Chapter 41

Will stood at the entrance of the classroom, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing the secret that his mother had given him.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Rin, the young spirit girl, Elise, reported in turn, and Shiro groaned.

Will, who was standing next to him, looked dejected.

"So? Why is Will looking so dejected?"

Shiro squatted down and stroked Will's head.

"Elise got mad because I showed her the grasshopper."

Will, with tears in the corners of his eyes, sniffled, and Shiro smiled.

"I'm sorry. I was so surprised that I screamed..."

"No, this time it's Will's fault."

While stroking Will's head, Shiro smiled at Elise.

Even though he could cast a bizarre spell that made it hard to tell what attribute it was, Will was still a three-year-old child.

"Will, it's not nice to bring bugs to girls, you know?"

"..."

"Many girls are afraid of bugs. They might think you're being mean."

"...Okay."

"If you understand, go release the grasshopper in the corner of the garden."

"...Okay."

Will caught the grasshopper with both hands and ran to the corner of the garden with Levi.

Watching his back, Shiro sighed with a smile.

"Still, you did a good job."

Ratts marveled at Will's clone.

The four clones of Will seemed to reflect his feelings, each looking dejected or sulking.

They were so well-made that it was impossible to tell which one was the real Will.

"Clayman is balanced in both offense and defense, and is quite strong in hand-to-hand combat..."

Morgan explained that it was most effective when you wanted to gain distance or increase the number of attacks.

It was also a good match for Serena, who aspired to be a mage.

"The Water Mirror of the Morning Mist has no physical form, so it's not suitable for close combat. However, it can incorporate one spell, which can enhance long-range combat and overall offensive and defensive capabilities."

Elise then explained the details of the spell.

Everyone's gaze turned to the dejected clones of Will.

"So, let me get this straight..."

John put his hand to his chin and groaned.

"These clones of the prince are physical Claymen that enhance mobility, can handle close combat, use magic, and are also effective in long-range combat..."

What kind of all-purpose magic is that? Does it have any weaknesses?

Claymen and golems can regenerate from minor damage by collecting soil from their surroundings, as long as their core isn't destroyed.

High regenerative ability is one of the characteristics of Claymen.

"Right now, it seems to have the detection ability of Edil's幻兽..."

Everyone was dumbfounded by Ren's explanation.

Phantom beasts have no incantation.

Phantom beasts possess abilities that match their physical characteristics, which are utilized as the contractor's personal skills.

In other words, the contractor can use the magic that the phantom beast can use.

In other words, Will had learned the magic of a phantom beast he hadn't even contracted.

"So, how is that possible? Shard?"

The fastest way to get information about phantom beasts is to ask a phantom beast.

The Wind Shard hummed thoughtfully but answered smoothly.

"As long as it's not too complex, it should be possible."

According to the Wind Shard, if the flow of magic can be seen, it's possible to mimic phantom beast magic without an incantation.

However, it's unclear how accurate this can be.

For detection magic, even if you can sense something, determining what it is requires experience.

Experience can't be mimicked, and Will has no experience.

"Well, it's just right to let him play with it."

If it's not an attack spell, the risk of hurting someone is reduced.

It's still out of the ordinary, though.

When Shiro turned his gaze back to Will's clones, they had stopped their dejected motions.

"......?"

"What's wrong?"

Nina looked at Will's clones curiously.

The clones had question marks floating above their heads, as if they were puzzled.

Seeing this, everyone looked puzzled.

A mysterious space had been created.

"Will?"

Shiro turned to Will, who had stopped in the middle of the garden.

---

Will had been scolded by Ren.

When he used the search magic, he found and caught a moving insect.

It was jumping in his hand, so he immediately knew it was a grasshopper.

Excited, he brought it in front of Elise's face, and she was so surprised that she fell over.

It was funny.

And her underwear was completely visible. It was white.

Father said it's not good to show bugs to girls.

They might think you're being mean.

But it wasn't true.

Still, he would be more careful from now on.

He didn't want anyone to think he was being mean.

While thinking about this, Will reached the edge of the garden and released the grasshopper.

The grasshopper jumped and landed on the grass.

"See you, grasshopper."

Will said this, turned around, and ran back to where everyone was still gathered, talking about something.

(I wonder if there are any more bugs around?)

Will stopped.

Today, everyone was practicing magic in the garden.

If he left the bug, someone might see it.

(Girls shouldn't see bugs, right?)

Will thought there were more girls than boys in his family.

There were definitely more girls than boys.

It would be safer to drive the bugs away now.

Thinking this, Will used the detection magic.

A ripple of magic spread out from Will.

(I can't do it as well as Brown can...)

Will's detection range was only about ten meters.

Brown could detect the entire house in an instant.

"Hmm...?"

The detection ripple caught something, and Will tilted his head.

There was something in the middle of the garden to his left.

But when he turned to look, there was nothing there.

(It's in the ground...)

It was too big to be a bug.

Even compared to animals, it was large.

All Will could tell was that something was hiding in the ground, holding its breath.

He slowly approached where it was.

Levi, who was running alongside him, seemed to notice as well.

Will and Levi squatted in front of it.

By this point, Will knew what it was.

(It's mana...)

It was hard to see, but it was definitely mana.

And it was unnaturally concentrated.

It was hard to see because the mana was hiding its presence.

Clearly, it was acting with intent.

Will recognized this feeling.

"Um...?"

When Will called out, the mana shuddered.

It turned its attention to Will and tried to retreat hurriedly.

"Wait! Don't go!"

Will called out to the mana that was trying to escape.

The mana stopped, looking very sad.

But it still seemed wary and stayed at a distance.

(What should I do... It's going to run away...)

Will blamed himself.

It was his fault. He had startled it, and now it was scared and trying to run away.

He thought of ways to make amends.

Then, he had an idea.

"Cookie!"

The loud voice made the mana shudder.

Levi, who was next to him, also shuddered.

"Let's eat a cookie together!"

The tense atmosphere seemed to ease at Will's suggestion.

After a moment, a hesitant reply came.

《...Cookie?》

Will's face lit up when he heard the voice.

"Yes! It's really delicious! Stella makes them for us!"

《...》

The owner of the voice seemed to be hesitating.

Delicious cookies were very effective.

"Will? What's going on?"

Shiro, the Wind Shard, and the young spirit girl approached Will, who was making a fuss.

The mana shuddered again.

"Hmm..."

The Wind Shard sniffed, sensing the presence.

Shiro also stopped, noticing the presence.

"There's no need to be afraid. There are no villains here who would try to capture you."

The mana's reaction intensified at the Wind Shard's words.

It was still hesitant, though.

《Ah!》

The young spirit girl, who noticed last, exclaimed.

《Why are you here?》

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle at the spirit girl, who was completely ignoring her own situation.

"Come out and be friends with Will."

Will pleaded earnestly, and the presence gave in.

It stopped hiding and emerged from the ground, slipping out like it was part of the earth.

《Cookie...》

A slightly emotionless expression.

A young spirit girl with brown hair stood there.