Chapter 68 - A Slightly Scary Story
Author's note: Some parts involve painful injury-related topics. Please be cautious if you're not comfortable with this.
After Volf checked the list of countermeasures for foot fungal infection and Dahlia confirmed the changes from hairdryer to shoe dryer, they returned to the second floor once again.
As for the shoe dryer, it was a bit disappointing to hear that Volf would not bring it to the royal castle until Ivano's permission was received.
"Dahlia, do you think it’s okay if I wear this bracelet during the joint training? I plan to wear gloves over it."
The bracelet on the young man's left wrist, the sköll fang bracelet, faintly glowed.
"Since it’s yours, I don’t mind, but if your jumps get a little too high, others might notice right away..."
"Yeah, I’ll keep it moderate and be careful. Sorry about earlier. You might laugh at me, but... I’ve never really been able to use external magic before, so it was really fun for me."
The reason he had been jumping around outside like an innocent child finally became clear.
The sköll fang bracelet had an effect similar to strong wind magic.
Volf had used bracelets for detoxification and anemia prevention, as well as a magic tool for eavesdropping prevention, but this one was entirely different from those.
Moreover, according to Marcella, body reinforcement doesn’t really let you feel like you’re using magic.
Even though Volf had magic power, it had only been used for body reinforcement until now.
It must have been a different sensation to jump while surrounded by wind magic.
In that case, it was like a child who could finally use magic for the first time. There was no way it wouldn’t be exciting.
Though she wanted to let him jump freely, if he exceeded the height of the tower, the guards would probably be called. It might be better to let him enjoy it to some extent during training at the royal castle.
However, there was still one thing that concerned her a little.
"Isn't that bracelet difficult to control?"
"If I’m just jumping upwards, it’s fine. I’ve pretty much got the control down, and I only need to activate it when it’s necessary."
For those who could let out even a small amount of magic, it might not be manageable, but apparently, it wasn't a problem for Volf.
"Are there any mages or priests who can use healing magic during training?"
"Yeah, there are always several during joint training. They stay at the back. Why?"
"Don’t you think it would be dangerous if you were to get injured with a bracelet you’re not used to...?"
"It’s fine. They can heal fractures right away."
"Fractures? That sounds like a serious injury..."
The young man smiled a little awkwardly at her hesitation.
"Thanks for worrying. It might be a little scary for you, Dahlia, but for us, fractures are just an everyday occurrence. We’re used to it, so it feels different. Even if we get hurt by monsters on an expedition, mages and priests can grow back arms and legs for us."
Volf said it matter-of-factly, but that was definitely a much scarier story than just a little.
This wasn’t like exchanging parts of a doll, so it shouldn’t be said so casually.
"You don’t go to the church? You’re just healed right there?"
"Yeah, it depends on the healer and the injury, but during expeditions, it’s usually done right there."
"Can you really grow back your arms and legs in a short time?"
"Dahlia, would it be okay if I explain in detail?"
"Yes, please."
Volf asked with a very serious expression, so Dahlia braced herself to listen carefully.
"When we collide with monsters or get bitten by them, we get injured. And when the person is writhing in pain, several knights usually pin them down while healing magic is cast. When the magic is cast, first, white bones grow from the base and extend outward, and then white veins and red flesh begin to fill in. Finally, smooth skin stretches over, and a new arm or leg forms. It takes about five minutes for an arm. If the injury is more complicated, to help the healing, sometimes they’ll cut it neatly with a sword at a good spot and then quickly grow it back afterward."
"Just hearing about it hurts!"
Dahlia let out a scream-like voice at the fast-paced and painful explanation.
"That’s why I thought it might be a bit too scary for you, Dahlia, and asked if I could explain it in detail..."
Don’t say it with that unnecessarily bright smile that clearly didn’t mean what you were saying.
After vividly imagining the details, Dahlia shook her head in horror.
She felt slightly annoyed at Volf, who smiled as if he had clearly anticipated this reaction.
"Do you have any scary stories or memories, Dahlia? Oh, except for the time your hand got melted by the black slime."
"...There was the time I was drying slimes."
She thought hard, but all the strongly stimulating memories that came to mind were about making magical tools. And, strangely enough, slimes featured heavily in them.
"You really seem to have a sort of fate with slimes, huh..."
"I was going to deny it, but the truth is, I really can’t deny it at all..."
"Don’t you hire someone to dry slimes?"
"It’s a story from my academy days. These days, some are sold as powder, but back then, they were rare. It was expensive to hire someone, so I dried them myself. I dried blue slimes, red slimes, green slimes... I dried slimes all over the place, from the roof of the tower to the windows, and the garden."
Back in her academy days, she had lined up as many slimes as she could gather to dry them for waterproof cloth.
Her father and Tobias had laughed at her in disbelief, but when Irma came to visit, she screamed.
"That must have been a colorful sight. But wait, don’t slimes run away when you dry them? When you defeat them, they separate, right?"
"When they’re caught, I have their cores broken and the holes from that patched with kraken tape. That way, they stay intact and can be carried home whole. Then, I flatten them out and place them in a sunny, well-ventilated spot to dry. If it rains for too long, they rot, though."
"I never knew that..."
Volf, who had defeated countless slimes in the past, had never heard of such a collection method before.
Next time he went slime hunting, he decided he would bring kraken tape.
"The slimes I dried on the tower roof were often targeted by birds."
"Wait, do birds eat slimes?"
"Yeah, if there’s no core, they’re a decent snack. Some types do eat them. Green slimes were the most popular."
"Birds eating Green Slimes... I guess it’s like how they eat leafy greens?"
Volf imagined green slime on a plate, served with meat, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his appetite going.
"I guess it’s just good greenery for the birds. Thanks to that, a lot of green slimes got ruined when they were pecked at. I was thinking of putting nets on them next time, but then the black slime I dried on the roof turned out to still be alive."
"Not you again, black slime..."
Volf’s face twisted as if he had heard the name of an enemy. Dahlia chuckled at his reaction.
"Yeah, there was only one black slime, but it seemed like the core was still intact, and it started eating the birds that came for it. When I found the bird half-melted, I ran crying to my father. We went up to the roof together, and not only had it eaten the birds, but it was also eating the dried green slimes... it was a pretty terrifying sight."
"Black slimes are Class 1 subjugation targets. What did you do? Call the guards?"
"My father used a hairdryer to burn it to death."
Volf set the glass he had been about to drink from back on the table without taking a sip.
The bottom of the glass hit the table with a hard, crisp sound.
"Wait. Black slimes are resistant to fire, aren’t they?"
"...If you exceed its magic resistance, you can burn it—cleanly, into fine, powdery ash."
Dahlia averted her eyes as she answered.
She might have been at fault for originally making the hairdryer into a flamethrower.
But it was her father who had magically modified it into a weapon capable of defeating black slimes.
She had simply asked out of pure curiosity, "Dad, can you make a hairdryer with more firepower than the one I made?" She never said, "Please make a prototype."
So, it wasn’t her fault. Probably.
"One thing I want to ask, though—was that the hairdryer I know? Or is it a new weapon with the same name?"
"It’s still just a hairdryer. Its maximum output was simply increased, making it capable of producing a flame comparable to that of an intermediate-level mage. It was a method suited to a stone tower, ensuring even larger black slimes could be safely and effectively incinerated."
"That’s definitely not a hairdryer! The hairdryer is scarier than the black slime!"
Volf’s dramatic objection made her laugh out loud.
Have a taste of your own medicine—this was the grudge of one who was always being teased.
Dahlia smiled brightly and emptied her glass of brandy.
Afterward, Volf persistently asked about the safety of the hairdryer with increased output.
Eventually, she was forced to talk about the hairdryer she was currently modifying, resulting in a draw between them.
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