Chapter 18 - Purification Begins (1/2)

“So that’s Rufhana village, eh?”

It had been a full two days since the bandits fled the mansion they used as their base. Rufhana village was located in a small, low-lying land surrounded by a forest.

“Ooohhh the air is so thick that you can see it even from here.”

“It seems the taint had been advancing steadily from the center of the village to the surrounding forest. It would be meaningless if we purify the land without purging the evil spirits in the area first.”

“Say, we purge the place. We don’t even know how many there are, so are we going to kill them one by one? How annoying!”

“It will take too long if we do that, so Kuro and I will do the major sweep. Al, it’s fine if you just take care of the ones that get past us.”

“Ahh, so you’re doing that? If that’s the case, then I guess I’ll be on night watch tonight.”

“It’s ‘composite magic’, so the drawback is it takes time to invoke. I’m sorry, but, I’ll be counting on you.”

“U-umm…”

A small voice called out to Syltina and Alhart, who were talking while looking at Rufhana village from afar.

“…… Milliane-sama, it’s been on my mind for a while now, but, that only makes you more conspicuous instead.”

“Eh!?”

Syltina turned around and told Milliane, who was hiding behind the shield she had taken from the bandits. Milliane seemed quite distressed in turn, as her body, along with the shield, started to shake.

“This…s-stands out?”

“Yes, well…”

It was unclear where the bandits got it from, but a person cannot possibly go unnoticed if they always carry around a large shield to hide behind even when there is no battle.

“You didn’t stand out as much when you used a hood to cover your face before, but if there is a shield…”

A loud THUNK echoed, halting Syltina’s words.

“I-I even thought that this was perfect to hide my whole body… but if this makes me stand out, what…what should I do?”

Milliane, who had dropped the shield, said in a confused voice as she pulled the hood deeper over her eyes.

“Well, most people won’t notice you if you just cast the presence erasing spell you normally use”

“Presence erasing magic…is…is it really okay if I just use that? Strangers wouldn’t suddenly sell me pots or pans while talking to me, or ask me to wear cat ears and a tail!?”

“……”

It was said with an extremely desperate expression.

“You…are prone to meeting weirdos and perverts, aren’t you?”

“…… At any rate, if you hate to stand out, it would be enough to just erase your presence with magic, pull over your hood, and be quiet at the back. It will be safer if you do that. Understood?”

“Ye-yes”

“By the way, don’t we have something to do?”

Upon Alhart’s words, Milliane remembered what she was just about to say earlier.

“Uh…ummm…what did you mean earlier when you talked about ‘composite magic’?”

Peeking from under her hood, Milliane’s golden eyes shone brightly like never before.

As expected from a race that excels in magic. They will eagerly devour (or absorb, as in learning) anything that has to do with magic.

“‘Composite magic’ is a new type of magic that combines the contracted familiar’s magic and could only be used by its master. By adding, subtracting, multiplying, or splitting the magic attributes each one has, one magic is created by two beings. It is what we, the magic users with familiars, call ‘composite magic’”

“Generally, ‘composite magic’ has a wide range of effects and boasts high power outputs. However, the resulting ‘composite magic’ is different depending on the master and the familiar, so its characteristics are not usually the same.”

“A wide range of effects plus high power outputs….that’s amazing.”

“But, in exchange, it needs a vast amount of magic power and concentration, so I don’t like using it much. It’s also unsuitable to use in a battlefield where foes and allies are mixed together.”

“Well, the necessary magic power is also dependent on their ability. The enormous amount of magic power and concentration required means that the ability of the master and the familiar is high.”

“The ‘composite magic’ that Kuro and I invoke requires half a day of building up magic power. If done poorly, it can burn the whole area down so it needs a considerable amount of magic power and control.”

“In exchange, their magical reserve becomes almost empty, so they can’t fight for a while. That’s why it’s usually my role to get rid of the occasional survivors.”

“Do you get it?”

After nodding once, Milliane turned to look at Kreutz, who was watching the fire.

Noticing Milliane’s line of sight, Syltina smiles.

“Fufu. We will be invoking the spell tomorrow. You will also be able to see Kreutz in his true form. Look forward to it, okay?”

“Yes.”