Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, because of my childhood friend, the one with rainbow hair and a name I can’t remember--anyway, she introduced me to Manga about Onmyouji…Japanese people who wear a weird robe thing called a ‘kariginu’--and throw around talismans which can do almost anything. We also had more than one cosplay event while we were growing up. She heard of Comicon and wanted to go, but couldn’t leave the temple where she live. So we would wear them, and pretend. Now, I have to cosplay in a fantasy world--it’s quite a good feeling.”

 

I’ve been given clothes to wear while training, by Aialize. I wonder if it’s an influence from the Hero Daisaku, or other Japanese people, the clothes are what the people in shrines in animes wear.

 

“Master, you’re wonderful.” Lulu seems to like it.

 

“Master looks manly with the robe or armour, but the elf native dress also suits you well.” Liza says as she looks me up and down, her tail sways a little behind her.

 

“They’re good clothes with high Magic defense.” Nana said, after using Sense Magic to check them out.

 

Just as Nana said, these clothes are made from Yuriha fiber, which is the special Magic cloth that I used to create Arisa’s and Mia’s robes. It seems that you can sew a Magic Circuit into it, using special string made by soaking it in Magic Circuit Liquid, and a few spells.

 

The Magic Circuit in my current clothing can deploy a defensive film that resembles the Magic film that coats the body of a Black Dragon--Monster above certain levels naturally keep a Magic film deployed over their bodies, which strengthens the higher their level is.

 

You can do the same with these clothes, by putting a little Magic into them.

 

“Pochi is also going to train!”

“Tama too?”

 

I was wondering what the rustling noise behind me was about--but I was busy trying to correctly put this clothing on, since it was different from the ones I wore in play cosplaying when I was younger--it seems that they had put on the costumes that they got from the museum back at the Duchy Capital.

 

“Shagnig’s invited us.”

“Treasure hunt!”

 

“Shagnig is this rather playful old Leprechaun man, he’s invited them to the playground where the Elven children play.” Arisa explained Tama and Pochi’s words.

 

“It looks to be a facility arranged with safe mock Traps, and Living Dolls that are made to look like Monsters.”

“Reporting myself to participate in the exercise.”

 

Since Liza and Nana are going to participate, I feel a bit better allowing it. I am a little overprotective--but a playground for the children of those indulgent Elves shouldn’t be too dangerous.

 

The one who designed that playground, is an Elf who was the teacher of the teacher of Shagnig, but the one who actually built it was his teacher--a Spriggan called Rileks. At the present time, it seems that he’s gone to observe a labyrinth in the Saga Empire, in order to gain new ideas. The one who designed the playground has been away from the Elven hometown for over 100 years, so I likely won’t see him.

 

***

Together with Lua, who’s come to pick me up while wearing a Priestess outfit, I arrive at a rocky area that overlooks a waterfall, around 30km away from the World Tree.

 

We moved by using the Dryad’s special Magic--Lau almost had to pry her off me, since the Dryad wanted to eat as soon as she saw me.

 

It’s a convenient spell, but it only seems to be done within Bornean Forest.

 

At the inner part of the rocky area, there’s a stone burial mound with a huge rock on top. Aialize is in the center of the hollow burial mound.

 

What are those clothes?

 

She’s wearing a white shirt and tight skirt, glasses with triangular lenses sit on her thin nose. She’s tied her hair into a bun on the back of her head, leaving only a bang hanging down on either side of her face--that short wand probably acts as the instructor stick.

 

It’s a stereotypical female teacher from animes.

 

Hero Daisaku--why couldn’t you be moderate with the cultural hazards?

 

Well, I guess that it’s fine--it looks really good on her.

 

“Tek, you’re late,”

 

You shouldn’t do cosplay if your going to go bright red as soon as your eyes meet mine.

 

“I’m sorry for being late.” I apologize, to move this along.

 

“Aze, please don’t play around, change into the Priestess outfit.” Lua rolls her eyes.

 

“Isn’t it fine? Daisaku even said that these clothes give a +1 to the Teaching Skill!”

 

“That is a joke of his.” Lua said with a tolerant smile.

 

Aialize is shocked by Lua’s words, more-so by the fact it was a lie than the scolding itself--I wonder if she really did believe it?

 

I gaze at the superb view of the waterfall on top of the burial mound, looking away until after Aialize pulls herself together. It’s quite a spectacle, multiple waterfalls falling into a single pool.

 

It’s quite the fantasy-like sight.

 

Since I hear someone clearing her throat behind me, I turn around. Aialize has finished changing into Priestess clothing, “Then, please drink this before we begin the training.”

 

She presents me a cup-like container made from folded paper, in which there is a strange red powder.

 

I feel like I’ve seen it before.

 

The powder occasionally emits some light, it’s probably some kind of Magic medicine--so I activate the Heads-Up-Display, which indicates that its: Philosopher’s Stone.

 

“This is?”

 

“It’s powdered Miracle Stone--although it can help pregnant women who drink it during delivery…It’s main use is to augment the effects of Magic.” Lua answered my question.

 

It seems that this has stimulated some kind of strange rivalry in Aialize, as she begins to speak smoothly, “It’s a valuable item. Only one pebble can be harvested from the World Tree in a year! That’s why, you can’t spill it.”

 

I see, it’s harvested from the World Tree, huh.

 

I take the red powder into my mouth, flushing it down with the water that Lua passes to me. There’s no taste.

 

My Magic Perception Skill allows me to sense the movements from the powder--although it is only a little, Magic gushes out of the powder.

 

“Then, let’s start with the warm-up. Mimic me as I move, okay.”

 

I mimic Aialize’s movements while paying attention using Space Grasp. The exercise requires a lot of body motions--these movements help the Magic emitted from the powder to flow through my body and mesh with my own Magic.

 

“Next, push your Magic all throughout your body.”

 

I fill my body with Magic, as she instructed.

 

It feels similar to when I use Rapid Regeneration, I’m careful not to let the Magic flow out of my skin and into my clothing, I carefully keep it all within me.

 

“You’re good.”

 

“That’s true, normally Magic would have leaked into your clothing, and one wouldn’t be able to circulate the Magic well--but, he did it smoothly.” Aialize actually sounds quite impressed.

 

It makes me feel happy to be praised--since I can’t really remember the last time before I came to this world, and it has happened quite a few times since I came here, but it hasn’t become boring yet.

 

“Listen well, you have to seize the overflowing Magic in your body, and hold it down. Then, spread it out on the surface of your body as if you’re covering yourself in a thin barrier.

 

I see.

I gently increase the pressure on my Magic, pushing it to the surface of my skin, and then spread it thinly. Since I have quite a bit of experience making Flexible Armour, so I followed a similar concept.

 

I’m glad that Magic manipulation doesn’t need chanting, and I am finding that it’s possible to emulate spells if I know the theory and chant, just by purely willing it--I still want chanting, but by the time I get it…I may not need it anymore.

 

>>Skill: Spirit Light Control Acquired.

>>Skill: Magic Control Acquired.

 

“Alright, it’s a success.” I tell the two women, maxing out the skill levels and activating them. Out of curiousity, I activate some of my Spells just by molding the Magic using the theory…Nice!

 

“Eh?! Ah, it’s true. I nearly cannot see the Spirit Light.” Lua turned her eyes silver, using the Spirit Seer Skill.

 

Unfortunately, since I can’t see the leaking Spirit Light in the first place, I’ll believe Lua’s words. Moreover, I also understand that the Magic that have always been leaking from my body, has been stopped.

 

“You’re quite good, normally, it would have taken several years.” Aialize says.

 

“I think that it’s not even that short of time, normally--Heroes really are abnormal, aren’t they?” Lua is shocked.

 

“Then, let’s start the second round of training.”

“That’s right, we’ve used the valuable Miracle Stone after all, so let’s finish the next lesson while it’s still effective. Alright, this time, you have to thin out the Magic film over your eyes--then slightly open holes in it.”

 

I pay attention to Aialize.

 

“Look at both my hands, okay. **** ****** **, Water Ball.”

 

Water overflows from both of Aialize’s hands, which she has thrust above her head. In a few seconds, the water that formed into a ball starts to float a millimetre above her hands.

 

I stare hard, at her hands, like she instructed.

 

She has smooth, pale skin--small, slim hands with long tapered fingers, her fingernails are closely trimmed.

 

Concentrate,

 

I can’t see anything beside water--no, there’s a small blue light with an amorphous form. It can’t been seen when I stare hard, but when I stop focusing on it, I can see it.

 

>>Skill: Spirit Seer Acquired.

 

It was even easier to get than I expected.

 

“I see it.”

 

““Eh?!””

 

“Are you sure?” Lua looks shocked, while Aialize’s eyes are wide and she covers her mouth.

 

“Yes, it’s a bluish light with an amorphous form, right?”

 

“Amorphous?” Aialize asks, tilting her head.

 

“Not fixed, constantly changing.”

 

“That, that’s right.”

 

“That’s amazing, there’s only 1 among every 100 Elves who manage to obtain the Skill.”

 

One in one hundred people doesn’t seem that rare.

 

“Alright, then let’s start the third round! Let’s employ the Spirits!” Aialize, who is in high tension, declares while raising her arms overhead.

 

It’d be gentlemanly of me to use Dry, to dry her wet, white clothing--but just for a little bit more, I want to enjoy this scene. Wet Priestess clothing is pretty nice.