Now then, we've arrived at the Urgr Natural Park in the Urgrascia Republic, where the "Spirit's Habitat" is said to be located.
It had already been a month and a half since I became a teacher.
The reason we came here was, of course, because we had a purpose, but traveling with children turned out to be incredibly difficult.
We were supposed to be in class at the academy.
Because we couldn't tell where the Church's eyes were watching, we weren't permitted to leave the academy grounds.
It was true — the Church was right next door. That was a perfectly valid reason.
But locking up children who were bursting with energy, especially when they didn't have much time left, didn't sit right with me either.
When I asked the children, apparently
It did seem like they were being overprotected, but maybe I was underestimating the Church?
Regardless, I went ahead with what I believed in.
Namely, I took the children out.
First, I had the children learn Teleportation Magic.
If I tried to teach them normally, they wouldn't understand it even after a year. It required systematic knowledge about how magic circles worked and what their sigils meant.
Making children under ten years old understand this magic, which ranked above Spatial-Type Magic, was asking too much.
However, there was no need for them to memorize theories that might take three years to grasp under normal circumstances.
Sorry, but this was exactly when skills came in handy.
Using my Morpher skill, I materialized my knowledge and fused it directly into the children.
It was quite cunning, but I couldn't afford to be picky about my methods.
Next, I had
I also created a copy of myself, and preparations were complete.
I knew there would be problems with forcing our way out against objections, but I chose to act anyway.
I had discussed things with Yuki several times, but we couldn't agree — he thought it was too dangerous.
I would have liked to persuade him, but unfortunately I couldn't. If I'd had time, I could have taken it slow, but even setting aside myself, the children didn't have much time left.
According to the Great Sage's predictions, the earliest cases would reach their limit in three months. There was no time for leisurely debate.
So I forced the Teleportation Magic into the children and took them out.
Why did I have them learn Teleportation Magic?
The reason was simple. We couldn't afford to find inns at each destination, and there was a risk of being discovered by the Church.
So I set a course directly for the Urgr Natural Park in the Urgrascia Republic, bypassing towns along the way.
Ranga and I carried the children and traveled at full speed.
When it was close to mealtime at the academy, I had a magic circle set up and used Teleportation Magic to return to the classroom.
Once they finished eating, we'd use Teleportation Magic to return to the magic circle and resume the journey.
The purpose of having the children use magic was to make them expend Magicules.
Using large-scale magic would slow down their body deterioration, even if just a little. The children followed without complaint.
In fact, they were beyond excited at the idea of their first outing.
They'd been scared at first, but they quickly got used to Ranga's and my high-speed movement and were having a total blast.
When I first felt someone pee on my back, I seriously wondered what was going to happen.
I'll leave out who it was, to protect their dignity.
And so, with all these little tricks up our sleeve, we finally reached the Spirit's Habitat.
The Urgrascia Republic stood apart from the cluster of nations surrounding the Great Forest of Jura.
It was a small nation that fell neither under the influence of the Western Holy Church nor the council of nations.
It thrived on trade with the Magitek Dynasty Sarion, bolstered by the blessings and protection of spirits.
There were no restrictions on entering or leaving the country, and few people committed crimes within it.
The reason was simple: every citizen of this country was a user of Spirit-Type Magic.
Spirit-Type Magic was broadly divided into two categories.
The first was Spirit Magic.
This comprised mostly offensive magic that paired with Elemental Magic.
You borrowed the power of a spirit and wielded it. In exchange, you supplied Magicules.
Spirit Magic didn't require incantation — anyone could use it simply by forming a contract with a spirit. However, you needed to be recognized and liked by a spirit.
This was a country where many people were liked by spirits.
As a result, those who performed the contracting ritual at age ten but failed to form a contract with any spirit were expelled from the country at age twenty.
They would lose their status as citizens. Though apparently, with so many varieties of spirits, it was rare to be unable to contract with any of them.
The second was Spirit Summoning.
This required a deeper contract with a spirit, and also necessitated incantation, making it less convenient.
However, in terms of raw power, there was no comparison. While Spirit Magic only borrowed a fraction of a spirit's abilities, Spirit Summoning allowed you to wield the spirit's full power.
Not only in power but in every conceivable ability, it surpassed Spirit Magic.
And borrowed power could never match the real thing.
It was difficult for a Spirit Magic user to win against someone who employed Spirit Summoning.
Even against an unfavorable matchup, Spirit Summoning could overturn that disadvantage.
While the Magitek Dynasty Sarion was a nation dominated by pure incantation magic — particularly Elemental Magic — the Urgrascia Republic was dominated by contract magic, specifically Spirit-Type Magic.
That was precisely why the two nations had such vibrant exchange, spurring each other's civilizations to refine and develop.
And so, the purpose of our visit.
It was, naturally, to summon a spirit.
My hypothesis was this: by fusing the Flame Giant with Shizu-san, they had prevented her body from collapsing due to Magicule overload.
Perhaps the superior spirit Ifrit had taken control, or perhaps she had simultaneously acquired the Unique Skill Morpher.
Either way, the key lay in fusing with a spirit.
Spirits with their own will were rare. Those with their own will were called superior spirits.
There were two places in this town where one could perform spirit contracts.
The first was the altar in the center of town, where residents conducted their contracts. At this location, the appearance of a superior spirit was rare.
For a user of advanced Spirit Magic to perform a Spirit Summoning contract, they had to travel to the other contracting site.
That was this place — the Spirit's Habitat.
It was said to be a labyrinth that spread underground or through the air, and only its entrance existed within Urgr Natural Park.
A large door had been set into a massive boulder, and beyond it supposedly lay another dimension.
But since our goal was to contract with a superior spirit, we had no choice but to go in.
We had rested well for a night and arrived fully prepared.
Whether Teleportation Magic could bring us back from inside the door was uncertain. I had a feeling it wouldn't work.
So I'd quietly set up a magic circle inside the park, just in case. Though whether we could even get back out from inside was questionable, so I wasn't sure if we'd ever use it. It was insurance, nothing more.
Now then.
"Are you ready? Once we go in, we might not be able to come back. Are you prepared?"
To my question, "Of course!"
"We're fine!"
Various responses came back in a chorus.
Good, good — they didn't seem afraid. Lately, their trust in me had grown, and they seemed more attached to me than before.
I'd earned that trust by transforming into a black wolf and instantly slaying monsters along the way, no doubt.
Let's go then.
I had knowledge of this place from books I'd looked up in the library.
Unfortunately, while the location was accurate, the books hadn't mentioned whether monsters appeared inside.
Since it was said to give trials, I assumed there was some kind of danger...
Whether Ranga and I could fully protect the children, I had some lingering doubt.
If things looked bad, we might have to retreat and call for
Regardless, we decided to proceed carefully and entered.
Inside, sunlight shouldn't have been able to reach, yet a dim light filled the space.
Just to be safe, I turned off Magic Sense, and my vision was still fine. The air composition was no problem either. It seemed safe for the children to enter.
We all went inside and advanced cautiously.
I'd entrusted Ranga with guarding the children.
Rather than a labyrinth, it was more like a single corridor...
We advanced carefully.
...…
………
………
I was glad I had a mental map.
Despite looking like a single corridor, numerous traps had been set to distort one's sense of direction.
When trying to go back, adjustments in the lighting would hide the passage you'd already traveled by cloaking it in shadow.
And ahead, what appeared to be a single path concealed additional corridors beyond pools of light.
I see. It truly was a labyrinth.
With only a normal person's sense of direction, you'd probably get lost and never find your way back.
This was quite a terrifying construction.
Oh dear, oh dear...
Oh my, oh my...
Hehehehehe.
I'd been found out. I'd been found out.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind.
Powerful, telepathic. No — Telepathy?
How dull, my guests!
Be more frightened!
Be more terrified!
The voice chattered on unprompted.
The children were looking around uneasily, glancing about.
Chloe and Alice grabbed my clothes and wouldn't let go.
But even Ryota, who was the most timid among them, had drawn his sword to protect them.
I'd given swords to the three boys beforehand.
They were copies I'd made, but since they were pure
I'd hoped they wouldn't need them, though...
How fun, how fun!
Be more afraid!
Yes, yes — otherwise it's no fun at all!
Hmm.
I'd identified the source's location. Letting it run its mouth off was getting on my nerves.
"Hey, hey — do you live here? Then you must be a spirit?
We came here with a purpose. We have business with a superior spirit.
If possible, could you guide us?"
I made my request, at least.
Let's see what kind of response I'd get.
AHAHAHAHA!
Ufufufufufu!
This is interesting. More interesting than surprising. More interesting than being scary.
Sure, sure!
I'll tell you. But first.
But first!
Ahead of us in the corridor, light stretched outward.
It seemed like an invitation. Well, we had no choice but to follow.
When I proceeded forward, we arrived at a great hall.
And there, standing alone, was a single giant.
Now, let the trial begin!!!
The giant's eyes glowed red.
Come to think of it, why did suspicious monsters always have to have red glowing eyes? Well, whatever.
"Hey, let me ask — to pass the trial, do I just need to beat that giant?"
That's right.
Yes indeed.
Exactly!
Then this should be easy.
I had Ranga protect the children and stepped forward alone.
Oh my, oh my?
Doing it alone?
Overconfidence is dangerous, you know?
Was it worried about me? Well, I'd be fine.
I performed Appraisal Analysis and examined the giant before me.
Name: Holy Spirit Guardian Colossus (Tentative) Material: Magisteel Ability: A-Rank Over Magicule Count: A-Rank Over Gah! I nearly choked.
The name was something I'd made up on the spot, but the ability was insane.
So it was a Magic Puppet made of Magisteel. About three meters tall.
It had a massive, imposing form. It probably weighed over thirty tons.
Even just having it fall on you as a physical attack would be devastating.
Physical resistance or not, being crushed flat would make any defense meaningless.
As I was assessing the situation, the colossus blurred.
Well, I was tracking it, of course — but its movements were as swift as a master swordsman's.
This thing was absurdly dangerous.
That weight combined with that speed. If it hit you, the damage would be far worse than a traffic accident.
W-wait, this is the trial? There's no doubt — it's trying to kill me!
"Hey, HEY!!! What the— is this thing?!
Guys, this isn't a trial — it's trying to murder us!"
When I shouted, Hehehehehe.
That's right, that's right — exactly!
Can you win? Can you win?
...What an infuriating bunch.
Th-this is what you'd call genuine rage , isn't it?
The anger welling up from the depths of my stomach almost made me lose composure and get serious on impulse.
Dangerous, dangerous.
In front of the children, I had to be a gentleman.
Losing my reason and rampaging would be a demerit — I was in a teaching role, after all.
Though everyone knew I was the cool type who rarely got angry.
Hhh — hhh — hhh — I regulated my breathing and composed myself with ease.
It was fine. As long as it didn't hit me, there was no problem, even without getting serious.
It was pretty fast, but I was far faster. I was a man who could outpace the speed of sound.
Now, Black Lightning probably wouldn't work on this thing. It was metal — the current would just travel into the ground and that would be that.
None of the magic I'd learned would be effective. Water Blades and Flame Bullets wouldn't work either.
Slicing it with a sword was also questionable. It might cut, but the blade could break, and I didn't want that.
A lump of Magisteel — give me a break. A Magic Puppet made of the strongest hard yet supple material was, in a way, troublesome precisely because it had so few weaknesses.
Then, should I burn it to nothing...
"Hey, I'll forgive you if you apologize, but if you don't, I'm going to destroy this thing — that cool with you?"
AHAHAHAHA!
How interesting, how interesting!
Put on a brave face, why don't you!
Sure, sure — why not!
If you think you can, show me!
Hoo...
I'm an adult. I'm fine.
I wasn't going to get angry at some cheeky bit of telepathy.
It was probably just my imagination that the blood vessels in my head felt like they were about to burst — I didn't even have blood vessels.
Now then, permission had been granted.
Goodbye, Magic Puppet.
If I could, I would've loved to take it home as my personal toy...
"Demonic Thread Binding Formation!"
My Sticky Steel Thread was far stronger than it had been before.
When I infused it with Demon Aura and spun it out, it could withstand loads exceeding a thousand tons.
The ensnared Magic Puppet's movements ground to a halt.
Then I focused and unleashed Black Flame Hell.
Normally, firing it didn't require any particular focus. But specifying a smaller area demanded enormous Magicule expenditure and concentration.
With the Great Sage's support, I could finally use this condensed version of Black Flame Hell.
A hemispherical dome five meters in diameter — something even Benimaru couldn't yet manage — enveloped the Magic Puppet.
BOOM! The sound reverberated, and where the dome had been, nothing remained.
Inside the dome, temperatures had likely reached hundreds of millions of degrees — a veritable inferno that incinerated everything.
Even my heat-immune body couldn't negate this. Nothing could withstand it.
The downside was that if it moved, it could easily dodge the attack, and the activation time was also problematic.
Well, it had succeeded this time, so no complaints.
Ideally, this was a trump card I'd have preferred to keep hidden.
No way!!!
I can't believe it!
One shot and...
The flustered telepathic link reached me.
It seemed the Magic Puppet had held supreme confidence in itself. Well, I could see why.
The children also stood with their mouths agape, stunned.
The shock must have been enormous. That was exactly why I hadn't wanted to show them this.
That aside.
It had been throwing around all manner of provocation. It should be ready.
It was punishment time.