Chapter 461: Person Who Wants to be Everlastingly Ordinary
Hauron turned out to be a total wacko, a mad scientist. Ah, no it should be mad mage, huh. Please stop hurting yourself for the sake of your experiments, will you. Based on the flow of the conversation just now, you definitely sliced your arm, didn’t you!?
I brewed the coffee while taking furtive glances at his arm.
「Well, it does make sense that we’ve become stronger thanks to Jean cooking the food with the help of spirits, but we can’t deny that it’s thanks to the dragon meat that now we’re a bit tougher. 」
Hauron seemed hyped-up for some reason.
「That ‘little bit’ for you guys is already a huge change for me, you know. 」
Retze narrowed his eyes as he flopped into a chair.
「It sounds fun and all so I’m happy for you, but self-harming experiments are a bit… 」
Hauron’s sudden enthusiasm for research stumped me.
「I agree. I’m glad that Jean’s awareness about those things seemed to be on a normal level ー but what is this about cooking with spirits, huh!? You!! 」
What a relief that Retze is also against doing human experiments, but it’s been a while since my cheeks were violated again like this.
「It’s gonna stretch, it’s gonna streeetttchhh!! 」
I managed to blurt out my protests while he kept on pulling.
「It’s fine, it’s only temporary. It’s just that Retze seems to be a lot stronger compared to usual. Seems like the dragon’s body is either easily influenced by spirits’ power, or else it absorbs and holds that power really well. 」
Hauron mused, one hand on the cup and the other on his cheek as he tilted his head in thought.
Hauron, why are you happily looking at Retze like that? No way, you’re not thinking of experimenting on him, right? Please limit it to observation, will you!
Anyway, so that’s how it is, huh, dragons are easily influenced by spirits, huh. Maybe that’s why the ancient dragon shields were so strong.
Gamri onced showed me a dragon shield stored in the earthkin’s warehouse. He tried smashing it with a spirit sword, or should I say spirit ax, as a demonstration. The shield was unscathed ーzero scratches at all ー even though there wasn’t a spirit bound to it.
That item was far stronger than a spirit iron that was infused with the spirits’ power and I was baffled at that time, but now it all makes sense to me. It’s because dragons are easier to influence than metals.
「… 」
「Mmpff!!! 」
I was just mulling over these thoughts when my cheek was pulled again! Sorry, sorry I got distracted!
「We can’t help it that you had to use the spirits for draining the blood, and that’s okay, dragons are rare and you have the Grand Sage to cover up for you. But stop using the spirits when cooking. If you keep on relying on them for daily chores it’s gonna end up a habit, you know. 」
Too late ー it’s already a habit.
「I’m sorry. 」
I did try to keep the spirits out of the kitchen at first, but ever since learning about the changelings’ and the spirits’ taste preferences, I’ve been pretty lax. Before I realized it, I’ve been asking for their help without thinking who it is that I’m preparing the dishes for.
「Well, if it makes the food taste better, why not? 」
Hauron nearly fainted the first time he saw me take out cooked food from【Storage】, but he seemed to have come to terms with it now.
Ah, wait a sec, maybe Hauron also asks Fandoll ー the fire maiden spirit that’s been with him ー for help when cooking? Well, controlling the heat with a fire spirit would be super convenient, after all.
「It’d be one thing for him to use the spirits’ power knowingly, but Jean must’ve been using it without a thought, and that’s worrying me. 」
Retze sighed then he let go of my cheek.
It’s a little embarrassing being worried over like this, but it’s also kinda nice. He’s right, though. I’ve gotten so used to cooking with spirits that I might accidentally do that in front of other folks, like during a guild mission or something.
「Well, you took the spirits out of the dragon but then replaced them with fresh new ones you summoned, so you’re definitely not thinking things through. 」
Hauron laughs.
Gah! He’s right. I didn’t even notice until he pointed it out!
「Still, Retze, isn’t it a good thing that you got stronger? Or are you worried that people will ask why you suddenly become stronger? 」
Hauron glances over at me.
「Ahh, I’ll just blame it on Grand Sage-sama And if that doesn’t work, Dinosso’s the next excuse. 」
「Then isn’t it fine? Why are you so against it? 」
Wait, can I shift the blame onto Hauron for the whole dragon thing? Nice.
「First, this power is something that’s beyond me. Two, I like to know my own capabilities like the back of my hand. It might be rare, but there are times when I had to deliberately get myself injured to win someone’s trust or even deceive them. But the main thing is, I didn’t earn this strength, so I’m having trouble dealing with it. 」
Retze said with glazed eyes staring far off into space as he sipped his coffee.
「You two, can we please stop with the whole hurting yourself thing….? 」
Stop risking your bodies like that, will you?
「You’re probably feeling the full effects of the dragon meat right now since we just ate it recently, but it’ll wear off soon enough. You have to pass it out after digesting it, after all. Even if some of the effect lingers, it’ll be minimal. 」
Most of the spirits had been taken out after all, okayー Hauron reassures Retze.
「Your idea of ‘minimal’ sounds huge for us regular folks. 」
Retze shrugged.
「I’m also starting to doubt the line between my own strength and using spirit power. Maybe I should go ahead with the plan and get a spirit companion to help me keep things in check. 」
I plan to have a small spirit ‘possess’ me, like the ones that Dean, Dinosso and Ash have. I’ll have it act as a sort of cover for my abnormal abilities, like my superhuman strength.
「You’re thinking of using a spirit as some sort of stopper… Did you find one that’s quite compatible with you? 」
「I’m thinking of forming a cool one out of the 『Particles』that I’ll be getting out from the red dragon. 」
「….. 」
「….. 」
Why did you both shut up!?
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