Chapter 643: The Cause
I’m aware that I lack the skills necessary to live as an Adventurer.
Thanks to my Production Talent, I can quickly grasp knowledge and pick up techniques, but my experience is woefully insufficient. At first, I was doing everything by hand, but as I grew accustomed to the presence of Spirits, I started to take the easy route and ended up relying on them.
Having lived in Japan for over a decade, being suddenly thrown into a world where such skills are essential might have something to do with it. Before I could develop the habit of doing things myself, I became dependent on the Spirits.
I should increase my manual work a bit more. I need my fingers and body to remember how to do things. I also have to gather both materials and Spirits, so I can’t just take my time doing that.
“What’s wrong?”
Ash looked at me.
“Oh, I was just thinking I want to move around like Dean and the others, without relying on the Spirits.”
“Shall we head to the Demon Forest then?”
“Yeah, let’s return to basics for a bit.”
Sometimes, I need to act without the Spirits and regain the feel of my body. I was worried that if I became too familiar with the Spirits, my mind would be pulled into becoming more Spirit-like, but it seems more likely that my body will pull my Spirit-oriented mind back.
“The Magic Stone here is fine. The displacement was significant, but it’s not a problem for a Magic Circle of this size.”
Haulon confirmed.
“Then I’ll fill it back in as it was.”
Dinoss said, quickly getting to work with Dean and the others.
Next up, the next Magic Stone.
“It’s misaligned.”
“Wasn’t the last one more misaligned?”
Chris looked puzzled at Haulon’s words.
“It’s misaligned inside the box that holds the Magic Stone.”
Haulon said, furrowing his brow as the others leaned in to see.
“Wow, it really is off-center.”
As Dinoss pointed out, unlike the other items that were centered, this one was pushed to one side of the box, almost sticking to the surface.
The Magic Stones I’ve seen so far were filled with white sand in a box about twenty centimeters square, with the stone sitting in the center.
“Doesn’t it look like it moved through the sand?”
The stone itself had shifted, rather than the sand tilting with it.
“From the looks of the sand, that seems to be the case.”
Retze chimed in.
“…”
Haulon pulled out a map and some tools to investigate.
“Direction?”
“Yes. And the density of the Spirits—though the shadows are a bit of a hindrance.”
Haulon answered while working.
“Sorry about that.”
Dean, who had been peering in, apologized and stepped back.
“No, it’s the Black Shadow here that’s the issue.”
Haulon said, marking something on the map.
After all, the Black Spirit that’s attached is still a Spirit.
“I’m sorry, Jean. It’s true that the tremors of the earth caused the box to shift, but the direct cause is Shulm.”
Haulon looked up and said.
“Shulm never does anything good. I don’t even know what he did.”
Dean crossed his arms, fuming.
“It’s the Light Spirit. This technique inherently gets influenced by the Light Spirit. Shulm’s Guardian is the Light Spirit, right? That Spirit has gained strength, and the retainers are gathering. And nearby, other Spirits are being devoured by the puppets—so the Magic Stone closest to Shulm was pulled.”
Haulon said, rubbing his cheek with a troubled expression.
It seems I’m innocent! Or at least, I want to say that, but the Spirits that tend to be drawn to Shulm’s King’s Branch are being kept in check by their names! But if they go, they’ll just be eaten by the puppets, so I guess I’m still innocent!
“So, if we put this back, will it just get pulled again?”
“Indeed.”
I sighed in response to Retze’s confirmation.
“Moreover, the Light Spirit will continue to grow stronger, right? Even if we put it back, the intervals at which it gets pulled will keep getting shorter. Other Magic Stones might also be affected.”
“Fixing it would be pointless then.”
Ash’s brow furrowed deeper.
“Why not make it something more stable instead of sand? Like solidifying it?”
“That won’t work. This Magic Stone is the favorite sleeping place of the Spirit that’s resting within it. If it wakes up and moves due to discomfort, it’ll be caught by the Black Shadow in no time.”
Haulon dismissed Chris’s idea.
He even explains why it won’t work. Inside the Magic Stone, the Spirit of the Morning Sun, mixed with the Spirit of Sleepiness, is curled up with the Magic Circle. The Spirit that loves to doze off will change into a different Spirit once fully awakened.
Since coming here, I’ve been going to bed early, and thanks to Rishu’s walking routine, waking up early isn’t a bother anymore, but I understand the desire to stay in bed all morning.
“If only there were more Spirits other than the Light Spirits between this place and the Land of Ruin, we could mask the presence of the Light Spirits, but the Black Spirits here and Shulm’s puppets also absorb Spirits…”
Haulon’s words indicated that the two countries and the sea between them have fewer Spirits compared to others.
“Should I draw a Magic Circle on the eastern side of this stone box to block the presence of the Light Spirits?”
“Can you draw a Magic Circle that will activate in this location, Jean?”
Haulon looked at me.
“Yeah. I can do that.”
The necessary Spirit presence is only within the Magic Stone and the Lamp.