Chapter 171: The Next Enhancer

The Witch’s home has a door that we haven’t opened before.

It’s a door that the landlord herself told us not to open.

I had just come towards that door with Erika beside me.

[Can I come in?]

[Well, I suppose you have earned enough trust from this mistress.]

[Or so she says, Pigimaru.]

[Pinyyuuu.]

Pigimaru is also together with us.

[Come, let’s go in.]

Beyond the door was a hole leading downwards.

It seems that there’s still a place even further underground.

Taking the ladder installed nearby, we began heading downwards.

When she finally reaches the bottom, Erika nonchalantly steps on the ground.

I also got off the ladder too.

What we found on the end of the ladder is——

[This place should be the Witch’s Laboratory huh……]

I guess you could call this something like Erika’s workplace.

This place is about the size of a school’s Science Laboratory.

Equipment that looks like they were used for experiments are lined up on desks and shelves.

I could also see that standard mysterious liquid that had those bubbles frothing out of its conical flask.

……The room temperature in this place is higher than normal.

It’s not that unbearable, but it does make people sweat a bit.

I could also see some doors leading to other rooms.

Then, Erika pointed to a door on the right hand side of the room.

[This way.]

Erika opens up that door.

When I entered the room, I came upon shelves that were lined up in a row.

It looks like these were handmade shelves.

Each step in those shelves were lined up with vials.

The vialed parts that were supposed to belong to monsters were sorted out together.

It kind of reminds me of that so-called formalinization……

[It looks like you went to a lot of trouble to preserve them.]

[It’s a little too hot in this room though.]

[Normally though, I had an image that you would lower down the room’s temperature though.]

[The things inside this room must be kept within temperature. Fuuuuu…… It’s really hot in here.]

Erika wiped her jaws.

The clothing she’s wearing looks like it would be quite refreshing, but her tanned skin is dripping in sweat.

I see.

Perhaps, the reason why she’s wearing outfits like that was because she’s working in a hot room like this.

[Puyuriii~……]

Pigimaru also looks like he’s getting a little sluggish from the heat.

It looks like he turned into a lifeless mochi.

[Hold on a second~……]

Standing on her tiptoes, Erika checked the shelves one after another.

It appears that she doesn’t remember everything about where things go and where she kept certain stuff.

[The fact that you’ve gone to such great lengths to preserve them… That means that they’re quite valuable, aren’t they?]

[Of course, they are.]

[Then, what’s your conditions for supplying me with this?]

[Nothing really? I don’t really have any conditions for this.]

[……You’re just going to give me without any sort of conditions?]

[You can just say it’s my thanks for the whiskey.]

[…………………..]

So it’s thanks to that huh.

It seems to have done more for me than I ever expected.

……But well, she may have been willing to give it to us unconditionally from the start.

Erika stopped in front of one of the shelves.

Then, she started looking around nearby.

It seems like she’s searching for something.

Then…

[Fuuuuu……]

Sighing, Erika crossed her arms.

She’s intensely staring at the top of the shelf.

In the end…

[Touka.]

[Hmm?]

[Lend me your shoulders.]

She requested to ride on my shoulders, and I’m someone who complies with her demands.

[Is this alright?]

[Thank you.]

The thing she was probably looking for earlier was a ladder.

[………………..]

She’s lighter than I thought she would be.

[I’m sorry if I’m sweaty, but you’re also sweaty anyway. I’m enduring it myself, so you should also endure it.]

[……It’s fine, I’m already used to enduring.]

Erika placed her hands on the edge of the shelf and peered at the stuff above it.

[Well, it’s not good if you’re always enduring things…… You should just always be prepared for the right moment—– oh, found it.]

It appears that she found what we’re looking for.

Dropping down on my knees, Erika gets down from my shoulder.

In her hand was a vial the size of a human’s head.

[Yes, I think this is it.]

I check the contents of the vial that Erika passed towards me.

[Yeah…… This really is what I’m looking for.]

▽

[Why don’t you just make it here? I can lend you my equipment, you know? Erika is also interested in that Enhancer.]

With that comment from Erika, I decided to move on to creating the Enhancer.

This place certainly is quite filled with various equipment……

I went back to my room once more to get some of my materials.

[Now then, I guess I’ll start.]

Erika also helped out in making it this time, so I quickly finished making the Enhancer before I knew it.

Then, Erika pointed to one of the doors with her thumb.

[If you’re going to administer the Enhancer to Pigimaru, how about we use that room instead? It’s a little hot in here.

According to Erika, it’s a spacious room built with sturdy walls.

It seems that it’s mostly used to test the effects of powerful magic tools.

Well, there’s no reason for me to say no.

I stepped into the room.

[………………….]

How refreshing.

It feels similar to that feeling I get when I walk into an air conditioned store on a hot summer day……

[Now then, let’s do this. ……Are you ready, Pigimaru?]

[Pinyuu~! Pigii! Pigiii! Piggiiiii!]

Pigimaru is extending and retracting his protrusion alternating from left to right.

It kind of looks like he’s doing Seikendzuki……

It may be that Pigimaru is also spirited in his own way.

(T/N: Seikendzuki is something mostly seen in karate. They’re just mostly really fast and strong straight punches. What Pigimaru is doing is that karate practice where they alternately make straight punches with their left and right fists.)

This time too, I used the Monsters Enhancer according to the instructions.

The effect of this experiment towards a slime……

According to the “Encyclopedia on the Forbidden Arts” I’ve brought with me along with the materials—–

[Pigii……? Pii…… Pipii?]

Pigimaru began to faintly glow.

While he’s glowing, he also appears to be increasing in size.

[Pigigii……!? Piiggyyyyyiiiiiiiii————-!]

Bang!

Erika looked at “that thing” that had swelled up and reached the ceiling.

[You’ve developed something really outrageous, Great Sage……]

Yes, Pigimaru—–

—started to turn gigantic.

The ceiling in this room is quite high.

And yet, his size has already reached close towards the ceiling……

You could say that he had turned considerably gigantic.

[Pigimaru.]

[Pii!]

Even as it grew larger, he still had his adorable purr.

[Can you try turning back into your original size?]

[Pimuuu?……Piii! Pimumumu…… Pyuuuu~……]

Just like a deflating balloon, he shrank back his size in no time.

In the end, he returned back to his original size as if nothing had happened.

That’s right… To put it simply, the effect of the Enhancer this time is “Gigantification”.

However—– That may just be a simple way to put it.

[Fuuuuunnn……]

Erika looks impressed.

[The idea of making it gigantic by increasing its density……]

[Personally, I think we’ve been able to raise the level of our capabilities by quite a bit with this enhancement. The effect of this enhancement, by itself, may look really like the epitome of simpleness but…]

However, because of its simplicity, it can be used in a variety of ways.

Erika looks like she’s trying to see through me.

[The way to use this ability…… It seems that you’ve already assembled it inside your head, huh?]

Bending down, I put my hand in front of Pigimaru.

[Pii?]

[Whether it works the way I want it to, I’d see it after I verify it in the future……]

There are still some things that I need to verify.

Not all data is recorded in the “Encyclopedia on the Forbidden Arts”.

What things could be done, and what are things that couldn’t be done…

To what extent could I use this skill…

I would need to make sure of these things first.

But well, for now—–

[Without a doubt, this would definitely broaden our ways to fight.]