Chapter 1324

The sea?

As though squeezing its way out of a cramped space, Perkuntra expanded its crumpled, folded form and expressed its confusion.

"Yes. Perkuntra. Actually..."

Didn't you become a Valdrogard professor? Why are you at sea?

"......"

Had rumors spread even to the spirit realm?

Lee Han suddenly became afraid.

-Successor. It's not that rumors have spread among the spirits. That lightning spirit knows because it's the Prison Keeper.

"Ah!"

Lee Han was relieved.

-Of course, that lightning spirit could spread the news to other spirits.

"That's fine. I don't think Perkuntra has many close spirit friends."

-......

The Death Knight wondered whether it was really all right to say something like that to a contracted spirit, but surprisingly, Perkuntra did not seem particularly bothered.

Considering the conversations it had exchanged with its contractor, this did not even qualify as rude.

Why did you become a Valdrogard professor? Because you hate that archmage?

'This spirit is pretty rude too.'

The Death Knight thought inwardly.

The sight of spirit and contractor throwing sharp questions at each other the moment they met was truly heartwarming.

"It's a long story. I was tricked by a contrac—"

Puhahahahaha! A contract! You were tricked by a contract! A mage!

"You're serving as the Prison Keeper because you got caught by a contract too..."

...I lost a contest! I wasn't tricked!

"Isn't that basically the same thing, if we're being honest? We're in the same situation, so don't make fun of me."

After exchanging one blow each, spirit and contractor decided to get to the main point.

Ahem. You said you're learning microcosms, didn't you? I'm not forcing you, but the Authority of lightning is the true power—

"Do you want to start this again?"

Why?!

The great lightning spirit felt wronged.

It had not been trying to mock him this time. It had genuinely been making a recommendation!

"Didn't you recommend it on purpose to make fun of me because you know how many microcosm spells I have to learn?"

Have things been especially hard for you lately?

Perkuntra's booming voice was filled with concern for its contractor.

Then again, he was not someone who normally got deceived wherever he went, yet somehow he had even ended up becoming a Valdrogard professor. Perhaps he really was having a hard time.

Mortals were prone to being deceived when they were tired and exhausted.

"I'm fine. More importantly, I need to enter that demon's domain and rescue the hostages, so I need your help."

The Nukelavi? That specter never disappears and only bullies the weak. What a mold-like bastard.

Perkuntra glared into the storm clouds and shouted contemptuously.

There had always been a deep-rooted history of mutual contempt between spirits and demons. A demon like the Nukelavi, which had lost its reason and did nothing but rampage, was even more pathetic in Perkuntra's eyes.

It needs a good beating. Give me the signal when you're ready!

-Successor. Are you perhaps planning to confront it head-on rather than infiltrate?

The Death Knight asked, just in case.

Something had seemed a little strange for a while now, and no matter how it looked at him, this was the appearance of a mage preparing for a direct confrontation.

Lee Han shook his head and answered.

"We're infiltrating."

-Ah. Of course.

"But we still need someone to draw its attention, so Perkuntra and I will have to provoke it from the front."

-......

That's a direct confrontation!

-Successor. A diversion is a good strategy, but there are many variables at sea. If this drags on, won't it be dangerous since the lightning spirit will be difficult to maintain for long?

The Death Knight preferred a somewhat more traditional form of infiltration.

Causing a disturbance from the front was certainly a good method, but if they chose this approach and things dragged on, it could become troublesome.

Perkuntra was a powerful great spirit, and the longer it remained manifested, the greater the burden on its contractor would become.

"It's fine. I can maintain it for several days."

From what I saw last time, you could easily do that and more.

-I... I see.

The Death Knight realized that it had worried about something foolish.

Worrying about something like, 'Will his mana be all right?' in front of the Successor was such an obvious way of revealing that one was not a mage that it would be difficult to do even deliberately.

While Lee Han and Perkuntra discussed how they would draw the demon's attention, the merfolk gathered near the ships pointed at them and whispered among themselves.

Apparently, that mage was the terrifying one who had hurled those curses earlier.

* * *

Now that I think about it, among the spells you used frequently, there was definitely Lightning Transformation, wasn't there?

As they advanced toward the demon's storm-cloud domain, Perkuntra brought up the subject casually.

It was subtle enough that Perkuntra itself felt rather proud of how natural it had sounded.

However, it failed to fool its contractor, whose vigilance had risen sharply after being deceived so many times recently.

"You're not trying to recommend a microcosm right now, are you? While we're dealing with a dangerous and evil demon?"

......

Even if Perkuntra had ten mouths, it would have had nothing to say.

It's not that powerful a demon... It's basically just a specter...

"If you're talking about Lightning Transformation, I haven't used it that often."

This fifth-circle spell, which Lee Han had named <Wardanaz's Lightning Transformation>, was a spell he had learned from Perkuntra's Authority.

Until then, Lee Han's lightning-element spells had simply used the power of the element itself, but this spell contained even an Idea, allowing it to pierce through and inflict damage even if a demigod-like being wrapped a law around itself like a shield.

The fact that a fifth-circle spell that did not use a microcosm could display such monstrous destructive power was itself proof of this contractor's genius.

'Or proof of his monstrous amount of mana.'

Perkuntra thought inwardly.

The Lightning Duke was not a mage, but it did not dislike seeing its contractor practice magic influenced by its power.

...To be honest, it liked it very much. As a spirit, there was hardly a better monument a contractor could create for it.

If Lightning Transformation had already shown that much potential, then wouldn't completing a proper microcosm now become an achievement that would be remembered forever in the spirit realm?

That counts as using it often. Honestly, when you faced powerful enemies, which element did you rely on most? It wasn't earth or wind!

"Water..."

Except the water element! Think about it. Which element did you rely on most?

Perkuntra could not bring itself to deny the water element as well, so it simply shoved it aside. Such was the judgment of a great spirit.

"It was lightning."

Exactly! And think about that too. That great magic!

Perkuntra even brought up the Lightning Spear of Demon Extermination.

It was a powerful extermination spell that Lee Han could not cast with his own skill, one that could only be used by borrowing the power of Perkuntra and the demon Mahuda.

How long are you going to use it with someone else's power? You are also a proper mage in your own right. You should be able to use it with your own strength.

"I couldn't even calculate its circle properly..."

There was a reason more and more high-difficulty spells assumed the use of a microcosm from the outset.

A higher circle meant that the number of processes required to cast a spell increased exponentially.

Without a powerful and absurd compression method like a microcosm, individually carrying out all those processes was extraordinarily difficult.

Lee Han had seen the Lightning Spear of Demon Extermination several times, but even so, he could not get a proper sense of it.

'Six? No... seven? How many microcosms do you need to be able to use before you can cast a seventh-circle spell?'

Even a massive lightning bolt began as nothing more than a tiny spark. Instead of trying to complete everything at once, you should think about taking one step at a time. Why don't you understand that if you refuse to practice just because the goal seems impossibly distant, you may fall behind later?

"Hmm."

Even now, you should hurry and learn a lightning microcosm—

Perkuntra sensed that its contractor was wavering.

For this great spirit, which had very little experience succeeding at persuasion, today's conversation was blessed with extraordinary luck.

'This might work! I think I can succeed!'

-Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Inside the storm clouds, the half-man, half-horse demon began to growl.

It had noticed that some spirit and mage were approaching.

The demon, with nothing but resentment remaining within it, reacted immediately. It drew out a long spear of cursed storm clouds and prepared to throw it.

How dare this worthless demon interrupt us!

Perkuntra flew into a tremendous rage and hurled a lightning spear first. As reverse lightning surged upward from the sea into the clouds, the Nukelavi, struck first, screamed.

The great spirit was displaying extraordinary concentration. Its momentum was enough to push back even the mindless demon.

"Wait. It looks like the demon is targeting us now. Shouldn't we start concentrating on it?"

Not yet. The demon is cautious. We need to move around and provoke it a little more before it properly charges at us. Now, if you were to learn a lightning microcosm, what kind of—

-GRAAAAAAAARGH!

"It is targeting us!"

Lee Han shouted as he looked at the demon, which was bursting with red light from its eyes in fury.

Anyone could see that it had fully recognized them and was hostile. There did not seem to be any need to provoke it further.

But demons were not the only ones capable of anger. Perkuntra drew a lightning sword and swung it viciously as it roared.

Does this damned specter have no sense! At all! We're! In the middle of an important conversation!

"Perkuntra! This is a diversion, so you don't need to attack it with all your strength!"

Lee Han shouted while supporting it with magic.

No matter how generously the contractor supplied mana, a spirit could not waste its power however it pleased in the material world. If it went berserk and squandered its strength, all of the resulting backlash would ultimately fall on the spirit itself.

However, Perkuntra overwhelmed the demon through sheer force of presence rather than raw power. The demon, which had been so persistent until now, actually took a step back beneath the lightning crashing down from every direction.

Huff, huff... Where were we? Right. So the lightning element...

"...I'll definitely learn a lightning microcosm spell, so please calm down."

* * *

Lieutenant Galvag hurriedly loaded the seals onto the fast boat. They looked like ordinary seals, but they were actually selkies, fairies closely acquainted with the merfolk.

In the distance, storm clouds could be seen swirling as lightning flashed. The Death Knight muttered.

-They've started!

"Are you sure it's all right to send only the two of them? No matter how powerful that spirit is..."

-There's nothing to worry about. Their opponent is a demon with no reason whatsoever. [N O V E L I G H T] By contrast, that lightning spirit is an extremely cunning and experienced great spirit. The demon won't even realize what's happening before it exhausts all its power.

No sooner had the words left its mouth than Perkuntra could be seen hurling lightning spears like a madman.

The pirates aboard the fast boat stared at the spectacular sight in admiration.

"That really is a powerful spirit! Look at that firepower..."

"But what does that have to do with being cunning and experienced? It's just beating the hell out of it head-on."

"You ignorant fool. Throwing all that lightning must be part of some calculated strategy."

-......

The Death Knight stared at them in disbelief.

It could not understand why a great spirit that should have known better was charging in so aggressively.

This was supposed to be a diversion. Why was it behaving as though it intended to take the demon's head all by itself?

-...Exactly. It's threatening the demon like that to show that it isn't an easy opponent. You could call it a strategy only an experienced spirit could pull off.

"The spirit is charging in with a weapon! Looks like it's going for close combat?"

The pirates began murmuring among themselves.

The sight of the enraged spirit charging forward did not look all that different from pirates pulling their ships alongside an enemy vessel and attempting to board it.

But it was a great spirit, so surely it had some kind of plan?