I pull out the "Black Knight"s Evil Crystal" from the "King"s Vessel".
While the crystal Lisette is holding is around the size of a fist, this one is about as big as a human head. Just by looking, this one is probably better.
[Shoumsama is who defeated the "Black Knight". Lisette cannot accept that.]
[Are you serious!?]
I thought it was a joke….but Lisette"s face is earnest. Still, as expected, she"s too stubborn.
[Even if I keep this, I"ve no use for it.]
[Shoumsama doesn"t know the value of "Evil Crystal". If you sell it in town, you"d be able to make a half years" worth of living expense.]
[As brother-in-law and younger sister, I don"t really think it"s necessary to divide the money between us.]
[….Uu.]
[Moreover, my goal is to live carefree until these troubled times end. If less monsters appear around the village, then doesn"t that mean our chance of survival increased?]
[….If you put it like that.]
Lisette is reluctant, but accepts the black crystal.
[Well then, Lisette shall purify this outside. Haruka, please rewrite the magic circle on the floor. Shoumsama… if possible, please help Haruka.]
[Got it. For that, what should I do?]
[Let"s see….. please use a sharp stone or a sword to trace the magic circle onto the floor. Faint marks of it still remain, so we clearly know what it"s supposed to look like. To begin with, the original version has already been lost, so it"s fine if it"s a little off.]
I see, I can do that much. The mana of "King" has recovered a bit, so I can help out.
["Naming Bless", "Tough" and "(metal) Konbou"!]
I pa.s.s the enchanted konbou to Haruka. With it, she strikes the floor using all of her might, but it doesn"t break.
[Aniue-sama"s magic is amazing.]
[It"s just stringing around words.]
I sit on the floor. Line on the stone can be made out by looking closely. Is that the extinguished magic circle?
Lisette steps out with the "Evil Crystal" I gave her. It will now be purified with magic and then used as a mana source.
[…..In the name of "Dragon Blood", purify the distortion.]
I can hear the spell being cast from outside the door.
[Purifying blue flame! "Clear Flare"!!]
Looking over my shoulder, I see a bluish-white flame rush out of Lisette"s palm. It coils around the black crystal and slowly makes it hotter. Black vapor billows from it and rises up into the sky.
[…..That"s also a power of the dragon…. right?]
[Lizu-nee, she can do such amazing things, she should take more pride in herself.]
[Yeah, I feel the same.]
I nod at Haruka"s words.
[Speaking of which, Lisette once said that "even though I inherited dragon blood, I cannot do great things,"…]
[About that, using the Dragon Emperor-sama as a comparison isn"t very fair.]
[Is that so?]
[Take this barrier for example, the Dragon Emperor-sama implemented it once and it maintained itself ever since. That sort of ability is on the level of mythology. Something like that is impossible for us people of this era.]
With those words, Haruka looks at me.
[Although, if it"s Aniue-sama, you can probably do it.]
[I don"t think I can. I can"t even use Lisette"s purifying flame.]
[But what if we teach you?]
[….If I was taught…..then I might be able to do it.]
[I, believe Aniue-sama is secretly a hardworking guy.]
[Based on what?]
[Aniue-sama, you claim to be from another world. However, you"re not anxious in the slightest. You calmly decided to learn about this world. Aniue-sama, if you truly wanted to live a carefree life, you would have returned to the village with everyone. Except, you didn"t. From what I can see, you"re even tracing the magic circle with a lot of care.]
[That"s because I don"t know anything. Having knowledge is always better.]
[Is that how it is? From my perspective, Aniue-sama, you"ve already gotten used to all this.]
How sharp…..Haruka. That"s right, I"ve gotten used to this world without trouble. During my Chunnibyo years, I drew original magic circles and ran around in search of my world"s enemy. On the chance I would have to battle against Espers……I underwent simulation training in my mind.
In addition, after returning to normal, I took exams, went job hunting, and acquired work experience. That makes me a "Chunnibyo with a high ability to process reality". If I look like I"m adapting to this world easily, it"s probably because of that.
[Aniue-sama, I wonder what will happen if you fully learn about this world.]
Kon, kokon, Haruka hits the ground as she laughs.
[Perhaps you could become the king of this world.]
[About that, Haruka.]
[Yes, Aniue-sama?]
[I may have possibly met the Dragon Emperor inside the "Dragon Temple".]
It was inside my dream. He had silver hair and something like horns. After that, I received the skills, "Naming Bless" and "Dragon Pulse". If those powers resemble the Dragon Emperor"s, then who I met is obvious. It was most likely the Dragon Emperor"s final words and skills.
[That"s why, when we go back, I want the first thing you two do is enter the "Dragon Temple". I"d like to check if anything will happen to either of you upon going inside.]
[I can"t go in though…..]
[I"ll open the doors. If I do that, then you and Lisette should be able to enter. Then, we"ll be able to see if your number of skills will increase. If they do, I believe they"ll be helpful contribution to our survival.]
[But, Lizu-nee is very earnest… She"ll probably say that she wants to preserve and enter with her own power.]
[It"s quite strange.]
Truthfully, the skills of the "Dragon Emperor" are full of mysteries. If Lisette has the same potential inside of her, this could let us discover a way to access it.
Meanwhile, I continue to trace the lines of the magic circle. Even though Haruka said the lines are shallow, they"re clearly than I expected. The safety of the village will be decided by how well this goes. I"ll trace even the most minute of details.
[…..Aniue-sama.]
Fuwa, Haruka"s breathing brushes against my cheeks. She"s gazing at me from up close before I could even notice.
[Don"t you think your meticulousness is somewhat strange? Towards this magic circle?]
[Really?]
[Yeah, you"re making lines and shapes likes these when there"s nothing left on the floor.]
[? Even though there are some left.]
[There are some?]
[It"s slowly rising up to the surface. Right here, traces of where mana pa.s.sed….]
Traces of where mana pa.s.sed? Eh….? Why can I see something like that?
[Can"t you see it, Haruka?]
[I can only see what"s been etched into the stone?]
Haruka is so close that her nose is just about to touch me,…… too close, too close.
[About that, Aniue-sama. The "Dragon Emperor"-sama used the mana flowing through the ground when he drew the mamono repelling magic circle. That"s what the legends say.]
[The mana flowing through the ground?]
[Could it be that you, Aniue-sama, can see such things?]
……..No way, could this be the power of "Dragon Pulse"?
Rather than that, I recognize the design of this magic circle. To be precise, it"s no different from the magic circles in the books I dedicated my self to studying during my Chunnibyo years back on Earth. I often wrote original "Repel Evil" magic circles in my notebook and made them more sophisticated by borrowing books from the library.
The magic circles of this world are based around the same core. Furthermore, since I"ve trained the ability to perceive mana in a mana poor world, I developed a powerful sensitivity towards mana perception. Therefore, even though this magic circle is old, I can still read the mana flow, probably.
[….Somewhat.]
The chunnibyo age me—"Kiryouou Shouma". I endeavoured to awaken skills in my original world to completely no avail. If I had just poured a bit of my efforts into another direction, I might have been able to adapt myself to it and live a normal life.
[That"s fine, Aniue-sama.]
Without my noticing, Haruka is laughing.
[I really like this sort of Aniue-sama. You"re clumsy and gentle. Just perfect.]
[Is another rule of this world that younger sister-in-laws straightforwardly give their brothers affection?]
[Saa, Who knows?]
With those words, Haruka runs a hand through her red hair.
[If you stay with us, maybe you"ll find out sooner or later, Aniue-sama!]
The smile she presents fills me with embarra.s.sment.
In the end, we need around 1 hour to finish drawing the magic circle.
Chapter 19.1>