New chapter of Let’s Create a Dungeon is out! (1/3 chapters)
Short Story (11): Magic VS Sword
Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
(POV switch – Ifrina)
Selmina was facing the wall that displayed images, striking the cylinders with both hands gripping a staff. And she was doing it with single-minded intensity. I wondered for a moment if being near the Demon King had broken her, and if I should have treated her more gently. It was probably not too late even now. The wall that displayed images was saying things like “combo” and “quota achieved,” but I didn’t care. I embraced Selmina, trying to make her feel some kindness.
She punched me. So, I punched her back. That led to a physical brawl.
Why, I wonder.
—
“If-nee! I won’t forgive you if you do that again!” (Selmina)
Apparently, Selmina had been playing some kind of game—one that she could only play when the Demon King and Alice weren’t around. That made it rather rare, when you thought about it. But that didn’t matter right now.
Having completed the second mail delivery from the Border Baron to the Demon King, I thought I was finally free, only to be met with the Demon King’s word: standby. It seemed the Demon King was going to the Empire, but since there might still be future correspondence with them, I was asked to stay behind. I was not a courier. I thought about attacking, but I remembered that it had been pointless before, so I didn’t. Besides, the Demon King was going out. That was my chance to escape.
“It’s impossible, If-nee. You should give up,” (Selmina)
Selmina denied it unexpectedly.
Could it be that she prefers being under the Demon King?
When I said that, she looked at me with resentment and said something incomprehensible about how I broke the ten-day deadline, and thanks to that, had to deal with a slime.
Ten days was just a guideline, and I don’t remember promising to return within that time. What’s the big deal about a slime? That’s something you can defeat with a torch, isn’t it?
I soothed the grumpy Selmina and somehow managed to get her to tell me why she said escape was impossible.
“If-nee, it might not be your fault since you don’t understand what kind of place this is yet, but escaping from here is impossible. First, the dungeon entrance is guarded by Kobolds and Lizardmen. They should know that the Maou-sama told us to wait here.
And even if you somehow got outside, what lies before you is the Great Forest of Owa. Moreover, the Kobolds have set up a perimeter to guard against outside attacks. How exactly are you going to slip through that?” (Selmina)
“Burn it all down.” (Ifrina)
“Alice-san will kill you before Maou-sama does, so please don’t.” (Selmina)
Alice, that female swordsman. I hate to admit it, but she’s stronger than me. I don’t feel like I could win even with a surprise attack. But…
“If Selmina helps, I can kill her.” (Ifrina)
“You can’t. Give it up. If-nee, you’re only saying that because you don’t know how strong Alice-san really is.” (Selmina)
She’s just an advanced swordswoman, right? Sure, there’s a level gap of over 30, but if she doesn’t get close, her sword won’t reach.
“And besides, didn’t Maou-sama confiscate your staff? If you’re escaping from here, you’ll be in nothing but the clothes on your back, without a single coin. A staff is a luxury item. You won’t be able to buy one for a long time.” (Selmina)
Ugh, she struck a nerve. I gritted my teeth, but reality doesn’t change. All of my belongings were taken by the Demon King, and Selmina only managed to recover my staff and robe.
Even if I were to escape like this, I couldn’t return to the Empire, so my only options would be the Allied Nations or the Kingdom. If I escape, as a mage capable of advanced magic, high-paying requests would come to me even if I waited. But that only applies to Selmina, who has her staff. Without one, I can’t reliably cast advanced spells. And above all, I hate the idea of being in a situation where I have to rely on my little sister. As her older sister, I absolutely hate that.
So, what should I do? The answer is simple.
“Take it back.” (Ifrina)
“Maou-sama isn’t here, you know.” (Selmina)
“Exactly, that’s why now’s the perfect time to take it back. Was Maou even using the staff or robe? If he just confiscated them, they have to be somewhere. I’ll find them, take them back, and escape. Perfect plan.” (Ifrina)
“It only looks full of holes to me though…” (Selmina)
Even so, Selmina follows me in the end. Maybe she really does expect something from me after all. This is something I must respond to.
—
I immediately began searching for the magic pouch as I left the Demon King’s private room. Apparently, when Selmina tried to trade her robe for mine, the Demon King took the robe out from the magic pouch. Of course, Selmina refused, but at that time, the Demon King seemed to have taken out the robe from the magic pouch.
I was angry that the Demon King took someone else’s things, but I searched around the area near the Demon King’s throne. It seems the Demon King usually leaves them here, both a standard-sized and a larger-sized pouch. The Demon King only took the standard-sized pouch when going out, so the larger one should still be here.
…It’s not here. No matter how much I search, it’s nowhere to be found. Could it be that the Demon King anticipated our actions and hid it? Quite clever.
“If-nee, I’ve looked for the magic pouch, but it’s not here. Alice-san said she was going to use it for training and took it out.” (Selmina)
“Why didn’t you say that sooner? Let’s go to Alice right now!” (Ifrina)
I rushed out the door, but then I realized I don’t know where Alice is.
If I just walk randomly, I’ll probably find her. I tried to run, but Selmina stopped me and said she would guide me there. As expected of my little sister.
—
When we arrived at the place where Alice was likely to be, a group of Kobolds and Lizardmen were fighting in a group. And the Kobolds seemed to be acting strangely.
The Lizardmen were holding shields and preparing in a line, while the Kobolds were running in a circle, approaching the Lizardmen and pushing them back, slowly encroaching on them.
“What are they doing?” (Ifrina)
I asked Selmina, who has been here longer than I have, but she didn’t know and tilted her head. According to Selmina, the usual training was just basic practice or real combat. She’d never seen a group battle training like that before. As we were talking, the Lizardmen were engulfed by the Kobolds’ circle.
This seems to mean that the Kobolds won, but what should we do now? We came to meet Alice, but instead, we found a group battle training between the Lizardmen and Kobolds.
Normally, we should talk to either the Lizardmen or the Kobolds, but unfortunately, I don’t understand the demon language. According to Selmina, there is an Arachnid who can understand human language, but she went with the Demon King.
What should we do? I was about to consult Selmina when suddenly, Alice dropped down into the middle of the group.
“Well, not bad. Individually, the Lizardmen are stronger, but they overturned that. I think they should be fine against the adventurers from the Kingdom who’ve been appearing in the south. The only problem is their slow movement speed. If they get away, what will you do then? You two, any opinions?” (Alice)
After saying something to the Lizardmen and Kobolds, she turned to us. It seemed she had noticed us.
I approached the group, thinking I shouldn’t be seen, being a mage. I wanted to finish it before anyone could get close. According to the rumors, it seemed Alice wants opinions about the previous group battle. It seemed like a hassle, so I’d leave it to Selmina.
“Well, before that, I’d like to ask, why did the Kobolds move like that? I’ve never seen that kind of movement before.” (Ifrina)
“Oh, that? It was the Maou’s idea. Before he left, he told us to practice this kind of training in preparation for adventurers from the Kingdom. It’s called a car wheel formation or something.” (Alice)
That clay-faced Demon King, huh. He looks so empty-headed, but he’s quite smart. But if that’s the case, it’s even more puzzling.
“You should just surround them.” (Ifrina)
Like with Firestorm or Firebird, strong attacks typically surround or encircle the enemy. The Demon King endured it normally, but that must be unusual.
Hmm, Alice looked thoughtful for a moment, then conveyed something to the Kobolds. And the second round of the group training began. The Lizardmen tried to form a square formation to fight back, while the Kobolds continued to circle around them.
But I’m not interested in such a fight.
“Alice, you have the magic pouch, don’t you? Is my staff and robe inside it?” (Ifrina)
“Hm? Let me see… yep, here they are. Did you want them back? Here you go.” (Alice)
The familiar robe and staff were taken out from the magic pouch and tossed over to me.
…Huh, aren’t they cleaner than before? Well, it’s fine. My goal has been accomplished. Now, I just need to get rid of the hindrance.
I quickly jogged away from Alice. Selmina noticed right away and followed me.
She seemed to be stretching out her hand and saying something, but the highest priority right now is defeating the enemy.
After getting a good distance away, I pointed my staff at Alice.
Just because she’s human and it’s been a while doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on her. I’m going to escape from here with Selmina!
“Firebird!” (Ifrina)
The Demon King endured it, but a human couldn’t possibly withstand it. The firebird that was created immediately burned through the obstructing trees in its path and flew toward Alice. She should regret becoming a subordinate of the Demon King!
An unbelievable thing happened. The firebird was split in two. Until just before impact, Alice had not drawn her sword. But when I realized it, Alice had drawn her sword and cut the firebird in half.
For a moment, I was stunned by the impossible scene, but I couldn’t let it end here. I sent mana to the fading half of the firebird to reconstruct it. Its size was half of the original, but there were two of them now. I aimed them at Alice again for a pincer attack.
Despite expending all my magic, Alice easily cut both of the firebirds in half. The fatigue from using up so much magic, the mental pain from the delicate task of reconstruction, and above all, the crushing blow to my confidence as my carefully cast spell was so easily destroyed. All of it overwhelmed me, and my vision went white.
—
(POV switch – Selmina)
“I-I am truly sorry. Nee has caused you trouble.” (Selmina)
“I was surprised by the sudden magic training, but it was a good experience. It was the first time I’ve cut an advanced spell, and I was also surprised when the spell was reconstructed and came at me again. You have a truly skilled mage for a sister.” (Alice)
Although I couldn’t stop If-nee’s reckless actions and ended up making Alice attack, luckily, Alice seems to have taken it as part of training. So, it seems she only saw it as a threat on the level of training.
The Lizardmen and Kobolds, who were supposed to be doing group battle training, were surprised by the advanced magic and stopped, but after seeing Alice’s swordsmanship, they started applauding. I checked to make sure there was no fire left around. It seems the firebird had burned everything it touched instantly, preventing any spreading flames.
Now, I’ll just spread the word that it was all part of the training, and I’ll take measures to make sure the Demon King won’t find out when he returns.
“Can Selmina do that technique too? I want to show everyone and have them come up with countermeasures.” (Alice)
“Eh? Ah, I can’t do that. As far as I know, only If-nee and my brother can do it.” (Selmina)
“I see… Wait, you have a brother too? And all three of you are mages… how unusual. Can I meet him?” (Alice)
“I think it’ll be difficult.” (Selmina)
Alice looked obviously disappointed, but I needed her to accept that.
He has more talent in magic than we do, is much higher level, and is a person full of ambition and self-esteem. Someone who can’t be stable unless he’s at the top. Thanks to him, our home was rebuilt, but we got fed up with him and left to become adventurers. If we meet him, I’m sure If-nee would kill him without hesitation. Also…
“Apparently, he’s a court magician. From what I hear, he’s quite high-ranking, so it’ll be impossible to meet him. I think he’s second-in-command…” (Selmina)
Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @
bayabuscotranslation 