Chapter 111: Incantation – i novels

()x10-12 minutes

Labyrinth 16th floor. It’s time to start Mel’s power leveling.

“Bell, take me to where the monsters are. Rain, Turu, Tamamo, please keep watch around us.”

“Yes,” “Kyuu” “Roger,” “Kuu”

Bell and the others eagerly spread out. It makes me happy that they gladly accept my request. With Rain, Turu, and Tamamo guarding my left, right, and back, I follow behind Bell. Dolly watches over us with a smile.

Well, I can understand the feeling. It’s like playing bodyguard, and it’s adorable. In reality, I think they’re more reliable than regular bodyguards, but their cute appearance is inevitable.

“Yuta, over there!”

Bell points in a direction with her tiny finger, and I look to see four orcs walking through the gaps in the trees. Oh, they’ve noticed us. They raise their voices and charge toward us.

“When everyone gets close, attack their limbs. Disable them.”

“Y-Yuta-san, are you sure? The orcs are coming.”

Mel pulls on my clothes anxiously, her voice filled with concern. Maybe she’s scared because I’m so calm.

“Don’t worry, I heard what the spirits said earlier, remember? Besides, I’m your master.”

Since Mel brought it up, I can’t let her worry. I’m ready to smirk in front of Unis.

“Oh, right. Sorry. What about the incantation?”

Mel stumbles over her words. It’s amusing to see a small girl in such a fluster. Even though she’s an adult.

We defeated some along the way, but maybe she didn’t see it? …Ah, come to think of it, she was tense and focused at first. We took the shortest route, so maybe the monsters were already defeated by other adventurers.

Later on, she got tired, and she panicked when she was carried by Sylphy. She probably didn’t have time to pay attention. I need to be more considerate. Well, it’ll be fine since she won’t need to come to the dungeon once her magical power increases.

“Well, it’ll be fine. Just watch.”

As the orcs approach, Bell and Rain sever their limbs with blades of wind and water. Turu and Tamamo manipulate earth and grass, causing the orcs to fall and then wrapping them in earth and grass, rendering them immobile.

“Heh.”

I can hear Mel’s frightened voice. She came to the dungeon to increase her magical power, but she still hasn’t gotten used to the monsters.

But usually, I just decapitate them or crush their heads, so I think severing their limbs is a bit gruesome too. Good job, though. I praised and petted Bell and the others, who flew over to me seeking praise, and then I turned my gaze to Mel.

“Now, Mel, deliver the finishing blow.”

Mel looks at me with an expression of disbelief. I nod, confirming that I’m serious. Whether she remembered her role or not, Mel tightens her expression, swings her hammer overhead, and brings it down on the orc’s head.

Ohh, when you’re doing it yourself, you don’t really think about it, but smashing someone’s head with a hammer is quite gruesome. And to make it worse, it’s a young girl doing it, which adds an extra level of macabre.

“We’ll be repeating this kind of thing from now on. Can you handle it?”

“I’ll be fine, but is it alright for you to go through all this trouble for me?”

“Well, our goal is to level you up, so it’s not a problem.”

“I see. Also, Master, don’t you perform incantations?”

“Incantations? I’ve never done one before. Do you perform incantations, Mel?”

“Yes. It has been passed down in my family for generations. I’ve worked hard to learn it too.”

Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard a proper incantation or anything since coming to this other world. Dinee mentioned it once, but gave up halfway. I wonder what it’s like? Anyway, I don’t think it’s necessary for me, but I’m curious to hear it.

“Mel, try performing that incantation for me. I’ve never heard what it’s like.”

“Understood. Then I’ll perform the simplest one for you.”

With a determined look, Mel begins her incantation.

“Oh, great spirit of fire, our revered guardian spirit. If it pleases you, show me your power, and bestow upon me your great strength.”

Mel chants, spreading her hands as if singing. Once the incantation is over, she looks at me a bit uncertainly, as if asking, “How was it?”

Um… let’s see. She asked the fire spirit for power, right?

“Thank you, Mel. Just wait a moment. Um, did you understand the meaning of Mel’s incantation?” Yuta turned to the spirits

“I don’t know… but I liked it. “Kyu?” “Yo-ushi-bi?” “Ku?”

It seems the meaning didn’t come across. But Bell’s reaction doesn’t seem negative. She seems to enjoy the atmosphere of the incantation.

“What about Dolly?”

“I understood that she wanted assistance.”

Dolly smiles with a nod. I also understood that part. If this is what incantations by spirit users are like, misfires and failures are bound to happen all the time.

“Um… Mel, when you recite that incantation, what happens?”

“The temperature of the forge increases.”

Hmm… she didn’t mention anything about a forge. So this must be an incantation that only Melal can understand. A specialized spirit user for Melal, I suppose. Does it have a purpose? Ah, in battle, having an incantation can make it difficult to predict the movement of spirits. But Mel is a blacksmith.

“It’s, um… well, Mel, listen carefully.”

“Yes, what is it, Master?”

“Well, it’s difficult for me to say, but… chanting isn’t necessary.”

“Huh?”

She looked puzzled, not understanding what I was saying.

“You see, using complicated words only confuses the spirits, so it’s counterproductive. Even the chant you just did wasn’t necessary. Once we make a contract, you just need to ask Melal to raise the temperature of fire.”

“Huh? Huh?”

She started to panic. She had been working hard to learn the chants, so it must have been a shock for her. I would probably be shocked too if I were in Mel’s position.

“But, Master, our family has been passing down these chants for generations, and they have worked well for us.”

“Yeah, well… it’s not entirely meaningless. I think there are some effects that are difficult for enemies to understand when you chant. But, Mel, you’re a blacksmith, right? And Melal can speak normally, so by deepening your communication and talking things out, you can accomplish most things without needing the chants.”

“That’s… I can’t believe it…”

Mel collapsed to the ground, her head hung low. It was the first time I had seen a real-life version of “oz.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s completely useless, so cheer up. Now that we know this, we can do many more things together with Meral.”

“Yes, you’re right. Thank you, Master.”

Mel weakly smiled. It hurts my heart.

“Now, now, there’s no time to mope around. We have to work hard and defeat the monsters.”

I raised my voice and forcefully tried to dispel the gloomy atmosphere. Mel didn’t have time to feel down and mustered up some false energy to go along with it.

After that, I saw her asking Bell and the others for simple favors. She almost fell into despair again, but managed to pull herself together and continue delivering the final blows to the monsters. However, I felt like the power behind the hammer strikes on the monsters’ heads had increased slightly.

Surprised by the mobile base that came out of the magical bag, amazed by the warm food, and diligently studying how to communicate with the spirits with Bell and the others, Mel continued relentlessly smashing the heads of monsters for three days. Finally, her magic rank went up.

“Master, my magic rank has reached C!”

Mel raised both hands high in the air to express her joy.

“That’s great! Now you can make a contract with Melal. Congratulations, Mel.”

I was getting a bit worried that her magic rank wasn’t increasing and her growth had stopped. I focused on targeting trolls midway through to improve efficiency, and somehow it worked out. I even considered asking Silphy to accompany me to the 49th floor and defeat a dragon if necessary.

“Congratulations, Mel-chan!”

Kika embraced Mel. Perhaps because they were similar in height, Kika grew quite fond of Mel. I’ll keep my slight envy a secret.

“Congratulations, Mel-san.”

“Congratulations, Mel-san.”

“Thank you, Kika-chan, Sara-chan, Marco-kun.”

Seeing Mel with tears in her eyes, Sara and the others surrounded her, showering her with words of celebration. It’s quite a heartwarming scene. After spending three days together and sharing meals, Mel and Sara’s group quickly became close.

It was quite challenging for me to learn to communicate with Sara and the others normally. I’m a little jealous. Feeling a bit lonely, I called for Bell and Fukuchan as well and indulged in petting and playing with them to heal my heart. Playing around with Bell and the others is the best way to soothe my soul. After satisfying my desires to play, I called out to Mel and the others.

“Well, it’s a good stopping point. Let’s leave the labyrinth now. We should be able to escape before nightfall.”

When I spoke up, everyone nodded, and we immediately left the labyrinth. Melal and Yunis must be waiting nervously. Well, Unis is probably waiting impatiently.

“Phew. I always feel relieved when we leave the labyrinth.”

“Yuta-san!”

“Huh?”

Why am I being called when we leave the labyrinth? It’s the first time I’ve experienced this, and my thoughts couldn’t keep up for a moment. I’ve never been called out before.

“Mel!”

In a daze, I saw two figures pass by in a hurry.

“Mel! I’m glad you’re safe. Did anything strange happen? Are you okay?”

Yunis clung to Mel, nuzzling her cheek.

“Oh, her magic has grown! It’s enough. Yuta, let’s make the contract right away!”

“Huh? Oh…”

“Yuta-san!”

That’s right. I was being called too. Um, Marie-san and Eltina-san, I think… I somehow managed to grasp the situation. They must have realized that it was me who was selling the materials.

Finally, or rather, I had been waiting for this. There was a time when I considered exposing myself. I’m glad it was revealed without any issues.

“Yuta, let’s make the contract!”

Oh no, Melal is also getting excited and coming over aggressively. It’s quite chaotic. Calm down, me. Thank you, Bell, for patting my head. I’m feeling a bit more composed now.