Volume 6 - CH 7

The group then proceeded through the forest for a while, but when the sun was getting high in the sky, Lloyd stopped and said.

“I’d better get back.”

“Oh, already?”

I feel like I haven’t defeated many monsters yet.

Lloyd said with a wry smile that showed such feelings on his face.

“We beat the schedule by a lot. Besides, there’s always the return trip. If you don’t plan on camping out, you turn back while you still have energy to spare.”

So that’s how it is.

You have a point. I guess you have to ask an expert to understand something like this.

And then, at that moment

Ifa looked out over the forest and spoke to me.

“Hey, Seika, what’s that?”

“Hmm… ……?”

I looked where she was pointing.

There was a huge, bulging fruit growing out of the ground.

It was not growing on a tree, not even a single leaf, but a single vine growing out of the ground with a fruit hanging from it.

It was clearly a strange plant.

“Oh, that’s a calling trap.”

Lloyd, noticing our exchange, says from behind.

“What is it? .. it’s”

“One of the traps in the dungeon is one that attracts a large number of monsters around it. That kind of thing is called an evocation calling trap. In an underground dungeon, they take the form of a fake treasure chest that makes a loud noise when opened, but in a forest, they look like that.”

“So it’s not a plant? What happens when you touch it?”

“A strong smelling liquid would be splashed around, which would attract the monsters. Though it won’t burst at the slightest touch.”

“Ugh, that sucks.”

“Yeah, wanna give it a try?”

“What, ……?”

I stare at Lloyd, who has come up with something outrageous.

“No. If you do that, ……”

“Don’t worry. There are not many monsters in this forest to begin with. There is no great danger. I’m more afraid of panicking when I accidentally step on a trap. It’s better to try these things when you can and get used to them.”

“Hmmm. …….”

Feeling uneasy, I glanced at Amiyu.

Amiyu says as if she sensed my concern.

“I’ll be fine. It’s a low-level dungeon, and there are eight of us.”

“Well, ……, then, let’s give it a try.”

“I’ll give it a try. We’ll help you destroy it, of course. Everyone get ready.”

Before the archer could hit the arrow, I flew the hitogata and stuck it to the fruit.

《Yang Phase —- Thunder is the art of the lightening. 》

Due to the positive energy, a small lightning bolt flows through the hitogata.

With a “bang,” sparks fly and the strange fruit bursts open.

The sprayed juice stains the surrounding grass and leaves.

“Ugh”

I involuntarily held my nose.

The smell was quite strong.

The effect was immediate.

One after another, living mails began to gather, one after another, from between the trees and from behind the bushes.

Were there so many of them?

“Hey, isn’t this a lot?”

Amiyu says a little impatiently.

Lloyd, too, mutters in a nervous tone of voice.

“Strange, what is this number…? It can’t be helped. Everyone, prepare your formation. You guys, throw away your luggage for now. You can run away if you need to…”

“Uh, no, I’m fine. This much is fine.”

“Hey, what’s ……?”

I ignore Lloyd’s bewildered look and let the Hitogata fly.

Apparently, this gathering was unexpected even for him.

I knew I shouldn’t try this kind of spell so easily.

I adjust the positions of the hitogata that have flown in all directions. This might be the first time to use this technique in a real battle, come to think of it. The power is, well, appropriate, I guess.

I make a sign with both hands.

《Wood Fire Earth Phase――――Shintenka Jutsu》

The next moment, an explosion roared through the forest.

At the same time as the technique, a thick plume of white smoke was generated, covering the entire area.

“Geho, Geho! (Coughing)”

“My ears!”

I could hear such voices around me.

I, too, coughed and , hurriedly cleared the smoke with my Hitogata.

“Ah, what are you doing!”

“Ah. Sorry, sorry.”

I apologizes to Amiyu.

As expected, there was a bit too much gunpowder.

This technique, by all means, makes a lot of noise and smoke.

When the smoke finally cleared and I looked around, the scenery around …… was quite spectacular.

“Wha…!”

“Li-Living Mail…”

The living mail that had been gathered had all crumbled and turned into mere armor.

Holes in various parts of the armor testify to the power of the jutsu.

Sulfur, charcoal, and nitre. When these are mixed in just the right amount and set on fire, a violent explosion occurs.

The “Shintenka” is a simple technique of making gunpowder, which I have seen in Sung Dynasty, and sending stones and gravels flying. …… It is very powerful. It is frightening to know that this can be done without any magic spell.

However, to use this in a war, it would have to be improved.

It makes terrible noise and smoke, is susceptible to moisture, and has a short range. Even the spell  is this difficult to use, so it will take more work to devise a way to use it.

Well, that’s about it.

I looked around the forest and talked to Lloyd, who was standing there in a daze.

“The monster doesn’t seem to be coming around anymore. I don’t know if it’s because the calling traps have worn off or if it’s this sulfur smell and the sound of explosions, but …… I guess we can assume it’s over for now.”

“Ah, ah, that’s right. Even if I let my guard down… wait a minute!”

Lloyd says as he comes back to his senses.

“ Was that you!?”

“Yes. I went a little overboard.”

“A little ……?　Was that magic?’

“Well, yes.”

“I’ve never seen or heard of …… anything like that. What kind of magic was that? What the hell are you ……?”

Lloyd exhales when he sees me laughing vaguely with my mouth closed.

“……I won’t ask for details. That was what I said myself.”

“Thank you.”

“All right. Good. Then let’s turn back here for today. This is a lot of material, but we can’t carry it all ourselves.”

“No problem. I’m sorry to have to say this, but I’ll carry it for you.”

I fly the Hitogata and …… briefly recite the mantra, opening the door to the empty phase.

I move Hitogata and let the living mail armour get sucked into the distortion of space.

I explain to the people who open their mouths with a smile.

“I’ve been quiet so far, but I’m actually an item box owner.”

“This can’t possibly be an item box!”

“What?”

Lloyd’s words upset me so much that I unintentionally said something dumb.

“Isn’t this an item box?”

Lloyd says, holding his head.

“At least …… every item-box carrying job porter I know stored items by hand. I’ve never seen material sucked into the distortion of the landscape like that.”

“I’m a magician, so the item box specifications are a little different.”

“I don’t think that’s the problem. …… By the way, how much capacity do you have?”

“capacity?”

I was confused. I had never thought about it.

The phase has no information, so to speak, it’s an empty different world.

Theoretically speaking, of course there is a storage limit.

However, even if I put in one star, the limit would still be far off, so I never once worried about using it.

I answered while confused.

“I can go into it as much as you want, but ……”

“How much?　No way. You’ve never measured the limit?”

“No.”

“How many things have you ever stored at ……, max?”

“Uh, …….”

I shook my head seriously.

Of course, it’s something that happened in my previous life…

“A little lake full of water, I guess.”

“After I said it, I wondered if this would get the message across, but …… apparently that wasn’t the issue.”

“Wha… ho, it’s really an item box with infinite capacity!?”

“No way, it really exists..”

Lloyd’s party members were buzzing. Even Lloyd himself seemed to be at a loss for words.

…… Apparently, the item box is not what I imagined it to be.

”You were able to do that?”

Amiyu says in dismay.

“I’m no longer surprised by anything you do.”

“It’s like, this is Seika, isn’t it?”

“I’m used to it.”

The way the girls were talking, I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

Maybe it was impossible for me to live my life in such a way that I wouldn’t stand out.

The Art of Thin Lightning

This is the art of using yang chi to send an electric current through the Hitogata. It is also possible to make it discharge, but it is not possible to control where it flies like a thunder beast.

Shin Tenka no Jutsu

This is the art of using black gunpowder to send a shotgun pellet into the air. When mixed in the proportions of 75% nitre, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur, a highly explosive powder is produced. This black powder is said to have been invented during the Tang Dynasty in China around the 6th century, but its existence was not known in Japan until the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and Seika did not learn of it until the Song dynasty (960-1279).