#68
Through the shrine, Harris’s message was delivered to Harley.
It wasn’t necessary, but there were procedures to follow due to the gaze of others.
Harley happily congratulated his friend’s journey, and Harris was set to head off to the Enamel Continent with the Elven Kingdom’s delegation.
Of course, he wasn’t leaving immediately.
Things were still a bit unsettled after his dealings with the Undead King, and there were discussions that needed to happen up the chain.
However, all the elves in the delegation were elite members of the Elven Kingdom, so basic training was still diligently underway.
Including Spirit Magic and archery, the process to learn the essentials of being a graceful forest fairy wasn’t something he was doing alone.
“Are you with Harley, milord?”
The elven girl, Cecily, whom Harley had saved from the Northern Mountain Range, was with them.
“Yes, we haven’t known each other long, but we’ve become like family.”
“Is that so? I thought I sensed something familiar from Harris.”
At that moment, a familiar child overlapped with her words, making me flinch inside.
‘Did she notice? She sounds just like Diana.’
Seeing that Laforey hadn’t said anything, it didn’t seem like it was due to his abilities as a High Elf…
Just when I was nervously contemplating this alone…
“Ah! It smells just like the branch of the World Tree! I know it well because I hugged it all day!”
‘That branch has turned into a part of me and disappeared.’
It seemed Cecily felt a sense of déjà vu because of that.
“Hmmm~ Is that what Laforey is worried about?”
She nodded to herself in understanding.
“Anyway, let’s all get along. Since you’re Harley’s friend, I’ll take good care of you.”
The little elven girl’s lips curled up as she puffed up her chest proudly.
It seemed she wanted to show off as a senior since a new trainee had arrived while she was training alone.
“Haha… Yes, thank you in advance.”
An involuntary soft smile appeared at her childlike demeanor.
And then, the Spirit Magic lecture began.
“Spirits are companions that grow together with their Spirit Mages. The contracted spirit grows through empathy from affinity and receives natural power. And contracts…”
Through systematic training, I could understand why Harris hadn’t become a Spirit Mage until now.
Even with an appealing appearance (affinity) and sufficient resources (natural power), a proper process was necessary to make a contract (marriage).
To initiate anything, one had to recognize the other properly and be prepared to understand each other; that process was exactly Spirit Magic.
“…What? Why are you so good at this? You said it was your first time?”
Cecily asked with a guarded voice as she saw him deftly handling natural power at his fingertips.
Having summoned a small water spirit next to her, she had been glancing at him eagerly, wanting to offer some advice, but her expression had quickly soured.
After all, with the experience of handling tremendous energy, the world’s growth buffs, avatar growth acceleration, and the effects of being the “Child of the World Tree,” for him, these basics were mere formalities.
“Oh, you’re quite a fast learner. At this rate, you might catch up with the two’s progress soon.”
The elven instructor was pleased, but Cecily was only focused on mastering the water spirit, her eyes blazing.
While she possessed excellent talent as a qualified High Elf, she wasn’t yet powerful enough to truly overwhelm Harris.
When it came to physical activities like archery or mountain maneuvering…
“Indeed, it seems you’ve done mercenary work. You handle your body well. There’s a human scent in your shooting style, but that will adjust with practice.”
The elven instructor nodded in satisfaction.
Based on the experiences of the preceding physically-inclined seniors, he received a good evaluation from the start.
Since he had already learned archery with Heinrich’s “Mugol” and “Comprehensive Weapon Technique,” he was starting from a completely different line than others.
“Huh… Ha…”
After finishing training on running while holding a bow up in the trees, Cecily collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
“Oh… I don’t think this is my forte. I admit defeat. I lost!”
…It seemed we had unknowingly been competing for a while now.
Days passed after that training.
《The individual has gained enlightenment through repeated training. You have acquired the skill “Spirit Magic.”》
Due to various factors, Harris was able to quickly acquire “Spirit Magic.”
Zap—Zap—
Little sparks flew from the air.
A basic thunder spirit.
All spirits grow alongside their Spirit Mage’s level.
This one was now a basic spirit, but as his abilities increased, it would continue to evolve through their bond.
“…Your name is Watt.”
Zap—Zzzz—!
‘Volt’ felt kind of common, and ‘Ampere’ didn’t sound good, so it was ‘Watt!’
That way, Harris took his first step as a Spirit Mage.
*
Hans was busy cleaning up criminals on Earth, and Heinz II was also solidifying his power back on Earth.
Heinrich was hospitalized due to injuries, while Harris was receiving education from the elves.
‘Somehow, we ended up with two on Earth, two at the shrine, and two in Tarak.’
The two avatars in Tarak were busy with their businesses and hunting.
Since Hubert’s pepper could only be used for dimensional teleportation once every ten days and only when there was extra time, the reliability of supply was much too low.
That’s why it had been kept as a premium product, and based on the funds accumulated so far, he expanded his reach into other areas through “Appraisal.”
The ability to know the information about goods from the merchant was, after all, a cheating skill.
Through previous trade, he had built up a certain degree of trust and was sailing smoothly.
And Harley…
“Oh! Harley! You finally made it! Come here!”
The Southern warrior, Turaba, with fur on his face, warmly welcomed him as he entered the regular tavern.
Harley, who had just returned from hunting after a long time crossing the Steel Fortress, looked puzzled.
“What’s going on? What happened while I was away?”
While Hubert’s association was growing and they had started hiring trustworthy mercenaries for security, it was more secure for those they could rely on to tend to matters.
Harley was able to hunt comfortably this time thanks to the veteran trio…
‘Hubert seemed fine though?’
As he approached, walking with his usual intimidating stride, the muscular pig, Ru-wang, handed him a mug with a grin.
“Turaba found something incredible this time.”
“Surely, I thought it might be something you would like.”
Dao, with a scar by his eye, chimed in while sipping his drink.
“Oh? Hearing that makes me excited! Don’t keep us in suspense, spill it out! If it’s really good info, I’ll cover the drinks today! Hahaha!”
With little expectation, Harley gulped his drink down.
These friends were all good, but they often made a fuss over trivial matters.
“I guess I’ll need to unbuckle my belt for this one!”
“With Turaba here, we can drink till we drop today!”
“Hey guys, stop the teasing and just tell us the story already!”
Once he gave them some more jabs, the intriguing information was finally revealed.
“There’s a shaman from the South here in Tarak! Remember what I mentioned? The shaman who can inscribe engravings.”
Various types of engravings that Southern warriors are known to have.
They were necessary elements for a fake to become real.
“That’s… truly good news! Great! Let’s get hugely drunk and talk about it!”
Soon enough, they stacked several barrels beside them and began drinking heartily as they held lively conversations.
“Hmmm, I’ve been traveling to the western streets of Tarak a lot lately…”
“This guy has been making moves on the lady from the fabric shop nearby lately.”
As the Pig interrupted Turaba, he grimaced and kept downing his drink.
It seemed romance wasn’t going particularly smoothly for him.
“Ah! Anyway! While I was passing through that alley trying to take a shortcut, I ran smack into them!”
You never know, they might have a Southern shaman so close.
“Looking at the situation, it seems like they’re just healing small ailments for folks living in poverty, barely scraping by. I wonder how skilled they really are.”
“If all they can do is that, doesn’t sound like much, does it?”
“Well, you never know with people’s situations. And if they’re a shaman, they could probably inscribe at least the engravings for warriors, right?”
Opinions were divided momentarily, but it wouldn’t hurt to meet them at least once.
The next day.
Harley headed towards where the shaman was supposed to be, with Turaba, the old man.
“Hmmm, I’ve stayed in Tarak for a while, but I think it’s my first time here.”
“Us mercenaries usually don’t come this way unless necessary. There aren’t any special stores after all.”
While not a slum, it seemed to be a place mainly inhabited by workers, with an overall shabby look.
“What are mercenaries doing here? And that outfit…”
“Shh! Pretend you didn’t see anything.”
“Let’s hurry.”
As Harley and the grim-looking mercenary, Old Man Turaba, walked side by side with an imposing presence, the local residents began to subtly avoid them.
Even the young ruffians who seemed to be from this area quickly averted their gazes and faded away.
“…Harley, are you really going to keep wearing that outfit…”
“Hmm? What’s wrong with this awesome outfit? Doesn’t it express the spirit of a true warrior?”
“…Sure, do as you like.”
Of course, it was something he’d grown accustomed to, so he wasn’t bothered in the slightest, but Turaba still seemed a bit embarrassed.
“So where’s this shaman? They seem to have settled in well.”
“We’re almost there. Just past that alley…”
And passing through the alley, the first sight that greeted Harley was something that made him very happy.
“Ah~ that old man really can’t understand a thing!”
“Seriously, if they just raise the treatment fee a bit, this issue would be resolved!”
“They must think we’re treating them too nicely, so they can’t grasp the situation, huh?”
A small, frail old woman covered in tattoos was being threatened by ruffians.
The scent of trouble was in the air.
“Oh ho~?”
A fierce smile grew on Harley’s face.
He had come seeking a shaman and now had a perfect opportunity to display his own strength.
He stepped forward confidently toward the thugs.
“Huh? Uh… uh?”
“Hey, hey! Stop right there…”
The thugs froze at the sight of him coming closer.
Quick-witted Turaba had already positioned himself to block their escape route.
But for Harley, even thinking about exerting force was unnecessary as the situation ended in an instant.
With his overwhelming muscles, he casually put an arm around each thug, maintaining intense eye contact, causing them all to wet themselves.
‘Was using “Wildness” on mere petty robbers overdoing it?’
They were fools lacking skill and guts, unworthy even of being mercenaries.
For them to face the overwhelming aura of a monster like him was simply unfair.
“Did you memorize my face? This big guy here has some business with that old lady, so behave yourselves.”
From one side, Turaba leaned in close to the tattooed thug, gently scolding him.
His caring gestures were unexpectedly natural.
In the blink of an eye, the situation was resolved, and as the thugs fled, the area fell silent.
As that happened, the old woman, who had been grabbed, now sat nonchalantly on a chair outside her home, observing them.
“Chuckle… What brings barbarian folk from the South all the way here?”
“Barbarian? You know those words can get you stoned by southerners, old lady.”
“No matter how I see it, you’re the epitome of a model barbarian. What nonsense are you spouting? You look just like how I remember the time when I was young. Huhuhu…”
“Ugh, well, anyway. Why would a warrior visit a shaman? We came to inscribe engravings.”
Just when Turaba was about to say something, he sighed and quickly got to the point.
That outfit really made it impossible to explain.
“Hmmm, one seems to be quite the experienced warrior, and the other, well, wearing that outfit looks like a model barbarian from the South, yet they have no engravings on them. As you know, not just anyone can inscribe engravings… hmm?”
As the old lady continued speaking, she slowly narrowed her eyes and scrutinized them.
Then, the moment her gaze landed on Harley, the look of calm that had adorned her face turned into confusion, quickly morphing into a displeased expression.
“What? Who is this monster?”
