Early morning. When I went downstairs after getting ready to go to the Labyrinth, Lydia and Benny were already there.
âGood morning. Did you all dream about me?â
âI sleep deeply when I drink, so I donât dream.â
âSince I merged with Shadow, I only have nightmares.â
Lydia, clutching her head from a hangover, and Benny, for some reason, standing on the table again, answered casually.
Unable to bear the awkwardness, I let out a deep sigh.
ââŠShall we just stick to saying good morning?â
âSure.â
âHi hi.â
-Grr.
A mini Shadow, which emerged from the small shadow cast at Bennyâs feet, squirmed affectionately.
No, upon closer inspection, the end of the tentacle had been transformed to resemble its own form. Eyes, teeth, tongue, and so on. It had everything.
âŠCould it perhaps change into someone elseâs form other than its own?
Standing next to Benny, I briefly chuckled, imagining something that resembled her.
I stood in front of the table where Benny was sitting and silently watched her.
âWhat, what is it?â
âHm.â
I carefully examined Benny from her purple crown to the toes peeking out from the end of her clingy dress and chuckled.
âBenny. Could you call me the genius mage Jonny Boy?â
ââŠWhat are you suddenly talking about?! And whatâs Jonny Boy supposed to be?â
âWell, youâre Benibeni, so can you really say that to me?â
Grumbling for no reason, I handed back the basic magic book that I had been using as a pedestal for the Goddess statue to Benny.
âI used it well. Thanks to it, my hand skills have improved.â
âDid you really master it all in one day? Even though itâs basic magic, is that even possibleâŠ?â
Seeing Bennyâs wide-eyed expression made my conscience twinge a little⊠But admitting that I didnât know anything at all was too much for my pride.
âHmph! For me, this is as easy as stealing candy from a baby!â
âWhy would you steal from a poor child?!â
âBecause Iâm that poor child, so itâs fine!â
âItâs not fine! Stop the crime cycle!â
Benny, jumping around like a freshly caught mackerel, insisted that it wasnât okay. While enjoying her lively reaction, Ellie, dressed in her uniform, appeared from the back of the warehouse.
âDonât worry, Benny. Jonah doesnât pickpocket poor people or children in the first place.â
ââŠReally, Ellie?â
âYeah. But he often picks the pockets of grown-ups.â
ââŠ???â
Benny tilted her head as if she didnât understand. I kindly explained to her.
âThink about it. How much can you get from kids, anyway?â
âThatâs, true?â
âSo, we should aim for adult wallets. Preferably from slightly bad adults. Usually, they carry more cash.â
ââŠâŠâ
âItâs a matter of efficiency. Ahem.â
âThis, this is about ethics and crime, you idiot!â
Benny screamed and jumped up and down in place. I gently patted her shoulder to calm her down.
âHahaha! Donât get so worked up. If you get too excitedâŠâ
I stopped there and waved Bennyâs wallet, which I had slipped out earlier, in front of her eyes.
âYou might get pickpocketed like this, you know?â
âMy wallet?! When did you take it?!â
âWhen I patted your shoulder earlier. I took advantage of the moment your mind was focused on my hand, and slipped it with the other hand.â
âEven if I didnât notice, Shadow wouldnât have any blind spots⊠Ah! Youâre an accomplice!â
Only then did Benny realize that Shadow had pretended not to notice my sleight of hand. She started patting the shadow lightly.
Of course, Shadow seemed annoyed and took a few hits, then disappeared into the shadows.
âYou two seem to get along well?â
âWhat?!â
âBetter than yesterday, right?â
ââŠWhen you put it that way, I have nothing to say.â
Certainly, they seemed more comfortable than before. It must be because the fear of having to forcibly control Shadow or the fear of the impending erosion had lessened.
Probably, Shadow would also be less likely to raise its hackles towards Benny.
The erosion might not have completely disappeared, but I believe we have succeeded in significantly slowing its pace.
âBy the way, Benny. Why did you come today?â
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âI called her.â
The one who answered my question was not Benny, but Lydia.
Sipping the honey water Ellie handed her while struggling with a hangover, she let out a deep sigh.
âJonah. Today, you have to go to the Labyrinth with Benny.â
âWhat? Why? Donât tell me⊠Are you already tired of me, Miss Lydia?!â
ââŠDonât say weird things. Itâs just that something urgent came up.â
âSomething urgent?â
âYes. There was a summons from the Guild.â
High-ranking adventurers receive various benefits from the Guild. In return, the Guild can also request help from high-ranking adventurers in the event of emergenciesâŠ
Although they say itâs a request, itâs practically semi-compulsory. If you refuse, you have to give back all the benefits that come with the title.
âWhat was it about?â
âA crazy mage caused trouble in the Tower and ran away. Itâs a common occurrence.â
âIs it commonâŠ?â
Lydiaâs calm reaction left me blinking, and Ellie, who had just lit a Magic Herb cigarette, provided a detailed explanation.
âAccidents happen daily in the Tower. Most of them can be handled within the Tower, so outsiders are usually unaware.â
âHehâŠâ
âBut if the accident was caused by a high-ranking mage, itâs a different story. The scale of cleanup becomes larger, right? If it ends within the Tower, itâs fine, but if the damage extends outside, they call in other adventurers for a swift resolution.â
âSo, Lydia, youâre the fixer for this?â
âThatâs right. Lydia, with her robust physique, can handle various weapons, allowing her to adapt flexibly to any situation. Hence, she often gets called in for sudden situations like this.â
âOhâŠâ
When I turned my head towards Lydia, she made eye contact with me and, despite her hangover, displayed a V sign with her hand.
âYay.â
Her soulless bragging was just a bonus.
âAre you sure youâre okay with the hangover?â
âYeah. It clears up quickly when I circulate my aura.â
ââŠThen why arenât you clearing it now?â
âUsing aura to sober up is lame.â
âIsnât it just foolish?â
âThereâs a world that a minor like Jonah wouldnât understand.â
ââŠâŠâ
Even recalling my 20-year-old self in my past life, when I had just become an adult and drank excessively, it seems clear that Lydia is the odd one here.
Looking at me with a pitiful gaze for a moment. Misunderstanding my gaze, Lydia made a V sign with both hands this time.
âYay.â
It was a double peace sign with a blank expression.
Shaking my head, I reached out to Benny.
âBenny. Shall we go ahead by ourselves then?â
âI donât mind thatâŠbut we should eat first.â
âAh.â
âEllie is behind us looking really down with a sandwich.â
ââŠâŠâ
Turning around, Ellie was looking at the sandwich with a sorrowful expression, her ears and tail drooping.
ââŠIndeed, one needs to eat to gain strength! Shall we eat heartily and then go?!â
Saying so, I quickly sat down in front of the counter.
Ellieâs sandwich was meaty, and it was delicious.
âSo, shall we start by showing yesterdayâs results?â
On the second floor of the Labyrinth, where we came down alone. Benny said this to me as I checked the number of the Safe Zone.
âJust a moment. This is⊠Zone 32. Yes. Itâs done now. What did you say, Benny?â
âBasic magic. Show me what you learned yesterday. You seem quite confident, so I guess you must have mastered it⊠But being able to use it and using it well are different, right? How about starting with the moist water drop spell?â
âAh, about thatâŠâ
I scratched the back of my head and laughed sheepishly.
âActually, I couldnât master any of the other basic spells.â
ââŠ? Wait, then what was that about showing off when returning the book?â
âInstead, I can do something like this.â
I stretched my hand toward the air. Then, I released the surging magic from around my heart in an instant.
Boom!
With a sound of something exploding, an invisible shockwave shot forward.
According to the knowledge imprinted in my mind, itâs good for emergencies but not very efficient, so I didnât have high expectationsâŠ
With this level of power, itâs stronger than a serious punch by swinging my arm. Thatâs enough.
Benny, who saw my Mana Discharge, widened her eyes momentarily, but soon had a nonchalant expression.
âWell⊠Itâs clean. Given its nature, itâs a technique that is inherently quite wasteful, but it doesnât feel like thereâs any unnecessary leakage. But this isnât magic.â
âWait a moment. Thereâs one more.â
I kept my outstretched arm steady and focused my mind. The boiling mana circulates along a predetermined path. A vivid image emerges.
But this alone isnât enough. This isnât just a 1-star spell, but a 2-star spell.
So I added a bit of incantation.
âDevour the offering. Intense Flame.â
Whoosh!
A massive flame fiercely burns a short distance from my hand.
Moving or throwing it seemed impossible, but the flame, which was about the same size as my body, was threatening in itself.
It evolved from a match flame to a campfire level, just by advancing from 1-star to 2-star.
I turned my head towards Benny with a proud heart. There stood Benny, staring blankly with her mouth open. Those sharp shark teeth looked cuter the more I saw them.
âH-how did this happen? Suddenly itâs a 3rd-circle spell?â
âOh, was this 3rd-circle? No wonder it felt strong.â
Well, the difference between 1-star and 5-star is just four stages.
But within those four stages, basic magic has to reach the level of grand magic, so itâs natural for the power to leap with each star.
I dropped the final bomb on the bewildered Benny.
âOh, and I also awakened my aura.â
âThat basic magic book I lent you, right?! Huh?! Itâs not some ancient grimoire, is it?!â
Benny is bewildered!
But itâs okay because the way she frantically rummages through her inventory, with her butt sticking out towards me, is cute.
âŠThat dress is really a cheat.