Volume 8 Chapter 161, Steady Advance ~ 14
「GYAUGYAUGYAAAWAAA!!!」
The plaintive cries of the beasts echoed across the tranquil plains.
In this world, there is a surplus of land compared to the number of people. In this surplus land, monsters and beasts live in the pyramid of the food chain in nature.
Under normal circumstances, hunted beasts would not scream like this. Loud voices call other beasts, and the act of breaking a soul, even by hunting, is considered sacred, so the polite thing to do is to slit its throat so that it doesn't suffer.
Therefore, it is extremely rare to see a large woman holding down a wolf-like beast by brute force while keeping it alive.
It is Minerva who is holding down the wolf with great force. The mysterious "tou, tou" sound she is making is apparently trying to calm the wolf that is being held down so hard. This wolf-like creature was a poor beast, driven away by Liz's bow and Rico's healthy legs, and taken alive by Isolde.
Minerva dexterously holds her opponent in check, despite the wolf's large, rampaging body. She occasionally raises her voice strongly, probably to intimidate them.
「All right, let's give it a drink」
Isolde, who was holding a plastic bottle in her hand as if she knew exactly what Leia's instructions, put the cloth over the wolf's mouth and forced its mandible open, forcing the water from the bottle into its mouth. Unlike humans, wolves are not creatures that suck and drink water, so this was extremely rough, but if she wanted to make the wolf swallow the water filled with magic power in a short period of time, she had to resort to this kind of forceful method.
There is a coughing sound, and the wolf spits out most of the water. But it seems to have gotten some in.
「This wolf saying it is really not happy about it.」
The interpreter must not be mistaken, since a large amount of water was suddenly poured into its mouth. But the Beast Tribe is a creature that does not speak with vocabulary, but with the emotions in its voice. For example, hot and cold are also expressed in the word "yada," which means "I don't like or I hate it".
The wolf had been rampaging for a while, but then its toes began to tremble. Satoru wondered if it had drowned, but it was not the case.
「Gah, gah ......?」
「He's wondering why I'm here?」
Minerva, who was making a toot-toot sound with her mouth to the wolf's ear while holding it down gussied up like a certain old man who built an animal kingdom, interpreted the wolf's roar.
The wolf is alive and well. Leia, too, was relieved by that response.
「For the time being, it seems that it will not die. Minerva put the wolf's hand on the measuring bead.」
Minerva, who had shifted her position, took the wolf's hand and placed it on the measuring bead on the ground. Immediately, Leia spins a spell.
「"Soul Search."」
A tense atmosphere enveloped the area.
「......As I thought, there has been a slight increase.」
At Leia's words, Isolde shook her head in disbelief, Liz had a half-disbelieving look on her face, Rico was half-smiling, Minerva was having none of it, and Solor was expressionless.
In the midst of it all, Satoru nodded his head with a small but firm and serious face. It was because the result was just as he had guessed.
This world is a world of soul and magic power. Perhaps magic power is used at an unconscious level to maintain this life activity ― that was Satoru's guess. That is why they will fall into a coma if they lose their magic power, and they will have no choice but to die if their soul, the main source of magic power, is destroyed. In this world, everything, from plants and trees to insects, has a soul and lives by using magic power.
Then, water filled with magic power is taken in from the inside of the body ― it is like a nutrient, so to speak. The fact that the soul rises when it receives Satoru's essence is like being poured with a concentrated extract of Satoru's magic power, which is too much in a different league. Perhaps the soul increases in the form of being pulled.
The same logic applies to the increase in the soul, even if it is only a small amount, after drinking water imbued with magic power.
Leia almost reached out to the wolf, then stopped herself and gave a small laugh.
「It must have been a bit painful for this wolf, for its soul and body were different in size. I'm sorry」
The wolf seems to sense the invisible pressure of Leia, the 【Immortal King】, and the wolf look at her with a frightened gaze. Leia chuckles a little and nodded to Minerva. It's a signal to Minerva that she can release the wolf they're experimented on.
Minerva clears her throat and releases the wolf. The wolf, suddenly set free, leaps to its feet, snarls, and scurries away from them, still wary of them.
「You can go. I'm sorry」
said Minerva, her voice faltering as everyone released their tension. The wolf was also growling in circles, but eventually, its tails drooped and it scuttled away.
「...... thank you, Minerva.」
Satoru, who had been on the lookout for any attack on Rico, Liz, or the horses, looked alternately at the Minerva and wolf, who had retreated so quickly. Minerva had told him that the communication of the beast was not in language but in their voices, and it was probably because Minerva was originally a Flying Dragon that the wolf was able to withdraw so easily.
After seeing off the wolf that had disappeared into the bushes, Rico breathed a sigh of relief.
「Next is the people .......but...」
The experiment with captive wolves yielded pleasing results: they felt bad, they did not die, and their soul increased, albeit in small quantities. As far as they could see, there are no toxic elements.
However, it is a different matter whether they can honestly give it to people. However, it was Isolde who smoothly disregarded Rico's fears.
「Then, by all means, let me have it」
「Hey, hey, hey」
Satoru couldn't help but chime in. Just because the wolf was okay with it, there is no reason to believe that people would be okay with it. Isolde was a newcomer, and Satoru sensed that she was keenly aware of it, which was why she tended to show her loyalty through selfless devotion. He thought that would be the case this time as well, but Isolde smile with a light-hearted smile
「There is a reason, too. Thanks to the training of the Holy Sword Clan, I excel at controlling the magic power in my body. Even if it becomes poison, I can suppress it.」
I see, Satoru was convinced. Isolde was right; the secret of the Holy Sword Clan's strength is to be able to manipulate the magic power in their bodies at will. Even if the water in their mouth turns into poison, they will be able to suppress it before it permeates their body.
Satoru is still afraid to let Minerva drink it, and the balance of magic power in Solor's body is finely controlled, and the risk is high if they consider the possibility of disrupting it, and since Leia is a type of 【Immortal King】 and her soul is much higher than that of a normal human, the effect is unimaginable. Then it was Rico, Liz, or Isolde, and Isolde was the most suitable in case something happened.
「All right, then.」
Satoru takes a plastic bottle from Isolde, fills it with water, fills the water with magic power, and put the lid on the bottle. As before, magic power water with a soul value of around 2000 was created.
Before the experiment, Leia's measured Isolde's soul.
「I'd say it's still in the low 180.」
After confirming the value, Leia nodded broadly toward Isolde. Isolde's expression showed some fear, but it seemed to be more curiosity than fear.
「Here we go!」
With a squeak, she opens the lid and drinks the water in one gulp. Unlike the wolf, who spilled most of the water, Isolde had intended to do so from the beginning. 500 ml of water was consumed in one gulp ― no change whatsoever.
「It tasted like plain water. ......Eeekk!」
Isolde's voice suddenly raised, she took down the plastic bottle and cowered as she hugged herself. Rattling and rattling the roots of her teeth.
「Th-this is ...... m-my body is burning hot!」
「H-hey, hey, hey, you okay?」
Isolde's reaction made Satoru panic. It was too much to try on a human being. The first thing to do is to make her throw up, and Leia held Satoru who took a step forward and threw a tense voice toward Isolde.
「Don't try to purify it. Accept it as it is, loosely and freely.」
Isolde, who had been shaking not only the roots of her teeth but also her whole body in a recognizable shudder at Leia's rebuke. Isolde took a short, sharp breath.
「U......Oh, ah......」
Shivering, and sweating from the heat, Isolde slowly regulates her breathing. The spasms subsided, and Isolde's arms slumped, and she breathed in a huff.
「Haaah, haaah, haaah. ...... I-I'm fine」
To the casual observer, she doesn't look very okay. Isolde looks at her right palm with incredulous eyes and makes several clenching gestures. She is soaking wet and sweating all over, her clothes sticking to her slender but well-trained body and revealing her curves ― she must have been sweating unbelievably hard.
Now the sweat is gone and she is breathing well.
「It is a sensation of searing magic power filling ...... my whole body. This is amazing ......」
Leia nodded in admiration at Isolde's voice. Somehow she understood what Isolde was saying.
The simple fact is that the healing of the body in the Holy Arts is the same. If we were to imagine a 【Regenerative Healing】 art, we would first identify the problematic area, concentrate magic power on it to remove the pain, and then carefully apply magic power to it while praying for it to regain its original shape. The healer must carefully apply magic power to the part of the body that is being healed, and the healed person can feel the magic power of the healed part to the extent that it burns. The reason for first removing the pain and then numbing the area is also to prevent the patient from feeling that heat.
「I think it must have been a little too thick for creatures to drink. I think it was 2,000 now......It might be better to be volatile a little.」
「I feel as if my magic power has been restored a little.」
Isolde's report made Leia groan. Magic power can only be restored by resting. In the case of Solor, it is the same as a magic stone, which must be filled with magic power, but living creatures recover the magic power they use every day by resting. That is why sleep is necessary for any living creature.
However, since the 【Immortal Family】 does not need to sleep, he or she is out of line with this rule. That is why they are so feared.
「Magic power is a sensory thing, ...... and unlike the soul, it is unfortunately not visible in a definite number.」
There is no way to measure the magic power that resides in a living body. The closest thing to it is the 【Magic Search】 that Solor has been using to measure the magic power of water, but that art is magic, not sorcery. Unlike the 【Soul Search】 art, which can examine the size of the vessel that flows within life, even the 【Magic Search】 art cannot specify the decreased value of the water.
「For now, there is nothing wrong with my body.」
Isolde checks her own body while stroking and twisting various parts of her body and doing light exercises. She says that her organs just feel hot and burning after a while of drinking. Satoru smiles bitterly when she says it was like taking hot food into her body. He doesn't think that was the extent of it by any means.
「Let me see, Isolde. Take the measuring bead on your hand ...... 『Soul Search』」
The bead responded with a "kyu" sound. Except for Minerva, who doesn't understand much, and Solor, whose expression doesn't change, all of them are nervous as they watch Leia open her mouth.
Leia, who had the full attention of almost everyone, noticed the look and smiled wickedly, then cleared her throat.
「Umu ......around the end of 180. As I thought, it is growing a little.」
Woow, Rico, and Liz raised their voices, and Isolde shuddered and hugged her right arm with her left arm. It was impossible in the common sense of this world for her soul, which she had raised to almost its highest level through years of training, to rise any higher than this. And all she did was drink a glass of water.
「Just drink water to increase your soul. ...... impossible, this is impossible, but ......」
「It's a reality. Mm.......It's a horrifying story」
Leia took over Isolde's shivering voice. Really, Satoru's existence is nothing short of terrifying.
The person in question is repeatedly picking up an empty plastic bottle, tossing it, and catching it.
「I wonder how much I can do without sweating like that. I'm going to have to experiment a little more with a little less caged magic power.」
「Experiment with me, by all means, 」
Isolde is the one who has been biting bravely. Satoru gives smiles a little bitterly. She is probably happy to see her soul, which had been on the verge of a head start, rise, even if only by a little. He nodded in return.
But for Satoru, the water idea was for Minerva. He knew that the equipment would protect her from the common cold, but he wanted to have something else.
Of course, Isolde also wanted to increase the bulk of her soul, but she also miscalculated.
She had to drink 500 ml of water in one gulp, which would make her stomach growl. After the fourth repetition, she gave up.
Fortunately, Leia was able to get a rough idea of what she was looking for with those four experiments. It has been found that the soul does not increase unless it is at least twice the soul of the one who drinks it and that up to three times the soul is the maximum value that can be drunk without discomfort. Minerva's soul is currently over 2,100, so she should be able to drink a good amount of it.
However, it is still too early to say anything about the amount.
「Now if only there was a way to carry this water other than that pettobottle....」 (PET bottle)
「Is the problem volatilization? Maybe freezing it will keep it a little longer.」
It is not possible to seal a water bag with a barrel or bottle. The biggest problem is...
「The lid, that's the problem. Why not just have a craftsman make one for us when we go to Arsweta? This is kind of a strange material, but couldn't it also be made of metal?」
Satoru groaned at Liz's suggestion.
「This plastic bottle lid ...... is a screw-on concept, huh?」
After looking at this world so far, Satoru had noticed that the concept of a screw does not exist in this world. When the flintlock rifle was introduced to Japan, the craftsman who made an imitation of it could not for the life of him figure out the technique of tightening the bottom part, so he offered his daughter to a Westerner and asked them to teach him the concept of the screw.
The plastic bottle lid is a further evolution of this.
「Hmmm... ...... I don't think it's a good idea to unload too much of my world's technology on this side of the world.」
Satoru has consciously avoided bringing technology from his world down to this world. Even if it is a small piece of knowledge, there is a risk that it may change even the common sense of the world.
He will eventually leave this world. It is not good to spread unnecessary knowledge.
He taught Leia and Solor because they are not involved in the general public. If that is the case, there is no problem in teaching them.
Satoru shelved the issue for now. As long as we can't make it right now, we can decide by the time we arrive in Arsweta.
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