Chapter 35

Before the collision, I was accelerating while flying diagonally. Then, still sideways, I tried to counteract the downward speed by directing the force slightly upward.

Since I had been accelerating sideways the whole time, I hit the ground at an angle as if a swallow had mistakenly crashed into it while flying low.

The armor withstood the impact of the landing, but I hit my entire body hard. In this case, "hitting the entire body hard" is not a euphemism but a literal meaning. If the armor hadn't functioned, the ground might have scraped my body like a grater, and without the shock being distributed, I might have been hit hard all over, as reported on TV. I survived.

However, of course, the ground wouldn't allow me to embed and stop at such an angle, so I bounced and flew off. It felt faster than a car. It might even be faster than a salamander. I don't know how fast a salamander is, though.

How many times did I bounce? I collided with something that seemed to be a tree, which creaked but managed to catch my body.

After being hit all over twice, I was in a bad state, but the armor was still functional. I am still alive.

I wish it had been more gentle. I immediately healed my aching body with a recovery spell and, while standing up, complained to the tree in my heart.

When I stood up, I noticed something unfamiliar.

A girl was sitting on the ground about 5 meters away. She was wearing very plain, simple clothes but was a beautiful girl.

"Hello?"

I greeted her. Smooth communication starts with a greeting.

The girl opened her mouth upon hearing my greeting.

"Umm... that..."

Was she scared? The silence was painful to my ears. What a unbearable atmosphere. Of course, if a man suddenly flew and hit a tree, such a reaction would be expected.

The girl didn't say anything more, just opening and closing her mouth. The only sound I could hear was a clicking noise. Where was that clicking sound coming from? It seemed to be coming from behind me.

Just as I was about to turn around, I was hit by a shock. The attack itself seemed to have been completely blocked by the magical armor, but something had gouged the ground. When I turned around, I saw a creature that looked like a crab or a spider. It must have been about 10 meters tall.

A pair of pincers, which must have been over a meter wide, were embedded in the ground. Was this the creature the girl was scared of? It might also be the cause of the Rush Sheep's trouble.

At least I knew I could withstand the attack. I should be fine. The problem was the girl. She didn't seem to be safe if she got caught in the battle. If she were safe, she wouldn't have reacted like that when I suddenly appeared.

While I was thinking this, the creature pulled its pincers out of the ground.

Alright, let's try to draw its attention. If I can get away from the girl, I'll have the upper hand. From what I saw, its attacks didn't reach me. It's unlikely that my attacks wouldn't reach it.

So, I decided to draw its attention. I threw rock spears and fireballs at what seemed to be its face. I also tried spraying water, thinking it might be weak to water, and moved to the opposite side of the girl.

It seemed to have drawn its attention. The creature turned in my direction, clicking its pincers. The clicking sound was probably the creature clashing its pincers, a warning, perhaps.

I ran to get away from the creature. The crab was following, but its speed was somewhat slow. This would separate us.

I deliberately slowed down and continued running. After a while, it caught up. We should be far from where the girl was.

Now, let's start the battle. I attacked the creature's legs, which were about a meter thick, with two swords. With a satisfying sound, the leg was severed. The magic sword did the cutting, while the magic-imbued staff only bit into the leg. However, the leg felt quite hard, and it might have been difficult to cut without the magic sword.

Still, I had a magic sword and a vast amount of magic power to support it. The creature, with eight legs, didn't lose its balance even after losing one leg, so I continued to cut its remaining legs.

After about two minutes, the creature, which had been surprisingly weak despite its large and strong appearance, was left with only its body and pincers on the ground. The speed of its pincers was fast, but that was all. If I ducked under it, it wouldn't hit me, and even if it did, it wouldn't be much of a problem.

Not knowing how to deliver the final blow, I climbed onto the spider and stabbed it with the magic sword. The creature stopped moving. Upon identifying it, it was indeed dead. Its name was Giant Spider Crab, a large spider crab, a name that perfectly described it.

I threw the severed legs and the creature into my item box and went to check on the girl.

"Um... that crab is dead, so it's safe now."

I said, taking the crab's claw and showing it to the girl. The girl looked confused but then seemed to make a decision and spoke.

"P-Please be my master!"

Eh, master? Suddenly? A declaration of love at this moment? The suspension bridge effect?

I don't think it's good to become a master due to the suspension bridge effect. This is something that should be thought through carefully.

"Master... I mean, suddenly... This kind of thing should be done after getting to know each other..."

"I may not be very useful, but I'll do my best! Please don't abandon me!"

Abandon!?! We haven't even started dating, and you're already at the stage of being abandoned! Not to mention, we don't even know each other's names!

Let's start with introductions.

"Ah, I'm Kaede, an adventurer. What's your name?"

"Yes, I'm Katharine, a slave. Nice to meet you!"

A slave...?

"Um, you're a slave, which means... What exactly?"

I didn't expect to be asked to become a slave's master. It didn't seem like a pushy request, either.

"I was being sold by a slave trader and was being transported to Tsuva, but our carriage was attacked by that creature on a shortcut, and the slave trader died. Since you killed the creature, the ownership of me transfers to you."

I see. I understand. If something is stolen by a thief, it belongs to the one who defeats the thief. The same applies to creatures. I see. What should I do? I don't plan to use a slave, but maybe I could sell her.

No, I should evaluate her first. I'm not familiar with the world's norms, and if I plan to use Earth knowledge for business, I'll need help. I want to have as many reliable people as possible. I have enough money, so there's no problem. If she can be useful, there's no reason to refuse.

"Alright, let's have a trial period!"

"A trial period?"

"Yes, as I said, I'm an adventurer and don't want to bring along a burden. So, I'll evaluate whether you can be useful from today until I leave this town. What can you do?"

"Um... magic item creation..."

Magic item creation, that could be useful for an adventurer's partner.

"...I have knowledge about it."

...Knowledge?

"Does that mean you can't actually use it?"

"Yes, that's correct."

That's no good.

"Why do you remember a skill you can't use?"

"My family is a magic item craftsman's family. I couldn't use magic at first, so I memorized the knowledge, thinking I would catch up once I could use magic. But I never learned to use magic and ended up being sold as a slave."

That's a tough past. Even though she doesn't seem useful, I feel reluctant to sell her.

"Can't you make magic items without using magic?"

"Yes, technically, you don't need to cast magic, but you need to channel magic power into a magic stone, and for that, you need to control magic power."

"Can't you practice directly with a magic stone?"

"It's impossible. Magic stones are not very easy to channel magic power into, even compared to other objects. If you start with a magic stone, you won't even grasp the feeling. In my case, the reason I can't use magic is that my magic power is too slow and weak. I have a lot of it, but..."

"Hmm..."

So, it's because the magic stone is hard to channel magic power into. I feel like there's a way to fix this. I feel like I'm forgetting something.

Looking inside my item box, I realized what I was forgetting.

A Wisp Core. It's supposed to have good magic power conductivity.

"Can you try practicing with this?"

I handed her the Wisp Core. Katharine took it with a puzzled look.

"A black magic stone... What is this? The only black magic stone I know is the Wisp Stone."

"It's a Wisp Stone."

"There's no way that's here. Besides, Wisp Stones are very easy to channel magic power into. I might be able to channel magic power through a Wisp Stone. But this magic stone... doesn't..."

She froze.

"...it worked."

"Can you use it for practice?"

"Probably. But if it's a Wisp Stone, it would be a huge waste."

I've heard that Wisp Cores can be recharged multiple times and don't consume magic power.

"Then use it for practice. Let's head back to town, okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll try my best to make magic items, but holding this is very unsettling... How did you instantly kill that Giant Spider Crab, Kaede?"

"I'm just an E-rank adventurer. I'll keep this for now."

Maybe I'm not just an E-rank adventurer. I took the Wisp Core and put it back in my item box.

"You seem even more mysterious now. It's better if my master is strong, but..."

I don't want to be called mysterious. I'm not lying about anything.

While walking back, I identified Katharine.

Name: Katharine

Age/Race/Gender: 18/Human/Female

Level: 4

HP: 25/25

MP: 150/150

STR: 7

INT: 8

AGI: 7

DEX: 25

Skill: Inactive Magic

She has a lot of MP and high DEX. I identified the unfamiliar skill, Inactive Magic.

Inactive Magic Unique/Rank 3

Description: Deactivates magic power in the body.

In exchange for significantly reduced magic power activity, the maximum magic power increases.

Thinking about it, the reason she couldn't use magic might be because of this. I walked through the forest, matching Katharine's pace.

It took a long time, but we finally saw the town.