Chapter 41

There is a large hole in front of me. Given that it is the lair of a powerful monster dominated by a Lich, it seems that the frequent comings and goings have created a path-like structure.

After defeating the General Zombie, we once again started chiseling away at the rock formation to head towards the Lich's lair. According to the plan, it was a distance we could reach in one day, but it took us five days due to rock collection and magic training with Bell and the others.

During the five days of magic training, I learned that spirits are cheats. It's hard to explain, but if the spirit can understand and convey the message, it can almost reproduce it. Well, since they are lower-level spirits, their power is apparently on par with a high-level mage... but high-level mages are clearly amazing, right? If I could make a contract with Sylph, it would be a complete cheat.

I asked Bell if she could create a wind that could deflect long-range attacks. She tilted her head, but when I explained that if magic or arrows fly towards me, a strong wind would swirl around me and deflect them, she enthusiastically raised her hand and said, "I can do it!"

She can do it. I decided to have her try to deflect Rain's water bullets after I cast a spell on her. When I asked what to call the spell, she replied, "How about a wind wall?"

"Okay. Wind wall."

When Bell chanted "wind wall," a strong wind surrounded me... it was an incredibly powerful wind. It seemed to be mixed with magic power, as the wind appeared to be glowing.

"Bell. Bell. Can you stop for a moment?"

"Okay."

"Bell. The wind is too strong, and I can't see anything. Can you make it strong only when an attack hits?"

"Hmm..."

She seemed to be struggling to figure out how to do it. After getting advice from Sylph and making various adjustments, the wind wall was completed.

When Rain's water bullets were tested, they were deflected by the wind surrounding me about a meter away. This was amazing. I praised Bell enthusiastically, and she ended up puffing out her chest proudly, which was adorable.

According to Sylph, the wind wall could deflect most magic and arrows. However, if a skilled person launched a high-powered attack, it would only reduce the impact. Avoidance is important, right?

By the way, I asked what would happen if Sylph used the wind wall. She confidently smiled and said that as long as the magic power was sufficient, it wouldn't be broken unless the opponent was at least a Great Spirit. Sylph is cool.

It's hard to explain, but apparently, spirit magic has a high degree of freedom if you can convey the message. Regular spirit mages use long and complicated incantations, which are hard for lower-level spirits to understand. I wonder what spirit mages would do if they knew this blind spot.

Excited, I discussed with Bell, Rain, and Turu to create various spells. I was quite enthusiastic and tried to reproduce many spells from manga and anime.

The problem is that I want to do the "Tuuuu" sound, but with spirit magic, I don't feel like I'm doing the "Tuuuu" sound. It's just that when I give an order, the spell flies and the enemy is defeated. It ends up feeling like that.

To enjoy the fantasy world, I tried to focus on support and developed support-only spells. However, this spell development was very popular with Bell and the others and turned into a very fun game.

When Bell excitedly showed me what she could do, Rain excitedly flapped her fins and tried to communicate something. The easiest to understand was Turu, who drew pictures on the ground and looked up with sparkling eyes.

As a result, we created some quite excellent spells, but also some that felt like "chuuni" (otaku) and required a bit of courage. Unfortunately, the "chuuni" spells turned out to be better and became Bell and the others' favorites. ...I'm very curious about Sylph's cool expression trembling.

After spending five days like this, we stepped into the large hole where the Lich was waiting to confirm the results of our training.

"Then, Sylph, I'm going."

"Wait, Yuta. I'm coming with you today."

Usually, you say that if I go, I can't help and it will distract you, so you wait here. But today, you're coming with us. Is the Lich that dangerous?

Feeling anxious, I stared at Sylph and noticed a strange sense of expectation hidden in her cool expression.

"...Hey, Sylph. You're not coming just to see us use the spells we developed, right? There must be an important reason, right?"

Sylph gently averted her eyes. I knew it. I had a feeling that the "chuuni" spells were Sylph's favorites, and she was enthusiastic about giving advice. She wants to see us use them in action.

"...The Lich is a formidable opponent. I can't help, but I want to support you from nearby."

Her mouth twitched. It sounded almost like a lie.

"Shirufi, let's go together. Yay!"

"Kyukyukyuu!"

"I'll do my best, so watch me."

Bell and the others were excited. Once they're this excited, I can't tell them not to come. Well, there are ways to watch even if it's not live, so I'll give up. ...Bell and the others are trying to show off their amazing spells to Sylph.

Sylph replied, "You're wonderful. I'm really looking forward to it." Sylph must be genuinely looking forward to it.

"...Ahem. Let's go."

As usual, Bell and the others went ahead, and I followed behind. The difference this time is that Sylph is following from behind.

Since the fort is buried underground, there are many rooms, making exploration difficult. Fortunately, the door parts are decayed, so we won't be ambushed, but there are many places to check, which is troublesome.

Moreover, zombies and skeletons are walking around the corridors, and the rooms are densely packed with zombies and skeletons, as Bell and the others explained.

"Is it impossible to sneak in without being noticed?"

I gave up on sneaking and started speaking normally. In response, several zombies and skeletons attacked us.

"Right. With so many, it's impossible to hide and move forward without being noticed."

Sylph agreed. Well, that makes sense. After all, there are fewer places without zombies and skeletons.

I smashed the approaching skeletons and zombies with my hammer. I decided to smash them all, even if we're noticed. I continued to smash the monsters that gathered due to the noise.

Skeletons and zombies kept coming out of the rooms, reminding me of the endless spawning in games. As I continued to smash them, the corridor was filled with corpses and bones.

"The smell is unbearable. Bell, can you blow wind towards the back? Rain, can you wash away the corpses with water?"

"Okay."

"Kyuu."

After replying, Bell blew wind, and Rain washed away the skeletons and zombies with water. I took a break to rest my tired body while they were busy.

"Thank you, Bell. Rain."

"You're welcome."

"Kyuu."

"Phew. Sylph, do you know how many are left?"

"There are a lot. The Lich has noticed the intruders and is gathering his companions in the hall."

"Ugh. That's not good news."

The Lich is fully prepared to intercept us. While we are defeating many zombies and skeletons, he is probably preparing more.

This is troublesome. Ah, more troublesome ones are coming back. The zombies and skeletons are walking down the corridor with a "slurp, clank" sound.

"Let's go!"

"Kyuu."

"Let's do our best."

I turned Bell and the others' encouragement into strength and diligently defeated the zombies and skeletons. When the corridor was filled or I was tired, I had Rain wash them away with water. After repeating this countless times, the zombies and skeletons finally stopped coming.

"Ah, I'm tired."

"Yuta, good job."

"Good job!"

"Kyuu."

"You did well."

I petted Bell, Rain, and Turu in turn, feeling relieved. The number this time was overwhelming. Even though the hammer doesn't feel heavy, repeating the same action is tiring, even with my increased level.

"Sylph, how is the Lich?"

"He's fully prepared. He's waiting in the hall, so it's okay to take a short break, right?"

I wish Sylph had come with us. Her detection is perfect. Bell can detect, but she can't filter the information, so we don't get accurate information.

"Got it. I'll take a short break. But the Lich isn't trying to save the zombies and skeletons, even though we're defeating them, right?"

"Well, I don't think the zombies and skeletons are even considered companions by the Lich."

Like the General Zombie, they are just meat shields. The scale is definitely larger on our side, though.

"Is the Lich gathering the zombies and skeletons to buy time? But there was no one here until I came, right?"

"Zombies and skeletons gather on their own to the higher-ups. In the Land of the Dead, they would return to their original numbers in a few days if left alone."

They come on their own to be meat shields. That's why the Lich doesn't try to save them.

"Should we go now? Sylph, can you guide us?"

"Ask Bell. Since they are all gathered in one place now, she can guide you."

"Got it. Bell, can you guide us to the Lich?"

"I'll guide you!"

Bell enthusiastically raised her hand and flew while guiding us, wiggling her limbs happily.

The stone fort is quite sturdy. It's good that it's buried, as some parts are collapsed, but the inside is relatively intact. The wooden doors are completely decayed, though.

"Sylph, should we collect the rocks from this fort after defeating the Lich?"

"I don't know. If you remove the rocks, the soil might flow in, making it troublesome, right?"

Hmm. Resources are important, but getting the stones from a fort where undead have lived for years through a troublesome method... it's a bit iffy.

"There it is."

While I was wondering what to do, we arrived at the Lich's location. I'll think about it after we're done.

Thank you for reading.