“It’s ready.”
How much time had passed since then?
I felt that the time spent waiting with Evia in the waiting room outside the research area was both long and fleeting, as if it had passed in the blink of an eye when the moment arrived.
The Giant King reappeared, his massive body swaying, his heavy footsteps echoing.
“Tanaka Jiro, I am grateful for your involvement with this unknown spell.”
“No, I was the one who was helped. Thank you.”
I received my companion back from his massive arm.
A magic circle was faintly drawn on the blade of my now-white companion. This kind of engraving, which might have been chipped away during a battle of offense and defense, felt subtly different when I gently ran my hand over the blade.
“The magic circle has been etched into its blade by my magic. As long as the weapon itself does not decay, its functions will not be impaired.”
Perhaps he was happy that I noticed the difference. Although his first impression was that he wasn’t very talkative, the Giant King became quite eloquent when discussing weapons.
“We Giants converse with iron. It was our daily life to swing our hammers and speak to it, receiving answers in return. However, this blade spoke to me on its own. It was a truly valuable experience.”
I looked intently at the Giant King’s face, trying to gauge his reasons. His facial muscles seemed to be frozen, but his eyes shone brightly within his rock-like features.
Was he excited about meeting my companion, the Ore Tree?
“I am ashamed that until now, I had no interest in this plant, which is said to be a bane to weapon shops and unnecessary for blacksmiths, as if it denies our Giant race. It is natural that there are good iron and bad iron, and the Ore Tree is no exception to this principle.”
Or rather, should I say that he overcame his prejudice against the unknown?
His regret at not having interacted with the Ore Tree, while mentioning its various aliases, made him appear the same as someone who, after disliking a food based on its appearance and never trying it, then discovers how delicious it is.
“My life has been a cycle of discovery and development. Among all of that, today’s event will undoubtedly be an unforgettable day.”
And then, his uncharacteristically verbose speech concluded with the slow extension of his enormous right hand.
“You who have forged the Ore Tree, Tanaka Jiro, we Giants bestow our respect upon the one who has shared wisdom and experience with us.”
As I slowly took his hand, he returned the grip with a firmness befitting his size.
But why was he so deeply moved?
My companion can express minor intentions, but it shouldn’t be enough to move someone at the pinnacle of craftsmanship like him.
“As long as that Ore Tree exists, I will not have any reason to swing my hammer at you regarding my own weapons. When you create a weapon that surpasses that one, I would very much like you to see it.”
This person, wasn’t he one of the top, if not *the* top, blacksmith in the Demon Lord’s Army?
Why was he giving my Ore Tree such high praise, as if it were the ultimate weapon?
The more I listened, the more questions I had.
I had simply swung the Ore Tree, channeling magic through it.
Yet, his reaction was completely contrary to his initial demeanor, leaving me bewildered.
Why had this happened?
As if sensing my continued confusion, Evia interjected from the side.
“Warlock, I understand what you want to say, but later. We have our own circumstances.”
“Hmm, is that so? Then, Evia, we’ll discuss the matter of our debt later.”
“Do so.”
When told that they had plans of equal importance, even a Seven General couldn’t prolong the conversation.
I felt relief as my hand was released and watched the departing giant’s back, and then…
“Thank you. Is he always like that?”
“No, it’s unusual for him to be so fixated. At first, he seemed surprised by the Ore Tree mixed with Dragon Bone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Put it aside for now. Jiro, for starters, try to see if the intended function works. Even with his skill, there’s no ‘in case’ of error, but still, confirm it.”
“Understood.”
Now that I had obtained a method to save Suella, there was no need to talk at length.
As Evia instructed, I connected with the Ore Tree with a familiar sensation.
Roots extended from the hilt and entwined around my arm.
Then, as usual, I began to circulate magic power.
“How is it?”
“…It’s to the extent that I’m wondering if this is how different it can be.”
“That much of a difference?”
“Yeah, this is truly amazing.”
And indeed, the sensation in terms of magic power was so different that I could clearly feel it.
Normally, the process of gaining magic power is not very noticeable, like breathing.
It’s simply like taking air into your lungs and exhaling.
It’s as if you understand the process and can estimate the amount.
However, the Ore Tree, integrated with the Sage’s spell, was vastly different.
It’s like having two sources for magic recovery, or perhaps absorbing magic from my arm.
The purity of my magic power increased at more than twice the usual speed, and I felt no drain on my magic.
Normally, I would feel some magic consumption while increasing purity, but I didn’t feel any of it at all.
“Alright, then all that’s left is for me to perform the contract. Stay connected as you are.”
“Understood.”
Witnessing its performance, Evia judged that this would work and took out a piece of parchment.
“What is that?”
“It’s a scroll. It’s a bit too restrictive to deploy the spell from scratch, so I prepared one in advance.”
This was an item that sealed magic.
In other words, it was a magic item.
The quality of these items varies greatly; their effect can dramatically change depending on the material used for sealing.
There was no doubt that what Evia had prepared was not a cheap item. Evia’s immense magic power began to flow, pouring into the parchment.
“I, Evia Nordis, shall be the witness to this contract. Accept the constraints I impose and complete the contract.”
The quality of Evia’s voice was different from usual.
It resonated like a loudspeaker, yet it didn’t feel loud.
Rather, it seemed to be at a moderate volume, but the amount of magic power carried by her voice was extraordinary.
Her voice vibrated intensely, as if each word had power.
The Ore Tree responded with a jolt.
It conveyed its acceptance in an emotional sense.
“I accept the contract. I impose constraints upon you.”
The scroll burst into flames, its color turning blue before transforming into text.
It wasn’t Japanese, nor was it any of the languages known to Earthlings.
Nor was it a language I knew from this otherworld; I would later learn it was a unique language used by demons during contracts.
The characters slowly approached the Ore Tree and then gently merged into it.
“Whew.”
After watching for a few seconds, Evia sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders.
She now exuded an aura of fatigue, a stark contrast to her demeanor moments before.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, indicating that the task had been more arduous than anticipated.
“So this is what Warlock meant…”
Her fatigue was evident even in her tone of voice. It sounded less like the satisfaction of completing a contract and more like a lament for finding it more troublesome than expected.
“Jiro, you were holding onto an incredible item.”
“An incredible item?”
Evia gave me a reproachful look, but I could only tilt my head in confusion, as I had no recollection of doing anything to warrant such a complaint.
“…Looking at you, you don’t seem to be lying. Haa, so you were wielding such an item unknowingly.”
Then, with what seemed like exasperation, she let out another deep sigh.
Between the Giant King and Evia, what was going on?
“The age of that Ore Tree is so ancient that counting its years is absurd. It has become a kind of artifact. It wouldn’t be out of place in the royal palace’s treasury. Being deceived by its appearance made me waste unnecessary magic.”
As I continued to look at her with a questioning gaze, Evia, with another sigh, explained the reason for her fatigue.
“Being made to use it, I can’t help but feel that way.”
Knowing that her fatigue was caused by the Ore Tree, and that its age was such that it consumed a vast amount of magic to contract, I didn’t know how to respond to Evia’s resentful glare, given that I had only owned it for less than two years.
“I’ve only been using this for less than two years myself. Was it always that old?”
I tried to recall any relevant information, but during the period before I bought it, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So, I offered a plausible reason.
“How could that be, you fool? Even a mere Giant would have trouble acquiring such an item. Moreover, at a conservative estimate, it would cost enough to buy a whole town; would they have sold it at a price you could afford initially? Warlock said you forged it. That means something must have happened after you bought it to increase its age.”
“Increasing its age, you mean… it’s getting older…”
I was told outright that it was impossible, and then, using the Giant King’s words as a hint, I considered the answer.
However, when I thought about it calmly, if I had aged with my companion, I would have long since perished before reaching the age Evia mentioned.
So, I couldn’t immediately come up with an answer…
“…Perhaps.”
“Did you recall something?”
“No, there’s no other possibility.”
When I contracted with Valse-san in the past, I was trapped in a certain space.
I believe it was a temporal prison that transcended the limitations of time.
“However, I can’t believe that the time spent there aligns with the growth of the Ore Tree.”
“…The time elapsed and the growth rate don’t match, huh? Well, it’s fine as long as you can send good quality magic.”
However, I judged that the time spent there was not the time Evia was referring to when she mentioned its age.
Intuitively, it felt like a very long time, but Valse-san would probably know the exact duration…
“That’s right, for now.”
“Yeah, hold on, we’ll teleport.”
Such investigations could wait.
For now, it was Suella.
Once preparations were complete, Evia and I headed to the treatment room where Suella was.
I placed my hand on Evia’s shoulder, and upon confirmation, she teleported us instantly.
The scenery changed, and in front of us was the door to Suella’s treatment room.
“Evia-sama!”
“What’s the situation?”
“Yes, she hasn’t reached critical condition yet, but she’s gradually heading in that direction. Probably within a few hours at the earliest, and by half a day at the latest.”
“I see. We’ve brought a countermeasure. We’re going in.”
“Y-yes, then we will begin the purification process.”
Entering the adjacent room first, I met the female doctor who had been monitoring the situation.
Doctors and nurses other than her were stationed in the room, and the first person to respond upon entering was the female doctor I had met the other day.
Although surprised by the words “countermeasure,” she, believing it would save a person, unhesitatingly allowed Evia and me to enter after erecting a purification magic and barrier.
The medical staff around us looked on curiously at the Ore Tree I held in my right hand, wondering what was happening. Explanations would have to wait.
I agreed with the implication of their gazes. If a weapon were brought into a hospital, one would naturally wonder what was going on.
“Let me see her hand.”
“Yes.”
Suella’s complexion, as she remained submerged in the bathtub, looked unhealthy, even for a Dark Elf.
Did her cheeks appear a little thinner?
Were her arms, lifted from the bathtub, thinner?
It might have been my misperception, but after not seeing her for only a few days, she seemed drained of vitality.
Thinking this was magic deficiency, a nurse wiped her hand after she was taken out of the tub, and another nurse placed her on a trolley that had been brought in.
“Can I stick it into the ground?”
“I suppose we have no choice.”
Standing beside the trolley, and after receiving permission from Evia, I thrust the Ore Tree into the ground.
Then.
“I’m counting on you, partner.”
When I channeled magic, I asked it to extend its roots towards Suella’s arm.
The core of the Ore Tree flickered slightly, and instead of wrapping around my hand as usual, the roots wrapped around Suella’s hand.
Then, a pulsing, heartbeat-like sound echoed around us, and.
“What is that?”
“The Ore Tree is glowing.”
“!? Maximize the magic concentration in the room!!”
“Eh?”
“Hurry!!”
As the Ore Tree began to glow faintly white, and the doctors hesitated at the change, Evia, noticing a slight shift in magic flow, reacted immediately.
This happened within seconds.
“Amazing.”
“I never expected this.”
Despite the spatial magic concentration soaring, the magic density I felt seemed to have slightly thinned.
Perhaps the cold sweat trickling down my cheek was due to my stunned reaction to the scene before me.
Evia’s voice, coming from beside me, trembled slightly.
A vortex of magic was being created before us.
The Ore Tree was at its center, and seeing that so much magic was being supplied to Suella, it made me wonder how much she had struggled.
After about ten seconds, or perhaps a minute.
The dramatic change gradually subsided, and what remained in the space where the magic vortex had been.
“Success…?”
“It should have.”
The silence that followed the storm.
Despite the magnificent spectacle I had just witnessed, it didn’t last.
All that remained was a space where the magic concentration felt slightly thinner.
“…!”
“Suella!”
I noticed the source of the voice echoing in the space and rushed to the side of the bathtub.
“…”
As she twisted her body slightly and slowly opened her eyes, I looked at her face.
And then.
“Jiro-san?”
Our gazes met, and hearing my name called weakly from Suella’s lips.
My tear ducts suddenly loosened, and tears welled up.
“…Only an hour left. You pushed too hard.”
Evia, who had quietly checked her wristwatch behind me, gave instructions to the surrounding doctors.
She then gently opened her mouth.
“I’m glad, Suella, that you are safe.”
I didn’t see her face at the time, but Suella later told me.
She said Evia had a beautiful smile.
Today’s word:
Don’t you feel like all your strength is draining away the moment you’re released from tension?
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*The first volume of this novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, including the addition of unreleased interlude chapters.
Please check out the new releases as well!
The comic adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
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