The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 99: Spirit Magic

Episode 99: Spirit Magic

The suspicious shadow slowly began to move toward us. There was no magic stone embedded in that body, which looked like black mist. 

“Doesn’t look like the Water Spirit.” 

“I see. Then what on earth is it?” 

“Well, either way, we gotta take it down!” 

Jill cut away the water bullets the suspicious shadow fired using his sword. And then he approached just like that. 

The opponent was a monster with an undefined shape and form. Normally, regular swords shouldn’t be able to damage it. 

However, the mithril sword that Jill held slashed right through the shadow. 

“Kyaaa!?” 

“It cuts!” 

Jill flashed a gleaming smile. On the other hand, the suspicious shadow probably didn’t expect to be hit by the attack. 

It didn’t even try to dodge and took the attack directly. 

The suspicious shadow let out a high-pitched shriek, like a scream. 

Feeling a definite impact, Jill delivered another attack. 

“Gyaaaaah!” 

The shadow, its body torn, staggered backward. It swung tentacle-like thin shadows at Jill. But even those were easily cut off by him without danger. 

However, when it had backed up to the magic fountain, a change occurred in the suspicious shadow. 

The damage Jill had dealt was gone. And on top of that, it had grown a size larger than before. 

“What the…?” 

“It’s absorbing magic power from the magic fountain!” 

At the same time Lilia shouted that, the suspicious shadow fired multiple water spears. 

Jill easily knocked them down with his sword. And those that flew toward us were blocked by a Shield spell. 

The suspicious shadow had shrunk again to the same size as before. 

Apparently, there was some kind of relationship between the body’s size and the amount of magic power. 

“Looks like we’ll have to do something about that magic fountain first.” 

“Seems that way. Jill, let’s pull that thing away from there together.” 

“Got it. Even if our attacks work, if it keeps recovering infinitely, there’s no way to beat it.” 

“Elise, support us. Fel, I’m leaving the magic fountain to you.” 

“Alright.” 

I’ve got Lilia and Pii-chan with me. 

If we can examine the magic fountain, we should be able to figure out a countermeasure. 

Ardan and Jill provoked the suspicious shadow and gradually lured it out of the room. 

Apparently, it’s not all that smart. 

“Okay, let’s approach while we can. Do you think that thing can see?” 

“I don’t think so. Maybe it’s sensing things through magic power or heat?” 

“If that’s the case, let’s use a spell that blocks that and try to make our movements as unnoticed as possible.” 

“Right, let’s do that.” 

Lilia quickly cast a spell. With that, we shouldn’t be noticed right away. 

In the meantime, let’s examine the magic fountain. 

We moved quickly to stay in its blind spot and made our way in front of the magic fountain. 

“You two, do you see anything?” 

“It seems certain that this is where it’s drawing magic from to produce monsters.” 

Pii-chan said that while examining it. Lilia seemed to agree. She was staring at it with a serious expression. 

“Then if we block this, we can stop more monsters from being created. This is an earth vein, right?” 

“Yes, no mistake. It looks like they forcibly twisted a narrowed earth vein and dragged it all the way here. I think the earth vein in this place was originally close to drying up.” 

I see. So they dragged it here to efficiently produce monsters from a dying earth vein. 

“Are earth veins supposed to come up to the surface like this?” 

“Normally, no. I think there must be some kind of method. I don’t know what kind, though.” 

“Basically, earth veins circulate within the land. If an earth vein is pulled out of that cycle, it dries up.” 

Maybe the circulation loop of the earth veins slowly moves around. That might be why some places end up with dried earth veins. 

The one here is already on the verge of drying up. 

If we do something now, it probably won’t be used again. 

“How can we return this earth vein to its original position?” 

“Hmm… Since they forcibly dragged and fixed the earth vein over here, maybe if we push it back, whatever’s fixing it might come undone and it’ll return to its original place?” 

Lilia said uncertainly. 

I wonder if there’s some kind of method to fix magical energy? 

It looked like she couldn’t think of anything, and Lilia tilted her head.

“Pii-chan, do you know anything?”

“………”

“Pii-chan?”

“There is a method that comes to mind. No doubt about it. It’s the method we Spirits use to draw magical power from the ley lines.”

“That means…!?”

Lilia put both hands to her mouth. 

That must be the Water Spirit’s power Pii-chan felt before coming here. 

In other words, the Water Spirit is involved in this whole incident.

“Pii-chan…”

“When we Spirits move the ley lines to gain magical energy, it’s only temporary. We can’t maintain it for long. If we do, it puts a burden on us Spirits.”

“Then… this current situation—”

Pii-chan looked up at me and sadly nodded.

“I can feel the presence of the Water Spirit nearby. To me, it feels like it’s screaming.”

“We have to do something! You’re the Fire Spirit, right, Pii-chan? Can’t you do something?”

“With my power weakened, there’s nothing I can do…”

“Then I’ll do it. I’ve merged with you, right, Pii-chan? Then I should be able to do the same thing.”

Up until now, I had no idea what “merging” meant. 

I thought it just meant moving around with Pii-chan. 

But it must be more than that. 

If we’ve merged, then I should be able to use Pii-chan’s power too.

“Are you serious, Fel?”

“Of course. I can’t just stand by when Pii-chan is in pain.”

“…Understood. I’ll release the magic sealed within me.”

“Wait, is that safe!?”

“As long as you don’t use it the wrong way.”

That means… if I *do* use it the wrong way, something terrible could happen, right? 

Like destroying the world depending on my mood or something? 

I trust you, Pii-chan.

“O-Okay. If that can save the Water Spirit, then I’ll do it!”

“You’re shaking, Fel.”

Lilia gently leaned on my shoulder. 

That kindness meant a lot right now.

“C’mon, can’t help it. Scary stuff is scary.”

“It’ll be fine. You’ll definitely use it for good, Aniki. I know that for sure.”

Pii-chan said it firmly. 

Lilia nodded beside me. 

With both of them saying that, I couldn’t let fear stop me. 

Time to step up for Pii-chan and the Water Spirit.

“Pii-chan, let’s do it.”

“Got it!”

Pii-chan suddenly shone brightly. 

The light entered my eyes, and a clear light spread through my mind. 

So this is the magic used by the Fire Spirit………. it definitely feels strange.

“Fel, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Looks like the magic being used to fix the ley line in place is called ‘Energy Drain’.”

“Energy Drain… never heard of that one.”

With this magic, not only can you draw power from ley lines, but also absorb the opponent’s life force—and convert it into your own power. 

It’s dangerous, depending on how you use it.

“Like you said earlier, Lilia, we can’t push the magic back. But instead, what if I use ‘Energy Drain’ to pull even more magic out of this state—what do you think will happen?”

“Umm, if you increase the amount of magic being pulled from the ley line, maybe the ley line would temporarily expand, or the speed of flow would increase?”

Lilia answered with a slight tilt of her head. 

I thought the same. 

Either way, it would put a strain on the ‘Energy Drain’ spell that’s fixing the line in place. 

If that happens, that spell should eventually collapse and return the line back in place.

“Aniki, you can do it! Just pulling the ley line here by force must already be putting a lot of strain on it. If we tip that balance even slightly, it’ll easily collapse!”

With Pii-chan’s reassurance, I decided to give it a try. 

I was starting to feel like I could really do it.

“Energy Drain.”

I aimed the spell at the magic fountain. 

Immediately, a surge of dark, rainbow-colored light burst out. 

From the fountain, I heard cracking sounds—like ice breaking. 

As soon as the sound stopped, the magic fountain completely vanished. 

It looked like the ley line had returned to its original position.

“Kiki-Kii!?”

It seemed the suspicious shadow realized the magic fountain was gone. 

Two red lights looked this way. 

They seemed to widen slightly, as if surprised.

“Hey, Fel, what are you going to do with that magic you gathered?”

In my right hand, raw, rainbow-colored magic was swirling. It was glowing brightly.