Chapter 64 - Sköll Fang Bracelet
Yesterday evening, a messenger from Volf came to deliver a letter addressed to Dahlia.
The letter contained a long, roundabout apology regarding the matter Volf had discussed with Ivano at the guild, and on the second page, it read, "If it would not be uncomfortable for you, I would like to meet you tomorrow afternoon."
The messenger asked for a reply, so Dahlia requested that he inform Volf of her acceptance.
And today, Dahlia seriously pondered whether she should meet Volf, and what she should say to explain herself.
Tentatively, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
There was a red scrape running from her right cheek to the side of her eye, and a painful bump on the back of her head that stung when touched.
To be honest, her neck and shoulders had also hurt in the morning. Most likely, if she took off her clothes, her right shoulder would show a bruise as well.
Fortunately, thanks to the unicorn pendant, the pain wasn’t unbearable.
It wasn’t severe enough to require a potion, so she had simply been cooling it with a damp towel for now.
The night before, in her room before going to bed, she had checked the sköll's fang.
She tested whether the smaller shard could still be used and if it could absorb magic, and to her surprise, it did not repel it.
Seeing this as a fortunate opportunity, she decided to enchant the shards into a bracelet on her bed, in case she collapsed.
In preparation for the worst, she had also prepared a bucket in case she needed to vomit.
As a result, the magical absorption of the sköll fang was extraordinary. She fully realized this again, deep in her heart.
Also, the outcome after enchanting was even more extraordinary. She understood that as well.
When she began enchanting magic into the bracelet using the sköll fang, at first, the magic entered normally.
But gradually, it became easier for the magic to flow, and she felt a sensation of being "devoured," as though the magic was being pulled away. Though she had braced herself, it was still quite tough.
However, when the sensation of her insides lifting like a rollercoaster drop continued, she felt some relief in her mind for having skipped dinner that evening.
When the sköll fang shattered and disappeared, leaving behind a bracelet with the "wind magic effect," she was genuinely happy with her success.
She tried wearing it immediately, and although the size was a bit off, the silver shine was incredibly beautiful.
And then, she let her guard down.
She accidentally channeled a small amount of magic into the bracelet, and was instantly sent flying into the wall.
With nearly no magic left, and losing consciousness from the impact, she found herself realizing that it was nearly noon.
In a rush to tidy herself up, she entered the bathroom, screaming as the water stung her wounds.
Then, when she saw her face in the mirror, she was left speechless.
The side of Dahlia's bed was adorned with a tapestry on the stone wall. Thanks to that, the wounds were minimal, but if she had hit the stone wall, it would have been much worse.
What she had created was a sköll fang bracelet, now with the highest amount of "wind magic effect" magical power.
On the workbench, resting on a cloth infused with magic-sealing silver, it gleamed with a brilliant silver light.
It was made from the hardest material she had on hand, a bracelet for men made from durable material.
The magic enchantment was successful, and the magic power was ample.
But if even the slight magic was channeled, the bracelet would violently send one flying. She wondered who could possibly use such an item for anything.
"Should I seal it in the magic-sealing box...?"
She was feeling thoroughly down when the bell at the gate rang.
Volf was a worrywart. Instead of hiding things, it would be better to meet him and speak honestly.
With resolve, she decided to go out.
・・・・・・・
"I apologize for the other day. I made you feel uncomfortable with my words."
"No, I wasn’t bothered by it."
He immediately apologized, and for a moment, Dahlia was at a loss for words. She had completely forgotten about it.
"I’ve brought the conversation etiquette book and notes that my mother had. I’d like it if you could look through them."
"Oh, umm, please come in."
She planned to explain everything once they were upstairs, so she did her best to avoid showing him her right side and invited him into the tower.
"Huh? Dahlia, did you injure your foot?"
"Huh? My foot?"
"Your right foot… you're limping a bit, aren’t you?"
She hadn’t noticed until he pointed it out while they were on the stairs. Indeed, her right thigh felt a little heavy, but it wasn’t serious.
Just as she was about to say that, she turned around and saw Volf’s face twisted in a way she had never seen before.
"Your face... Who hit you?"
His voice, low and strained, was not like his usual tone.
Without hesitation, Volf dropped his bag on the floor and closed the distance between them.
His golden eyes, without blinking, were filled with an intense, icy pressure that swallowed her whole in an instant.
"No, it was just my carelessness..."
"Let me see the injury."
Dahlia had let her hair down to hide the scratches as best as she could.
Volf gently brushed them aside with his fingers, then closely inspected the wound. He then gently touched the back of her head, and Dahlia couldn’t help but let out a quiet groan.
"Ah, um! It was just a small injury I did to myself, it’s not serious."
"You say you did it to yourself, but these aren't the wounds from a fall, are they? The angle of this wound, the bruise on your head, and the pain in your shoulder and foot—Dahlia, be honest with me. Who did this to you?"
The Volf standing before her was quite terrifying.
Though he tried to maintain a calm facade, it was clear that he was completely angry.
Dahlia was genuinely panicked.
"It really has nothing to do with anyone else! I was just blown away due to the sköll fang’s magic enchantment!"
"...I see."
His golden eyes narrowed, and the black pupils at their center expanded smoothly.
"...What do you mean by being blown away by a magic enchantment? I'd like to hear the details."
He asked with a perfectly composed, beautiful smile, but it was obvious he wasn't actually smiling.
Volf's intimidating presence only intensified.
"Well... I enchanted magic into a bracelet using a sköll fang..."
Dahlia found herself completely confessing everything.
While she explained, Volf didn't show any anger and listened, confirming the details.
When she finished speaking, he let out a long sigh.
"Dahlia, you have two choices. You can either drink a potion or let me take you to the church right now."
She wondered if this was truly a choice, but then she stopped herself, seeing the seriousness in the young man's gaze.
"It's really not that serious."
"Is that so? Then, can you go outside with me as you are?"
"Well... I think it's better to avoid that..."
The small scratches on her face were quite noticeable.
The last thing she wanted was for someone to mistakenly think Volf had hit her.
"...I understand. I'll drink it."
Regretting that she should have taken the potion before Volf arrived, Dahlia drank it.
The slight sweetness and faint minty flavor reminded her of soda that had lost its fizz. After swallowing, a slight grassy aftertaste rose in her throat, and she quickly drank some water.
The taste wasn’t something she should comment on, but honestly, it wasn’t very pleasant.
"...What a waste, really. I wonder how many bottles of my usual wine this could have bought."
A potion cost five large silver coins, which in Dahlia's mind, was roughly fifty thousand yen.
It could easily buy several dozen bottles of the wine she usually drank. An unexpected expense.
"I understand. Next time, I’ll bring potions as a gift."
"Please don’t, it’s purely my mistake."
Volf’s aura still seemed rough, and Dahlia bowed her head sincerely.
"Volf, I’m sorry for causing you worry."
"No, it’s just that I worried on my own. Earlier... I’m sorry for touching you without asking."
"No, I understood that you were concerned, so..."
The situation was awkward, with both of them avoiding eye contact and apologizing to each other.
To change the subject, Dahlia pointed to the completed bracelet.
"Uh, that’s the bracelet."
"It’s a beautiful-colored bracelet."
"Yes. But if you channel magic into it, the person wearing it gets blown away... "
"Can I touch it? I only have body enhancement, so I think I'll be fine since I don't have any external magic."
"Please, just touch it with your finger and don’t wear it."
"Understood... Hm, as expected, nothing’s happening."
After lightly touching it with his finger, Volf casually lifted the bracelet.
"Even if I wanted to infuse magic, it wouldn’t work for me since my magic doesn't flow outward."
"Then, when you use magical tools that require output, do you use blood-bonding?"
"Yeah. Though it’s a bit inconvenient since only I can use them when I do that."
Even among humans in this world, there were those who had no magic flowing outward or very little magic at all.
For magical tools like magic lamps or compact magic stoves that had switches, anyone could use them without issue.
However, tools like protective bracelets or weapons that had attack magic set to them sometimes required the owner’s magic as a switch.
When someone with no external magic or low magic used such magical tools, they often had to blood-bond the tool to them.
Blood-bonding involved literally taking a drop of blood and registering the owner with the magical tool.
There were exceptions, but the user could activate it this way as long as there was direct contact.
The downside was that once registered, only the owner could use it, making it impossible to recycle or share—an inconvenience.
"Would I also be sent flying if I blood-bonded it?"
"No, the blood-bond will only act as a switch to activate it... It can be used as a supportive magical tool which sends you flying just a bit."
"So, since I can't infuse additional magic, theoretically, it's less likely to make me 'fly'..."
"Theoretically, yes, but it's still dangerous."
"Wouldn't body enhancement be enough to suppress it? For example, if I only jump upwards."
"Only jump upwards..."
"Yeah, just jump up and come back down. I'll use body enhancement while falling, so it’ll be fine. Besides, I survived falling with a wyvern."
"No, that was because there were trees, right?"
"At the very least, even if I jumped from the top of this tower, I wouldn’t get hurt badly."
Body enhancement seemed to be even more impressive than regular magic. Dahlia seriously thought so.
Since his magic doesn’t flow outward, if she blood-bonds the bracelet to him as a supportive magical tool, wouldn’t it allow him to "jump higher"?
Sköll fang was a rare material, so testing it could provide valuable data.
Wait, hold on.
What was she thinking, using Volf as an experiment subject?
"I can't have you doing dangerous experiments."
"But don’t you want to know the effect? You still have some sköll fang, right?"
"I do, but..."
"You say it’s a dangerous experiment, but this is light work, really."
As he spoke, he briefly paused, then lightly jumped, tapping his elbow on the ceiling as he came back down. His jumping ability was clearly absurd.
"...That was with body enhancement, right?"
Given Volf’s athleticism, even if he accidentally jumped sideways, he seemed like he could handle it in an open space without any problem.
"Yeah. With this, I don’t think I’d get hurt even if I went flying a little. So, could you blood-bond it for me? Of course, I’ll pay for the bracelet."
"No, you don’t have to pay for it. I’m very sorry, but can you test it just once?"
She asked Volf, and she pricked a finger on his left hand with a needle to draw two drops of blood, which she collected with a glass spoon.
She dropped the blood onto the bracelet, then channeled her magic through her right fingertip to make it blend.
The blood spread smoothly and then disappeared, almost as if it were absorbed.
"Now it's your bracelet..."
The previously silver bracelet now had a subtle golden sheen.
The color shifted depending on the light, creating a mysteriously beautiful effect.
"Is it alright to wear it now?"
"It might be dangerous to do so here, so let’s head to the garden. It’s less visible from the road behind the tower."
Once outside in the garden, Volf put the bracelet on his left wrist. He treated it like any normal accessory, but it didn’t suddenly send him flying or anything unexpected.
"Dahlia, stand back just in case."
Volf lowered his chin and slightly bent his knees.
Sensing its owner’s will and the fluctuation of internal magic, the sköll bracelet responded.
"Huh?"
With an almost anticlimactic ease, Volf’s body shot up to the third floor of the tower.
He tilted slightly in midair but landed effortlessly without any problem.
"...Wow, that’s surprising."
"Uh, you’re using body enhancement, right?"
"Yeah, I am, but it’s like I can jump more easily, or it’s giving me a little push... I’m going to try again."
Watching a man leap into the air was a new experience for Dahlia.
After a few seconds, it seemed gravity had forgotten to do its job.
Volf finally landed, pressing his mouth with his hand.
"Volf, if you’re feeling sick, please stop!"
"No... this is so much fun...!"
Volf jumped again, his body easily reaching the fourth floor of the tower, and then finally the rooftop.
It was hard to tell what was due to body enhancement and what was due to the bracelet’s effect, but the leaps were undeniably inhuman.
Skölls were said to "run as if flying" in the monster encyclopedia, and it seemed that this man had perfect compatibility with it.
"Volf, I know it’s fun, but please stop! It could be bad if someone sees you!"
Volf kept jumping, his smiling face unbothered, until Dahlia finally shouted for him to stop.
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