The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

Yui talks to me when I return with the book.

“Ah, Shuya. Dry fish is impossible here. It gets wet because of the fog.”

“There’s no helping it. You have to cook it to preserve the food so it can’t be helped that it is dry.”

“It’s easy if one can use magic.”

“A, speaking of magic. I discovered Magic Characters here. See?”

I hand the old book to Yui.

“N, this? I can’t read the characters, oh, I can feel mana in this. But, the contents are incomprehensible. I can’t read these characters. It’s different from the elf language…and though it’s similar to ancient dwarf I think it is different. I haven’t seen these characters before.”

“Is that so, I’m able to read them.”

“Eh?”

She returns the book to me.

“I’m going to conduct a few experiments. I’ll go away…”

“Eh? Experiments?”

“Nya.”

Yui lifts Rollo and back away from me. (TL: Heh, no faith in Shuya.)

“So, watch.”

Even though I cannot understand the visual forms of the characters I can easily read the thanks to the extra skill.

The title is Black Mass.

The title is simple.

I begin to read the Magic Characters for 《Black Mass》

I though it a little earlier, but it is strange. This book.

I can feel mana from the magic characters.

When I open the book and begins reading the characters, the characters I read begin to give off white light.

Before long the characters I did not read begin to shine and flicker.

What is this?

The shining characters lift off the page and project into the air, the ages of magic characters turn automatically and the shining characters floating in the air move the same way.

Ooh, amazing. Characters…

The white light is nearly colorless.

But, the shining characters gradually turn black and erode.

A string of black characters floating in the air begin to give off a peculiar shine.

“What is…this?”

A curious expression plays across Yui’s face as she mumbles.

Being carried by her, Rollo is staring at the floating characters. The characters are reflected in her red eyes.

Docile against Yui’s wonderful breasts, without playing, she seems to be watching the course of events.

A short time later, the string of floating characters begins to vibrate.

Then they suddenly swoop to the ground.

No, the characters turn to me.

the characters turn sharply and collide with my forehead.

The floating magic characters are ab, sor, bed.

“Uo…”

The characters entering my head one after another.

As the darkly shining character string enters my head, the shapes and characters of a geometric pattern for a magic formation is spontaneously engraved in my mind.

The construction of the formation together with the method to regulate mana, I understand the sensation of how to construct it.

It is a strange sensation, the feeling of my mind’s consciousness being opened-

The umbrella of my senses all being opened at the same time-

However, I cannot completely understand it by myself.

It is a half-finished feeling, I suck in a breath, the sensation is like the naturally pulsing blood… 𝗳𝘳𝐞e𝙬𝙚𝚋𝗻𝚘𝚟𝗲l.𝑐𝑜ｍ

From the times I learned a skill, a deeper place…

I feel like it is being engraves into my mental heart.

For a moment- I look at both my hands with magic characters.

I take a deep breath in through my nose, then let it out through my mouth.

With this magic characters being supported by me, in order to finish their function, they are rotting away.

Finally, I have the fleeting feeling of sand running through my fingers.

※ Pikon ※ Skill Acquired ※

※ Pikon ※ Skill Acquired ※

I concentrate on this magic, ignoring the skill acquisition sound in my head along with acquisition characters displayed in front of me.

I understand. I see…this part is necessary.

I feel that I have realized something.

I will test it out immediately.

Just to be safe I activate the skill and replenish my mana.

And I close my eyes and concentrate mana on a finger-tip.

Raising my right hand, I draw a circle with a finger- a character string is joined together.

This circle being drawn is a centralized type- the construction of a magic formation.

“Amazing…Magician…”

Yui mutters “magician,” referring to me.

I think of a question, but for the time being I focus on the magic.

I add the magic symbols I learned one after another to the circular magic formation.

The scale the geometric pattern I am drawing is small, I compose the magic character formation.

I freely tamper with the meaning one by one.

At the same time my mana is being expended.

“The beginning is according to the basics in the book…but the name is changed.”

Muttering so, I finish meddling with the magic formation.

Floating before my eyes is an oddly shining black magic formation. (TL: In this case black is referring to the color of the formation, not the type of magic.)

Black Mass-

“《Dark Bullet》”

At that moment- an intense, a black mass appears from a rough, intense distortion in the magic formation. Furthermore, mana is taken from the magic formation.

The black mass plunges into the ground in one breath.

-DOGOOOOOONN!! The collision happens with a thwack and an intense shock wave.

Like a small meteorite.

But, my body feels heavy- I am attacked by a sense of listlessness.

It is a strong sense of exhaustion…

It is not to the extent of fairy moji or the naming of the bone knights.

Surprised by the loud sound, intense shock wave, and the cloud of dust Rollo jumps out of Yui’s arms and for a moment is suspended in the air with a foolish appearance.

Rollo is like that but she lands on the ground safely.

However, her red pupils are dilated and the hair on her back is standing on end.

With funny movements she is sidling along with crabish movements.

Yui is staring at the hole in the ground with a look of stupefaction…

A big hole has been created in the ground of the garden.

A one-meter hole. It seems to have pierced through the ground in a pinpoint.

Around the hole the earth is rolled up in a circle, several layers over and over again, small cracks are spread out.

“Hey, this is pretty powerful if it lands a direct hit.”

Moreover, I can still tamper with the ancient crest magic some more.

Ancient crest magic is amazing.

The extra skill is also helping.

Since I can normally read ancient characters I am able to acquire ancient magic and crest magic in no time.

At first, I chose it because I wanted to understand people other than humans…

I was really lucky. Lucky.

“Shuya…you, who are you? Not only the spear, but to use magic…”

Her eyes have become completely frightened; her eyes are shaking.

And then, like the other day…the look in Yui’s eyes has begun to show signs of changing.

The color transitions from black to light gray.

Before long they have changed into the white snow scene.

A little silver is emitted from her vacant eyes, strangely.

“Yui, your eyes…”

“Ah, don’t look!”

She covers her eyes with her hands and looks away to hide them.

“N, Aah. However, I’ve already seen them…”

Yui speaks embarrassed words while turning her back.

“My eyes. They are hollow and abnormally empty…”

“Is that so? It was fantastic and beautiful…”

When she hears what I said Yui’s should move a little, startled, time passes.

“…Only Shuya. To say such a thing.”

Yui says so and looks back, showing her face.

Traces of tears can be seen on her cheeks. She finished crying…

Even though they are such beautiful eyes, she seems to have a problem with it.

“Beautiful. Once before…you showed me those eyes.”

“Un, thanks. That was for the sake of chasing Shuya.”

Chasing? Some kind of ability.

Then, a change happens in Yui’s eyes.

“Ah, they’re turning back.”

“Fufu.”

She seems embarrassed, her shy figure is unusually cute.

“In order to chase me, those eyes are special eyes?” (TL: Look! Look with your special eyes. My brand!)

“So. These are the eyes of Beikala. They are nicknamed “Death Eyes” and are good for tracking. (TL: So chunni. I love it.) The target I catch with these eyes once with be bordered red for ‘eternity,’ where ever they go I can follow. It’s a ‘game’ for me. two times, three ties, every time I see the target again, my assassination ability improves.”

So that means, I am bordered in red all the time?

“So, uh, do they change all the time?”

“So. Most of the time I activate them consciously, but sometimes when I feel fear it activates automatically.”

Yui seems happy and her cheeks relax. She seems to be in a good mood.

“Is that so. Then I scared you. Sorry. But, such important information…is it okay to tell me?”

“Un. I am already okay with the problem that is Shuya. Aren’t you actually a magician?”

“No, n, well now I can’t deny it…I became a magic user. In other words, my foundation is well rounded?”

Scowling, Yui looks at me with a pair of doubtful eyes.

On the other hand, having already calmed down, Rollo has arranged her front feet and upper body properly and is being well behaved like a doll.

She seems to be listening to mine and Yui’s conversation.

“…It was a phenomenon I have not seen. I have not seen characters float when you learn magic. Such a phenomenon happens with neither language nor crest.”

“That’s right…”

“You’re hiding something?”

“It seems to be ancient magic.”

“Ancient Magic!?”

It was written in an ancient magic book.

With this response, it seems certain it was a valuable magic book.

Ah, Yui’s eyes changed again.

“…It’s a shock when the woman I love is afraid so many times.”

To my casual sudden confession, Yui’s shaking white eyes are trembling.

“…You love me?”

“Aah, would I have nursed you if I didn’t like you?”

“That, well…”

As she mutters Yui’s eyes return to normal and her face blushes red.

I open my mouth to disturb the delicate moment.

“Yui, did you say that you grilled meat earlier? Now, let’s finish.”

“N, that’s right.”

Like this, the pleasant days that nobody knows passes immediately.

◇◇◇◇

Furthermore, one week later-

Yui’s body has become able to move freely.

Looking healthy, she also shows her cute lively smile.

Her physical condition also seems to have improved.

Is the gyuza grass good for the skin in the bath? It is somehow charming.

I am still eating the meat that was barbequed in the garden with relish.

For a little while, I look at the condition of the meat being brought to my mouth.

When I look, a smiling face is returned.

Things have progressed really well.

In various way, I fought to “massage” Yui’s body.

Talking with Yui has also become fun… f𝚛e𝚎𝘄𝒆𝚋𝚗𝚘ѵ𝑒𝚕.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Once she recovers completely, the period of pretending to be lovers will end, and it will return to antagonism.

Honestly, I like this woman.

But…even though I do not want to, we must separate.

There are times when I am hot-blooded.

If I am not mistaken, Zoru said I can reach a city if I go west.

Assuming I will leave tomorrow, once, I should talk to Yui…

-N? A magic essence reaction.

A magic essence reaction from above where the fog is spread out.

Because the visibility is poor I cannot really distinguish it…

-It comes.

A human type creature with bone wings growing from its back breaks through the fog to the ground.

With pale skin and unkempt thin blond hair, it has abnormally large black eyes and blood sucking fangs are visible on both sides of its mouth.

Its hands and feet are humanoid, and the projections on it back are sharp and have taken the form of weapons.

But, my eyes are attracted to the clothing like armor in its hands.

It is a novel design. A bone pipe extends from the upper part of both shoulders into a thin line and wraps around the lower back as bone armor.

The small bones jutting out of its back form wings.

Such bone wings appear like blades of innumerable collected bone splinters.

On the other hand, the legs of its lower body are thin and bird like, similar to a goose.

The strange person in front of my eyes clearly is not human, but its small cotton swab like lips move.

“…Oya, it isn’t that magician.”

Peculiar, their voice has an empty quality.

“Aah, what are you?”

When I ask Yui grasps a sword in both hands, activates her death eyes, and then her eyes change into “Beikala’s Eyes.”

Rollo moves into a blind spot so she can throw herself at any time.

I grasp my spear and adopt a natural posture.

It is a posture that can shift to fighting anytime.

“The woman’s appearance is different too? What happened to Zoru Gustave?”

“More importantly answer the question. Who. are. you?”

I activate magic observing eyes and presence detection repeatedly.

I raise my voice as I talk to the “Dark Eyed Bird Man.” (TL: The Labyrinth Master?)

“Sa?”

The moment I say so the dark eyed bird seems to deceive, lowering its hands to its waist.

It instantly pulls a bone sword out of its body and it about to attack.

Immediately, Yui fights back.

I rotate to the side in order to attack and thrust out.

Yui’s sword collides with the bone sword wielded by the dark eyed bird.

Yui’s sword repeatedly collides with the bone sword, clashing together hard sounds ring out.

Yui continues attack with her one sword two swords, and then the dark eyed bird wields two bone sword, accurately defending against Yui’s attacks.

With a good rhythm the hard sound of the two colliding bone swords and Yui’s swords is audible, they take distance from each other and hold.

“You fight well for a human girl, no? However-”

It then opens both of its bird eyes and raises its arms above its head, at the same time its bone wings open up and it flies away.

I do not understand how its bone wings can use the wind, but quickly increasing its speed it attacks Yui.

Yui somehow manages to deflect the high speed bone sword with her swords, but she completely falls behind.

Taking this as an opening, it folds its bone wings behind its back and they transform into a spear bone tail with a sharp point. The transformed spear bone tail draws a low arc and pierces through Yui’s foot.

Blood spills out of Yui’s foot as it is sewn to the ground.

The Yui that has become full of openings.

The dark eyed bird sees the immobile Yui and the moment it is going to stab with the bone sword grasped in its thin hand-

“With this, todo-”

-Think I will let you!

I kick the ground with fighting moji enhanced legs. (TL: I want to take this opportunity to explain part of my translation. The author actually writes “I kick the ground with fighting magic legs” and sometimes he just calls them “magic legs.” This doesn’t sound that great in English so I have been translating it like this for a while now. Anyways, back to the fight?)

Quickly closing the distance with the dark eyed bird I attack its side with a thrust from my black spear, I stab into its intestines.

It is blown off to the side, and staggering with a “Gua,” it cannot help also issuing a brief scream. However, it still hasn’t collapsed yet.

Furthermore, the pursuing feeler bone sword of Rollo pierces through its thin bird leg, leaving behind a hole.

“You should regret that you laid a hand on the ‘woman I love.'”

Spitting out a small speech I eject towards the crown of the black eyed bird’s head.

At the same time, I activate - (TL: Woah, Shuya’s pissed.)

The same moment I eject chain through the head of the stumbling dark eyed bird, I who sped up at that moment release from point blank range.

Even if the chain pierced through the head of the black eyed bird, until ends I consecutively shoot like an electric drill, over and over.

In an instant the armored breast bone of the dark eyed bird is smashed and its body it crushed like trash.

Finally, as if brushing off of the dust, I rotate the spear to cause a strong wind, and I look back toward Yui.

“Yui, are you okay?

At the moment she appears to be more dumfounded that concerned with her injured foot, with her small mouth open she has a peashooter face.

“Yui?”

“Ah, aah, un. I’m okay. Thank you for helping me. Also, since my life was saved…kya, it hurts.”

“Rollo.”

“Ah, it’s fine. Fufu, thank you. Rollo-chan.”

Rollo licking the wound on Yui’s foot made her scream.

Rollo seems to be worried.

How do you say, licking the blood…

Yui has a gentle smile on her face, and consoles the Rollo who was behaving in such a way by stroking her head.

“Rollo, licking her blood is no good. Rather, I…”

I do not say that I want to lick it- I hold myself back.

“Eh?”

Yui is looking at me with strange eyes, so I hurry and deceive her.

“No, no, that is, medicine! I’ll go get a potion.”

“Ah, un.”

When a potion is sprinkled over the wound on her foot it immediately closes up.

I give her a potion just to be safe.

“With this it should be alright. It was good there were a lot of potions.”

“…Un, but, the demonic being from earlier…it felt like it was an acquaintance of the magician that used to live here.”

Yui speaks while looking at the deformed dead body of the dark eyed bird and calls it a demonic being. I check the corpse, there is nothing.

Which reminds me, there was something written in the diary about that.

“…Dead men tell no tales, but there was a description about the bone wings in Zoru’s diary. And then, the demonic being has no possessions. There is only the bone sword.”

“We shouldn’t be attacked by a different one again, but…”

“Surely, the possibility is there. It may be better to immediately leave this place.”

“Yeah.”

Did you hear what I started to say earlier…

“That, reminds me, wasn’t the sword handling a little while ago very sharp? Has your body already completely recovered?”

“Eeh, I’m cured…”

Yui’s expression suddenly stiffens.

“Is that so…that’s good, you feel good…”

“What do you want to say?”

“Since you have recovered, I was considering leaving here tomorrow morning.”

“…Na…wait, are you saying Shuya will return to antagonism with me?”

“It’s up to Yui.”

After a short moment Yui eyelashes begin to tremble and she adopts and angry expression.

“…I must kill Shuya, it can’t be helped, but I don’t want to kill you, but even so, unfair, unfair, unfair!”

Her voice is unusually rough, and her reaction is one that is not normally shown by a woman of her age.

haha, even though it’s a frantic face it’s still cute.

…Then, should I invite her?

“…Na, if that’s the case, why don’t you travel with Rollo and me?”

“…”

Yui stays silent.

Are you going to hold out a little more?

“I am look for a certain treasure artefact for Rollo. Well, Yui could travel. Wouldn’t it be fun if you were with us…How’s that? Will you come together?”

After I look Yui in the eye, her face looks like she is going to cry and she evades my eyes.

From her profile I can see one tear stream down her cheek.

Aah, I made you cry.

“…I want to go. But, I’m sorry. It’s impossible…the organization won’t allow it. I must protect the Furgman Family. For the sake of my father who is bed ridden with illness.”

The organization, the Furgman household.

Because of the family name I too would be worried about my father.

There is no helping it. I’m sorry.

It is disappointing, but I have been rejected.

I thought of confessing and being rejected several time, but I do not want to taste it in any world.

“…I won’t force you.”

I try to be a little tough, and do not show it on my face.

“…Shuya.”

Yui is suddenly there, removing the black clothes she is wearing.

“Oh…”

And then, she throws aside all of her clothes with determination.

“Strangely I want you hear it without thinking. Before we separate, I want to thank you. I’m not Shuya’s ‘loved one’…I know that. But, if it’s still okay…I want you to hold me.”

Yui speaks while making a tight fist.

But, her voice is soft like the feathers of a small bird, floating on the wind.

However, loved one? There is no such person…

Other than such a thing, is Yui’s naked body. Always so beautiful.

Naturally, I stare at her body.

The skin the nape of her neck is shining white with sweat.

Clearly taking in her elegant collar bone, and immediately below, double hills of a moderate size that are so magnificent as to make a famous photographer groan.

The finely arranged hair of the secret flower garden truly seems like Yui.

The thin firm musculature of her waist that continues to the white peach of her thighs down to her tiny feet is seductive.

“…Yui, you’re beautiful. …But, I have no loved one?”

“Eh, but, the necklace…”

“Ooh, this. I picked this up a while ago…baka, did you misunderstand? Hora.”

I instinctively pull in the too cute Yui and hug her.

And, naturally, once again the same words are spoken.

“Beautiful, a cute person.”

I am a man, too. Not eating the meal set before him is a man’s shame. I will accept.

I undress immediately and put my hands around Yui’s waist to hold her.

Once more I strongly hold her close.

Yui, with her face buried in my chest, looks up at me and for a moment, her eyes close bravely as they swell with tears and grief.

I steal away Yui’s lips.

“N, for today, I’m your lover…”

Shed tears fall from her face and hit my cheeks.

“Aah…”

Yui’s coquettish figure is branded in my eyes.

Bring our bodies leaning close to each other, running my eyes over her I covet her small lips exhaustively.

Entwining our arms, our bodies seek to come together and surrender themselves to our desires.

Our hearts melt together as we love and are loved in return for countless hours, to the extent the Rollo is astonished…I am not sure, but the love affair passes through the night and follow until early in the morning.

◇◇◇◇

Rising early, the blood of deflowering is left on the bed from our repeated love-making.

She’s still sleeping. It is because we did so much yesterday.

The stamina of that one was inexhaustible too…

The loose sleeping figure of Yui.

I look at her lustrous skin and check her beautiful sleeping face.

I can detect the lingering scent of a woman, the feeling I had revives…

Isn’t Yui well? I am going to speak, but I stop myself.

I myself, because my resolution might waver.

Controlling my emotions, I write a message on parchment with a quill pen.

I tore this paper from the diary in the study.

Finally, I put near the letter I wrote all of the money Zoru had along with five pieces of the ancient gold I got from Shisho.

With painful reluctance, I break away…

I speedily leave the hut after arranging my equipment.