Chapter 15 | The Assassin Gives Something a Try
Yesterday, I’d succeeded in giving Dia and Tarte their new strength and skills. As such, I decided all of today would be spent practicing with those new powers.
“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Look at this, Lugh. Multi-Chant is incredible!”
With a large grin on her face, Dia used a magic formula. At first glance, it just looked like a regular Gun Strike, but it quickly became something more.
Dia produced iron, transfigured it into the shape of a gun, loaded bullets into it, and set off an explosion within the barrel. Initially, that process had to be performed in steps, which took a decent amount of time. However, Dia now performed the entire process simultaneously, which enabled her to use Gun Strike far swifter than before.
“You continue to impress, Dia. I can’t believe you can already execute four incantations at once. It took me a week to get to that point,” I said.
Truthfully, she wasn’t intoning four spells simultaneously. What she was doing was even more incredible. She finely adjusted the moment she began each of the four incantations so that they all finished at the desired time.
Anything less would have meant not loading the bullets the second the gun was formed or firing them immediately after. Already, Dia had a great handle on this procedure.
“This skill seems perfect for me,” she remarked.
“You’re probably faster at calculating magic formulas than me,” I said in return.
Dia was a genius when it came to magic, though that didn’t explain why she was better than me. Since I was a small child, I’d been honing my mind, burdening it to an extreme that would have broken an ordinary person and then healing with Rapid Recovery.
It didn’t matter how intelligent Dia was; she shouldn’t have been able to surpass my superhuman calculations. Maybe she had a skill that made it possible.
“Have you ever used an appraisal sheet?” I inquired.
“Never. They were impossible to obtain in my country,” answered Dia.
“Then let’s find one and try it out. We’ll do it for you, too, Tarte.”
Because of how scarce they were, appraisal sheets weren’t an option for most. Those who could make them were closely guarded. The items couldn’t be produced without government approval.
Even with my information network and funds from the Balor Company, I couldn’t get my hands on an appraisal sheet. I could have bribed a noble with enough sway to get me one, but that was a considerable risk.
Things were different now that I was a Holy Knight, though. My privilege afforded me access to appraisal sheets. I needed to check Dia’s and Tarte’s skills.
“That’s exciting. I probably have skills just like you do, Lugh,” said Dia.
“I definitely don’t have any,” Tarte mumbled dejectedly.
“That’s impossible. You were undoubtedly born with something,” I responded.
The odds of either possessing an S-Rank skill or even an A-Rank one were slim, but it wouldn’t be surprising to discover they had B-Rank or lower ones. Learning what they were could help Dia and Tarte grow even stronger. Once training was done, I had to get to work finding appraisal sheets.
“By the way, how many incantations can you perform simultaneously with Multi-Chant, Dia?” I asked.
“Hmm, six at the most, but they would all have to be simple formulas.”
“Wow, that’s more than me.”
The most I could manage was five. With that many, my control started to waver, though, so my reliable limit was four.
“I figured something out after testing some things. We’re not just performing incantations simultaneously. We’re converting multiple elements of mana at the same time as well,” Dia explained.
“You’re probably right. If that wasn’t the case, then you wouldn’t be able to use the earth spell to create iron and the fire spell to trigger the explosion at the same time,” I replied.
“That’s actually the part of this I’m the most interested in. Previously, the spells we were able to cast were restricted to a single element. However, this might mean we can create magic that employs multiple elements of mana.”
I hadn’t even thought about that. This sounded like a promising notion.
“I’ll try to come up with some spells that use multiple elements, too. All the possibilities are going to make this more difficult,” I said.
“I already have more ideas than I know what to do with. I’m really excited, but I don’t know where to begin. The first things that come to mind are a vapor explosion using fire and water or a flame storm using fire and wind. Perhaps I could use earth and fire to make a more efficient version of Gun Strike. We could skip forming the gun and just use an explosion to scatter fragments of iron. That sounds fun!” Dia was practically hopping with excitement.
This was an evolution. We were stepping into wholly unexplored territory and developing a new dimension of magic. Even the things Dia proposed off the top of her head would be beneficial.
“Hmm, I might be able to make that last one right now. It’s only a minor change from the formula we’ve been using, so wait a second.”
Dia then pulled out a sheet of paper and a feather pen from her bag, sat down on the ground, and began to scribble on the page hurriedly. Developing spells had basically become her life’s work. She knew more rules than me, and her penmanship with the runes was adept. She was possibly the only person who could create a totally new spell off the cuff like this.
“Okay, it’s done. Make it into a spell, Lugh.”
The Spell Weaver skill was needed to make her creations into spells, so my cooperation was essential.
“I’m fine with chanting it, but this is safe, right?”
“Believe in your girlfriend, Lugh.”
After studying the formula, I decided it appeared all right. I began the enchantment. Just like when intoning multiple spells at once with Multi-Chant, two different types of mana, fire and earth, both went through an elemental conversion.
It worked perfectly. I finished the recitation and cast the spell.
“Pellet Shot.”
The magic created over one hundred fragments of iron, which were then blasted forward by an explosion.
Leave it to Dia to figure out how to keep them from flying in the wrong direction.
This attack was equivalent to a shotgun with a large diameter. The range was ten meters forward, and it extended to five meters on each side as well.
I’d limited the amount of mana I’d used when casting, but increasing the power would produce more iron fragments and a greater blast force, making for a devastating attack. The formula was short, so the incantation took four seconds to perform.
“This is a good spell. The range is inferior to Gun Strike, but in close quarters, this one is more useful,” I said.
“Mages are in danger if anyone gets close to them. I can use this to fend any attackers off,” Dia remarked.
With its decent scope and wide area of effect, dodging this spell was nearly impossible. The pellets were small, but each one had plenty of force.
Dia performed the spell as well and smiled with clear satisfaction.
“If you keep developing useful magic like this, it will help us a lot going forward,” I stated.
“Hmm-hmm, that’s the plan. I want to make something that uses all four elements! Ooh, an amazing idea just popped into my head. I can’t wait to try it.”
Earth, wind, fire, and water. It was a little difficult to imagine a spell that used all four of those elements. But if Dia said it was going to be amazing, then I could get my hopes up.
After that, Dia and I spent a while discussing spells we could create using multiple elements. Before we knew it, we had fallen deep into conversation over the infinite possibilities this one new concept had opened up.
We eventually reached a good stopping place, and I left Dia and headed to Tarte.
“You’re working hard.”
“Yes, my lord! I love how light my body feels.”
She was practicing with her spear. The recent increase in physical power left her struggling to control her body. While faster and stronger, she was a little clumsy. Still, Tarte had a strong foundation. It wouldn’t take long until she acclimated.
The next bit was going to be more difficult, though.
“Tarte, how about trying Beastification? There are a number of things we need to verify, including how long the effect lasts,” I said.
Beastification didn’t remain active indefinitely. Once willingly triggered, it remained in effect for a limited amount of time.
Effectively utilizing it meant understanding how long it persisted and the conditions for activating it again. I could use the skill, too, so I had a pretty good idea of all that. However, my transformation was based on a different animal. I wanted information accurate to Tarte.
“Yes, um, well, there are a number of problems with it, so I thought it might be better to wait until some other time…,” Tarte protested meekly.
“Issues or not, it’s a useful skill. Master it, and it will become a deadly weapon,” I replied.
“…Understood. I’ll do it.”
Something about the way Tarte was acting felt off. It appeared as though she was steeling herself. Thinking back, her behavior had been strange ever since she’d used Beastification yesterday.
Tarte activated the skill, and her cute fox ears and fluffy tail appeared.
Yesterday, her tail had pushed down her underwear and lifted her skirt, but that didn’t happen this time, thanks to the low-rise underwear I’d prepared. What’s more, I’d given her a jacket that covered her skirt, and both had aligned slits for her tail to pop through without causing any problems.
I watched as the appendage smoothly protruded through the apertures without lifting Tarte’s hem this time. Yesterday, I’d carefully noted where exactly the tail appeared. That meticulous measurement had paid off.
“I want combat data from you, Tarte. Let’s have a light spar—no, let’s make a match out of it. We won’t know how strong you’ve become unless you go all out,” I decided.
After passing her a wooden spear with cloth wrapped over its tip, I drew my sword.
“Okay! I’m going to devour you, Lord Lugh!”
Tarte’s eyes looked different than usual, perhaps due to Beastification. They were usually timid and docile, but now they appeared combative. The glint in her eyes was positively aggressive.
Whenever we fought, she always gave some self-disparaging comment about how she had no chance of beating me. That was not the case this time, however. While Tarte was more confident, it didn’t feel right. The girl definitely looked ready to pounce on and eat me, but I thought what she wanted was something a little different.
Regardless, Tarte was serious about trying to best me. A chance to use my full strength to judge how capable she was after Beastification sounded fun.
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