Chapter 86 (1/2)
Volume 1
V4 Chapter 16
「That Which is Inherited」
As the day weaned and the sky turned a dark crimson, the mountaintop took on a calming stillness .
The breeze coming in from the collapsed roof gently brushed against my skin and caused the grass that grew from the cracks in the floor to sway .
I silently opened my eyes and looked down at the thick patch of grass in front of me before I crouched down and waved my hand in a slashing motion through a modified magic circle .
“【Wind Blade]”
【Wind Blade]was a basic spell from the wind magic system, and an invisible blade cut down the patch of grass when I invoked it .
The grass blades scattered on the stone floor without a sound .
While it was a basic spell, it’s power had been greatly suppressed so I could limit its the range and strength .
“Kyun! Kyun!”
Ponta, who’d been watching me till now, uttered a cry all of a sudden .
“Oh, you wanna try Ponta?”
“Kyun!”
When I said that, Ponta began wagging her fluffy tail and took a step forward .
“KyuKyu-n……”
With a spirited cry, Ponta took a fighting stance and started to focus on the sapling that was growing in front of her .
Ponta’s light green fur started to glow after a while as a whirlwind began to blow up the fallen leaves around her .
“Kyun!”
What spirited shout, a gust of wind was fired from Ponta’s whirlwind . The sapling’s leaves scattered about as it was cut down at the base .
“Good job! How about some roasted beans as a reward?”
“Kyun☆”
I was impressed with Ponta’s magic so I reached into the leather sack tied to my waist for her reward when Ariane spoke up from behind me .
“Wait a minute Arc, what dangerous things are you teaching Ponta?”
When looked back I saw that she was staring at me with a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed .
“Since this is going to be my future home, I decided to do a bit of weeding . Ponta just started to replicate the magic I used to cut down weeds and trees . Don’t fluffy foxes normally use offensive measures against enemies?”
While I tried to defend myself, Ponta tilted her head and had a look in her eyes as if she were asking ‘what about the roasted beans?’ .
Ariane looked conflicted for a second as she looked down at Ponta before answering me .
“There’s not much known about the habits of fluffy foxes…… but I’ve never heard of one using magic offensively . ”
“I see . Perhaps they learn it when they grow up, but it wouldn’t hurt for Ponta learn how to defend herself . ”
“I guess you have a point but…… Ah, Arc, your body is starting to turn back . ”
Ariane still seemed a little doubtful about the matter, but she changed topics when she noticed me starting to change .
“Yeah, the duration of the spring’s effect changes depending on the amount of spring water I drink . ”
This time I drank about a liter of water and the effects lasted for about three hours .
The brown skin of my upper body disappeared, leaving only the bones behind . I stroked my ribcage to confirm my current state .
When I told Ariane the effective time she simply sighed and shrugged .
“That’s a rather constricted limit . ”
Ariane wasn’t wrong about the limited ability to maintain an actual body . Still, it was way better than the three minutes certain giant heroes from the M78 nebulae received .
Although I felt that the effective time slightly decreased whenever I exerted myself .
The power of the hot spring seemed to be consumed by my movements, though I couldn’t get a straight answer from Williasfrim when I asked him why .
While I was getting lost in thought about the hot spring, Ariane remembered the reason she had come here .
“Oh yeah, dinner is ready . Chiome-chan made it today . ”
“Kyun!”
What a spirited cry, Ponta stopped looking up at me for roasted beans and left to seek out Chiome .
“Okay . Tomorrow I should be ready to go to Rhoden Kingdom’s capital . How about we prepare to set off for the hidden village from there?”
Ariane was still looking at Ponta’s back when I made my suggestion for tomorrow, and she answered me without turning away from Ponta .
“That’s fine . Chiome-chan did invite me and I would like to see one of her people’s villages as soon as possible . We should get going as well . ”
Ariane urges us towards the kitchen area where Chiome was waiting .
When I entered the kitchen I saw that a fire had been lit in the hearth and was faintly illuminating the room . The sound of firewood crackling could be heard from the hearth while steam rose from a simmering pot .
As the pot cooked, Chiome’s triangular ears would twitch along with the crackling firewood . After checking the taste, Chiome used a large spoon to stir the pot while Ponta waited nearby for supper .
“Tonight’s dinner are wild vegetables and chicken soup, a dish made when someone is sick . It’s one of my villages staple dishes, given its nutritional value . ”
Chiome picked out a piece of the wild chicken from the pot and gave the portion to Ponta while telling us the contents of tonight’s meal .
When the hot piece of chicken was placed in front of her, Ponta used her magic to cool it .
Apparently the first meal since I lost consciousness would be a Blade Heart Clan health dish .
……Even though I wasn’t exactly sick……