Volume 4 Chapter 32 The Command Bracelet and Innocent Eyes
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A few days later, we dropped by Beckus’s workshop.
Today was supposed to be the big day──the magic tool for the demon sardines was finally ready.
”Hey, old man! We’re here!”
I called out at the entrance, but got nothing back.
”There’s someone inside… Feels like he’s asleep.”
Lifia glanced my way.
Guess we’re just letting ourselves in, then.
Inside, the place was as much of a mess as ever.
Rusted swords, hunks of raw ore, random junk everywhere.
You’d never guess this dump belonged to a legendary craftsman.
But hey, when you don’t deal with regular customers, guess you get away with this.
The deeper we went, the louder the snoring got──thunderous, almost shaking the walls.
Peeking in, I found 2 dwarves passed out on the floor.
The blacksmith Beckus and the magic tool forger, Nokiroul.
Both snoring, both still clutching half-empty bottles.
”Hey, old men, rise and shine!”
”…Nhhu? Taro? That you? What’s up?”
Beckus blinked wearily, yawning so wide his jaw might fall off.
”Don’t ‘what’s up’ me. Where’s the thing I asked for?”
”Right, right! Course it’s done!”
The two shot to their feet so fast their bottles rolled away, each puffing up with pride.
”There! Feast your eyes on this!”
Nokiroul whipped a cover off the workbench.
There it was──a single, gleaming bracelet.
Golden, sparkling, carved with lines tiny as spiderwebs.
It looked less like a magic tool and more like some royal treasure.
”Whoa…”
Couldn’t help it──the word just slipped out.
All that power in something this beautiful?
Unreal.
”So this is the Command Bracelet…”
With this, even a whole shoal of demon sardines would jump to my orders.
And if things got dicey, it could protect Tifi──or back me up in a fight.
”Our masterpiece, right here!”
”Aye! Nothing but our best work!”
Beckus and Nokiroul stuck out their chests, grinning like kids with a new toy.
”And on that note…”
Nokiroul shot me a sly, toothy grin.
Beckus crossed his arms, nodding with a knowing look.
”Taro, you know what comes next, don’t you?”
Both dwarves closed in, looming over me with hungry, predatory eyes.
I swear, they looked ready to pounce if I moved an inch.
”Yeah, of course I do.”
I chuckled softly, pulling out a large box from my magic bag.
The cans of beer I promised as a reward.
Three cases, all boxed up.
”Wahoo!”
”Beer! And light silver!”
The two of them lit up at the sight of the alcohol and aluminum cans, practically jumping for joy.
The drinking session began right then and there.
Looks like they’re calling Aluminium “Light Silver.”
Guess it’s easier that way.
Anyway, the Demon Sardine Command Bracelet was finally complete.
Time to put it to the test.
I grabbed the bracelet, clenching it tightly in my hand.
* * *
We wasted no time, stepping into the dungeon’s 5th floor──’Seafloor of Shadow Waves’──to see what the Command Bracelet could really do.
The scenery felt like we were underwater, bathed in an ethereal glow.
Blue light flickered down from above, and strange, coral-like plants rooted in the rocky floor.
Monsters drifted through the water, casting eerie, shifting shadows.
After a little while, the monsters we were after finally appeared.
A whole swarm of demon sardines.
”Alright, stick to the plan.”
”Got it!”
Lifia and the others responded with enthusiasm.
They were dependable.
In front of us, the demon sardines swarmed.
Their small, black-and-silver bodies moved as one, twisting like a massive shadow in the water.
Then, that shadow stretched out.
It was like a giant fish opening its mouth wide, ready to swallow us whole.
Our goal this time was to capture the demon sardine swarm.
But to do that, we first had to take down the red leader fish controlling them.
By defeating the original boss, the one holding the Command Bracelet would take over as the new leader.
”Mooluumve, Air Torment!”
Lifia chanted, and a blast of wind shot out, tearing into the massive shadow.
Demon sardines were blasted away, scattering through the water, their bodies catching the light.
The numbers were dropping, but it didn’t matter.
There was no way we could manage every single one of them.
”Mana Weave!”
Yomi cast a net of light, trapping the oncoming demon sardines.
Kéa and I are picking them off one by one as they sneak through the barrier and head our way.
Where’s the leader of the pack?
My eyes scan the area. There, a flicker of red deep in the crowd.
”Found you! Altair Ray!”
Yomi fires a beam of light magic.
A sharp, piercing light cuts through the group’s barrier, shredding it in an instant.
”Kiiiii!!”
A high-pitched scream echoes.
Got him!
The red figure, the command center of the swarm, is scorched by the light and falls helplessly.
Immediately, the demon sardines──once perfectly coordinated──start to falter, scattering in all directions.
The pack, now without orders, is just a bunch of weaklings.
This is our chance.
”Let’s go!”
I place my hand on the bracelet, channeling mana into it.
Command Bracelet, activate!
Fine, golden patterns glow, and the bracelet pulses with warmth like a heartbeat.
Then comes a sensation that’s impossible to put into words.
I feel something… a connection with the demon sardines.
My consciousness stretches out toward them.
Their confused thoughts flow toward me in fragmented pieces.
’The boss is gone. What do we do?’
’Should we run?’
’Fight?’
I understand their feelings.
”I’m your new master.”
I focus my will, sending a command of domination.
Immediately, the demon sardines freeze in place.
Silence spreads.
Then, one by one, they all turn toward me.
”It’s working! They’re acknowledging you as their master!”
Lifia senses their emotions and confirms it.
I test it──moving my hand.
A portion of the sardines follow my motion in perfect sync.
I then think of a command.
Turn in circles.
Instantly, the entire swarm begins to spin in a massive circle.
”Wow, you did it!”
”Incredible…”
Everyone murmurs in awe and admiration.
So this is the power of the Command Bracelet.
It’s like having a new set of limbs, controlling a monster swarm with ease.
”Maybe I should try it before handing it to Tifi.”
I want to test its full control and strength.
”Master, something else is coming. Probably a magic knife-jawed fish.”
Lifia reacts, ready for the next challenge.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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