To the Chamber of Oracles, deep within the labyrinth.
No matter what the outcome, I will protect the children.
The Chamber of Oracles is a vast space with nothing at the end of the door.
There, a passage about 1 meter wide extends for about 20 meters, leading to a circular platform with a diameter of 5 meters.
It's unclear what material it's made of, but it appears to be floating in space.
"Got it? On this circular platform in front of us, we'll call the spirit!"
"What should we call it?"
"Anything is fine. 'Help me!' or 'Let's play!'
If a spirit is interested, it will be a success."
"....Will it come?"
"It will! Teacher, will you come?"
"Will you come?"
The children look up at me, seemingly anxious.
Well, it should be fine. If it doesn't come, I can force it.
"..., Wait a moment! You're making a sinister face!"
"Huh? It's fine, it's fine.
Hey, you guys! Don't worry. It'll be fine!"
If it doesn't come, I'll call it myself.
If it's a spirit with will, it will talk, but if possible, I prefer a spirit without will.
That way, it can execute my thoughts without hesitation.
"If it comes, I'll go with it."
"......, Well, it doesn't matter. Even if a few more go, it's fine, but it's narrow.
I'll go too, so one child at a time should be fine."
Hmm. It would be better if the summoned spirits also come one at a time.
If it comes, I might need to negotiate as an adult.
Well, if possible, I'd rather avoid talking with my fists....
"Great! Then, we'll go one by one. Who will go first?"
From there, we discussed the order.
First, the eldest, Gale.
Next, Alice.
Then, Kenya and Ryou.
Finally, Kuroe.
Although there were some disagreements, we decided on this order.
Let's get it over with quickly.
A quiet space.
There's no sound, only a faint mist surrounding it.
Only the sound of footsteps can be heard clearly.
"Teacher, if something happens to me, please take care of those guys."
Don't be so tense.
You're too tense. Without saying anything, I stroked Gale's head.
We arrived at the circular space.
It gives the illusion of floating in the air.
As I took a step, I was startled and stopped. I couldn't see the floor in front of me.
However, with 'Magic Detection,' I could sense the floor..... Is it transparent glass? Or acrylic or something?
Surprised, I took a step.
Gale was scared, but
"It's okay, there's a platform. No matter what, I'll protect you."
Hearing this, he came with determination.
Cautiously, step by step.
When we reached the center,
"Alright, this is it! I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out!"
Lamiris said.
I tapped Gale's head, and he closed his eyes and began to pray.
Kneeling on one knee, in a posture of prayer.
I crossed my arms and watched him.
After a while, particles of light descended from the sky.
Like snow.
Eventually, a spirit appeared on the altar.
Gale didn't notice and continued to pray.
Well done! It's a success.
It's a lump of will-less natural energy. It resembles a lump of mana, but it's not.
Is this lump of energy forming a spirit with self-awareness? This place, like the inside of Veldora's cave, is filled with natural energy.
Even without self-awareness, it spreads and merges again, eventually giving birth to a spirit.
Without hesitation, I ate the spirit.
"Gale, keep praying!"
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?"
"Just watch quietly. I have a plan."
Without hesitation, I activated 'Great Sage.'
Continuing my will, I started the calculation. When the calculation was complete, the transformation began.
<Notification. The transformation of the spirit by the Unique Skill 'Mutator' has been completed.
The main ability is 'Earth Attribute Ability.'
The self-information of the Flame Giant has been interpreted, and a secondary personality has been created.
The ability adjustment of the Unique Skill 'Great Sage' has been granted.
Do you want to grant this ability to Gale Gibson? YES/NO>
I placed my hand on Gale's head and selected YES to grant the ability.
As a result, the integration of Gale and the spirit was completed in an instant.
Interpreting Gale's status, the rampant mana that had shown abnormality was completely cured.
More mana than an ordinary child.
This is because the spirit energy and mana energy are in harmony. With this, as his body grows, he will gradually acquire abilities.
The operation was successful! It felt like shaking hands with 'Great Sage' in my brain.
I've never seen its form, and I don't even know if it has one.
"Okay, it's done! Good job!"
I said, lifting him up.
He probably didn't feel any pain, and he looked up at me with a wide-eyed expression.
I nodded strongly.
"It's fine now. The collapse has stopped. I guarantee it!"
With tears in his eyes,
"Teacher, thank you!!!"
he bowed deeply.
I stroked his head as a gesture of gratitude and took him to the others.
Upon hearing the report of success, everyone cheered. However, it's not over yet.
It's meaningless unless everyone succeeds.
"Don't get too excited yet. Let's celebrate after everyone succeeds!"
At my words, everyone recalled this and nodded.
We moved on to the second child.
Next is Alice.
She said she was scared to walk the narrow path, so I decided to carry her.
Kuroe and Alice were talking about something, but it was probably just a childish conversation.
Ignoring it, I picked up Alice and carried her to the clearing.
I hope this goes well too.
As we watched, Alice closed her eyes in prayer. She clutched her hands and held her skirt on her knees.
After a while, particles of light descended from the sky, just like before.
The spirit that appeared on the altar was quickly absorbed.
Lamiris looked like she wanted to say something, but I ignored her.
This was the second time, so I was more familiar with it.
<Notification. The transformation of the spirit by the Unique Skill 'Mutator' has been completed.
The main ability is 'Space Attribute Ability.'
The self-information of the Flame Giant has been interpreted, and a secondary personality has been created.
The ability adjustment of the Unique Skill 'Great Sage' has been granted.
Due to good compatibility, the ability 'Shadow Movement' has fused, evolving into 'Space Movement.'
Do you want to grant this ability to Alice Rond? YES/NO>
The absorption of the spirit has also evolved my ability.
An unexpected turn of events.
The ability grant to Alice was also completed without any problems.
It seems that a 'Barrier' ability has also evolved into a 'Spatial Barrier,' but it wasn't granted to Alice. Perhaps the barrier itself had good compatibility.
Well, she might acquire it on her own someday.
"Alice, well done! It's fine now!"
I said, lifting her up.
Alice opened her eyes, smiled, and kissed my cheek.
Oh, what a precocious child. Being popular with a 7-year-old is a bit strange, but I'm glad.
No, I am glad.
I'm just a gentleman, not a pervert (Lolicon)?
"Thank you!"
As a gesture of gratitude, I stroked her head and took her to the others.
As soon as I put her down, she talked animatedly with Kuroe. They seemed to be getting along well.
I brought Kenya back to the clearing.
He seems to have gained confidence. Things are going smoothly.
Three more to go. I thought about summoning and granting abilities to the children myself, but it doesn't seem necessary.
However, it can also be considered fortunate. The transformation of the spirit unexpectedly consumes my mana.
Well, there are three more. I'll do my best.
Just as Kenya was about to pray, before he even closed his eyes, particles of light descended on the altar.
What? I can feel an energy that far surpasses the previous ones.
There, a fairy boy?
"Hey? Are you well? I'm well.
Today, I came on a whim!"
He greeted us very casually.
"Ah, Ah?????!!! What are you doing in someone's house?!"
Lamiris raised her eyebrows and spoke to the fairy boy.
They seem to know each other.
"Hey, you?"
Before Lamiris could introduce him, he quickly said,
"Hey! Nice to meet you, I'm the Spirit of Light!
Unlike the dark offspring who fell into evil, I'm a pure fairy!"
He introduced himself.
After exchanging greetings, we listened to his story.
Kenya looked at us, seemingly confused. Give up.
According to the story, he felt Kenya's strong light attribute....
"So, I'm helping Kenya!"
That's what he said.
Originally, the spirits of light and darkness are the highest-ranking, high-level spirits.
It's suspicious, but it seems they also grant blessings to heroes. More importantly, it seems that Lamiris and another spirit granting a blessing together is quite rare.
"Two spirits granting a blessing to a hero is a story from 2000 years ago?"
That's what it seems.
Lamiris, out of boredom, fell into evil, and since then, granting blessings has been the job of the Spirit of Light.
Regardless, it's a good story, but it seems that Lamiris has been inheriting her self-awareness through generations.
As the queen of the spirit race, she reigns, but as her mana increases and reaches its limit, she creates a clone.
To the clone (child), all of her self-awareness is inherited.
Through this, as they grow, they surpass their parents in ability. The flaw is that they are weak until they grow.
A race that repeats growth and weakness.
Among the Demon Kings, it seems to be the only hereditary system.
While I'm angry at Lamiris for acting on her own, it seems that these two don't get along well.
Suddenly, I thought, Demon Kings are often whimsical. I won't say who, but they were quite whimsical....
"For that reason, I'll protect Kenya until he grows up.