Chapter 49: Fable Magic
“Hello, Natsume-kun.”
The next day, Shi-chan came to the Private Dungeon.
“Yo, Shi-chan. Sounds like you went through a lot.”
“Yeah, sorry for crying yesterday. I showed you an embarrassing side of me.”
“No, not at all.”
I conveyed my honest feelings.
“It just means you were thinking about us that seriously, right? Now it’s our turn to respond.”
“Ah…”
Then, Shi-chan…
“…Natsume-kun, you haven’t changed.”
“Really? Manamin told me the opposite…”
She really hit some sore spots…
But Shi-chan smiled brightly.
“No, to me, Natsume-kun hasn’t changed. You’re kind, positive, and everyone’s leader, you know? I think I might understand Tama-chan’s feelings a little…”
“Otama-chan’s?”
“N-no, it’s nothing!”
“…?”
Her name came up so suddenly.
“Well now, I’m looking forward to today~”
Shi-chan said, her voice a little flat.
Well, I don’t really get it, but no need to press the issue.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
Both Otama-chan and Manamin manifested skills as a result of doing what they liked.
Shi-chan should also do what she wants.
Then, Shi-chan took out a paperback book from her pouch.
“Since I have the chance, I thought I’d like to read a book leisurely… I feel bad spending time alone even though I’m with you, Natsume-kun…”
“It’s not bad at all. I’m just here feeding the Imomushi Mister Donut.”
Shi-chan is always busy, after all.
I want her to relax at least for today.
“Thank you, Natsume-kun.”
“Did you bring books you read when you were a child?”
“Yeah. I brought books by Kenji Miyazawa.”
“Huh…”
I’ve only ever read “Yamanashi,” which was in our textbook.
And I only know “Night on the Galactic Railroad” by name.
“And some mini picture books too…”
“Nice, sounds fun.”
With all that exam studying, she probably didn’t have time to reread books like these.
“I’m the one who initiated aiming for an A-Rank Party, after all. I need to contribute to everyone too!”
Shi-chan made a small fist pump.
“Haha, don’t push yourself too hard. Besides, don’t you think you’re more likely to acquire a skill if you don’t put too much pressure on yourself?”
I have a feeling that’ll lead to a better outcome.
“Yeah… maybe so. I’ll take some time for myself today, then.”
“Yeah, let’s take it easy.”
And so, we headed to the “Home” inside the dungeon.
☆★☆
“Kyuuii!”
“There, there, eat up.”
In the “Home’s” garden, I fed Mister Donut to the Imomushi that creates the 《Wormhole》.
I’d bought twenty of various kinds, but they were disappearing in no time.
“You’ve got a good appetite.”
“Kyui! Kyui!”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t given this Imomushi a name.
Spending this much time together, you naturally get attached.
“Guess I’ll give you a name…”
I thought for a bit.
“Hmm, Imo-chan, Wamu-chan, Nyoro-chan…”
None of them feel quite right.
“Maybe I’ll think based on its physical characteristics… Colorful, with a squiggly body… Ah.”
I’ve got it.
“Karl-chan…”
“Karl” as in “curl” for its bent shape, and the sound is similar to “colorful.”
“Alright, from today, you’re Karl-chan. This is a celebration. Eat up!”
“Kyuuii!”
Karl-chan turned towards me and wiggled its head.
It really does seem like it understands what I’m saying.
“There, there.”
It’s quite cute.
“Now then…”
The Mister Donut box was empty.
Shi-chan will probably still take a while to read her book.
“Maybe I’ll do a lap around the dungeon…”
“Kyui!”
Karl-chan the Imomushi twitched its antennae and returned to its alternate dimension.
“It’s so cute. Well then…”
Just as I was about to start walking towards the forest area.
“Natsume-guuun—!!”
“Wah…!”
Shi-chan burst out of the Home’s entrance, crying.
“What’s wrong, Shi-chan!? Did something happen!?”
“I learned a skiiiill! Waaah!”
Shi-chan grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.
“Thank yooou, Natsume-guuun—!”
“Wh-why are you crying!?”
“It’s because Campanella…!”
“H-hey, calm down! Okay!”
…After I slowly heard her out, this was what happened.
・The moment she finished reading one paperback, she achieved “Finished Reading a Book Inside the Dungeon” and learned a new skill.
・The skill name is 【Fable Magic】.
・Right now, she can use 《Yamanashi》, 《The Restaurant of Many Orders》, 《Kaze no Matasaburo》, and 《Night on the Galactic Railroad》.
・She was crying because she was moved by reading “Night on the Galactic Railroad.”
“S-sorry, Natsume-kun… I showed you an embarrassing side of me again…”
“No, I was just surprised. Man, you read fast. It’s only been about fifteen minutes.”
“Eh…? I thought I was reading for about three hours… Ah.”
Shi-chan looked back at the “Home.”
“N-Natsume-kun! Come here for a sec! Maybe…”
“H-hey…”
Shi-chan pulled me by the hand into her room inside the “Home.”
“I knew it…!”
“What’s wrong?”
Other than the book on the desk, it looked the same as when I entered before.
I couldn’t tell the difference.
Then, Shi-chan…
“Natsume-kun, look at the flower on the desk.”
“Flower…?”
On the desk, there was a single rose in a vase.
The rose was withered and its head was drooping.
“It looks like it’s about to die…”
“No, that’s not it.”
Shi-chan tried to pick up the rose vase, but it seemed stuck to the desk.
Next, she tried to lift the rose itself, but that too seemed to be fixed in place by a mysterious force.
“It seems so…”
“Did you figure something out?”
“Yeah.”
Shi-chan said, touching the rose with her fingertip.
“—This flower, it’s a magic item.”
“This flower?”
Honestly, it just looks like a normal rose.
“…Apparently, it only activates when you’re sitting at this desk. An effect that slows down the time around you… Should I call it a ‘Flower of Time’?”
“Such an amazing effect…!?”
There’s an Elixir in the fridge, what is this dungeon…?
“It doesn’t seem like you can carry it around, though… In a London dungeon, they found a pocket watch that can slow down the flow of time for everyone but the user. The owner hasn’t put it up for sale, but I think there was a buyout offer for over ten billion yen.”
“That’s incredible…”
My brain can’t even keep up with the number of digits in that amount anymore.
“A time-slowing effect just for reading… Maybe this flower will become usable again if it absorbs water from the vase?”
“I hope so…”
A magic item just for relaxing.
What a luxurious use for it.
“Natsume-kun, Natsume-kun! I’m getting really excited! I want to try out 【Fable Magic】 outside too!”
“Alright, alright. We have plenty of time, so let’s not rush.”
“Okay!”
And so, Shi-chan and I moved to the pastoral area.
☆★☆
“Okay, I’ll try it out. I think I’ll go with the most peaceful-looking one.”
“Yeah, it should be fine here.”
“Okay, here I go… 【Fable Magic】 《Yamanashi》!”
“Oh…!”
For a moment, the inside of the dungeon was dyed white.
And when I opened my eyes.
“This is…”
—The inside of the dungeon was submerged at the bottom of water.
A gentle light, like moonlight, poured down from the sky.
White bubbles floated up towards the sky, pop, pop.
But, I could breathe.
My vision wasn’t blurry, and if anything, my movements were normal.
“What is this…”
“Ah, Natsume-kun, look up!”
“Up…?”
—Plop!
Looking up, a pear about the size of a giant rolling ball, trailing countless bubbles, fell to the bottom of the water.
Near the pear that fell to the ground, a parent and child crab were waving their claws joyfully.
“…It’s just like it was in the textbook.”
Does Shi-chan’s magic recreate the world of fables?
Then, Shi-chan…
“Natsume-kun… I figured it out after using it. 【Fable Magic】 is what you’d call a field deployment magic. 《Yamanashi》 seems to grant auto-regeneration (Regen) to all allies, speed reduction to all enemies, and enhances water-attribute damage across the entire field.”
“That’s amazing…!”
It’s a pretty large-scale effect.
Since we can move normally without water resistance, it seems like it would have good synergy with Otama-chan, the 【Water User】.
“Alright, let’s try the other magics… huh?”
“It’s beautiful… I want to stay here forever…”
Shi-chan was looking up at the sky with an entranced expression.
“…Well, I guess it’s fine.”
I was the one who told her to take it easy today.
I also watched the bubbles floating up to the sky with Shi-chan.
Suddenly, I remembered a passage from “Yamanashi” that was in the textbook.
“Clammbon laughed, ‘Kapu-kapu.'”
I wonder who Clammbon was?
Thinking about such things, I enjoyed the world of 【Fable Magic】.