Leave a comment

So, was the person with a lot of magic power I sensed Carol? I checked again and confirmed there were no other people with an abundance of magic power, so that should indeed be the case.

「That’s right. Now, if you don’t want to get frozen, why don’t you just leave? You’ve been a nuisance for a while now.」

Glared at by Carol, the hunters ran off. Well then, why is Carol here?

「Why is Carol here?」
「Because I was sure that you would come, Cielmer. Still, there are a lot of people around. Why don’t we continue the talk inside?」
「Alright.」

We entered the den with Carol. Since Carol is A-rank, we were allowed to enter without issues. If it were just Ciel, we might have gotten into some disputes even after showing an A-rank card, making me consider the importance of age. Should we delay the apotheosis until Ciel is a bit older?

That’s something to contemplate on.

Inside the den, there were only monsters. There are no hunters present, unlike on our last visit. I suppose it’s only natural. Carol didn’t go much deeper, stopping at the very first stratum.

Monsters attempted to approach us, but they were obstructed by my barrier. Since they’re among the weakest, even without a barrier, the use of physical reinforcement should be enough for us to stand idly and talk.

「So, as for why I’m here, it’s out of curiosity.
With an Artificial Divine Messenger appearing, I was almost certain you’d come.」

Carol answered Ciel’s question, but it didn’t feel like much of an answer. Why exactly was she waiting for Ciel? Isn’t that what she should be answering? This response might be included in what she’s curious about, but it could also mean she wants to know why Ciel—or rather, we—are hunting down Artificial Divine Messengers.

I don’t plan on telling her, but I might reconsider if she figures it out on her own. But I’d have to discuss it with Ciel first.

「Are you coming with us?」
「I want to have a good look at what kind of monster it is. The one you defeated last time was a wolf, yet now it’s different. But then upon appraisal, it has the same name.
If you think about it, it’s quite odd.」

It certainly is odd. Despite its twisted nature, it has stepped into the realm of divinity, so perhaps it just can’t be appraised properly. And as expected, Carol doesn’t intend to share why she was waiting for Ciel.

「Still, I don’t want to distract you from your battle.
If you don’t want me to see the fight, I’ll go home immediately after seeing it.」
「I think it’d be better for you to leave.」
「I see. Incidentally, this should be the monster you’ve been looking for, so why do you look so glum about it?」

Carol stares at Ciel with curiosity. It’s only natural to think that, given how little enthusiasm both Ciel and I have right now.

「Do you know its appearance this time?」
「I heard it’s the form of a spider… Is there a chance that you can’t handle spiders?」
「… Do you want to hear about the time when I woke up with spiders crawling all over my body?」

Our shared trauma. I personally have a hard time handling rats, worms, and many other creatures, but spiders are the one thing I cannot get over.

「I humbly decline. Just from that, I’m once again reminded of how arduous your past was.
By the way, how did you two handle it up until now? There should be a lot of spiders living in the forests, after all.」
「I killed any that entered my sight. Against a big spider, I don’t know what I’d do.」
「And that’s why it’d be better for me to leave, is it?」
「Yeah.」

Whenever Ciel sees a spider, she loses sight of her surroundings. It’s not an issue with normal spiders, as Ciel would easily obliterate them, but the enemy this time is an Artificial Divine Messenger. There’s a risk of invoking large-scale sorcery. Additionally, I won’t have the leeway to stop Ciel.

I’d expand the barrier’s coverage to keep spiders as far away as possible. Subconsciously at that. If I had the ability to attack, I’m sure I would have caused forest fires by now.

「Well then, shall we go?」
「You’re really coming along?」
「As far as I can go. Wouldn’t it be easier for you to have a guide?」

『I don’t know which stratum it’s on, so it might be best to have her guide us.』
『Then, should we go for it?』
『To be sure, try asking her until what stratum she can go, as well as what she’d like as payment.』

We reached the 7th stratum last time, but we might need to go much deeper this time. If that happens, then we certainly might move faster with Carol’s guidance. On this occasion, however, it’s hard to say if it’s better or worse to reach our goal faster.

「Carol, until what stratum can you go?」
「I can reach as far as the 35th stratum without much issue.」
「The reward for guiding?」
「I honestly don’t need any, but let’s see… Between you and Ainsel, which of you has better control of magic power?」
「Ain.」

Ciel answered immediately. I’m quite confident that I won’t lose to her in that regard, so I remain silent. After a moment of thought, Carol spoke.

「In that case, can I converse with Ainsel on the way there?」
「Alright.」

With that short answer, Ciel switched with me. It’s fine since I personally don’t mind it, but it’s quite rare for Ciel to switch with me without prior warning. She probably just wants me outside at every opportunity.

Since the switch has already been done, I exchanged our accessories for the time being.

「It seems like you two have switched.」
「Yes. We’ve switched places.」
「Now then, let’s talk about sorcery.」
「Right, I knew it…」

Uh-huh, why am I not surprised?

And so the chapter ends with our (I’m tempted to say Aunt Carol for some reason, whyyyy?) favorite sorcery nerd’s favorite pastime, taking about sorcery! Oh Carol, you never change.

I love Carol and Ciel’s exchanges this chapter. Especially on the topic of spiders. “You wanna hear about the day I woke up, swarmed by spiders, all entering my ears, nose, and mouth?” “Thanks but no thanks man, that’s traumatizing enough.” Let’s see how things go in the next chapter. Also, Happy New Year everyone!

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!