Volume 8 Chapter 12 The Return Of The Hunt (Part II)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The sun rose, and we found ourselves back at the Hunting Ground once more.
After spending almost the entire afternoon yesterday doing nothing but…
well, you know, I figured Lina might tease me with a “What, are you on a breeding trip?” if I kept this up.
So today, I was determined to take monster slaying seriously.
With that in mind, I jumped right into battle with a monster.
”There’s a Deadly Poison Creeper ahead! Flamil, incinerate the area in front of us!”
Amidst the rustling grass, a vivid purple vine caught my eye for just a moment.
It seemed to be targeting the rear of our vanguard team, as Milly and Ines fought off a swarm of Mist Moths nearby.
”Understood! Gather, magic elements! Be transformed into sparks and explode the enemy! Spark Explosion!”
Flamil chanted an incantation I’d never heard before.
Just as the grass, where the Deadly Poison Creeper was hiding, shimmered like mist, a bluish-white spark shot from Flamil’s hand, exploding with a thunderous roar as flames erupted.
Ines, startled by the sudden loud explosion behind her, froze in place.
From the grass that seemed to hide the creeper, thick black smoke billowed into the air.
That was some seriously insane power… I thought she’d be relatively calm and that, being a princess, her abilities as a magician wouldn’t be that remarkable, but… she might actually be way stronger… She could rival even Carly, an S-Class Hunter!
Flamil, a member of the True Demon Clan’s Blackcolor species, had a natural talent for magic.
Having aged and developed over time, she was considered a magician on par with Carly, the prodigy who had inspired admiration since Clayd.
”Flamil… I’ve never seen magic like that before…”
Flamil looked back at me with a curious expression, as if my question puzzled her.
”Oh, is that so? What you just saw was called Spark Explosion. It’s a magic technique that transforms a magic element into a flammable gas and then ignites it with fire sparks to create an explosive effect. It’s not something anyone can use, but it’s about intermediate-level magic. Only Elementalists can perform elemental transformations.”
Flamil explained it as if it were the simplest thing in the world, yet she had effortlessly invoked a magic that even Carly couldn’t handle.
”W-Wow, that’s incredible magic! Since Carly’s an Elementalist too, why don’t you ask Flamil to teach you?”
Next to them, Carly was wide-eyed with curiosity at the unfamiliar magic.
”H-Hold on! From Lady Flamil?! I-I can’t believe it! To receive guidance from someone of the Royal Black Color! But I’m still just a kid in the True Demon Clan, not even out of diapers yet…”
Despite already holding the Mage title, a mark of an A-Class Magician at the Magician Guild, and having a disciple named Lina, Carly admitted that her magic training had been rather unorthodox within the True Demon Clan, resulting in significant imbalances in her magical abilities.
Even though she had acquired the job of Elementalist, she couldn’t use the specialized magic that Flamil had just demonstrated.
”If Carlamia desires, I can certainly provide guidance. Would you like me to teach you some of the magic that’s forbidden in the True Demon Dukedom? Additionally, since I’ve inherited Lady Fortesia’s memories, I can also teach you some long-lost magic. How does that sound?”
Flamil casually dropped those startling words.
They knew she housed Fortesia’s soul, but hearing that she also inherited Fortesia’s knowledge and memories was surprising.
”Wait, what!? You can use Fortesia’s magic!?”
The magic that had been downgraded from Divine Magic was mostly crafted by the Demon Lord Orphée Bleu, but the Fortesia clan had also improved upon Orphée Bleu’s magic, developing their own unique spells.
I heard from Lina that it’s even said to be the exclusive magic of the [Elementalist].
”I remember most of the incantations for the magic created by Demon Lord Orphée Bleu, so if I had enough mana, I could activate them. But right now, I lack the mana for many of them. Still, I can use a few. Should I transcribe them onto scrolls next time?”
If what Flamil is saying is true, this could be a significant discovery.
After all, magic that had been lost due to a lack of scrolls was still stored in Flamil’s mind, and if she could transcribe them, the Magician Guild would likely go wild with joy and beg Flamil to revive the lost magic.
It’s said that there’s a lot of magic that only exists in literature, and whenever one is discovered, a fortune changes hands.
The collection of the Demon Lord that we found at the imperial villa outside the Capital City seemed to have been sniffed out by the Magician Guild, as they had commissioned Carly and the Dorman sisters to make copies of the scrolls.
I heard that the price for a copy is 2 large gold coins per scroll.
Flamil claims to remember several such valuable lost magics.
The noble-like woman standing before us was someone who could potentially generate great wealth.
”Flamil is an amazing girl. If she remembers Orphée Bleu and Fortesia’s magic, she’s a legendary-class magician.”
”Pardon me, but I hadn’t heard that you were particularly outstanding during your time in the Magic Corps… I do recall you being referred to as the ‘decorative princess,’ though…”
Carly also knew a bit about Flamil, having lived in the True Demon Dukedom until she was 12.
”I avoided standing out because I didn’t want my father to know about my power. Instead, I disguised myself, forged cards, and leveled up by pretending to be a Monster Hunter.”
Flamil, who was over 300 years old, had said that she had gained her current abilities over time while playing the part of an unassuming princess.
”Do you think it’s just me who thinks something terrible would happen if Rashid the King found out the real Flamil?”
”That country is a magic supreme society. As a princess and a pure-blooded Blackcolor species, Lady Flamil, who possesses many lost magics, if her true form were revealed, Rashid the King, the current ruler, would be immediately deposed, and the elders of the True Demon Clan would recognize Lady Flamil as the rightful queen.”
Carly stated firmly that Flamil would become the True Demon Queen.
”It’s fine if I’m just Sir Kent’s mistress… But if Sir Kent desires the True Demon Dukedom, I’ll immediately have overthrown my father and brother and present it to you.”
”No, no. Like I said before, I don’t care about the country. I just want Flamil.”
Flamil’s face flushed red, seemingly pleased by my words.
To be honest, getting involved with the True Demon Dukedom would inevitably lead to a power struggle with Gwain, and I want to focus on developing the South District, so I’d rather avoid getting entangled with the True Demon Dukedom.
”Thank you for your kind words. The gift for Sir Kent will be monster hunting experience.”
As I said this, Flamil began to chant a new magic spell.
”Assembled magic element (Mana)! Become an unerring bullet and strike down the enemy! ‘Induction Bullet’!”
As the chant ended, countless steel balls the size of pachinko balls erupted from the ground.
The countless steel balls launched themselves at the massive swarm of Mist Mos that Milly and the others were fighting.
Each steel ball, as if with its own will, avoided Milly and the others, and launched a saturation attack on the enemy Mist Mos.
Pierced by tens of thousands of steel balls, the Mist Moth scattered, its small body pulverized.
The phantom wings made of mist that flickered around it one by one vanished.
Milly and the others fighting in the vanguard watched with astonished expressions.
”Whoa, that’s some serious magic! Even Feria’s Divine Magic isn’t this brutal…”
”Flamil is amazing… My magic feels like child’s play in comparison…”
Both Feria and Milly were speechless at the sheer power of Flamil’s magic.
Looking down, they saw dozens of Mist Moths instantly defeated and transforming into materials.
”With Flamil here, there’s no need for me to fight.”
”No, my magic releases a lot of magic elements, so it wouldn’t be very helpful for purifying this place. Besides, I only intend to use this kind of magic to protect Sir Kent. You all should try out some magic with good efficiency, ones that are easy to use. Sell any good ones at the Magician Guild, and that’ll give Sir Kent some extra money.”
Flamil chuckled softly.
The discovery and study of new magic was especially booming in the South District.
What she meant by “magic element efficiency” was magic that released less magic elements than required to activate it.
This kind of magic could be used even in places not designated as Hunting Grounds, making it highly valued by monster hunters.
Especially attack magic.
It sold like hotcakes.
”What?! There’s such magic?! I’ve been a monster hunter for a while, but I’ve only ever seen magic with good efficiency that had low power!”
”Right! Attack magic with good efficiency is so rare, there are only a handful. They’re all low-powered and only good for keeping monsters at bay.”
Milly and Carly weren’t as involved as Lina, but they couldn’t hide their surprise at the mention of magic.
”You see, Lady Fortesia has been worried about the extensive use of large-scale magic in battles with the Garuda Clan, which led to a spread of magic element contamination. So she has been researching how to unleash high-powered magic with minimal magic elements. In fact, the early magic of Demon Lord Orphée Bleu often had terrible efficiency when it came to magic elements,” Flamil explained.
According to Flamil, when Orphée Bleu fell from grace, he clashed with the indigenous Garuda Clan, and the repeated use of large-scale magic turned the Demon Continent into a breeding ground for monsters.
They wield magic to hunt the monsters, but first, they need to absorb and concentrate magic elements into their bodies before converting them into magical power.
After using the magic, they release the magic elements ── that’s the whole process.
I remembered all this from a bedtime story Lina had shared with me while she was teasing me in bed.
”So, how powerful is it? I’m really curious!”
”Do you want to see?”
Feria, Milly, and Carly leaned in closer to Flamil, nodding eagerly.
Of course, I was incredibly curious too.
If there was a way to unleash high-powered magic with only a small amount of magic elements, then a time would come when the South District would be rid of monsters.
In fact, it’s been a long time since monsters were last seen around the Capital City; they’ve been hunted to near extinction.
Beatrice quickly spotted a monster we could use for the experiment.
”A Chaos Horse is coming! It seems to have responded to the magic elements from the Spark Explosion and Induction Bullet earlier!”
It’s said that when high concentrations of magic elements emerge in the Hunting Ground, monsters gather as if drawn by them.
However, it has been proven that this doesn’t happen unless someone is unleashing Advanced-level magic over and over again.
But just earlier, Flamil’s Intermediate-level magic, Spark Explosion and Induction Bullet, had already reached a concentration that could attract monsters after just 2 casts.
”Perfect timing, a target has come to us! Let’s showcase the magic refined by Lady Fortesia,” Flamil announced with a graceful bow.
With an air of elegance, Flamil began her incantation.
”O magic element that dwells within me, transform into Blazing Fire and incinerate our enemies! ‘Blazing Fire!’”
In an instant, a small flame blossomed in Flamil’s hand, stretching out to wrap around the charging Chaos Horse.
The Chaos Horse, ensnared in flames, let out a shriek as the scent of burning flesh filled the air.
Moments later, it fell still, releasing a dark mist and leaving behind only the skeletal horse and its materials.
”No way… there’s hardly any magic element release during the casting… how on earth is she doing this?”
Milly was left gripping her head, overwhelmed by Flamil’s magic.
She was shocked by the appearance of a kind of magic that shattered all previous assumptions.
”It’s beginner-level magic, so as long as you have the [Attack Magic I] skill, you can activate it. This magic essentially draws magic elements not from the outside, but from your own body. Magic elements are ingrained in all of us, after all. We use them to assist in casting by tapping into our own stores, which reduces the amount needed. The magic elements released after using the magic are reabsorbed by the body, helping in the reduction further. However, it does consume a lot of magical power.”
Until now, magic involved drawing in and concentrating the magic elements from the atmosphere to produce effects, using a certain amount of magical power. But what Flamil showed us was a completely different approach──she changed the source of magic elements to our own bodies using magical energy and then reabsorbed the elements after the effects were realized.
”Isn’t that dangerous? If you use it too much in succession, won’t you end up with magic element intoxication?”
”That’s true. It might be a bit risky for those with lower tolerances… I mean, those with less magical power. While it might not lead to complete monster transformation, there’s still a chance of ending up like a husk from magic element intoxication. Lady Fortesia was worried about that as well.”
Milly nodded at Flamil’s explanation, understanding the concern.
”But that power is hard to ignore. If symptoms of magic element intoxication appear, wouldn’t using regular magic to release some magic elements fix it?”
”It would likely require a significant amount of continuous use to reach magic element intoxication, so as long as we limit the number of uses per day, we should be fine──natural dispersion should take care of the rest.”
Carly seemed to be quite taken with Flamil’s magic; her face lit up with curiosity, clearly eager to learn more.
Surely, for a low-class magic, it had a surprising amount of power.
Even considering Flamil’s high level as a Magician, it was impressive.
”Sure, verification’s cool, but there’re 2 more chaos horses coming this way! It looks like they’re really worked up after their buddy got taken down!”
Beatrice’s voice rang out, warning us as we were getting hyped up over the magic verification.
I’d completely forgotten that 2 more chaos horses were barreling towards us.
”I entrust this to you, magic element within me. Become a fierce wind and rend my enemies asunder!’Gale Force’!”
Flamil raised her hand towards the chaos horses, and with a whoosh, the sound of slicing wind, the bodies and heads of the chaos horses were cleanly separated.
”Next up, an ice attribute. I entrust this to you, magic element within me. Become a chilling frost and freeze my enemies.’Mist Ice’!”
The magic chanted in quick succession produced a white mist, turning the charging chaos horses into ice sculptures right before our eyes.
The power to so easily take down even a D-rank monster like the chaos horse was truly impressive.
”With magic like this, I won’t even need to use my Divine Magic! I’m a [Magician] too, you know. I’m going to start learning [Attack Magic I] right now!”
Feria, who held the title of [Divine Magic Mage], was forbidden from using her magic by me because the amount of magic element she released was just too massive.
But it seemed she couldn’t resist the urge to cast spells.
There had even been reports of her recently creating some mysterious job called [Maid Magician].
”I get what Feria’s trying to say. We should probably spread this magic around. If we push Flamil to the forefront, it might lead to some unnecessary scrutiny. Let’s have Lina pitch it to the Magician Guild as a newly discovered magic. If we go through Mr. Cefiro, we can avoid a lot of hassle. Flamil, is that alright with you?”
”Lady Fortesia has no objections, and as long as we include a note about the daily usage limit, I have no complaints either.”
I decided to distribute the 3 types of magic Flamil showed me through the Magician Guild to the South District.
If the monster hunters start using this magic, the number of monsters appearing in the South District should eventually decrease.
With the population on the rise and my desire to integrate the Southern Region into our living space, I wanted to break the Hunting Groundlock (designated area) connecting Felward Fortress, Godard, and Lindblum as soon as possible.
”Thank you. I’ll make sure to add a notice to the Magician Guild.”
”I’m happy to be of service to Sir Kent!”
Flamil flashed a bright smile.
Just then, the sound of gunfire echoed behind me.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Turning around, I saw Manon puffing out dark mist, taking aim as a sniper.
She might have been trying to showcase her skills, worried that the value of magic guns would drop due to the new wave of spells Flamil demonstrated.
Manon was targeting the clouds floating above us.
Seeing this, Milly quickly called out a warning.
”Kent! That’s a Cloud Whale! It’s a B-rank monster! Be careful, when it gets attacked, it will summon C-rank Small Cloud Whales. If you get beneath it, you’ll be hit by acidic rain or be immobilized by paralyzing clouds, weakening you so you can be devoured! Focus on the Cloud Whale and ignore the Small Cloud Whales; they have a lot of physical strength!”
I thought Manon was sniping at the clouds, but the closer I looked, I could make out its whale-like shape, nearly 30 meters long, complete with eyes and flukes.
The Cloud Whale let out a loud call, summoning its comrades.
The nearby clouds began to stir in response to its call.
”This is bad! This is really bad! They’re starting to gather!”
”Mr. Kent, can I use Divine Magic?”
Feria was itching to cast her Divine Magic.
Since their opponent was floating in the sky, Feria and Ines were planning to mount the Dragonewt and soar upwards.
I was hesitant about the decision, but since I heard it was a B-class monster, I had no choice but to give Feria the okay to use her Divine Magic.
”Alright, go ahead and cast it, but try not to scatter too much magic element around, okay? You heard what Flamil said!”
”That talk actually gave me a great idea~. I’m going to give it a try~”
”Hey, wai──what do you mean, ‘try’?! Hey, Feria!”
With my permission, Feria silently floated up into the sky.
Her words left me with a gnawing sense of unease.
Knowing Feria, she must be planning something that’s definitely not trivial.
Should I stop her…
I hesitated, but before I could make up my mind, Feria had already begun her incantation.
”O magic element (Mana) within me! Become the divine blade to sever the foe before me!’Divine Sword Descends (Diospada Avendo)’”
Just as I thought Feria’s hand was glowing, she was already gripping a sword that shimmered like silver.
She took control of Riege’s reins and slashed at the Cloud Whale.
It didn’t even look like she’d made contact, but the Cloud Whale’s massive belly was cut away and fell to the ground.
The Cloud Whale, with its belly sliced open, continued to thrash about in the sky.
”Hehehe, looks like I did it. Feria is a genius… huh, wait, maybe I didn’t put enough power into it…”
Feria, who had been cheering on top of Riege, suddenly collapsed, and the Silver Spear vanished.
It seemed Feria had used her Divine Magic by tapping into her own magic element, managing to reduce the amount of magic element released compared to normal, but the cost in mana had been enormous.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply