12-Episode 10: Makoto Takatsuki trains with Lucy




Hey, chief, can I get a soda?
Me too. Strong.
 Me and Lucy went limp and sat down at the usual skewer stall.

'Aye, it's unusual for Makoto to order a drink,'
I'm exhausted today. I need to get drunk.
What's going on?

 The magic that Lucy unleashed caused a fire in the Great Forest.
 Me and Lucy went around putting out fires.
 I did most of the fighting, though.
 Lucy was fuming the whole time.

 On the way there, strong-looking demons from the Demon Forest were attracted to the fire and gathered there, so we were in a huge hurry.

 After that, when we got back to the city, in the adventurer's guild, we heard that smoke was rising from the Demon Forest, and that a dangerous demon beast that could burn the forest had come out? There was a lot of commotion.
 Marie and Lucas were furious with me, and it was forbidden for Lucy to use fire magic in the Great Forest.
 It was only a short time ago that I was released after an hour of preaching to them.

"Haha, that was a disaster.
'It's not funny. It's not easy to work together at a party. Right, Lucy?
....
 No reply.
 I glance next to him and he seems depressed.
 Lucy timidly opens her mouth.

"Hey, Makoto. Are you mad at me?
Hmm? Angry about what?
'My magic must have made it hard for you...'
I don't mind.
Wouldn't you say the party is over?
It's only your first day, okay?

 I said no way, but apparently Lucy has been kicked out of the party on the first day a few times in the past.
 Some of them have a temperament, don't they?

'Well, I guess next time you can shoot with less power.
That's the least I can do.
What?
I can't make it any less powerful.
 That ridiculous fireball is the least amount of power.

-- Now that wasn't mega-fire...that was fire.

 Such a line from the Great Demon King in the anime came to mind.

'For now, let's try using magic other than fire magic,' I suggested.
''I can't use it.''
What did you say?
 Lucy shows me the 'Book of Souls'.

 It said unique skills: 'Fire Magic: King Grade', 'Great Magic Dao' and 'Spirit Master'.

''I heard that the 'Great Magic Skill' can be used with the four attributes of 'Fire', 'Water', 'Wood' and 'Earth'.
'I've been training in fire magic all my life...'

 Fire magic is the basis of attack magic.
 Except for guys like me who can only use water magic, we usually practice fire magic first.
 It's a high attack power, and it's an effective attack magic against most monsters.

 However, it would be a problem if you can only use fire.
 The great magic skill you have is crying out for.

"What do you mean by 'spirit user'?
'It's a skill that elves and dwarves often have. We believe in spirits.
Can't Lucy do spirit magic?
....
 Lucy silently looks away.
 Well, I expected that it wouldn't work.

'Spirit magic is difficult. You don't have to use your own magic, you have to borrow power from the spirits, but it's hard to control.
That's a lot of pressure for Lucy, who can't even control her own magic.
Uggh, yeah.
 It's a waste of all the skills that seem so strong lined up.
 I want one.
 There's no point in saying that.

I'll just go ahead and practice fire magic for now.
 I pecked at my glass while biting into my skewers.
''Mmmm...''
 Lucy gave a small nod and plopped down at the table groggily.
 Too much to drink.
 I'm not going to make it strong.

 ◇

 For a while, there was a lot of trial and error on how to work with Lucy.

 Lucy takes a long time to chant her magic anyway.
 But if it hits, its power is outstanding.
 So, basically, I'm going to be the bait and draw the enemy to me.
 I'm not going to be able to get it done.
 I've been thinking about this plan, but Lucy's magic is just not stable enough.

 At times, the flames would split apart.
 I'm not sure if I'll ever see them again.
 At other times, it went out of control at hand and nearly turned both of us into a black burn.

 So what about other than 'fire magic'?
 I tried it.
 However, the chanting speed is extremely slow because I've barely trained in the past.

It's useless. This is ridiculous.
 I had been playing with the big mouse in the North Forest for about 10 minutes, but Lucy's 'earth magic', which hadn't been activated at all, made me give up the immediate battle.

(Water Magic, Ice Floor (Ice Floor))

 With a swoosh, the large rat slips and falls.
 Then he throws the dagger at it to finish it off.
 The dagger stabs the rat to death.

 I couldn't kill a single rat with my magic, so I had to use my magic to halt him and then use the dagger to finish him off.
 It's a pain in the ass, really.
 As I was thinking about this, I felt a gaze on me.
 What is it, Lucy?

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
 Lucy gives me a wide berth.
'Well, compared to a spell that chants for 10 minutes and doesn't work.
Ugh.
 Lucy gets teary-eyed easily.
 Because I'm not bullying her! Don't cry!

Have you improved your magical proficiency?
Just one thing in a week...
"Is Lucy's proficiency level now '11'?
 The proficiency level required for no chanting is '50'. That's a long way to go.

By the way, I'm 91, so that's a step up.
'It's crazy! I'm told it usually doesn't go up much past 50! Why, you're growing as fast as I am!
 I don't know.
 It's because we train together every day.

 With a sigh, I peel the skin off the big rat.
 As usual, it's crispy and sharp. It's a pleasure to use.
 Thank Goddess.

That dagger looks a little strange, don't you think? Are you using any skills?
 Lucy pointed out, visibly.
'It's a magical weapon,'
Hmmm, for a wizard, a dagger is your weapon of choice.
I don't care.
 I've kept it a secret that the goddess gave me this.
 I was also warned by Fujiyan that I shouldn't say too much about it.
 Well, there's no need to bother saying that I'm a believer in the evil god.

Let's go upstairs for today. I'm going to be hunting for goblins from now on, so why don't you meet me at the usual place in the evening?
 Without earning money from training all the time, he can't eat, so he continues to hunt goblins.
 However, I don't have much time to hunt, so my earnings are decreasing.
 This is also a troubling situation.

''Yeah I'm practicing magic in the city, right?
 Trudgingly, Lucy headed towards the city.

 Hmmm, I'm not feeling well.
 I don't know how to comfort a girl at a time like this.
 Maybe I should talk to Fujiyan, who has the "Galge Player" skill.

 ◇

Lucy, thank you for a good day.
Yeah, sure. I'm sorry I keep letting you hunt.
It's fine, man. It's a party. We're helping each other.

 The usual food cart area inside the guild's entrance.
 However, the skewered general's place was full, so we changed places and had dinner on the benches and desks around there.
 The food was a sandwich with vegetables and chicken, which Lucy said she liked, and soup.
 I also bought some juice, which I should have bought, but for some reason it had alcohol in it.
The lady who owned the restaurant winked at me and said, "I served you," but I didn't want that service.

'Oh my God! Why can't it work!
 Lucy is scratching her head as she empties her second glass.
 It's rough.
 But it's better than being down and out.

"Well, let's just take it easy.
 I bit into my sandwich and played with the ice in my glass, floating it around in a fluffy way.
 I popped the ice in the air into my mouth with a snap.
 Cold.

'....Hey, is it sarcasm to use that unchained magic in front of me?
It's just an exercise.
Really, the only thing that matters is the speed with which magic is activated. I've never seen a kid in the Elven home who could do magic so quickly.
'But the power is so much more than that. I hope Lucy can decide that part.

 Lucy didn't reply, and I could hear her tongue clicking and her throat churning as she drank down her glass.
 Lucy's drinking habits have been bad lately!
 I'm a little worried.

'Hey, Makoto.
What.
Auntie, I need another.
Hey, don't stop on the road.
 I think she's already drunk.
 Lucy seems to be a drinker, but not too strong.
 She drank about half of her fourth glass and started to talk.

"It's me," she said. My mother is my goal.
Hmm, what does Lucy's mother do?
He's a wizard. A very, very powerful wizard.
Yeah. A famous wizard?
....
 Lucy shuts up.
 You mean you don't want to say it?

You don't have any goals, do you?
 I was returned with a question.
 Hmmm, goals.
 I have one.
 It's a little embarrassing, but it's not like I have to hide anything from my friends at the party.

"Underwater Temple.
 The moment I hear it, Lucy gets a pouty look on her face.
'What? That highest difficulty level? An unreachable dungeon?
Yeah, that's the point.
 The Goddess is right there.

How could she be there of all places? It is said that if you clear 'Tower of the Zenith' on the same difficulty level, you will become immortal, while 'The Abyss' is said to contain amazing treasures and weapons. The Underwater Temple is a dungeon where you don't even know what you're going to find, even though the difficulty level is high.
 What a horrible thing to say.
 Goddess? I don't think you're getting enough publicity.

(Shut up. You can't interfere with the human world, so you can't blame me.)
 A sulky-faced goddess comes to mind.

''The undersea temple is under the sea, right? If you can master your water magic proficiency, you'll be able to make it work.
 In the meantime, I'm gathering information for my ultimate goal.
 It's an unpopular dungeon for adventurers because it's in the water, but for me it's very gratifying.
 At any rate, I don't have to worry about the lack of water.

'What are you talking about? There are water spirits clawing at the currents in the deep sea where the Undersea Temple is located, water dragons, sea monsters and even the Sea King Leviathan. Humans will be swallowed whole and that's the end of it.
'Well, I'll go 'covert' and hide from the demons.
"You can't run away from the spirits. They're everywhere. They're fickle and mischievous.
Hmmm, I didn't know that.
 I gulped down the berry-flavored cocktail.
 It's a little too sweet.

So what's a genie? What are they?
The world is made up of four things: fire, water, wind and earth. The world is made up of these four, and the world is turned by spirits. That's what the old gods teach.
 Hmm? I have a word on my mind.

'Old God?'
'Well, he's an evil god to the human race, right? You don't know what the Titan gods are?
 I know.
 I'm a believer.

''The old gods used to get along with spirits, but the holy gods who rule the world now don't like spirits. That's why spirit magic isn't as popular as it used to be.
 Lucy says boringly.

'So we'll have to do something about the spirits to get to the undersea temple, then?
You never know what they say, but you never know what's really going on. It's a myth. But then again, she's a daredevil. You're an apprentice wizard with ambitions for an underwater temple.
The higher the target, the better.
Yes, of course! We'd better aim high.
 Lucy suddenly and emphatically agreed.

'True! I'll be back tomorrow!
 Lucy's spirits seem to have lifted.
'How do you think we'll train tomorrow?
Yeah.
 The rest of the day was spent eating food and slurping up drinks and talking.
 As usual.
 I guess the reason it wasn't the usual is because there was a guy who unusually talked to a troubled party of two wizards.

Hey, Makoto. Can I have a word?

It was Jean and Emily who approached me.
It was the party that Lucy was formerly at.