Chapter 25 - 24 The Lesser Dragon’s Lair Challenge with Emily, Part One
Chapter 25: Chapter 24 The Lesser Dragon’s Lair Challenge with Emily, Part One
"Shi – n – ji "
The members of <Running Wolves>, who have been unable to find any lesser dragons, came to the guild with high hopes that today would be the day! So they came to the guild with great enthusiasm.
Emily appeared on the scene and clung to Shinji's arm.
Emily's unnecessarily quick movements were too much for Shinji to handle and he was unable to avoid her.
"Emily, what can I do for you?"
"Oh, I wonder if that's okay. I've brought you some good news."
"Is it something to do with the lesser dragon?"
"Good morning!" says Emily who greeted Alvin and the other three, then Alvin and the others greeted her in their own way and urged her on.
"Oh, yeah. I know why they haven't shown up for a while now. Are you interested?"
"Of course, I am."
"Well, why don't you take a seat over there and we'll talk about it?"
Shinji was dragged along by Emily, who was pulling hard.
Alvin and the others followed suit.
* * *
"Anyway, look at this."
A request form is placed on the desk. Alvin, who is sitting in front of Emily, looks over it.
"An operation to eradicate the lesser dragon's nest?"
"I thought lesser dragons weren't supposed to flock together."
Milis and Renka also look over the request form with Alvin in between them.
Emily, who sits opposite Alvin and three others, and Shinji, who is forced to sit next to her, also look at the request form.
"Usually they don't flock together, though. Is there a particular individual?"
"Well. One too strong male is breeding around several females. The weaker males have been driven deep into the desert and never come out."
"I see..."
"So, what's the good news?"
Emily took her hand off Shinji's arm and stood up.
She tapped her modest chest with a cheeky grin.
"I'm going to be the one to go in. I've been assigned to be the raider, and I'm in charge of selecting the members who will go with me. Why don't you join me? You want to hunt the lesser dragon, don't you?"
"I want to hunt! Let's do it, guys!!"
Alvin immediately expressed his approval.
Milis and Renka helped to calm him down, while Shinji continued to talk with Emily.
"So, how are the diversions from the four sides over here?"
"It's all been decided by the upper ranks of the party."
"Conditions for joining?"
"You have to protect yourself, and Shinji's magic. You must use it on me "
"So that's it..."
Emily's answer was exactly what Shinji had expected.
Emily thought that Shinji's presence would be enough to destroy them.
But since Shinji belongs to another party, she can't pull him out. If that's the case, why don't she just let the whole party join in? She thought to herself.
It was not a bad deal for Alvin and the others who wanted to defeat the lesser dragon.
What's more, they can let Alvin see the battle of a high-ranked warrior up close.
This will be a great asset for his future growth.
"Shinji's magic is mostly plant-based. It's certainly unusual, but I'm sure there are other users out there like him, right?"
Renka, realizing that Emily was only looking at Shinji, glared at Emily unpleasantly. Emily doesn't take offense and says back.
"Huh? So, you don't know about it. Shinji's <Mana Link>"
"How long do you think it will take to adjust that thing...."
"<Mana Link>? What are you talking about?"
Renka was annoyed by the fact that only Shinji and Emily could understand what she was saying, so she asked her questions. Alvin and Milis also look interested.
"Oh-...I was going to tell you about it when I could. It's a very uncommon magic."
<Mana Link> is a spell that allocates the user's magic power to a companion and restores it.
Normally, the only way to recover magic power is to drink potions or wait for it to recover naturally.
However, Mana Link allows you to restore the magic of others.
However, there are many restrictions.
The quality of magic power varies from person to person. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to convert the magic power according to the person to whom it is given.
It takes several months to analyze another person's magic power, and then the time to adjust it individually. It's a lot of work.
In many cases, it would be better to use the magic power that is given in the first place.
It's not a popular magic.
"I have plenty of magic power from Freri, and I'm not good at large-scale magic. In many cases, it's better to pass the surplus magic power to Emily for better results. I was planning to make it available to Alvin and the others in about two months."
"It's different from potions in that it heals instantly and I can use it as much as I want. It's my favorite magic because I can go wild with it!"
"No, It's finite. Emily squeezes too much magic out of it."
Suddenly, he was reminded of the old days, and Shinji was depressed.
Renka's heart was sickened by Emily's smirk at Shinji's face, but she let out a deep breath and looked at Alvin with a strong gaze.
"So? What are you going to do, Al?"
"Oho, oho. That's right..."
Alvin, who was talking with Milis about useful magic, was startled and coughed.
"I'd like to be a part of this as well. Since Shinji is a member of our team, his priority is to support us. Shinji will only use the <Mana Link> on Emily when necessary... how about that?"
"That's about it. It's not like you're going to need it if you don't have to deal with a peculiar individual. So, I'm OK with that."
Milis, Renka and Shinji nodded.
"Then, I'll let you know about it. We'll meet again in two days, early in the morning, okay? Thank you!"
Emily left her seat after speaking in a good mood.
"Huh... finally she's gone. But, I'm thankful for the news itself."
"Haha, you're not very good at this, are you?"
"Well, it's not that I don't like her. But it's just chemistry.
Shinji cowered at Alvin's bitter smile.
As a result of the discussion, it was decided that they would not take on any quests today or tomorrow, but would instead take care of their physical condition and make all possible preparations.
"But it looks like we'll be able to return home as planned."
"I wondered what would happen at one point..."
Alvin and Milis also left their seats and walked towards the guild's exit.
Shinji also tried to follow them, but as he left his seat and walked away from the desk, Renka pulled his arm.
"So, can you practice <Mana Link> with me first?"
Renka glared at Shinji with a pouting face.
No matter how he looks at it, it looks as if she's jealous of Emily.
"Then, I'll start with Renka first."
Shinji smiled happily and stroked Renka's hair.