Chapter 21 - That's What I'm Looking For

It had been over an hour since Orihime went down to the lowlands for a good night's rest. Kazuya, on the other hand, remained in the highlands, where the forests were. 

His initial explanation for doing so was to stay safe from the people who caused trouble for her at the tavern earlier that day, but his ulterior motive was to spend time here doing research with the help of Gaichu so that he would have a clear-cut plan on what to do tomorrow.

He also needed time alone to make plans for himself should something tragic befall Orihime before tomorrow, as he would then have to face the possibility of doing this without her help. Besides, he wasn't sure if he even wanted her to know about Gaichu—for now, at least. 

He had been perusing through the several pages of the large encyclopedia for the past hour and had learned a lot about hidden magic. He also realized that there were several methods through which hidden magic could be utilised and that trying to undo a type of hidden magic would require a specific set of unique skills required for each exclusive type of magic.

Also, learning one magic style would require years of rigorous preparation and planning—one that would usually take an entire childhood to unpack and up to a whole lifetime to master. So they didn't just have to find any mage with the hidden magic specialties; they had to find a specific type among several.

When Kazuya understood this, he swore out loud, frustrated by the difficulties ahead of him. He put both hands on each side of his head as if blocking his ears from hearing noises, brainstorming on the problem set before him.

"What sort of hidden magic would goblins use for a hidden portal?" he wondered audibly as he scrolled through the hologram's contents. There were over a dozen forms of hidden magic, of which he couldn't confidently pick one out. They were all advanced crafts, but he could not determine which one the goblins could have used.

Then he asked Gaichu, even though he knew there was little chance he would get the answer he was looking for: "Hey Gaichu, any idea which of these hidden magic forms could be the one the goblins use for their portals?"

As usual, Gaichu did not give him a straightforward answer but pointed at a column in the hologram, saying, "That column contains the necessary items required for carrying out a portal spell based on the corresponding hidden magic type." "Perhaps with that information you could figure something out," it said to him.

Kazuya frowned angrily: "Are you serious, Gaichu?" "Researching each of these materials would cost me several more sleepless nights to get all the information I need!" he yelled at it.

"Well, how do you know?" it asked.

"Because you never give me clear information when it matters the most—just empty puzzles, tricks, and riddles!" he said to Gaichu, wondering why he even bothered summoning the fairy when he knew it would only give him more work instead of answers.

As usual, Gaichu was unfazed by his ranting but alerted him to something it noticed lurking in the woods.

"Kazuya?" it called to him, pointing at what it was seeing. The young man turned around and saw two glowing eyes slightly covered in the tall grasses nearby. It was at that point that he realized he was being ambushed by something.

So without hesitation, he drew out his sword. When the creature realized it had been spotted, it lunged out of the woods into view. It was a ghoul—a pale, yet strong humanoid creature with a spiked hunchback and a mouth without lips, filled with razor-sharp teeth and a deadly infectious bite.

"It's a ghoul!" Gaichu said out loud. "Don't let it bite you, or you will get infected and become just like it!" it warned.

"Why didn't you tell me that as a riddle?" responded Kazuya as he dodged all of the ghoul's attacks. 

As the creature brought down its claws for him, he jumped out of the way, causing its claws to get into a tree, splintering the one-foot-thick log of timber into pieces with one swing of its arm.

Kazuya widened his eyes as he witnessed this, wondering what sort of powerful creature he was dealing with here.

"Please keep your distance; don't let it grab a hold of you!" "It will rip you in half!" yelled Gaichu, looking genuinely concerned for him.

"Wow, you don't say!" replied the sarcastic Kazuya, who kept evading the ghoul's attack as more large trees got brought down by its continuous attempts to claw him into pieces. 

"Tell me, how do I defeat this monster?" Kazuya asked, expecting a vague hint from the fairy. 

But it subverted his expectations by giving him a clear answer: "Put your sword through its brain and slash it in half!" "Don't try to attack any other part of its body!" it instructed.

Kazuya quickly put his surprise at Gaichu's clear answer behind him as he lunged forward for the beast with his sword put forth. Just as instructed, he lodged his sword into the head of the beast and slashed through its head. The slash of his sword sent several pieces of its brain splattering high over its head before falling, with blood raining down along with them. 

It was a literal rain of carnage. 

This sudden move incapacitated the ghoul, causing it to fall face down to the ground with its head cut open, dead.

Kazuya, breathing heavily, looked at Gaichu, which was also looking tensed but was slowly getting relieved. "Wow, so you can give straight answers when it matters, huh?" he said to it.

Gaichu frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" It replied, "I am here to serve you and to make sure you get the best experience out of your adventures." "So why wouldn't I care to give you an answer that could save your life when it counts the most?"

"Okay, prove me wrong," Kazuya dared; "Tell me where the mage I need for the portal spell is; I dare you to tell me!"

"That is not fair," it yelled at Kazuya angrily.

"See?" replied Kazuya, as he sat on the ground, feeling slightly exhausted. "But I guess I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything," it yelled at him, "but a simple "thank you" wouldn't hurt now, would it?"

"Why should I thank you for doing your job?" asked Kazuya before looking at the ghoul's corpse.

"Could you tell me more about this creature?" he asked Gaichu, and it explained to him...

"Ghouls are solitary, infectious humanoids that feed on human meat for survival." "They turn normal people into ghouls by their poisonous bite, if the victim survives long enough after having part of its body eaten."

"Oh," Kazuya reacted, "so tell me, why did you instruct me not to attack it at any other part of its body apart from its head?"

"That is because of their rapid regeneration." "They could regrow a lost limb within seconds after losing it, and usually, when they do so, they are a lot stronger than they were before losing it." Gaichu explained, "If you had cut off any part of its body as you used to, it would have healed from it instantaneously and become much stronger than it was."

"So, in other words, what could have killed it would instead make it stronger?" he asked Gaichu.

"You could say that," Gaichu replied, "but the best advice you can give to anyone fighting a ghoul is to go straight for the head and through the brain."

"So the ghoul mainly feasts on human flesh, huh?" Kazuya thought vocally, then frowned as an idea suddenly hit him.

"Gaichu? "Before now, what were goblins known for eating?" he asked.

"Wild insects, mostly." They also use them for other purposes. "Why?" asked Gaichu.

"Run a brief survey of the encyclopaedic table; find out which of the magical crafts requires the use of wild insects -- something that would be most favorable for goblins to master," he instructed Gaichu.

The fairy quickly skimmed through the long table shown on the hologram and spotted the closest match to his parameters: "Verminous Stealth Magic," it replied, showing him the location on the holographic page.

"Bingo!" he said as he saw it. "That is what I am looking for." According to the information on the map, the nearest guild with mages specializing in that kind of magic is just less than a day from here.

"Thanks, Gaichu," he said, giving it a light jab.

Gaichu turned speechless, as it had never received gratitude from Kazuya before.

The young man casually laid down on the floor, feeling satisfied with himself, while Gaichu remained where he was, trying to understand what had just happened.

Then, realizing Kazuya was about to fall asleep, it asked, "Why are you resting like that?" and "Weren't you just attacked by a ghoul?" 

"No need to stay vigilant," Kazuya replied. "Besides, you will tell me when something is about to happen, right?"

"Don't get all arrogant about it!" Gaichu yelled at him, but he ignored it and closed his eyes, giving in to the sleep he had been depriving himself of.