episode_0141

After meeting the fire spirit Salamander in the half-dwarf’s workshop, I was able to roughly understand what had been happening.

Recently, about a month ago, the ambient mana had started decreasing little by little, and two weeks ago, it had completely run out.

Along with that, the wind and light spirits that roamed the ambient mana had also disappeared.

And when the ambient mana had almost depleted and I was on the brink of extinction, the Salamander explained that it had sensed the mana emanating from my body and emerged.

Just from that story alone, I could deduce the current situation unfolding in this village.

“Could it be a mana drain type of wide-area magic…?”

For now, that possibility seemed the most likely based on the spirit’s explanation.

Furthermore, through the explanation given by the Salamander, I could understand the reason why the people in this village seemed to be in low spirits.

“Since there was no ambient mana, it’s a natural phenomenon.”

In a world where only nobles could use magic, one might mistakenly think that commoners or animals did not have mana flowing through their bodies. However, in this world, that was not entirely true.

Basically, all humans had mana flowing through their bodies. Of course, the maximum amount of mana for commoners was significantly less compared to most nobles, but the fact that it flowed was important.

And the people in this world always circulated the mana they generated within their bodies and the natural mana that seeped into the environment to gain vitality.

With no ambient mana, everyone in the village seemed to be wearing expressions of exhaustion.

Without being able to draw mana from nature, they were constantly producing and releasing mana, so it was only natural for an ordinary person to quickly run out of energy. In my case, the amount of mana I generated within my body was greater than what was being released, so it didn’t affect me. And dwarves were a race that was less affected by mana, so they were relatively fine. Even though I was a half-dwarf, half-human, I still had some of the dwarven traits.

“But… why did Edan suddenly feel gloomy as soon as he entered the village?”

He was a noble, so he had more mana than ordinary humans, making him not someone who would easily succumb to such an environment.

I guess I’ll have to look into that later.

Anyway, summoning ambient mana was a type of skill that ordinary humans couldn’t use. Typically, it was a type of magic that was closely related to mana, used by magical beings like the fae or spirits.

However, spirits didn’t usually come down to human society to cause harm, and a spirit that could absorb the ambient mana of an entire village would have to be at least a king-level spirit.

Since such a being wouldn’t come to such a small village, it was reasonable to assume it was a magical being.

And it would likely be a fairly high-ranking magical being.

“….”

The moment the idea of a high-ranking magical being being involved crossed my mind, my internal sense of danger was triggered.

Feeling that it would be best not to get more involved, I bid farewell to the Salamander.

“I’ve heard your story well, Mr. Salamander.”

“Do you know what’s going on? Do you think you can help?”

“Yes. I have a rough idea of what the cause might be.”

“Yahoo! So you’re going to help?! If you follow the faint flow of mana, you’ll probably find the gathering place on the opposite side of this mountain…”

“Master Edan, it would be best to return to Blackwood Manor as soon as possible. It seems that something suspicious is happening nearby.”

As I mentioned before, I didn’t really want to get involved in any troublesome matters.

The whole town is in danger of being drained of its magic by a dangerous demon, and they want me to defeat it and help relieve the inexplicable fatigue that has befallen the people?

It’s obvious that this is something a hero should do. It’s not a problem that a mere maid like me should eagerly step into.

“Why, why?! Weren’t you supposed to help?!”

“Why are you like this, Lillith? Is the spirit in danger?”

“Yes. The salamander might be nearby, so it could be dangerous. They told me to leave the town right away.”

“I didn’t say that! Why are you lying?! Why are you just leaving?! Why?!”

“The fact that all the magic in the town is disappearing is undoubtedly a sign of abnormality. We can’t intervene rashly at our level. We don’t even know the origin of this phenomenon.”

“It’s on the other side of the mountain! The magic is flowing that way! Help me!”

It’s so noisy, seriously.

No matter how much they cling to me and beg, it’s useless. I’m not the kind of person who would risk my life in battle for someone I’ve never seen before, or rather, for a spirit I’ve never seen before.

In fact, saving Liz, who was almost killed in the original story, was a kind of capricious act, and it was closely related to preserving my own life.

I intervened because I felt uncomfortable with the idea that someone I knew from the game might die. If it had been another noble I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have intervened.

But risking my life for a spirit? A being that can resurrect after decades even if it perishes?

No matter how I think about it, I had no justification or reason to intervene. On the contrary, there were plenty of reasons to run away.

“Human, you’re bad! I told you everything so you could help me! Traitor! Liar!”

“If I saved you from almost perishing by feeding you magic, you should be grateful, not annoying and clingy…”

“Lillith? Why are you whispering with the spirit like that?”

“No, Edan. It seems this spirit likes my magic and doesn’t want to leave.”

“I didn’t say that! Your magic is tasty, isn’t it?!”

Edan’s question about my conversation with the salamander was a bit muddled.

Despite my efforts to shake off the salamander clinging to my arm and push it back into the furnace, the voice of the half-dwarf artisan next to me was heard.

“Just now, didn’t I say I figured out the cause?”

“….Yes?”

“It’s been two weeks since the furnace stopped working properly. In a month, it will be harvest time, and farming tools will be needed. Our town may be small, and I may be the only half-dwarf here, but it’s like another home to me.”

“Oh, I see…”

“If I can fix it, I’ll make a sword for you first. It seems like you mainly use daggers.”

“….”

“If you’ve figured out the cause, don’t you also know how to solve it? Is there something you can’t handle with your powers?”

…Ugh, seriously.

Why is this man suddenly starting to talk about personal stories that burden people?

When he looks at me while saying those things, I feel like I’ve become a bad person.

Of course, a dagger made by a dwarf artisan is not something easily obtained, and if this were a game, I would have accepted the quest without hesitation. But in a situation where I might have to risk my life, accepting a mission without thinking was a foolish act.

Especially since the quest that was once just accepted and put off for later in the game now became a quest that was tied to time constraints in various ways.

Accepting this somewhat suspicious proposal felt like signing a binding contract without a second thought…

“I, I’ll help make the sword too!”

“…Excuse me?”

“Human beings like it better when we bless their weapons, right?! I’ll add my blessing to the weapons made by that dwarf! So please! Pretty please~!”

“….”

A blessing from a fire spirit…?

On a dagger forged by a dwarf…?

“Insane… That’s almost epic-level equipment….”

No matter who I was, I couldn’t help but hesitate at the conflicted proposal from the half-dwarf and salamander.

Conflicted with my inner desires, I cautiously sought Edan’s opinion.

“What do you think, Lord Edan?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you plan to help the dwarf craftsman here and contribute to the village’s recovery, or are you considering leaving this village due to concerns about unknown dangers?”

“What does Lirilis think?”

“I will simply follow your opinion, Lord Edan.”

“….”

Edan pondered with his hand on his chin upon hearing my response as his gaze, along with those of the half-dwarf and salamander, focused on him.

Edan’s response, slightly defensive but carefully considered, finally came back to us.

“For now, let’s just investigate.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s start by investigating the cause, and if it’s something we can handle, we’ll deal with it then. If it’s a matter beyond our capabilities, then we’ll have to avoid it.”

“Understood. I will follow Lord Edan’s opinion.”

“You’re helping us? Really?!”

“Are you cooperating?”

“For now, it’s just investigating the cause. We’ll decide whether we can handle it or not after understanding the problem.”

“Alright, I see.”

“Yes!”

Although going into the investigation alone with Edan seemed like a risky event, rejecting the offer of epic-level equipment without looking back was too much of a missed opportunity.