Chapter 11

Using the "Hermit" spell, I slipped out of the castle and arrived at a desolate wilderness far from the town.

The vast wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see, with no sign of the town or people.

Hmm, this place should be perfect for conducting magic experiments to my heart's content.

Oh, I should contact Grimo first.

I placed my finger on my temple, closed my eyes, and focused.

"Grimo, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, Lloyd-sama, I can hear you. I'm in the library reading a book. I ran into a few people, but no one seemed to pay any special attention."

"Got it. If Silfa comes, let me know."

"Sure thing!"

At least it seems there are no issues on Grimo's end.

I should be able to focus on my experiments for a while.

Come to think of it, this might be the first time I've used magic to its full extent.

Since I accidentally destroyed my room with a "Fireball" when I was born, I've been holding back on using dangerous offensive spells.

I've only learned the theory from magic books and managed to cast them with a barrier and reduced power.

I'm both scared and excited to see what will happen when I cast a spell at full power...

With a mix of trepidation and anticipation, I summoned a mouth on my palm and began the dual incantation.

"「■■■, ■, ■■」"

The spells I'm casting are the highest-level fire magic, "Scorching Flame Fang," and the highest-level earth magic, "Seismic Rock Fang."

As I chant, magic power gathers, and I release it when it feels like it's about to burst.

A loud rumble shakes the ground, and the earth rises dramatically.

Flames burst forth.

Not just ordinary rocks, but red-hot molten lava.

Ouch, I should step back a bit.

I direct the coordinates forward, and the lava tumbles, burning the wilderness.

The rock mountains it touches emit white smoke and melt, and lava bombs fall to the ground, creating pillars of fire.

This... is more powerful than I thought.

A 200-meter square area in front of me has turned into a scorched wasteland.

Even though the range of high-level magic is usually less than 10 meters... this is the power of a dual incantation.

"Still, combining fire and earth in a dual incantation to create lava. It's just as I imagined. At this rate, other combinations should work similarly... anyway, I'll try more combinations."

I tested various dual incantation spells until I was satisfied.

Ice shards pierced the ground, lightning streaked across the sky, and tornadoes formed.

As I watched the intense destruction and shockwaves, I nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. So dual incantation magic really combines the effects of the original spells."

Magic is strongly influenced by the caster's imagination.

For "Fireball," you have to strongly imagine a ball of fire to cast it. The same goes for "Waterball" and "Earthball."

For high-level magic, imagination alone isn't enough, so the incantation, spell formula, and the use of a medium are necessary to reinforce it.

Therefore, a dual incantation combines the images of the two original spells.

For example, fire and earth create lava, water and earth create ice, fire and wind create lightning, and wind and earth create sand... something like that.

Well, this was actually within my expectations, or rather, I knew these combinations from books.

Dual incantations have existed for a long time, though they're rarely seen.

They can be performed by someone with Grimo's ability or two well-coordinated mages.

I just wanted to confirm what would happen in practice.

There are other combinations I want to try, though.

First, the illusion magic "Mimic Form."

This spell covers your body with a layer of magic power to change your appearance.

It's a spell where the image is crucial, and you can't transform into someone you don't know well.

What will happen if I cast it as a dual incantation?

If it works as I imagine... I'll give it a try with "Mimic Form."

As I cast it, my body is enveloped in light.

"...Um, mirror, mirror... Oh, this looks good."

In the mirror, I see myself with a slightly taller stature, slightly lighter hair, and a more handsome appearance.

I cast "Mimic Form" as a dual incantation, one side as myself and the other as Albert.

The images of me and Albert mixed, resulting in a face that's a mix of both.

In this form, even if someone sees me outside, they won't recognize me.

And it won't cause trouble for Albert either.

By the way, I just cast a bunch of high-level spells, so someone might come over.

I should move to a different location.

After all, the area in front of me is a scene of intense destruction.

It would be hard to claim I didn't know anything if I were found here.

"Decided, then..."

Using "Flight," I leave the area.

I literally fly between the rock formations, landing in a place far from where I was before.

"Hmm, what's that..."

Looking down, I see some people fighting.

It seems to be a group of humans battling a group of monsters.

Wow, I've never seen monsters before.

Okay, I'll hide and observe.

I land in the shadow of a rock formation and watch the battle from there.

The one fighting the monsters is a young girl.

She has lustrous black hair tied up in buns on both sides, with strands hanging down.

She's wearing something like a martial arts uniform, with a cool, open chest and the character "武" (martial) on her back.

The girl nimbly dodges the monsters and fights with just her fists.

"That's probably an adventurer."

Adventurers are like handyman services, hunting monsters and gathering materials to earn money.

They are ranked from E to A based on their strength.

Honestly, I didn't have much interest in them, so I don't know much.

The girl is surrounded by large, pig-faced creatures.

Those are orcs, I think. I've seen them in the monster encyclopedia at the castle.

"Take this!"

The girl delivers a palm strike with a shout, and the orc is sent flying.

The fallen orc foams at the mouth and convulses.

Looking around, I see several other orcs lying on the ground.

I remember reading that orcs are quite strong.

To take down so many of them alone... that girl is pretty impressive.

She glares sharply at the remaining orcs, who are now cowering.

"Oink! Oink! Oink!"

The orcs scream and run away.

Ah, I wanted to see more... what a shame.

"Who's there!"

As I'm thinking this, the girl shouts.

Is she talking to me? I peek out, and she's looking in my direction.

To notice me from such a distance... skilled martial artists can sense the presence of others, so I might as well come out.

I raise my hands to show I'm not hostile and step out from behind the rock.

"...Um, hello. I'm not suspicious or anything."

"!?!"

The girl's eyes widen in surprise when she sees me.

Do I know her? No, that can't be. I just created this appearance.

After a long silence, she mutters.

"...Who are you? You."

My name, huh? I didn't think about that.

"Um... I'm Ro...bert. I'm an adventurer, but I got separated from my companions..."

I don't want to draw too much suspicion, so I'll say I'm an adventurer.

The girl, now known as Tao, thinks for a moment before speaking.

"I'm Tao. My adventurer rank is B, and my job is a martial artist, as you can see."

"I see. Are you alone, Tao?"

"I don't have the patience to team up with weaklings."

In response to my question, Tao, who introduced herself, sounds uninterested.

It's not a good idea to interact with people I don't know well.

I don't have unlimited time, so I should leave.

I turn my back on Tao discreetly.

"Ah, I'll be going this way..."

"Wait!"

She grabs my shoulder firmly.

Ouch, she's strong.

"This is a dangerous wilderness where monsters appear. You look weak, so you'll be eaten before you get back to town. I'm heading back too, so I'll take you to town."

"No, no, I'm an adventurer. I can handle myself, so I'll be fine."

"No way. It wouldn't be right to leave you here."

Her sharp eyes leave no room for argument.

Her intensity reminds me of Silfa.

...I shouldn't reject someone's kindness.

It's also a chance to observe an adventurer fighting monsters up close.

"Alright, thank you."

"Sure thing!"

Tao smiles broadly at my sigh and starts walking.

"Wow! There's an incredibly handsome guy! He's right up my alley! If I do him a favor here, I can expect a wall of gratitude... Hehe, hehehehe..."

...What is she thinking? She looks really evil.

Oh well. I'll run if anything happens.