As I stepped out of the front door, the rain had stopped.
I lifted the giant spider’s torso, bound with rough rope, and carried it through the garden, where a small amount of vegetables and various herbs were planted, to the processing area.
“Taciturn Disciple (Aria), put that on the stand. I’ll just teach you how, and you’ll do it,” Serejula-sama said.
“Understood, Master (Serejula),” I replied.
“First, the legs.”
I placed the giant spider’s torso on the stand and used a dismantling knife to cut off the legs at the base. My master, after processing the first leg and nodding slightly, began the task of removing the eyes from the giant spider’s head, which she had taken out of a bag.
Apparently, spider eyes become a potent nerve toxin when fermented, but I haven’t learned that far yet.
My master is a magician, but she said her real profession is alchemist.
Until now, I had been imitating and decocting herbs and poisonous plants, but I am gradually learning how to make potions.
Also, I had misunderstood, but alchemy doesn’t seem to have skills. Strictly speaking, since materials are refined with Mana, there is a skill level related to that skill, but what is more important in alchemy than that is the amount of knowledge and precision, she said.
By the way, there is cooking in the same category. There seem to be skills for cutting ingredients and judging materials, but that only makes it less likely to fail in cooking, and it doesn’t seem to have much effect on the deliciousness of the dish.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
When I nodded, my master split the giant spider’s abdomen with a hatchet and poured the prepared chemicals into the mucus that would become the base of the thread produced in the body.
This mucus becomes thread when it comes into contact with the air, so it must be processed quickly.
“Now!”
At that signal, I made a small cut on my palm with a knife and dripped the blood inside the spider.
My blood reacted with the chemicals, turning the yellowish-white thread base red, and as I patiently stirred it with a wooden stick, after a while, a mass of reddish-black fibers formed on the end of the stick.
“…Well, it’s a good job. The material is fresh, so it seems to be good quality.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at my master’s words after examining the mass of fibers.
I have told my master about my circumstances, as well as my fighting style.
My master, a Dark Elf, looks about thirty years old, but she is actually over 300 years old. I haven’t been told why that Dark Elf is in this country, but my master said that she can do reconnaissance-type combat as well as magic and alchemy.
The strangely shaped knife with a rhombus-shaped blade at the end of the ring that I was using was also something my master used to use, and I had borrowed about ten of them.
In terms of type, it’s close to the ‘Kunai’ in that woman’s “knowledge,” perhaps. But there is almost no grip, and it seems to be used like a “Hidden Weapon” that can be hidden in the palm of the hand by putting a finger through the ring.
But, after all, my master’s specialty was not close combat, but “Magic.”
She has acquired Light and Dark up to level 4. As for Fire and Wind, she has even acquired up to level 5. Moreover, my master can use “Magic” as a matter of course, not “Magic Arts.”
I thought that Magic Arts were common and Magic was an outdated old technique, but according to my master, anyone who studies Magic Arts will eventually reach Magic.
Perhaps one in several hundred magicians, but ‘Magicians’ certainly exist.
I’m glad I knew now. If I didn’t know, it could be fatal when facing a magician.
If I’ve been taught this much, I can’t say I can’t reveal my hand. On the contrary, I should disclose all my weapons and ask for guidance.
What my master showed interest in with my “weapons” was “Illusion” and “Pendulum.” In particular, my master, who was interested in manipulating blood-mixed thread with Mana, said that I should carefully select the “thread” to use.
It was decided to use monster-type spider thread as the material for the thread. The highest-ranked material for spider-type threads is said to be Arachne, but such things rarely appear on the market.
So, this time, we will use the thread of the Giant Spider that lives around here as the material. It is a medium-to-high quality material, but when processing monster thread, freshness is more important than the type of monster, she taught me.
All the thread that Giant Spiders spit out is viscous thread, but if it is processed with chemicals while it is still in the body, it becomes a strong thread without stickiness.
However, monster-type threads are strong because the monster’s original Mana remains, and when I try to manipulate it with Mana, the Mana of that material gets in the way. If I dye the thread with my blood, I can manipulate it to some extent, but I would probably need a pot full of blood.
So, my master came up with the rough idea of mixing my blood with the monster’s body fluids during processing to make it familiar with my Mana.
Moreover, it seems difficult unless it is within a few hours after death, so I spent more than a month searching for a Giant Spider and finally hunted it down.
“After that, you have to beat the fibers with a stick and loosen them, and then make them into thread little by little yourself. If you let Mana flow through it at that time, the passage of Mana will be even better, so don’t slack off!”
“Got it.”
“Bring it to me when the thread is done. I’ll give it a fire-resistant treatment with alchemy.”
“Okay.”
“Well, before that, it’s time for dinner! It’s decided that the disciple’s job is to prepare dinner, so hurry up and prepare it.”
She’s nagging, but I don’t dislike it. On the contrary, I thought she was kind to take in a disciple like that woman or me, who are unknown people.
I don’t trust others. But… I think I can trust my master as much as I trust Elena.
“——[Purify (Clean)]——”
I cleaned up the processing area and then started preparing the “ingredients.”
In these four months, I had finally acquired [Purify (Clean)] and [Treat], which are level 2 Light Magic spells.
My master, who is studying Magic Arts, knew many “Magic Words.” I learned the Light and Dark words up to level 3 from my master, and by constructing them myself as a task, I was finally able to use the two spells.
The composition of Magic Arts is like being taught only the words and meanings of a completely unknown language and then creating sentences with them. To create new Magic Arts, you have to create short sentences with few words, or spend time and effort researching them, but this time I managed to do it because there was an original sentence.
But my master was not satisfied with just memorizing it, and as an additional task, she ordered me to shorten the spell if I understood the meaning of the words, and I have only been able to shorten it by one or two words in a month.
[Aria (Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 2]
[Mana Capacity: 155/160] 25Up [HP: 92/105] 25Up
[Strength: 5 (6)] [Durability: 6 (7.2)] [Agility: 7 (8.4)] [Dexterity: 7]
[Dagger Arts Lv.1] [Martial Arts Lv.2] [Throwing Lv.2] 1Up [Thread Manipulation Lv.1]
[Light Magic Lv.2] 1Up New [Dark Magic Lv.2] [Non-Attribute Magic Lv.2]
[Utility Magic x6] [Mana Control Lv.2] [Intimidation Lv.2]
[Stealth Lv.2] 1Up [Night Vision Lv.2] 1Up [Detection Lv.2] 1Up [Poison Resistance Lv.1]
[Simple Appraisal]
[Overall Combat Strength: 128 (Body Enhancement in progress: 144)] 30Up
[Light Magic Arts] Level 1 has changed to [Light Magic] Level 2. But that’s not just because of the shortening of Light Magic Arts.
And [Martial Arts] is at level 2, but [Dagger Arts] is still at level 1. It may be because I relied too much on throwing and had few close combat battles, but the main reason is probably that my body is not growing enough.
I have a feeling that it will go up soon, but even if my Mana increases and I grow a little, it seems that it is not yet at that stage.
There are various things about Magic Arts and close combat, but it is more important to process the “ingredients” now.
“——[Treat]——”
After finishing the preparation with not only [Purify (Clean)] but also [Treat], I started dismantling the ingredients—”spider legs”—with a huge hatchet-like knife.
I broke the outer skin and extracted only the muscle part, cut it into bite-sized pieces as if swinging down the knife, and then simmered it over high heat with ginger and herb roots.
I added water many times to prevent it from boiling over, and after removing the odor to some extent, I added more herbs and boiled it for about an hour, then replaced the broth, added sweet medicinal liquor and roughly chopped root vegetables, simmered until soft, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finally added a small amount of lard to complete it.
“…Taciturn Disciple (Aria). You had deer meat, didn’t you? Why are you using spider?”
“Huh? If it’s nutritious, isn’t it all the same?”
“…Do I have to teach you common sense from scratch? That idiot disciple was a real idiot, but at least she could make decent food.”
“I did the processing according to the ‘knowledge,’ but it wasn’t stewed enough.”
I can’t waste precious protein. As I tore off the tough, sinewy meat, my master sighed deeply as she watched me.
“……After you finish eating, we’re going to train with Light Magic, so eat quickly.”
“Understood.”
I was taught two kinds of “Magic” by my master.
Light Magic is equivalent to level 2, and Dark Magic is equivalent to level 3.
The Dark Magic was something I came up with and had my master check and reconstruct, but as expected, with my skill and Mana, I still couldn’t use level 3 Dark Magic properly.
Learning level 2 Light Magic was somehow possible by applying Dark Magic, but this Magic is more difficult to “use” than to learn.
“Here I go. Try to defend properly. –【Fire Arrow】!”
My master, who went out into the garden, fired a 【Fire Arrow】 with chantless Magic.
It’s a level 1 Fire Magic spell, but Fire Magic with high attack power can cause instant death if it hits the wrong spot. But I’m not allowed to avoid it. I put my palm forward and concentrated, constructing the Magic’s composition.
“――【Magic Shield (Shield)】――”
This Magic, like the principle of Dark Magic, binds particles of light to create a circular, plate-shaped ‘Shield of Light.’ It’s an original Magic that my master learned from her master.
Its physical defense is only about as strong as a pane of glass, and it disappears when hit by something like a large stone, but this Magic can defend against attack Magic corresponding to the Mana put into it.
Clang!
When the 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 I created deflected my master’s 【Fire Arrow】, I received a scolding from my master.
“The Mana you put in is too much! Feel the size of the Magic and adjust it!”
When I matched the 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 to the 【Fire Arrow】 that was fired again, the 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 disappeared, making a sound like glass breaking.
“If you feel that the Mana you put in is not enough, deflect it and let it flow!”
“Understood.”
This sound like glass breaking is not an actual sound, but an image sound that only I can hear, and hearing it is proof that the Mana put in is not enough.
Even though this Magic is equivalent to level 2, in theory, it can defend against any Magic if you put in enough Mana. But with my Mana, a shield about 30 centimeters is the limit, and if it’s larger than that, the defense power decreases drastically.
With my current skill and Mana, I can only defend against attack Magic up to level 1, and if I receive a level 2 attack spell, it will not only negate the 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 but also cause slight damage.
If I can’t defend, I have to deflect it. In order to make this shield somewhat physically defensive, I needed the technique of deflecting the Magic itself, using the parrying of actual shields and swords.
Concentration of consciousness to construct the Magic. Instantly discern the type and amount of Mana of the released Magic, put in the appropriate Mana, and change the defense method.
Even one of these is difficult, but doing them all at the same time is extremely difficult. Moreover, maintaining the activated state consumes 1 point of Mana per second, so it will take more time to master it on the spur of the moment.
Still, if I can master this perfectly, it will be a great weapon in a battle against Magicians.
“…The rest is self-study. Dealing with kids is tiring.”
“…Are you okay?”
When my Mana and HP dropped below half, my master ended the training.
It wasn’t because she was worried about me, but because my master’s HP is high, but the consumption of HP seems to be large.
“Don’t let a kid worry about an adult. Also, the Magic you put on your hair is fading. Memorize the effective time by experience.”
“Okay.”
The “ash” that I’m applying to my hair to hide my conspicuous pink hair is not real ash, but an “illusion” created with Dark Magic.
As Viro-san feared, my hair, which had increased in Mana and luster, could no longer hide its shine with ordinary ash. When I consulted my master about this, I was taught several Magic words and given the task of changing my hair color with illusion.
For the time being, I completed the Magic to change my hair color, but it seems that the arrangement of the words was not a sentence, so the consumption of Mana was too large and the effective time became short.
So, I gave up on changing the color of my hair, and by making the Dark particles directly look like ash, I succeeded in extending the effective time and suppressing the luster of my hair.
It deviated from the task given by my master, but I barely passed because it seems that it is important to make such efforts in Magic.
At night, under the light of a Magic Tool lamp using Magic Stones, as I was loosening the fibers to make them into thread while hitting the spider silk fibers with a stick, my master sipped on homemade herbal liquor and told me about that woman.
“That idiot disciple came here when she was fifteen… She was an idiot from that time, suddenly came one day, and said that she had the ‘role of cooperating when the Heroine fights the Evil Race,’ so teach her Magic. To me, an Evil Race?”
“…………”
That woman was like that from the beginning… or rather, from the start.
“Honestly, I could hardly understand that idiot disciple’s nonsense. However, I felt sorry for her foolishness in talking about her delusions with such confidence. I ended up taking pity on her and making her my disciple.”
“Was she serious?”
“She was serious. I can give her credit for that. However… she was terribly fickle, and in the end, everything was half-baked. That such an idiot disciple would create such a strange Magic Stone by using the method of teaching tricks to frogs that ancient Magicians failed at… she might have had talent.”
“Frogs…”
She tried to steal someone else’s body with such vague things…?
Even by chance, she created a Magic Stone that transferred her knowledge with just such vague information, so her talent… no, her ‘obsession’ must have been extraordinary.
It was just that the direction of her efforts was completely off, which was that woman’s misfortune.
Time flows slowly in the quiet Forest.
I have things to do, but living with Serejula-sama gave me a sense of warmth like a family, which I hadn’t felt since my parents died.
Training in Magic and Magic, learning alchemy, hunting Monsters, and training in close combat.
About a month passed while living such a life, and a suspicious “visitor” appeared at this house in the Forest that no ordinary person should know about.
Although my combat power has not increased that much, my basic strength has definitely increased by learning new knowledge, dedicated weapons, and support skills such as alchemy.
Next time, what is the identity of the thing that came to visit? There, Aria makes a decision.