Then we went backwards in the maze of the saint's labyrinth...
As we passed through the first door and neared the exit of the cave, a message came from Iris.
It was information about the adventurers waiting at the inn and the Viscountess.
'My saint. Additional information.
After reading that, I shouted to the back of the cave, but there was no answer.
The saint seemed to have fallen asleep.
Koto koto koto.
Instead, we responded with a dozen or so working golems, a dozen of them.
They gather around us with shovels and pickaxes.
'Koto, koto.'
They're all looking up at us, snapping their loose limbs.
'You want us to tell ourselves instead of the saints?'
"Things.
The golems all shook their heads - almost united with their shoulders - in unison.
It's okay, though, since these kids are the ones who actually remodel the labyrinth.
''We've received information from our friends. The Viscountess will be here in a few days. If the Saintess wants to fight them off, she'd better remodel the labyrinth as soon as possible. Can you do that?
In response to my question, the golems all thrust out their thumbs in unison with a 'guffaw'.
''Leave it to me!'' I think that's what he's gonna say.
You need help?
"Son of a b*tc*, son of a b*tc*!
The golems shook their heads.
All at once, with the tools they have, they begin to carve letters on the wall.
''Normally, you're welcome.''
You can usually afford .......
All right. Call me if you need anything. I'll at least thank you for the holy cane.
"Hour by hour.
Oh, and tell the saint when she wakes up. 'I'm sorry for clearing the labyrinth with a cheat. I'll come back to visit you in a proper way when my life is settled.'
"Pow, pow, pow, pow!
The lead golem comes right in front of us.
Then he held out a burly palm in front of Cecil.
I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to expect.
''For me?''
"Hour by hour.
With the shovel the golem was holding, he starts digging letters into the wall.
It's really fast. As expected of a legendary party messenger.
With this, they might be able to upgrade the version of the labyrinth in plenty of time.
''Souvenir. ''To help you see what is right.''
Thank you. Please tell Miss Delilira I will take good care of her.
With that, Cecil received the skill crystal.
'Truth Confession LV1'
A magician's spell to block out the lies.
The crystal contained the magic that the Saintess used on Cecil.
It is said that if you ride on the magic circle created by this magic, you will not be able to lie.
Thanks. We're going to be at the retreat for a couple of days, so if you ever want to exchange information, come on over.
I told him where the vacation home at the resort was.
'I don't know what it was like in the days when the saint lived, but I'll respect the way she lived.
I don't know if I can do that.
It's a way of life I escaped from.
Okay, well, I'll see you when I get a chance.
"'And, toto, toto, toto!'
The golems saw us off and we left the holy woman's labyrinth.
''Let's check the function of the 'Holy Wand' before we return to town.
I said.
This is an empty grassy field away from the cave.
After we left the cave, we quietly left the crag.
I heard that there is a powerful demon - a hydra - at a high altitude far above the rocky mountain, so I didn't want to provoke it.
'Hydra.
A low-grade sub-long. Its intelligence is low, but its fighting ability is high.
He has many heads and can swallow any kind of food he can get his hands on.
It has the ability to regenerate itself, and it needs to crush all of its heads to survive.
They are several meters long. Some of them can reach more than ten meters in length.
They have a habit of defending the Nawabari and will attack if you are in the vicinity and make a lot of noise.
That's why we moved to the meadow where we could see the street.
The staff that Saintess gave us seems to be a very powerful item, so we should be prepared for anything to happen.
The Holy Wand Neuerut.
A wand that changes the scope of the magic
You can extend or shorten the area of effect of the spell you invoked.
However, the power of the spell itself remains unchanged.
Enlarge level 10, adjustable to shrink level 10.
This wand can expand and ...... reduce the range of magic, though it may not be meaningful.
'You're going to have a wider range of magic ...... so we'd better all stick together so we don't get caught up.
Rita, with a twitch, pulls my shoulder closer.
If we stay away from each other, we might be in the magic's area of effect.
We stuck together and lined up behind Cecil.
It's a good idea to try out the 'Arrow of Fire' at magnification level 10, Cecil.
I see. "Spiritual breath, shoot my enemy, flaming arrows!
Cecil held up his 'Holy Staff' and activated his 'Arrow of Fire'.
Sparks of fire were scattered all around.
It was ...... the end.
'............ Um, Nagi-sama, ...... this is ...... eh.'
''You mean that one shot's worth of 'flaming arrows' has spread to the limit and turned into a fireball?''
At my question, Cecil nodded.
It's because I extended the range too far.
The heat and the flames have been spread out, it's just a firebrand.
'Cecil, next time we need a wall of fire.
Okay, okay! "O Red Lotus, be a barrier to my defense! 'Wall of Fire'!
A wall of flames 10 meters wide appeared in front of us.
It was 20 centimeters high.
'You can jump over ...... this, right?'
...... subtle height.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Rita flew through a 'wall of fire' about knee high and back, a troubled look on her face.
Her range is wider, so she can use it to stall a large number of enemies. Not bad for an ability.
'It's ten times as wide. Instead, it's going to be less than a tenth the height: ......
But it wasn't what I thought, Cecil's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he hugged his staff.
This 'Holy Wand Neuerut' only changes the area of effect of magic.
If you're a high level wizard like a saint or a legendary demon race, you can heal the wounds of a few people or create a wall of fire surrounding the castle, but if you're Cecil, your level as a wizard is still not high enough.
That's why it's such a 'wide and shallow' effect.
'...... I wanted to surprise Nagi-sama, but .........'
'You won't be disappointed. All you have to do is make this wand 'Ancient Language Magic'.
Ancient language magic is a cheat in itself, so if we widen the area of effect...
It's going to be a scary thing.
'Even ...... is usually a treasure trove. I thought I could be of more help to Nagi-sama with this wand .......
Cecil looked at me with tears in his eyes.
'I've got one thought for you, if you don't mind. Cecil.
May I make a mistake and show you how uncool I am?
It's okay. I'd rather get to know Cecil everywhere.
...... Yes.
Cecil looked embarrassed, wand in hand, and nodded at me.
I pointed across the meadow.
'For example, you see that 'Rock Lizard' over there?'
The shell of the fallen 'Rock Lizard' has a hole the size of a human head.
It was a hole made by the compressed 'flaming arrow'.
''...... I knew it was going to be 'Delayed Magic'.'''
It's common in games and such.
They store up magic and then slap the power of 5 flaming arrows at you.
That was ...... not quite right.
Cecil is mumbling dumbly while drinking water from a leather bag.
''It seems that the magic and heat were compressed and erupted. The amount of heat and destructive power was tremendously higher than shooting five 'flaming arrows' normally.
'Rock Lizard shells' are supposed to be heat resistant, right?
That's right. It's even used as a steam generator for saunas.
'Penetrating it is amazing, ...... Cecil-chan,'
The great one is Nagi.
The excited Cecil replied to Rita, who was rolling her eyes.
'I wouldn't normally think of something like this. It's amazing. Now I'm ...... hot!
Cecil took off his wand.
When you touch it──the wand itself is hot enough to burn.
Isn't this still the way it should be used?
Is it because of the cheat usage that it is overloaded?
...... Yes. I kind of feel it.
Cecil closed his eyes and said.
''The limit of use has been breached. It looks like it's going to take a while before we can use it again.
Originally, the "Holy Wand Noeloot" changes the range of magic. But I guess what it's supposed to do is expand it, and shrinking it is an incidental function.
Because compressing magic is not a common practice in this world.
'Cecil, are you okay? Didn't you get burned?
Yes, it's all right. ......
I took Cecil's little hand in mine.
It's still a little hot. It doesn't look like you've been burned.
Nah, Nagi-hyama. I'm going to shoot more compressed flame arrows. Let me do it!
Why?
I'm fine! I'll hold the cane with you. I'll be with you when you get burned!
'Don't do it. I mean, you won't be able to use it for a while! If you just got it, you don't abuse it!
I'll keep Cecil and Rita calm...
Then I confirmed about the 'Compression Magic'.
According to Cecil's story, the 'Arrow of Fire' couldn't fly out because it had become too thin and stayed in front of me. After that, the next 'Arrow of Flame' came, so the magic and heat accumulated there.
Finally, because it was released all at once, it flew away in a mass of high heat and high magic power.
That's what it seems to be about.
In other words, the concentration of magic power in one place.
Rita said.
''It's the same as my 'Divine Power Seizure'. I think it means you're increasing your penetrating power by focusing your magic and heat on a single point.''
That's very convincing coming from Rita, who usually uses it.
Hmm. I know, right?
Rita's tail is wagging and her chest is heaving. Cute.
I can be more useful to Nagi-sama now!
I'm afraid you'll get burned. We'll only do this in an emergency.
What the saint gave me was an item that was pretty bad, depending on how I used it.
I'll be grateful to use it when I really can't help myself.
We took a break and then started walking towards the recreation area.
'Oh, by the way, like I said in the cave, I got a call from Iris.
I said to Cecil and Rita.
There are two things.
The first is that the Lord of Irgapha responded to the map we made. He said that Hayama had returned. The map is valuable, and we would like to do business with him. He would like you to come back to Irgapha to discuss the matter as well.
I've rested a long time, so it's time to get back.
We've cleared most of the mysterious ruins and artifacts around here, and I'm not comfortable with leaving the house for too long. Let's get back and get to work.
And one more thing, Iris was in charge of providing information to the adventurers waiting at the inn.
The one the merchant's daughter asked you for.
What's going on, Nagi?
It's a matter of the merchant's daughter - Iris who heard about Horia-san's story and wished to 'let me get involved'.