Book 2: Chapter 39: The assassin tries out his special move

We went out for our picnic.

Talt was in high spirits as she walked with a basket in her hands.

She’d been getting herself fired up with making our lunch boxes since early morning, and I was looking forward to eating them from now.

[You know, maybe I should also learn how to cook. Talt earns a lot of points for that.] (Dia)

[Personally, rather than learning how to cook, I prefer when you do your best in magical research.] (Lugh)

[That’s right, Dia-sama! If you did better than me even in cooking, then I would lose face completely!] (Talt)

[…Talt, that’s not what I was getting at, though.] (Lugh)

[Nevermind, then. In that case, Talt will be in charge of cooking our meals. And I’ll be racking up points with my field of expertise that is magic. Watch this.] (Dia)

[Is this a new magic?] (Lugh)

[That’s right. This is the one you requested. Until now, I’ve been inventing stuff like sorceries stronger than the rest, or sorceries more complex than the rest, but this one is faster than the rest. I tried to think of sorcery specialized in speed. I compressed the data as much as I could, and it developed into a magic incantation shortened to the utmost limits. It may be a simple magic with lower than average accuracy, but it’s quick to activate and easy to use.] (Dia)

[Thanks a lot. Because unfortunately, it’s difficult to use magic during real battles.] (Lugh)

Every magic required an incantation.

Performing incantations while fighting in close quarters was exceedingly difficult.

In actual battles, you could hardly use any magic aside from a few select such as wind armor.

In order to move and coat herself into her favorite wind armor at will, Talt would finish chanting before joining fights to benefit from its effects for a while.

However, most magics didn’t work so well.

Originally, sorcerers’ fighting style was to have the vanguard protect them while they completed their incantations, and not being able to use magic for close quarter combat might’ve been an inevitable problem.

…However, I wanted to do something about that problem.

For that purpose, I did a lot of research with Dia, one of which was on speed type magic.

I deciphered Dia’s chant.

I thought the fact that she compressed it to the limit was artistically beautiful in itself.

She had such a flair for it.

That wasn’t something I could’ve put together.

[This chant looks great. With my “Chant Weaving” skill, I’ll show you a brand new magic right away.] (Lugh)

[Fufuhn, it’s made of three lines. In our cases, it’ll take one second to activate it.] (Dia)

[You said it.] (Lugh)

I trained my tongue for high speed chanting, so I was able to chant much faster than the average person.

For a magical incantation made of three lines, it would take me one, no, less than one second to activate it.

In that case, I should be able to use it in right away in combat. It was within the practical range.

[It’s unfortunate that it’s of the fire attribute. I’m unable to use it.] (Talt)

[You’ve got your wind armor, so it’s not really a loss.] (Dia)

[It’s something I’m able to use in actual battles by chanting in a whisper before they begin, but once it’s dispelled, there’s no use casting it again.] (Talt)

That was also true.

It was precisely because that magic was powerful that its casting time was long too.

Talt looked at Dia’s face like she wanted something.

[Alright, I’ll also put together a wind incantation. But in return, you’ll bake me another cake, okay? …The cake you make doesn’t contain any expensive ingredients, yet it’s strangely tasty. Even though your technique doesn’t surpass that of the pastry chefs at my home either.] (Dia)

[Um, that’s because I put lots of love in it?] (Talt)

[Why did you say that in the form of a question?] (Dia)

Talt and Dia laughed in unison.

It’s true that the cakes Talt baked were delicious. The ingredients and cooking method she used were normal, yet they had a really comforting taste.

[Anyway, this mountain is very easy to walk on. It’s perfect for a picnic.] (Dia)

[Yes, the road is rather well-maintained.] (Talt)

[That’s because this area is used for marches. So it’s scrupulously cared for.] (Lugh)

Climbing mountains that hadn’t been worked by men was terribly tiring.

They had no road to speak off, and you had to cut down vegetation with hatchets, or you’d have a hard time proceeding.

In that respect, it was a good thing that this mountain had a ready-made road.

[We’ll get off the road pretty soon. From here on, we won’t be able to walk like we did until now. But there’s a good spot located beyond the animal trail.] (Lugh)

[So this is why you said I shouldn’t wear my servant uniform. If I were wearing it here, my skirt and such would have been caught in something.] (Talt)

[True. These clothes are easy to move in.] (Dia)

The three of us were wearing the combat uniform of Tuatha Dé, as well as robes over it.

It was a bodysuit that exposed very little and adhered to the body, making it easy to traverse the animal path on foot.

We folded our robes and put them away in our bags, then we kept going.

I was taking the lead, cutting down every tree on our way with a knife as we moved forward, and we reached our destination.

[Whoa…! What a beautiful river beach. It’s so spacious. And the sound of trickling water is so soothing.] (Talt)

[We should be able to go wild here.] (Dia)

[Yeah, that’s why I picked this place. Let’s have a meal first.] (Lugh)

[Yes, I’ll unpack our lunch boxes.] (Talt)

Talt laid the sheet and opened the basket.

There was a huge pie on the menu today.

When she cut it, Bolognese sauce with plenty of minced meat came out of it. It looked absolutely appetizing.

She served the slices.

[Today, I’ve baked a meat pie.] (Talt)

[It looks delightful. But this should give it an even better taste.] (Dia)

Dia used a sorcery to warm up her meat pie.

Although it was fire magic, it heated up its target from the inside without using any flame. …And this was also something I asked Dia to invent.

This was originally to carry out assassinations, as killing by touching and without making a sound was extremely convenient.

[Ah! Dia-sama, it’s not fair if only your slice is warm. Please heat up mine too.] (Talt)

[Mine too, please… I think we’ve had an exchange like that before.] (Lugh)

With my « Chant Weaver » skill, which I got so I could use magic, I could’ve heated it up too, but I wasn’t confident in my ability to perform tricky tasks.

So if I tried, I would most likely end up overcooking it.

[It can’t be helped. Here you go.] (Dia)

[Uwah…! Eating a warm meal even though we’re outdoors is such a luxury. You’re truly admirable, Dia-sama.] (Talt)

[Your meat pie is worthy of praise too, Talt. It’s really good. It’s crispy with an abundant amount of sauce of tomato and beef meat. And the melted cheese that shows up from the bottom is out of this world. It has a rich taste.] (Lugh)

[I used minced meat, so it was surprisingly cheap. Also, the tomatoes were grown at the academy, so I got them free of charge.] (Talt)

On holidays, the cafeteria was closed, and there was no food distribution either.

Thus, I was thankful to Talt for making us cheap yet delectable meals.

[By the way, Lugh, are you sure it’s okay not to look after her?] (Dia)

Dia was surely referring to Epona.

I told the two of them about Epona being targeted by an assassin.

[You saw how she fared against me during our mock battle, didn’t you? There’s nothing that could possibly kill that. Besides, I asked Neusch to look after her. That is to say, it’s just a front. …I left an opening and laid a trap. If everything goes well, they’ll get caught in it.] (Lugh)

They left traces and didn’t erase their presence, but all they actually did was look at the situation from afar without taking action.

Probably because they were a cautious assassin.

However, if they saw an opening, they would surely make a move.

[If you thought it all through, then no problem.] (Dia)

[Of course.] (Lugh)

As I said to Dia, I wasn’t worried about Epona getting killed. In fact, the main purpose was to secure the human guinea pig I needed to give Tuatha Dé’s eyes to Talt.

[Now, shall we get started ? Dia, I wrote down the incantation from earlier. Try to use it.] (Lugh)

[Okay, I will. Behold… Short-range lightspeed magic.] (Dia)

Dia chanted it.

[【Flash Fire 】] (Dia)

The chanting ended in less than a second, and a flame spewed out.

Since it was loaded with powerful mana, it was burning at extremely high temperature.

In all likelihood, it could easily torch someone to death.

[Yup, it only shoots a flame. Since it doesn’t converge, it scatters quickly, but it manifests right away. And as for its power, the more mana you provide it, the stronger it is.] (Dia)

[Indeed, it’s convenient. It should be possible to fire it in any posture.] (Lugh)

For example, if I ever found myself twisting my body by performing a sword slash, and I couldn’t dodge the next attack, then I would have a way to throw a flame at my enemies.

They would never expect magic that takes less than one second to activate.

If that was your first time seeing it, you would take a clean hit.

[That’s some nice sorcery you developed.] (Lugh)

I tried using it myself, and it was incredibly easy to use.

I poured all my mana into it to try, but it had quite the firepower.

The fact that it had a short range was a disadvantage, but it was passable.

[Now that I have seen it, I shall state it again. I wish to be able to use this kind of magic too. If there was a wind version of it, I could blow my opponents away, fix my posture, accelerate in one go, it may be easier to use than fire.] (Talt)

I was of the same opinion.

Both this magic and the wind armor had similar uses, but the latter’s reaction time was much too long.

[It’s okay, I’ve got this. I’ll make a wind version of it too. I won’t be able to use it, but you two should be able to use it just fine. Well, my magic experiment is now over. Now it’s your turn, Lugh.] (Dia)

[You’re right, I’m going to show you a demonstration of my special move. …For a while now, I’ve been thinking about the magic bag and how to use it. In the end, I came to the point where I could make effective use of the fact that I could carry as many weapons as I wanted. Take my [Gunfire] for instance. It takes time to create a gun, put a bullet in it, and use explosive magic to fire it.] (Lugh)

[That’s right, but if you use your magic bag and load them with bullets beforehand, this would shorten the time required to activate them. But isn’t that kind of plain?] (Dia)

[If that’s the only issue, then it’s not a problem. But I told you, didn’t I? That I could carry as many as I wanted. That’s why I can also do this] (Lugh)

I cut off the mana I supplied to the magic bag.

By doing so, the dimensional space shrank, and the contents was being tossed out at once.

What was being thrown out weren’t [Gunfires], but [Cannonfires], which were the size of tank guns, and I had twenty of them to boot. All these cannons were loaded with foul stones that I had charged with mana to the breaking point.

If the size doesn’t matter, then you should use the firearm with the greater power, and the higher the quantity, the higher the offensive power.

I unleashed my mana, and the foul stones of all the cannons I brought out were now past the critical point.

I heard the familiar and premonitory sound of the foul stones bursting open.

In addition, I had completed the incantation I had been chanting since earlier.

[【Magnetism Manipulation】] (Lugh)

Using a magnetic force field, I controlled the orientation of all twenty of my cannons, which were suspended in midair and beginning to roar.

Since they were used to it, Dia and Talt both were plugging their ears and keping their mouths half-open without me warning them.

[Fire !] (Lugh)

I fired all twenty of my cannons at the exact same time.

The firepower and the range of a single-shot gun was nothing compared to that.

The other side of the river turned into scorched earth.

It was a great success.

…However, there was one miscalculation. Keeping them suspended in the air and firing them was part of the plan, but they couldn’t withstand the recoil, and all the cannons ended up flying backwards because of that.

I couldn’t use this attack if it was going to put any ally behind me in danger.

As I thought, it was essential that I take measures such as firing after fixing them to the ground, or perhaps making my cannons recoilless.

In any case, I had to do something.

[This is a special attack that makes use of the magic bag. I bring out dozens of【Cannonfires】at the same time and point them all toward my target. If I had to give it a name, it’s be【Cannonfire Volley】.] (Lugh)

A salvo where every single shot had power comparable to a tank gun.

It also required little to no preparation time.

It was probably no stretch to call it my new special move.

[What in the world do you even plan to use it for exactly !?] (Dia)

[I agree, at the very least, I don’t think this is the sort of magic you should use on humans.] (Talt)

[I may not seem like it, but fighting the hero made me feel uneasy. I wish I could use【God Spear (Gungnir) 】on her, but it can’t be used in battle. So I tried and made this one as a second option.] (Lugh)

[That’s clearly overkill!] (Dia)

[I told you. I may not seem like it, but I feel restless. …I know because I’m the one who actually fought her.] (Lugh)

That was just how strong the hero was.

That was why I couldn’t believe that there were assassins other than me who were targeting that.

[Alright, the special move practice is over. Now let’s move on to our first training on a wide field in forever. Show me your results so far.] (Lugh)

[Okay. I’ll show you how much I’ve progressed.] (Dia)

[Me too, I’m still growing strong!] (Talt)

Their smiles showed on their faces.

After that, I trained them both thoroughly.

It had been a while since we last trained on a wide field, and we had just eaten a good meal, so you could say that this training was much more beneficial than usual.

Though in Dia’s case, she exhausted all her physical strength, so I had to carry her on my back all the way home.

[Lugh-sama, today has been really fun.] (Talt)

[True that, school life is suffocating after all. Going outside isn’t a bad idea.] (Lugh)

Today turned out to be a nice holiday.

…I’d better check the trap once we’re back.

It would be great if the assassin was caught safely.