Chapter 270
The Cause
Translator : PolterGlast
After that, all the Marble Mages were subjugated without any
problems. Fundamentally, Norman defeated them all by himself, and Dorothy
simply looked surprised.
「I did it! There are no other
monsters around anymore, right?」
「Yeah, I think we're fine. That was
some pretty good movement, wasn't it?」
「Yes! I think I was able to fight
just like in practice today!」
Norman also had an expression overflowing with confidence,
and I was convinced anew that he could fight against monsters around C-Rank.
That being said, I have to properly ascertain the reason why he hasn't been
able to demonstrate his true ability.
This time, even in a state where Dorothy couldn't
concentrate, he was able to fight solidly. Thinking about that... perhaps he is
unconsciously deferring to her when it's just the two of them.
「So, what do we do from here? We were
able to complete the request faster than expected, so should we casually hunt
some monsters?」
「If you'll accompany us, Graham-san,
I want to fight!」
「...Hmm. I won't g... Actually, I'll
tag along.」
Dorothy showed an atmosphere like she was going to refuse
for a moment, but after casting a glance at Norman, she said she would tag
along. It's just a guess, but I think she's curious about the reason why Norman
was able to fight so well.
「In that case, let's move further
south and head to a cave.」
「There's a cave to the south? I've
never been there, so I'm looking forward to it.」
「...Wigul's Cave? I believe there
were strong monsters there, is that okay?」
「I don't intend to go all the way to
the back, so it's fine.」
After getting their confirmation, we decided to go to
Wigul's Cave, located at the end of an animal trail off the forest road. It's
my first time actually going to this place as well, but there shouldn't be any
significant monsters, so there shouldn't be a problem.
「Is that it over there? It's still
noon, but it's quite dim, isn't it.」
「It'll be even darker inside the
cave. However, it's a larger cave than you'd think, so I believe it will be easy
to fight in.」
「...What are you going to do to
secure light?」
「I'll illuminate it with my magic. 【Light】」
I made multiple fist-sized balls of light appear and
illuminated the area from various angles. If I illuminate it this much, the
brightness shouldn't be a problem either.
「...Manipulating multiple spells?
Amazing.」
「Is this really that amazing of a
technique?」
「No, 【Light】 itself is a simple magic, so I don't think it's all that
amazing.」
「...That's absolutely not true,
though. Can you do it with attack magic too?」
「I can, as long as it's an
easy-to-handle magic.」
I stopped the 【Light】 magic for a moment and chanted multiple 【Fireball】s. After making them revolve round and round around myself,
I made them fly from various angles and crash into each other in the middle.
「Wow, that's amazing~! You've reached
the realm of acrobatics!」
「...You really are strong, Graham.」
「I don't really use it in actual
combat, though.」
I only do it occasionally when checking my magic
manipulation, and I don't use it in actual combat. Flying slashes have better
power and usability, and on top of that, they don't consume magic power.
While putting on such a sideshow, we entered Wigul's Cave.
Catbats had formed a flock starting right from the cave entrance, and we were
attacked the moment we stepped inside.
「Monsters are coming right off the
bat. Norman, handle the left side. Dorothy, handle the right.」
「Understood! Please leave it to me.」
「...Mm. I'll strike them down.」
Dorothy also seemed able to concentrate since entering the
cave, lightly slashing down the flying Catbats. Norman, just like earlier, shot
them down with precise strikes without any issues.
「...Norman's movements are weird
after all. They're different from usual.」
「Eh? I-Is that so?」
「...You aren't aware of it? You
usually get beaten by weak monsters too, you know.」
「I might just be in good condition
today.」
After finishing the battle with the Catbats, the two of them
were having such a conversation. Since I haven't seen Norman when it's just the
two of them with Dorothy, I can't really say much, but I can tell that it's not
simply a matter of being in "good condition."
「...Are you able to fight because
Graham is here?」
「That might be a part of it. Because
I have the feeling that it'll be fine even if I lose.」
「...Hmm. So your mental state changes
things.」
Without daring to interrupt their conversation, I simply
watched over their battles as we advanced through the cave. Because I stopped
interrupting the battles, Dorothy gradually took the initiative and began
coordinating.
Perhaps from that point on, Norman's movements gradually
started getting worse. He began casting fleeting glances and worrying about
Dorothy, making it completely obvious that he couldn't concentrate on the
battle. It was like Dorothy's state during the Marble Mage battle, and it's
also not good that he's in a state of completely waiting for instructions. When
his reactions to the monsters worsened, I could also see his body stiffening
out of fear.
In an attempt to do something about Norman in that state,
Dorothy started issuing detailed instructions, but to begin with, Dorothy is a
poor talker. A worst-case mutual relationship had been born between Dorothy,
who is bad at giving instructions, and Norman, who had turned into someone
completely waiting for instructions.
It was so terribly bad that it was almost funny, but it was
good that the reason why Norman couldn't fight became clear. Although there are
minor problems on Dorothy's end, the vast majority is Norman's problem. Since
there's also a mental aspect to it, I think it can't be helped, but if he's
going to make a living as an adventurer, he has to fix it.
Now that I understand the issue, and since our cave exploration has become a sloppy mess, I suppose we'll pull out around here for today.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
Nepheos
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Jake Seagraves
Matthew Fraser
Tbaum56
Xavier O'Donoghue
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Baelee
Bloodyemperor
Ctdela
Curious Panda
David Bankole
Enrique Miranda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
