Chapter 5
UPON THEIR RETURN to the mansion spirit, Mira looked expectantly at Soul Howl. “Now, may I leave dinner to you?”
“Ah, whatever. Cooking for one, cooking for two, it’s basically the same.” Soul Howl was being gruff, but he didn’t seem bothered by the request. He evidently liked cooking for others. Looking around the mansion spirit’s kitchen, he asked, “Any requests?”
“Hrmm, let’s see…” After a moment of thought, Mira seized the opportunity to request something she couldn’t cook on her own. “Hamburg steak! I’m in the mood for a big one!”
Since all Mira could do was chop random ingredients and fry thick cuts of meat on a griddle, hamburg steak was beyond her.
“Hamburg steak, huh? I don’t know if I have all the ingredients. Still, I’m sure I can manage.” Soul Howl checked the ingredients in his Item Box while he grabbed knives and other utensils.
“I have a rather large stock of ingredients. If you need anything, let me know,” Mira said, oddly proud, and left her nicest cut of meat in the kitchen as an offering. Her brain was full of nothing but thoughts of eating the best hamburg steak she could.
“Now, that’s a nice chunk of meat,” Soul Howl noted. “All right, then.”
The high-quality meat ignited his chef’s spirit, and with that, Soul Howl began listing ingredients. Mira didn’t know most of them, so she began simply taking out every ingredient and condiment she had.
“You opening a restaurant?” Soul Howl chuckled as he watched her line them up, then muttered, “Man, you’ve got everything.” He picked out the ingredients he needed. “This one, this one, and that one. Oh, and balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and butter. I think that’ll do it.”
Soul Howl arranged his chosen ingredients on the kitchen counter. He’d picked out all kinds of things, apparently preparing to cook more than just hamburg steak.
He’d seemingly finished making his selections for now. Mira put away the other ingredients, but offered as many as he needed, saying proudly, “If those aren’t enough, just ask for more.”
“I’ll do just that. I can’t believe how much you’ve bought, though. I know you don’t cook; what in the world were you planning to use all this for?”
Mira had many rare ingredients stockpiled, including several that were very difficult to prepare, with limited cooking methods.
“With all this, I can make anything at my convenience,” she replied proudly. She could eat whatever she wanted, whenever and wherever she wished.
Soul Howl cut her down. “Except for the part where you lack the cooking skills.”
“Uuugh…” He was so right, she could do nothing but groan in response.
“But, hey, I have to hand it to you,” he added, trying to comfort her as he began preparing dinner. As a skilled cook, his handiwork was far more precise and skillful than Mira’s.
“Sure, sure. I’ll leave you to this, then. As for me, I shall shower and prepare to be fed!” Mira’s mood had improved, and she watched with satisfaction for a moment before leaving Soul Howl and stripping in front of the shower room.
“Yeah, yeah. How long do you plan to be in there?” Soul Howl asked while he minced the meat.
“I plan to relax for thirty minutes or so,” Mira answered as she tossed her undies aside. She then declared, “Oh, and I like it when there’s cheese stuffed inside,” before stepping into the shower room.
“Yeah, I know.”
From inside the shower room, she heard Soul Howl’s murmurs and the comforting rhythm of his knifework.
***
Mira’s dinner was even more luxurious than usual. After chowing down on it, she lay face up atop her special sleeping bag. “Ah, satisfaction…”
“Where do you fit all that food?” Soul Howl chuckled at Mira’s bloated belly. In front of him was a golem he’d summoned to use as a table. Its stomach, exposed like Mira’s, had many empty dishes atop it.
Even the hamburgers Soul Howl had made with leftover ingredients for tomorrow morning were no more, for Mira had found them and deposited them in her belly.
“You’re a pig, I swear,” Soul Howl said as he cleaned up the dishes.
“I can eat no mooore.” She groaned in pain.
Soul Howl sighed. Was this what had become of Danblf, the great mage he’d once fought side by side with? If monsters attacked right now, Mira would be a sitting duck. However, he knew her at this point; as long as she could summon things, she’d be just fine.
Grinning wryly at the absurdity, Soul Howl began washing the dishes.
“By the way, how are those golems of yours doing?” Mira asked.
“So far, so good.” The fifty golems he’d set up to halt the boss’s time-based recovery mechanic were doing their jobs quite well thus far. The Machina Guardian had yet to figure out a countermeasure to the position around the corner Soul Howl had picked for the golems.
“Still, the boss is sure to devise a countermeasure by morning,” Mira noted. “We’ll have to plan our own counter-countermeasure.”
“Fair. The longer we take, the more it learns, and the harder the battle gets for us.”
Things might be going well now, but that didn’t mean this approach would work the next day. Now that they knew the Machina Guardian could learn, they’d be foolish to keep using the same methods. Dragging things out would only disadvantage them.
What were they to do, then? The answer was simple, but difficult.
“I’d like to go in for a quick fight, but between just the pair of us, we lack firepower,” Mira sighed.
“That’s why I came ready for a long battle,” Soul Howl pointed out. “Can we refine a strategy?”
Once upon a time, Solomon and the Nine Wise Men had fought the Machina Guardian. Even the ten of them together had taken four hours to beat it—an exceptionally long time for a video game battle.
Back then, the ten could divide their roles and unleash their maximum firepower. Things were different now, though, and a short battle would be impossible.
“Now that you’re here, Elder, things might go a little better.” Soul Howl smiled as he put clean dishes into his Item Box one after another. He clearly hadn’t given up.
“What’s this, all of a sudden? Butter me up all you want; you’ll get nothing but lemonade au lait.” As easily pleased as ever, Mira stood with a smile and put a cup of lemonade au lait in front of Soul Howl, then drank her own and went back to her sleeping bag.
“The ability to use advanced magic gives us more options, that’s all,” he replied.
Advanced magic was tantamount to special killing moves that could turn the tables instantly. Soul Howl was quite impressive for coming so far without that magic, but he was seemingly struggling somewhat.
“Indeed, advanced magic’s firepower and defenses are indispensable. Given the situation, though, I understand why you must work without them.”
Soul Howl couldn’t cast advanced magic due to his ongoing use of suspended-animation magic on the stigmatic woman. Stopping that would allow him to use advanced magic, which would no doubt drastically speed up his Holy Grail hunt. But if he stopped, the woman’s countdown would continue. And, if they were to believe the Spirit King, that would make the woman a much likelier target for demons. The Holy Grail would be useless if the stigmatic woman died before they could use it.
“What to do, then…?”
“I wonder.”
How could Mira and Soul Howl quickly defeat the Machina Guardian, a being that could learn? They racked their brains over the difficult task for some time. Only the sounds of water and dishwashing could be heard in the mansion.
Then the Spirit King’s voice reached Mira’s mind. “Say, Miss Mira, he looks like a fairly skilled mage to me. Is there a reason he cannot use advanced magic?” He’d been busy chatting with Martel since early that morning, so he hadn’t heard Mira’s discussion with Soul Howl. He only knew about the woman with the stigmata, and the fact that Soul Howl was making her a Holy Grail.
“Hrmm. I suppose I didn’t discuss that with you,” Mira realized. She explained the magic suspending the woman and its effects.
“I see… I’m amazed that he can get away with bending the laws of nature with such a minor penalty. He must be using a very elaborate spell,” the Spirit King analyzed calmly.
Martel’s voice followed, squealing excitedly at the apparent love story. “Aw, he loves her so much. That’s wonderful!”
Mira noted dryly that Soul Howl didn’t actually love the woman, then explained his real relationship with her, how he loved undead girls, and how the stigmatic woman objected to that. “In short, this doesn’t stem from love or anything of the sort. Just his unwavering sense of justice.” Mira concluded that Soul Howl had no ulterior motives; he also wasn’t carrying a torch for the woman, since he only had eyes for the undead. Conviction alone drove him to fight for her life.
The Spirit King lauded Soul Howl, impressed. “He’d put himself through such tribulations over that? He is truly worthy of the title of hero.”
“He’s just bluffing. It’s love. I’m certain of it!” Martel was dead set on her romantic theory. Why she was so insistent was a mystery, but to be fair, Soul Howl’s rationales did sound like excuses on his part. Either way, it was clear he was backed by strong resolve.
Whatever the case, the Spirit King’s and Martel’s impressions of Soul Howl had vastly improved—though the reasons differed. Perhaps as a result, they took this much more seriously. That led to an unexpected breakthrough when they suddenly made a startling proposal.
“All right, I have an idea. How about I take on the burden myself?” suggested the Spirit King.
“I’d be happy to help!”
The Spirit King claimed he would shoulder the burden of defying the natural laws for Soul Howl so that he could use his advanced magic.
“My word,” Mira responded. “I had no idea such a thing was possible…”
That would enable Soul Howl to use advanced magic and unleash his namesake Great Wall, which would dramatically expand their options for settling things quickly with the Machina Guardian. Mira’s newly devised summoning magic and new contracts would expand the possibilities even further.
Mira, however, couldn’t accept the plan quickly. “That is a very attractive proposition, but I must ask… Will you two be okay?” Spirits were meant to stabilize the natural world. Wouldn’t it be dangerous for them to take on the effects of defying natural laws?
Mira’s concerns seemed unfounded, however. The Spirit King and Martel appreciated her concern but revealed a startling truth.
It turned out the Spirit King’s current situation had resulted from him breaking natural laws. During the war with onikind, he had used power that disrupted natural law, which led to his losing control of that power. Ever since, he’d been trapped in the Spirit Palace to prevent his affecting the material world.
That came down to the Spirit King suppressing his enormous spiritual power using an even greater power. Letting things become unbalanced would only make it more difficult to control, so he’d been left with no choice.
The Spirit Palace could contain such enormous power, and since it was cut off from the material world, no amount of spiritual power could get through before dissolving into the ley lines encircling the world. That did little more than make nature a bit more vibrant, so taking on Soul Howl’s burden wouldn’t affect the Spirit King, as long as he remained in his palace.
“I won’t know the details until I can confirm them directly, but it also seems Soul Howl’s Forbidden Arts contain elaborate techniques to reduce the burden of a spell. Normally, defying the laws of nature would put major strain on the human body, not just prevent someone from using advanced magic.”
After the Spirit King lauded Soul Howl once more, Martel followed up emotionally, “Oh, love’s power is so wonderful!” She was evidently a fan of love stories.
“Anyway, as you know, I’m stuck here either way. Breaking one, two, maybe even three laws of nature won’t cause me any grief. Besides, stopping time for one person is trivial compared to the things I used to do.” Laughing, the Spirit King said to leave it all to him. Martel was likewise motivated, saying that she’d support them as best she could.
Clearly, they’d both taken a real liking to Soul Howl.
“I think we’ll take you up on that offer gladly, then.” Accepting their proposal, Mira called out to Soul Howl, “I think I have a viable solution.”
“A viable solution, huh? Sure. Let’s hear it.” Soul Howl, who’d been mulling over a different strategy for a while now, was suspicious of her sudden overconfidence.
“Listen and be amazed: there’s a way to unseal your advanced necromancy!” Mira declared, as proudly as if she’d come up with it herself.
Yet Soul Howl didn’t react much beyond replying flatly, “If you want me to release my suspended-animation spell, the answer is no.”
“I know, I know. I’m saying there’s a way to do it while keeping her suspended!” Sauntering over smugly, Mira stood in front of Soul Howl and smirked.
Her confident swagger may have been unearned, but it proved she was serious. Soul Howl knew that well and finally latched on. “Really?”
“Really. However, there’s an easier way to tell you than simply explaining verbally. Hold out your hand.” Mira puffed out her chest proudly and extended her right hand like a haughty queen.
“Yeah, all right.” What was she planning? The necromancer didn’t understand her actions but took her hand obediently. A strange sensation flowed forth, revealing to Soul Howl that he’d come into contact with incredible power. “What in the world…?” When he focused, a deep sea seemed to spread infinitely through his mind. Although surprised by the sensation, he noticed two grand beings.
The words of one reached his mind. “My name is Symbio Sanctius. Due to recent events, I have asked Miss Mira to let me speak to you through her, so I may offer you my aid.”
The voice booming in his head, and the name it gave, shocked Soul Howl. “Wha—?! Where’d that come from? Wait—wasn’t that the Spirit King’s name…?” He looked around; however, there was obviously nobody there, although the voice had sounded like it came from right next to him. He looked down at his hand, confused by all this.
Another voice then echoed in his mind. “We heard all about you, Soul Howl! My name’s Martel, and I’m the spirit of love! That means I govern your love!” Martel’s voice was passionate, although Mira and the Spirit King laughed together at her new self-styled title.
“All about me? Like what? And what’s all this about my love, exactly…?” The mysterious disembodied voices had confused Soul Howl again, but he at least understood they were on his side.
Still, he furrowed his brow, since he had no earthly idea what Martel was talking about.
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