Chapter C.290C.C.C.C..1 - Breaking In (1/2)
Chapter C.290C.C.C.C..1 - Breaking In (1/2)
Chapter 290: Breaking In (1/2)
The next day.
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It was almost noon when I woke up in our base in the Town of Departed Spirits. We continued the ceremony until late into the night, so I woke up much later than usual. Sebasu was in charge of keeping watch, so I greeted him first before having the food left over in the Bon Festival Shelf for breakfast.
It would be a waste just to throw the food away, and besides, eating the offering is part of the ceremony too, as it holds the meaning of âeating with the deceasedâ or âsharing foodâ. While I was leisurely enjoying my meal, Remilie-san and Schieber-san returned.
âWelcome back.â [Ryouma]
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âYouâre awake, I see. We checked the area for a bit, and your spell yesterday appears to have been quite effective. We would have had to spend another day subjugating undead depending on how much their numbers have decreased, but from what weâve seen, we can go straight to the central tower without problem.â [Schieber]
âOh? I did think it was rather quiet. So the undead around the tower have passed on too.â [Ryouma]
âThe miasma in town has gotten a lot thinner too, so the number of undead here has definitely fallen dramatically. Even the remaining undead arenât wandering around. Theyâve basically turned into âjust corpsesâ and would at most just look at you. But even if theyâre just corpses, theyâre still littered on the ground, so we might still have to deal with them, but at least theyâre not a threat anymore.â [Remilie]
âIn that case, Iâll have my goblins and grave slimes take care of the remaining undead.â [Ryouma]
Now that I think about it, does feeding them to the grave slime count as burial? Or is it more like when close relatives eat the cremated remains? Or maybe itâs more like Bird Burial wherein the corpse is fed to carnivorous birds. Though I suppose in this case it would be more apt to refer to it as Slime Burial. In any case, Iâm sure itâs much better than just leaving them out to dry.
âThank you for the food.â [Ryouma]
As I listened to them talk about the town, I finished eating, and when the sun was high up in the sky, we started our plan. Just as weâve discussed beforehand, the goblins and the grave slimes took care of the undead, while we headed for the central tower. Nothing attacked us along the way, and we were able to get to the tower without any problems.
âThereâs still some of that unpleasant feeling from the miasma lingering here.â [Ryouma]
âItâs right at the center of the town, and itâs also where the execution site is located. Not to mention, the smoke last night couldnât get into the tower too, right?â [Reinbach]
As such, it was decided that we would be purifying the miasma first before making our assault. I went through the usual preparations, then I started the purification.josei
âThat spell sure is convenient.â [Schieber]
âWhat would you normally do when you have to remove miasma?â [Ryouma]
âWeâd burn it if we could since thatâs the quickest method, but if thatâs not enough, then weâd have to call in a specialist.â [Schieber]
ââExorcistsâ and âShamansâ refer to mages that specialize in subjugating undead and counteracting miasma. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience in their field, so you can expect them to do a good job. I know a thing or two myself, but itâs nothing compared to them.â [Remilie]
Remilie-san specializes in fighting with her Shadow Magic, so itâs probably out of her expertise. I can purify miasma too, but Iâm mostly just groping about.
âItâs probably a good idea to learn more about miasma for the sake of my grave slime research.â [Ryouma]
âIf youâre interested in that field, then I could introduce you to a Shaman thatâs on good terms with the Jamil family. Remilie, what do you think?â [Schieber]
âYouâll be able to do more things if you know more, and itâs safer too, but we need to careful when picking the teacher, or Ryouma-chan might be too much for them to handle.â [Remilie]
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âAfter all, Ryouma-sama can already use a spell that rivals a specialist. Thereâs no guarantee that the teacher wonât be tempted by that, so weâll need to make sure that itâs someone that can be trusted too. After all, mages are quite passionate about magic.â [Sebasu]
There should be many people that want to be employed by the duke. To be chosen from out of all the candidates requires a lot skill, so Iâm sure itâll be difficult to find one thatâs not passionate about their field. Iâm sure there are people similar to Magic Otakus too.
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We chatted while the smoke entered the tower, and before long, shadows appeared at the smoky entrance. The miasma clad undead were easily dealt with by the reliable adults.
âAh.â [Ryouma]
But then trouble happened.
âIâve done it now.â [Remilie]
When I glanced at her, I could see her looking at her staff with a sad expression.
âIs something the matter?â [Ryouma]
âI did think it wouldnât last for much longer, but looks like itâs finally reached its limits.â [Remilie]
When she said that, I looked at her staff and noticed a large crack running along its sides.
âYou did say that you needed the Everlasting Darkness (Herb) to make a new staff⊠Will you be alright?â [Ryouma]
âIt wonât affect me that much in combat. I can use magic plenty fine without a staff. It wasnât something amazing in the first place.â [Remilie]
It was something she received from her parents on her coming-of-age, so she must have treasured it simply because of the memoriesâ
âRyouma, can this be burned too?â [Remilie]
âOr so I was thinking when she suddenly suggested to burn it.
âUmm⊠Isnât that a memento of sort?â [Ryouma]
âThatâs right. I got it when I first became a royal court mage. Back then a lot happened, and I was down and weak⊠So I found myself sending a letter back home on a whim. Iâd selfishly run away from home, so I wasnât actually expecting an answer, but when my parents, who never even tried to leave the village, actually came, I was really happy.
But itâs already broken, so thereâs no point even if I regret it, you know? Just because the staff is gone doesnât mean the memories are too. Even something Iâd carefully used in the village Iâd use as firewood once itâs no longer usable.â [Remilie]
âI see.â [Ryouma]
âYou canât become a perfect adult right away just because someone told you that youâre an adult now, right? At that time, you might be an adult in terms of age, but it will still take some time for you to actually grow up. This staff is a gift from my parents to support me until Iâm able to become a fully independent adult. Itâs not something that a proper adult should be using.â [Remilie]
Judging from the slightly embarrassed expression on her, I guess that staff must have been something akin to the training wheels in a childrenâs bicycle. The reason it was able to last until now seems to be because she didnât use it regularly.
Court mages could get the funds for their supplies or order-made staves from the nation, so she must have used that instead for work. Otherwise, this staff would have long reached its limit.
âIf it can help, then feel free to use it for fuel. But of course, if itâs inconvenient for your ceremony, then thereâs no need to go out of your way to use it.â [Remilie]
âI donât think it will be a problem.â [Ryouma]
Weâre not making offerings this time around, and even during Obon, âOgaraâ, a dried hemp stalk with the skin peeled off, is burned. The image I need for the spell is just the ceremonial bonfire too, so that part wonât be a problem either.
When I told Remilie-san that, she suddenly closed her eyes as though she was trying to remember something, then when she opened them next, she broke her staff and threw it into the fire. Under the heat of the fire, the staff crackled and popped, and as the fire quickly spread, it quickly ashened from the sides and gave rise to a great deal of smoke.
âLetâs proceed after this finishes burning. The miasma inside has gotten a lot thinner, so Mana Perception should be more effective now too.â [Remilie]
âAlright.â [Ryouma]
We stopped talking after that and enjoyed a moment of silence.