chapter 38

The girls and I went shopping at the street booth plaza.

「First we need to go buy Claude a sword!」

In the fight a few days ago, Claude’s sword had broken, and now she was currently unarmed.

Right now her scabbard only had the hilt of her horribly broken sword sheathed in it.

「No, I’m fine really…..」

「Of course you’re not alright. Be that as it may, we don’t have any leeway in our finances. So later I’ll buy something appropriately cheap.」

「That’s awful!」

Though it isn’t great for Claude, right now there’s something we need to buy even more.

「Putting that aside, could the both of you look for an armored knight card? I’d like you to find two of them for about 100,000 rupi or less each」

「100,000? And two of them!? Don’t we only have 300,000 rupi? We’re just gonna suddenly spend such a large amount of money? 」

「Since we need it anyways. First we should prepare the most expensive and useful general equipment for our use.」

A card is a rare item that monsters drop that is extremely scarce and expensive. If you enchant equipment with them, many different effects can be achieved.

The armored knight card when added onto equipped armor (or clothes), gave the effect of reducing all damage by something like 20 percent, making it a card with some of the highest all-purpose usefulness when added to armor.

The armored knight’s hunting ground was a popular spot for high level adventurers to hunt, so a fair number were being hunted, so the price wasn’t too inflated.

「We’d buy three but we’d lose our funds for living, so we’ll only get two this time. We’ll enchant Milly and Claude’s armor.」

「What about you Zeph?」

「Because Claude is the vanguard it’s absolutely necessary for her, and Milly isn’t yet good enough at moving around during battle. But I on the other hand, won’t receive fatal damage if I conduct myself as I usually do」

「Even though you are always getting injured…..?」

「…..How annoying, I still haven’t taken any fatal wounds, you know? 」

In the first place I could use Safe Protection, even two people wouldn’t be a problem. Claude seemed to sense the mood and changed the topic.

「Oh yeah! Milly-san, should we compete to see who can find the cards cheapest? The loser has to do one thing the winner says」

「Alright! I’ll take you on! 」

While I was picking a fight, Claude enjoys compet.i.tion more.

The two of them energetically disappeared into the street booth plaza.

I myself went to look for a weapon for Claude.

Oh, there’s a short sword for 5,000 rupi.

That’s cheap.

Claude will have to settle for this for a while.

After all, the armored knight cards were 100,000 rupi each, but we were able to get them for 98,000 rupi each.

It ended with Claude as the victor.

Milly was frustrated at her bad luck, but once she understood that Claude had honestly bargained the cards’ prices down, she admitted her defeat.

Claude is such a reliable person.

When we got back to the inn, we enchanted Milly’s mini dress and Claude’s plate with the cards. The equipment absorbed the cards and were given the 20% damage reduction effect.

「Is it alright to use such a worn out thing? Shouldn’t we have put it on better defensive equipment than this? 」

「Good defensive equipment is much more expensive than a card. For now, any equipment is good enough, when you add the armored knight card it’ll become defensive equipment.」

If we find second-hand equipment at the stalls then it’s all well and good, but without knowing who wore it or what it was used for, the two girls might not want to use it. For my part I’ll find some quality second-hand goods and change their minds sooner or later.

「Oh yes Claude, could you go out with me a little later? I have some things I’d like to test.」

「I don’t really mind though?」

「I’m coming too~!」

「Milly you clean up your luggage that you threw in my room. It’s completely messed up…you need to throw out the unnecessary stuff or something but get it out of my room.」

「Aaawww~!」

「If you’re gonna complain then put it all in your room.」

Milly pouts and puffs out her cheeks as she begins to clean up my room. We leave and move to a different location. Claude tried to help, but you can’t spoil Milly like that. She needs to be able to clean up her own messes.

Outside the Town…

「There’s a lot of things I’d like to hear about your Screen Point Claude. Could you please tell me about it? 」

「I don’t mind at all」

At that time, Kane had used his spell invalidation magic “Screen Point”. If we can make use of this magic, then the number of hunting grounds we can utilize will increase.

「Screen Point is, as I said before, a magic that invalidates spells’ effects. Though I say that, the magic’s effect is dependent on the conditions and the person using it, my brother’s Screen Point is usually able to eliminate almost all magic cast at him, but mine can only do about half.」

「Could you let me see you use it for a bit?」

「Sure it’s fine」

Saying that Claude closed her eyes and began to silently cast her magic.

As she concentrated, I began to see some sort of thin, see-through membrane covering Claude’s body. I reached out and touched Claude’s body, and once I did my magical aura was shaved off in an instant.

Rather than blocking magic power, it was more like a magic that devoured magical power.

I cast Scout Scope on Claude.

Claude Leonhardt

Magic Power Level ————

Certainly her Screen Point was weaker than Kane’s. When I tried to cast Scout Scope on Kane, it didn’t even activate.

「Now it’s about time for me to fire some magic at you alright?」

「Wai-please stop! Painful things will still hurt me you know! 」

「That was a joke」

Are you telling the truth? Is what her face seemed to be saying.

As I thought, it appears that it could only eliminate the effects of magic to a certain extent.

Claude released her Screen Point and she looked a little worn out.

It might be my imagination but, Claude’s magical aura seems to be fairly depleted….

Perhaps…, I think and cast Scout Scope.

Claude Leonhardt

Level 26

「Red」 Magic Value 9, Magic Limit 45

「Blue」 Magic Value 5, Magic Limit 39

「Green」 Magic Value 0, Magic Limit 40

「Sky」 Magic Value 0, Magic Limit 47

「Soul」 Magic Value 0, Magic Limit 51

Magic Power 149/456

Kane’s magic power was only 39.

In other words, Screen Point was a magic that was usable with that level of magical power. Nevertheless, Claude’s magic power had decreased by 300.

「Claude I’d like you to use ball」

「Ok」

「Could you let me see you fire five at that boulder over there?」

「That’s fine」

Saying that she turned to face the rock, and cast Red Ball five times.

The rock only ended up slightly burnt with a few cracks in it.

Claude’s magic level was low so this is all it would amount to.

I cast Scout Scope and when I looked, Claude’s magic power was 50.

「Can you use Screen Point one more time?」

「Eeeeh~ I’m already tired though…….」

Even though she says that, Claude starts to cast Screen Point again.

This girl seems like the type who can’t refuse a request.

As I think that, I cast Scout Scope on Claude again.

As expected, that’s how it was.

Screen Point is a magic that increases in strength the less magic power you have.

In other words, the magics called “Mage Killers”, are exactly what they sound like “magic that kills magic”.

The effect is that the one who uses this magic, will in all likelihood be affected by the magic’s effects as well. Therefore, there are very few mages who would use the “Mage Killer” magics, basically the only ones who would use this would be those who don’t use magic in their occupations.

「Claude would it be alright if I fired one spell at you?」

「I already said you couldn’t!」

「It’ll be fine, it won’t hurt at all. Do you think I’m lying to you? 」

「Eeeehh~? I, I said no~」

「Don’t worry, I’ll use my weakest one」

I say, and to lessen her nervousness I give her my best pretty boy smile and cast Blue Ball.

I let the ball standby above my right hand, and for some reason Claude seems incredibly nervous and is looking at me with unease.

Why?

I invoke Blue Ball, and even though it hits her directly, Claude, of course, suffers no damage.

How about that? I think as Claude stares at me in confusion and disbelief.

And I even told her not to worry…….

「Most likely Screen Point is a magic that when activated, is more effective the less magic power you have. Kane was born with very little magic power, so when he uses Screen Point he almost has zero magic. That’s why he’s almost invincible against magic.」

「Eeeh~How do you know something like that?」

「Uhh…….」

……..Ah c.r.a.p, Scout Scope was supposed to be kept a secret.

Ahh whatever, Claude’s already a close comrade.

She’s already told me all about Screen Point, so I can’t really keep on hiding it.

I explained Scout Scope to Claude and she seemed pretty surprised.

「Scout Scope…..Is it. It’s a pretty terrifying magic……」

「It’s a secret」

「I understand. You can’t teach this kind of magic to someone unless they’re a friend or comrade.」

Well there was a certain dumb girl who bragged about this magic immediately after meeting me.

I’m just sayin’.

「Certainly my father said something like that. That if a person was weak in magic skills Screen Point would be more powerful.」

The Leonhardt family was a lineage of knights, so they probably hadn’t experimented too much with magic.

「Also one more experiment. Could you put this on? 」

I say that and hand her my worn out old clothes. Claude takes them with a confused expression.

「During the fight with Kane, Crimson Blade tore up his clothes, while my Red Crash didn’t hurt him at all. I’d like to know the exact effects of this magic.」

By the way Safe Protection’s 90% damage reduction has been applied to the equipment.

「…..In other words, you want to see if my clothes will rip if I’m using Screen point….right? 」

「Yep」

Claude’s face blushes red before my eyes and she cries out in a high pitched voice.

「Wha…..What are you thinking?! Zeph-kun you pervert! 」

「No, that’s why I had you change into my old clothes ok?」

「That makes you sound even more perverted!」

In the end Claude’s extreme opposition ended the experiment before it started.

Even though it was a necessary experiment………