I can’t believe that the woman who was attacked was the receptionist Elina… I guess this is what people mean when they say the world is small.
It was an unexpected fact, but I was able to help someone I knew, so there’s no way to complain about the outcome.
However, for some reason, Fiona’s reaction wasn’t very favorable. I felt like she was giving me a cold glare while I was happily talking.
Is it like, “The one who defeated the culprit was Fiona, so I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it”?
Hmm, even so, Lily, who was listening together, also had a lukewarm reaction, so what is going on… Well, perhaps I’m just overthinking their cold reactions.
For the two of them, helping someone might be a daily occurrence as residents of this monster-infested another world; I might just be the foolish one getting overly excited.
Regardless, as per what I heard from Elina earlier, I came to the dedicated material room for rank 3 and above to acquire new monster information that has been released.
That said, the entire fourth floor is utilized as a material room, boasting a library-like collection of books.
This includes not only monster data but also information related to adventurers, such as weapons and magic, and in fact, the rooms are divided by category.
So, I am in charge of the monster information, while I’ve delegated the other information gathering to Lily and Fiona.
Being still unfamiliar with the common sense of this world, I struggle to understand the content of the books due to the unintelligible proper nouns and unique expressions.
It’s fine if I just need to understand the ecology and habitat of monsters, but the materials that require simple reading comprehension, especially regarding magic, often leave me at a loss.
That’s why we have this division of roles.
Well, for Fiona, who attended the Elysion Magical Academy, the likelihood of encountering anything new in the magic books seems low.
“Well then, will Mia tell me what I need to know?”
Upon stepping into the material room filled with books on monster information, I closed my right eye and looked around.
“…I hit the jackpot.”
The spines of several volumes of the monster list edited by the guild, which is likely to be used most frequently, glow red, asserting their presence.
When I closed my left eye and looked with just my right eye, indeed, the red glow vanished, and they returned to being ordinary books.
Though the mechanism of this eye is completely unclear, I suppose it’s convenient, so I’ll take it.
I piled the lists indicated by the light onto the table, sat down, and opened the first volume.
It seems I’m currently the only one using this material room, as it is very quiet.
The only sound echoing in the room is that of me turning the pages, reminding me of the high school literature club room.
While indulging in such sentimental thoughts, I took notes on the information written in the materials with a pen on a blank sheet of paper.
That information pertains to the monsters of the new trials following Raspun.
After spending a considerable amount of time, I listed the monsters indicated by my left eye, which glowed red.
“Just six more, huh?”
What I wrote on the paper were six names.
Greedg.
Slowsgil.
Pride Gem.
Gluttony.
Last Rose.
Envy Ray.
“It’s like the seven deadly sins.”
“That’s right, monsters bearing the names of sins are worthy offerings to receive the blessing of the demon king.”
To my utter surprise, there was an unexpected response to my muttered words.
When I turned to see, Mia, dressed in the same school uniform from when I met her in the plaza, was standing there.
“Am I being too stylish?”
She chuckled and blushed, but if she feels embarrassed, she shouldn’t say it.
However, it would be cruel to point that out.
“You still have that sudden entrance, huh?”
“Hehe, isn’t it god-like?”
Is it? I thought, but looking at Mia, who seemed somewhat proud, I felt inclined to let her have that.
At this point, though, it feels more like I’m just dealing with a child named Mia rather than a god.
“So, is it correct to say that defeating these six monsters will complete the remaining trials?”
“Yeah, but it seems you already know the reason without me needing to explain.”
Having defeated Raspun with the power of flame, I gained the ability to transform black magic power into fire.
Moreover, the six monsters I just investigated are recorded as possessing powers specialized in single attributes each.
Fire, water, ice, earth, lightning, wind, light, darkness—these are the eight attributes in magic, and if I can handle all eight, I can truly call myself an Element Master.
The six monsters remaining for my trials encompass all attributes except for fire and darkness.
“Transforming black magic into all attributes, that is the power of blessing.”
“That’s correct, at the very least, you will gain that much power.”
Mia sat down in the seat directly across from me and placed a large lunchbox on the table, from where she must have pulled it out.
I wonder if it’s time for lunch; rather than pursuing her personal matter, I focused on her meaningful words.
“By ‘at least,’ do you mean there’s something more?”
“How you use the power is up to you, which means you should use it effectively.
Oh, but when you achieve all the trials, there’s something even greater!”
So work hard, she encouraged, while biting into an oddly large sandwich she took from the open lunchbox.
The scent of thick-cut bacon sandwiched between soft white bread reached my nostrils, and it looked ridiculously delicious.
More than that, when she said how you utilize it is important, it likely refers not to the goal but rather to how well I can apply my abilities.
The quest for defeating Morjura has proven that simply releasing black flames through the enhanced flame mountain blade, “Raspun’s Right Arm,” could yield considerable firepower.
I mean, it’s also because the specs of “Raspun’s Right Arm” were unexpectedly high; Stratos Blacksmith Shop really did a great job, and I intend to keep supporting them.
Anyway, if I get more accustomed to handling my power, the usage could expand, such as heating just the blade, ah, and if I could learn other transformations, combing them might also be interesting.
Though at this stage, it’s merely wishful thinking.
However, apart from that, the ‘something greater’ I could gain after achieving all the trials is likely,
“The blessing that activates by chanting the name of a god?”
Mia’s little hand and mouth froze slightly.
“Why do you know?”
“Why? Because everyone was using the names of the gods to activate their blessings.”
I clearly witnessed Lily invoking “Fairy Queen Iris,” Vulcan with “Lone Wolf Volfgand,” and Sue with “Shadow Weaver Hanzo,” all to invoke the effects of their blessings.
There’s no way I wouldn’t understand that after seeing it.
“Oh, I see, you already knew.”
Mia resumed eating with an oddly disappointed expression.
What the heck, did she want to keep it a secret… No, but it’s odd to not realize.
“Ah, but by the way, I’m really looking forward to what kind of incantations will be used.”
While I was thinking about how I was trying to curry favor with a god, seeing Mia’s downcast face while she munched on her sandwich made me unable to contain myself, and I ended up saying this.
“Really? Hehe, but that’s not fair, it’s still a secret!”
It seemed to work perfectly, as Mia suddenly changed to a beaming smile.
Somehow, she seemed more like a child fitting her appearance rather than a god.
Well, it’s fine because she’s cute.
“By the way, Mia.”
However, just as there are rules for gods, there are also rules in the human world, and I needed to make sure to teach this child a crucial note.
“What is it?”
With Mia reaching for another egg sandwich after finishing the first giant bacon sandwich, I felt like a librarian warning her.
“Eating and drinking are prohibited in the material room.”