Chapter 8

The girl raised her head and began to introduce herself.

“I’m Iris Silverblade, a candidate for a Mage Knight.”

“I see. So you came to the forest for practical training.”

“Yes... but it’s actually a remedial class...”

“Remedial class?”

“I’m a bit of a failure and at risk of being held back. I’m doing this practical training to gather herbs in the forest to make up for my grades.”

Iris looks like she’s in her early teens. She’s probably a student. While some parts of her body show a growth that doesn’t quite match her age, let’s put that aside. She’s a beautiful girl with black hair and striking golden eyes.

Shuu tilted his head at Iris’s explanation.

“Then why are you in the middle of the forest? Herbs grow in the shallower parts. What are you doing here?”

“Huh!? I didn’t realize I had gone so deep...”

“...”

Shuu understood.

This girl must be directionally challenged.

“Can you find your way back alone?”

“I, I’m not confident I can.”

“At least you’re aware of your problem, which is better than nothing...”

If he left her alone, she might get lost again. If she encountered a monster and died, it would be a bad start to the day. Shuu isn’t particularly averse to humans; he used to be one, so he can sympathize to some extent.

“Alright. I’ll take you to the edge of the forest.”

“Really!?”

“I’m not that heartless. This way.”

Shuu started walking, and Iris hurried to follow.

Once she had a bit more confidence, Iris began to ask Shuu questions.

“So, are you a Mage Knight, Shuu? You fell from the sky just now. Do you have some kind of ability?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh, but there’s a fourth-tier wind attribute spell called ‘Sky Soar.’ Is that it?”

“It’s a secret.”

Since Shuu has no intention of becoming friends, he casually brushes off Iris’s questions.

Realizing he won’t answer, Iris started talking about herself.

“I became a candidate for a Mage Knight last year, but I’m not good at manipulating magic. I can only use the first-tier wind attribute spell ‘Shock,’ and even that fails when I get nervous... That’s why I’m called a failure.”

“Huh.”

“But my magic power is A-rank! That’s something I can be proud of!”

“A-rank, huh? That’s a lot.”

“I have the highest rank among my classmates.”

Mage Knights are evaluated based on magic power, magic manipulation ability, and the strength of their magical equipment. These factors determine the rank of a Mage Knight candidate after graduation.

Iris’s A-rank magic power is quite impressive.

“But I can’t manipulate magic for some reason. I always get an F. I have so much magic power, but I can’t use magic.”

“You have magical equipment. You don’t need to focus only on magic.”

“No, my magical equipment has no offensive capabilities.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Magical equipment materializes magic power and manifests specific abilities. These abilities often converge into visible forms like weapons or armor, which almost always have offensive capabilities.

However, that’s not always the case.

“My magical equipment is an expansion type. It materializes with me as the core. The ability is immortality. As long as I have magic power, I can’t die or age no matter how much damage I take.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Yes, but without offensive capabilities, I’m a useless Mage Knight unless I learn magic.”

Shuu was genuinely surprised.

He didn’t expect there to be a magical equipment that granted immortality.

He usually avoided getting involved with humans, but he started to think it might be better to investigate more thoroughly. Now that he can materialize as a spirit, it might be beneficial to blend in with humans and gather knowledge.

“Immortality...”

Shuu wondered about himself. As a spirit-type monster, he is probably immune to aging. He isn’t immortal, but he is ageless.

It had been about a year since he became a ghost, and he felt he had been living too hastily.

He has plenty of time.

It’s okay to waste some time.

This thought gave him a bit more ease.

“By the way, are you really a Mage Knight, Shuu?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Ugh—”

Iris puffed out her cheeks like a child.

Well, she is a child, being in her early teens. Mage Knight candidates can start at age twelve, so first-year Iris is around that age.

(Well, she’s a kid. I don’t need to be serious with her.)

Even if she’s a child, Shuu has no intention of revealing anything that could put him at a disadvantage. It’s best if she accepts him as a mysterious young man.

Iris continued to ask questions, and Shuu continued to dodge them. Eventually, they returned to the shallower part of the forest.

“We’re almost there. I’ll see you off here.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going back to town?”

“I only came to see you off. I have things to do.”

“I’m sorry.”

It was a lie.

Shuu is extremely idle.

However, if he admitted to being idle, he might be bombarded with more questions, so he lied.

(Feeling guilty when she apologizes... Wait, something’s there.)

Shuu sensed something with his magic perception and stopped Iris with a gesture. She tilted her head, unable to sense anything, but the presence soon appeared.

A plant-type monster emerged from the shadows, moving its thick vines.

“It’s a Touch Demon Vine.”

“That’s a low-tier monster, right?”

Shuu didn’t know.

He was impressed that she knew.

“Whatever. It’s in the way.”

Shuu activated the spell “Void Slash Field.” A magic circle spread from Shuu, and the Touch Demon Vine was caught within its range.

Instantly, the magic power was drained and a disintegration spell activated, slicing the Touch Demon Vine in half.

For Shuu, who is already a high-tier, the magic power gained from the Touch Demon Vine is negligible. At best, it recovers the amount used for the “Void Slash Field.”

Shuu moved on without a second thought.

However, Iris was different.

“W-What is that!?”

“...? Why are you making a fuss?”

“Well, the spell you used... I’ve never seen or heard of it. The clean cut suggests it’s a wind attribute spell. The size of the magic circle suggests it’s a sixth-tier spell. But the sixth-tier wind attribute spell is supposed to be ‘Storm Wall.’”

Honestly, Shuu doesn’t understand the concept of wind attributes or sixth tiers.

His spells are self-taught.

Shuu classifies spells by fundamental phenomena, not attributes. The “Void Slash Field” is simply a combination of field setting, magic guidance, and disintegration.

“What do you mean, Shuu!?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Again with that—!”

Iris continued to bombard Shuu with questions, but he refused to answer. Especially for the “Void Slash Field,” which is his trump card, he has no intention of revealing its mechanism.

By the time they exited the Eldera Forest,

“Here we are.”

“The questions aren’t over yet!”

“Go home quickly. You won’t get lost from here, right?”

The nearby city was visible from here. Even if Iris was directionally challenged, she wouldn’t get lost. Shuu turned 180 degrees and headed back into the forest.

However, Iris wasn’t giving up.

“Wait, please!”

“I told you to go home.”

Shuu activated a teleportation spell without further ado. Iris was forcibly moved at a constant speed toward the city.

“Waaaaaah! What is this!?”

Ignoring her screams, Shuu returned to the forest.

◆◆◆

Shuu generally spends his days idly in the depths of the Eldera Forest. Since he has no specific tasks other than practicing magic manipulation, he naturally ends up doing this.

As a spirit, Shuu has no appetite, sexual desire, or need for sleep, so he has no particular desires. Therefore, he allows himself to waste his days doing nothing.

He was a bit anxious about his human knowledge, but as a spirit, he can rely on his instincts, so it’s not a big deal.

(I wonder what’s happening with my human side.)

He deployed a large-scale magic circle in the dim forest and killed a paladin in the royal cemetery.

He wonders how he is perceived among humans now. It’s been over half a year, so he’s probably forgotten by the general public.

Rumors last for 75 days.

Investigating now wouldn’t yield much information.

(Well, either way, it’s impossible for me to blend into the city without money or common sense.)

Becoming a monster, he realized his current position is quite comfortable.

Even as the top of the demon and pig-demon hierarchy, he’s just a strong boss. They live their lives, and Shuu doesn’t have to do anything.

In this position, he even finds monsters somewhat endearing.

(Well, let’s patrol the forest and look for rogue monsters today.)

Unlike the dim forest, the Eldera Forest occasionally has relatively strong monsters. Shuu accumulates magic power by defeating them and simultaneously protects the safety of the settlements.

As a spirit, Shuu floats and expands his magic perception.

At least one rogue monster appears daily, making this a daily routine.

(Ah, there’s one today.)

If he floats around for a few hours, he’ll naturally find a rogue monster. This is possible thanks to his magic perception; without it, he might not find one even after a day.

Shuu descended following the detected presence, passing through the branches and leaves to the ground.

There, Iris Silverblade was bound by Illusory Flowers.

She didn’t seem to notice Shuu. Her mouth was covered by tentacles, and she was being tightly restrained in a dangerous manner. Thanks to her immortality, it had turned into a kind of torture. Normally, the paralyzing poison from the tentacles would make her lose consciousness, but her ability seems to recover even from status effects.

“Mmm—!”

(What is she doing...)

Shuu materialized and used “Void Slash Field” to tear the Illusory Flowers apart.

Feeling a decent amount of magic power accumulate, he called out to the freed Iris.

“Do you have a hobby of getting attacked by monsters?”

“T-That’s Shuu!? No, that’s not true! I don’t have any such perverted hobby!”

Shuu looked at Iris with a disappointed expression.