her expression changed.
"What's the matter?"
“I’m losing confidence because a child wants me to deal with a dangerous caravan.”
“So, you’re saying that a child is braver than you.”
“No! I didn’t said that!”
I want to tease her about earlier but I decided to postpone it later since we encountered a clearing with a lot of people.
“This must be the caravan.”
I’m very positive that this is the so called Death Caravan, because there’s a dead person already.
“Oh no! Someone already died.”
I stopped her from running.
“I’ll go check the situation. Hide here and don’t let anyone sees you. If someone tries to go the forest, then remember who they are.”
Considering that I didn’t notice anyone passing here, the criminal must have escaped to the mountain road or it’s within the Death Caravan. Either way, the criminal is pretty skilled for not being caught for many years.
(Eula, help me remember all of this.)
[Don’t worry, I’ll try to remember every last detail.]
(Thanks.)
The body seems to have recently died because a certain liquid is gushing out rapidly on its back. There’s also seems a lot of Caravan members who have yet to see the dead body based on the reaction of the masses.
Since, I can’t really approach the dead body, I decided to go to the mountain road.
This cliff overseeing the clearing sports a very good aerial view of the clearing. If I am the killer, then I can snipe anyone I want from here.
-O = 8.5T-
I faintly heard a chain rattling behind me. Since I am in the edge of a cliff where it’s dangerous, I swiped the ‘mana stick’ as I turned around, but I hit nothing and I see no one. I searched for the source of the rattling chains while moving away from the edge of the cliff.
*rattle* *rattle*
It’s coming from my blind spot!
I looked at the direction of the sound and see a dagger connected to a chain.
I tried to block the attack using the ‘mana stick’ but the dagger curved to avoid my block.
I tried to hit the chain to restrict the chain dagger from advancing further to me, which I succeeded.
*rattle* *rattle*
There’s another chain dagger coming behind me.
I’m very positive that this person is the criminal. This is possibly how the dead person is stabbed in the back.
I can’t really conjure another separate ‘mana stick’ or any ‘mana tool’ so I can’t dual wield by doing this. So, I can’t block the attack by conjuring another one.
The shape of the ‘mana tool’ is controlled by the magic user, so I have a way to block this attack.
I extended the ‘mana stick’ and curved it so I can block the other chain dagger like before.
I am successful in blocking the attack, but doing this is mana inefficient.
Someone is coming towards me. I see that he is my enemy.
I double checked my storage. There are 52 ‘bar’, a ‘shot piercing blast’, a ‘reinforced blast’, two ‘shot blast’, three ‘shot pierce’, and five ‘touch blast’.
This place is extremely open. There’s only one way to take advantage of the environment this time.
I casted ‘shot blast’ and ‘shot pierce’ towards that person and I casted ‘touch blast’ to my right hand and my left foot.
That person has blocked it using his chains, as expected, then I hopped backwards using my left foot with ‘touch blast’, making the ‘mana tool’ disappear.
I am charging ‘piercing blast’ when he throws two daggers without chains towards me.
I conjured a wide, circular ‘mana tool’ dubbed ‘mana shield’ to defend the dagger aimed at my head. I dodged the dagger aimed at my left shoulder.
He recovered both his chain daggers and threw it at me consecutively.
I casted a ‘shot piercing blast’ hoping to hit the right chain daggers. I let the shot scatter in a way that one of those is aimed at that person. It didn’t stop the advance of the chain daggers, but I shifted the momentum of that person to his right. I casted ‘touch blast’ at my left foot.
I used the ‘mana shield’ to block the right chain dagger. I tried to avoid the left chain dagger, but it managed to cut my left shoulder. I grabbed the chains of the left chain dagger and proceeded to pull it by spinning clockwise.
*bzzzzzt*
Several seconds as I am pulling the chains, it electrocuted me. I tried to make a ‘mana glove’ with the ‘mana tool’, but I can only do it on one hand. I grabbed the chains and pulled it again.
He threw several daggers and casted several ‘blast’ and ‘pierce’ at me. There’s something strange on one of the ‘blast’.
It is alright if he hit me with a ‘blast’ rather than ‘pierce’ or the daggers. I can deal with the blunt attacks better than sharp attacks.
Without the ability to use ‘mana tool’, I hurriedly created several ‘pierce’ to counter all of the ‘pierce’ he launched at me. I sacrificed several ‘bar’ to speed up casting. The ‘pierce’ I casted is more than the ‘pierce’ he casted which can be a possible counter attack.
I blocked some of the daggers using the chain I'm currently holding. I received multiple cuts from remaining daggers I didn't manage to avoid, nothing stabbed me so it's still a good situation.
[There is a ‘piercing blast’ mixed in the ‘blast’!]
Tsk... I knew it!
So, I casted the remaining ‘pierce’ I saved up to deal with that.
(Thanks.)
[Don’t mention it.]
Although I’ve considered that the strange 'blast' might be dangerous, I might not cast the ‘pierce’ that I saved for dealing with it.
Suddenly, one of the ‘blast’ he launched at me exploded mid-air. It makes another ‘blast’ to travel off-course and blocked the ‘pierce’ I casted.
Well, only one ‘pierce’ remaining. I can only dodge the 'piercing blast' at this point. One 'pierce' is not enough to handle that.
...or not. It turns out that one ‘pierce’ is all it takes to block the 'piercing blast'. I'm surprised.
He's also surprised huh. I wonder why?
Anyway, I used the force of the ‘blast’ he launched at me together with the two ‘touch blast’ using my feet to pull the chains. I hoped that I can throw him off the cliff, but I only managed to throw him near the edge of the cliff.
I casted the two ‘piercing blast’ that I’ve managed to create and all of the magic Eula stored prior the battle except two ‘touch blast’ to collapse the cliff. I also conjured a ‘mana stick’ removing the ‘mana glove’ earlier.
He used ‘touch blast’ to try and escape the collapsing cliff. I tried to stop him with the ‘mana stick’ but he maneuvered mid-air to avoid it.
He forgot that I can change the shape of the ‘mana tool’ which I did to stop him. He fell off the cliff, but it seems that he will use his chain daggers to climb back.
Well, he’s holding back and since we are in the mountain where there’s not much obstacle to use to escape, this is my only opening to get out of here, which I did.
I can’t believe the plan to throw him off the cliff is successful though.
I ran back to the forest.
-O = 9.2T-
(That person is clearly holding back, it’s scary.)
[Why do you think so?]
(He can cast that many magic at the same time, it means that he might know more magic which he didn’t cast.)
I won’t go as far as to say that he’s a better magician since Eula might have more magic up her sleeves.
[Maybe, but that’s not something to be worried about.]
(What do you mean?)
[You need to worry about the fact that he’s also bound by the ‘Lover’s bond’. Meaning, those casts must be done by the other person which brings us the main thing to be worried about.]
(There’s another person?!)
[Yes, I’m highly positive.]
And I thought that I can finish this earlier than expected. Things will get more troublesome from here on out.
"Eunice! What’s with the injuries?!"
"I fought someone."
"Who?"
"I don't really know who that is. I've been ambushed and that's that."
"Let me take care of your injuries."
"I'm surprised you can do that. Okay then, thank you for helping me."
"Hihi~~ you're very welcome."
"I have to say, both of you coordinates your attack very well. I actually don't have time to breathe."
"Huh? What are you saying?"
No weird reactions whatsoever. It looks like she’s not the partner.
[She doesn’t have any lingering ‘Lover’s bond’ within her. She's not a suspect.]
(It doesn’t hurt to check though.)
[I guess that’s true.]
"Nothing. Just forget what I said."
"Sure."
I've waited for her to finish tending my injuries.
-O = 9.4T-
"We'll tail the caravan for now. Don’t let them see you."
"Sure, but why?"
"We’ll ambush the criminals. If the criminals know that we’re here, then they can think of a countermeasure for us, which is not good at all.”
“I see.”
-O = 9.9T-
Nothing significant is happening since we tailed the caravan. Meanwhile, the school’s over.
[Where’s the boarding house?]
I guided her towards the boarding house where I’m supposed to stay.
…
...
-O = 16T, ‘RP-shift’ Status: ‘finished’- -Ending Execution...- -Creating ‘Para-Log’, 0%-
We arrived at Loncross without any incidents. Eula is already sleeping because it is already midnight. Sofia and I parted ways, we both decided to meet in the guild early in the morning.
I should be sleeping right now because I’m exhausted. Unfortunately, I need to wake up Eula.
(Eula!)
[I know already. Let me use my magic.]
It’s only an hour before the start of a new day. Who knew that this last hour will be the longest hour? The author, of course.
Anyway, we can’t let the criminal escape this time. I mean criminals with letter ‘S’ because it seems as the criminal earlier is not alone.
(Eula, if I’m correct, then there is a possibility that there’s three of them.)
[Yes.]
-Creating ‘Para-Log’, 100%- -Returning…- -Shutdown!-