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Chapter 37 – part 4

And then she disappeared into the thick leaves and branches about 10 meters away.

A commotion and murmuring erupted.

ーー「Don’t order me around…」
She implied that using her actions.

Even veteran adventurers, who were close-combat specialists guarding us, couldn’t replicate the jump that Lilith just performed.
Moreover, she is not a close-combat specialist but a magician.

「That just now… She’s supposed to be a C+ ranked magician… How can she move like that?」

Yeah, I understand that it’s surprising.
Her recent move is equivalent to a B-ranked close-combat specialist. Well, in reality, Lilith is quite an all-rounder due to the growth boost from her father’s blessing, even though her initial focus is on magic.

「Well…」

「What’s the matter, Ryuto-kun?」

At Saneda’s words, I forced a smile.

「Well, I’m just wondering…」

「…?」

Hmm. What should I do, indeed?
No, well, it’s probably what Lilith is also thinking about, so there’s really no other option.

I closed my eyelids and focused, establishing a mental connection with Lilith.

「…What? 」

「Well, even if you ask me ‘what’, I…」

「…So, what?」

「You get it, right? I’m going to do ‘that’, so I’ll borrow your brain’s magic calculation area for a while.」

Then, Lilith’s laughter echoed in my head.

「…No matter how strong you are, Ryuto is still a human. Even though you possess power close to gods, Ryuto is still a human.」

「Yeah?」

「…Without my support, you can’t even use half of your power.」

「What’s that supposed to mean, sarcasm?」

「…No.」

「Then, what?」

「…Even with half of your power, your power is still at the level of myths.」

「What are you trying to say?」

「…I can support someone like you. So I’m proud of that.」

「You’re really troublesome, you know that?」

Then, I started constructing the spell using Lilith’s brain’s magic calculation circuit.
Saneda’s expression changed drastically.

「Ryuto-kun… What… are you doing…?」

It seems that Saneda noticed.
I looked around to see if anyone else noticed, and it seemed that no one did.
Well, I’m activating the spell as silently as possible.

「…This is… not an MP usage on a scale of a few tens of thousands… This is on the level of using national-level ritual magic… right?」

Excellent answer.
As expected from the prestigious Saegusa family from the East.
Well, my MP is currently well into the six digits.

「Oh, that’s right.」

「So… What are you doing?」

「Hmm? What do you mean? It’s Senjutsu.」

With a pale face, trembling and covered in cold sweat, Saegusa muttered.

「Huh?」

――Senjutsu, the Lost Technique.

Its existence is semi-legendary, and those who wield the art are called Senjin.
They achieve eternal youth and longevity, and can tear the heavens and the earth with a mere wave of their hand.

Almost god-like… a semi-deified individual.

The representative is Senjin: Ryu-kai, the Dragon King, my master, and my friend.

There is quite a difference in level between someone who seeks help from a god like Saegusa and a Senjin who has practically become a god.

So, with that kind of feeling, I activated Senjutsu at a point 2 kilometers to the west.
I have to drive the Ogre herd into a trap now.
Just like a shepherd directing sheepdogs, I need to lure the Ogres towards the fortress where Cordelia is.

Naturally, this requires a hunting dog.

――Senjutsu: Extreme Illusion.

Originally, this technique was used for decoy purposes.
It creates multiple entities, phantoms, to surround the user, to avoid attacks from enemies targeting the user.

The power of the phantoms is only a fraction, around one-tenth to one-hundredth, of the user’s power. If handled by an ordinary practitioner – well, actually, an ordinary practitioner wouldn’t be able to use it in the first place – they could only create dolls that could fly away with just a breath.

However, in my case, since I’m a bit special, my phantoms are quite capable.
As a result, with my current Senjutsu, a group of adventurers at the level of B-rank minus in the Adventurer’s Guild suddenly appears behind the Ogre herd.

The danger level for Ogre Generals is around C-plus, and for regular Ogres, it’s around D-minus.
And the power of my phantoms is at the level of B-minus. Comparable to the martial artist who guarded the noble who messed with Lilith.

Well, to put it simply.

Fifty skilled adventurers, all with the same appearance as Lute Mclane, appeared from behind the Ogre herd and attacked them.

Ten minutes later…

A group of bloodshot-eyes Ogres approached us from the western highway with tremendous force.

The instructors were not stupid either.

They quickly realized that the group of ogres was heading towards the fortress where Cordelia led the knights and scholarship students.
In such a situation, staying on the road would be suicidal.

However, if we ventured too deep into the Lost Forest, we would be at risk of being attacked by other creatures.
As a result, we decided to hide a little away from the road in an inconspicuous location.

However, that didn’t offer much protection.
Our clueless classmates, who couldn’t read the situation at all, followed the instructions and covered their mouths, hiding in the bushes.

Our opponents were Ogres. In other words, wild beasts.
Even if we vanished from sight, we couldn’t easily erase our smell and presence.
Furthermore, simply hiding in the bushes and trees didn’t fully conceal us from the side of the road.

「…Well, can’t be helped.」

So, I contacted Lilith again in my mind and activated the incantation for Senjutsu.
Once again, Saegusa asked me with a pale face and a trembling voice.

「…Did you just do something crazy?」

The instructors seemed uneasy, looking around with curious expressions. While they might not fully understand what happened, they seemed to have sensed that some form of protective magic was cast on them.

「Oh? You know what I did, Saegusa?」

「…I can tell.」

「Alright, tell me.」

「First, optical camouflage. Next, a simple illusion that affects the nervous system to deceive the sense of smell, and then a simple spatial disruption at the level of air convection… a sound wave barrier, perhaps?」

In other words, it’s a perfect stealth function.
Currently, we are in a state similar to being a landlocked island or a black hole isolated from the outside world.

「Good observation. Well, there are similar types of magic out there.」

Indeed, this type of spell is quite in demand. But it’s not popular among learners due to its subtle nature.
In my case, it was something I naturally learned while understanding the concept of integrating with nature as a fundamental aspect of Senjutsu.

No, that’s not accurate.

It’s more like it was forced upon me.