Part 28

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Yeah, that was a scary sight.

The disaster hadn't just teleported people away. Houses were destroyed, in the forests many trees were just uprooted from the ground. Golden fields of wheat were destroyed. The whole region was devastated. And as we were still just coming past unfamiliar places, it was already giving an unpleasant impression. And then the village of Bueno showed up. It was on the road to Roa.

Norn I held in my arms and looked around. The girl, too, but she was already much more familiar with our home in the city, so she didn't worry much about the local devastation. I was heartbroken at the sight of the ruins that had once been my home.

That day, I simply abandoned my practice of magic. Before that, I had been trying to improve my spells every day to make them more effective. And I had even achieved some results. In particular, I did implement the idea of mana-eating spirits. They use a spell I developed based on healing magic to absorb mana from living beings and transform it. Actually, at the moment of attack, these spirits actually merge with the target, creating magical tattoos on his body that will burn with fire. Moreover, if the mana drain is fast, these tattoos also cause a strong burning sensation, like from a flame or a strong frost. Separately, I have built a separate form of mana retention into the spirits that allows them to retain even more energy. They can even be used as portable mana stores. Pour excess energy into them and then use them when needed. Although, I have so much mana now that it wouldn't be much use. It would be very difficult to find myself in a situation of complete depletion again. But, just in case, I can think of some reserve, something like a magic battery, which can be put in the inventory.

Ruijed, on the other hand, showed one major disadvantage of these spirits.

A swordsman wielding the techniques could very well attack them and destroy them. And with this fact in mind, I added another improvement in the form of a self-destruct function. An explosive spell that activates when a spirit is damaged, and uses all the mana stored for a powerful explosion. But only if there is an enemy nearby. If there is no enemy in the affected area, the spirit will simply disperse, releasing all of its stored mana. This will also be the case if an ally or myself is in the area of effect. Spirit Intelligence allows you to set similar behavioural algorithms.

Alas, but pumping mana out of the enemy remotely, without getting hit, will not work, it will interfere with the fighting spirit. However, if you become possessed by an enemy and start siphoning mana from him, the spirit can also explode in this state, having received the corresponding command from me.

Later I want to add more and various spells to weaken the enemy. But for now I just didn't have time to do it before we got to Bueno. And the next stop was already Roa.

Well, the fortress city was left untouched. It was the epicentre of the impact and all that was left was a crater with nothing else.

- Ah... where..." Eris looked around in confusion.

- Our house is gone. - I sighed. I'm sorry, Eris.

- No... what about...

She started to look around, but there was really nothing here.

- Brother... - Norn clung to me tightly, like a tick.

- It's going to be all right. It's just a house, we'll build a new one. And we'll find Mum and Lily and Aisha. They must have teleported away just like us. Don't worry, Mum was a skilled adventurer and Lily was a swordswoman.

- Grandpa should be fine too. - Eris spoke up.

- Of course. - If he's going to be in trouble, it won't be Cyrus, but whoever he ends up with after teleportation.

- Ha-ha-ha! - The girl laughed, crossing her arms proudly over her chest and turning up her nose. - Exactly!

Yes, she was more attached to her grandfather than to her parents. After all, he's the one who spoilt her.

For now, we could only take a short break here to rest before travelling onwards. But, first we had to decide what to do next. So, once refreshed, we had a council of sorts. Although, in the end, it was Roxy and I who did most of the planning.

- So, first things first... the system gave me a few quests to find the missing. It only covers my family, Cyrus and Hilda Boreas.

- And Phillip? I mean father... - The girl hesitated.

- Ahem... I'm not exactly sure about him. He was originally on the list too, but he disappeared recently. He may have turned up. But... Eris, there's a good chance that he's....

- Dead? - She tilted her head. - I see.

- Hmm...

- Would I be able to survive in the demon continent if I was alone? Phillip might have gone to a dangerous place too. I understand that.

The girl tried to sound calm and detached, but her voice treacherously trembled. So, in order not to focus on the possible death of her father, I decided to continue the topic.

- Nevertheless, the assignment indicates that Cyrus, Lilia and Aisha are somewhere on the central continent. Mistress Hilda is in the land of Milias. And Zenith is on Begaritto.

- It's a complicated situation... - Roxy stretched thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. They're on different continents, and the search area is quite extensive.

- To begin with, I think we should give the adventurer's guild a task to search. - I stated. - It will be distributed to chapters in different regions and countries.

- If we offer enough money for the reward, then adventurers with useful connections in different spheres can join the search.

- Exactly! - I nodded, "And one more thing... Roxy, I'm sorry.....

- Huh? Why are you apologising?

- I said I didn't want to break up with you, but right now... I need your help.

- What do I need to do? - She asked right away.

She didn't even hesitate.

- I want you to go to Begaritto with this. - Taking out my grimoire with the teleportation circle template from my inventory.

- Understood. - Nodded the sorceress. - You want to set up a teleportation platform on Begaritto. It might be worth installing them in a few more places on the central continent along the way.

- Yes, then if information about our relatives comes up, it will be easier to check it out in person. And while you go to Begaritto, Eris and I will head to Milis' land to look for her mother, and along the way, we'll also look for the rest of those who stayed in the central continent.

- That's a good idea. - Roxy agreed. - We'll cover a lot of territory that way. Only, to order a guild, we still need to choose a meeting place. Where do the missing go to meet up?

- Hmm, depends on where they're found. Or if they find them and make themselves known. In some cases, it's better if they stay where they are and we go towards them so we don't get separated. But, you're right, we need some key gathering place.

- Perhaps... Ars? Asura's capital. - Suggested the sorceress.

- Yeah, right! It's the centre of the kingdom! - Eris seconded her.

- Hmm, I'm not sure that's the best idea. - I hesitated. - We'll have to go there, but we'd better not stay too long.

The capital of Asura's kingdom is the centre of all her court intrigues.

- Hmm?

- Better pick a less... busy place to gather. There are many nobles from different houses in the capital. If Eris and I do something there, it won't attract the most favourable attention.

- Oh, I see. - Roxy nodded. - Then we'd better choose one of the cities in the north of Fittoa, or in a neighbouring region.

- Then that's what we'll do. Roxy, you go to Begaritto. Eris and I will go to Milis' land.

Although, to be honest, I was more interested in going to find my mother. But thanks to Roxy, I can still travel to the continent of Begaritto when the time comes. And my mother's family also lives in the land of Milis. Perhaps they can take care of the Norn while I search for our family. Carrying her everywhere is not the best solution.

There was also the thought of sending Ruijed with Roxy to protect her. But she's too afraid of him. He's been following us for so long, and she can't even look in his direction for fear. So that's not an option either. But I also have some ideas about the Supard.

- Ruijed, I'll make another parchment with a teleport marker. It will take you to the north of the central continent. Set it up in a deserted area near Ranoa.

- Understood. - He nodded.

- Basically... if you help us find our relatives, then consider your debt paid. And for starters...

Sighing, I touched the Supard's collar and it crumbled into dust.

- Thank you. I will not betray your trust. - He added calmly.

- Good. So, can I count on you?

- Yes, I'll do my best. I swear.

- Thank you, Ruijed.

After all, I've already sorted out his personality. He's a generally peaceful guy who loves children and still blames himself for the miscalculation. I myself have already cooled off somewhat after our fight. And there's not much point in continuing to keep the collar on him anymore, just to humiliate the supard. Now I'm showing him trust, so that Ruijed himself will feel better about me. At least his sense of duty won't let him just run away, and now he'll definitely do his best to help. And at the same time he won't make the girls nervous.

I made the new parchment for the teleport quickly, simply using the first sheet as a template and transferring its pattern onto two more large pieces of parchment that were interlocked. Yes, two, one to give to Ruijed and one to keep, just in case. The only thing left to change was the one fragment of the drawing responsible for identifying the teleporter on the network.

It took no more time to build a new underground secret room with a teleporter near the crater of Roa. But this time, I carved the secret room deeper to make it even harder to find.

And, finally, I set up a stone slab already right in the crater itself. Here I left a message for the family. Even Paul.

When I wanted to mention Eris, I hesitated for a moment.

I just remembered how we were kidnapped once. Now she might seem like easy prey. In fact, I myself may be of some value to the Asura nobles. Perhaps I am more valuable than Eris, for I can lay claim to the House of Notos. Together, however, we are like a particularly valuable prize. Nevertheless, I also remembered Cyrus. And in the end, I left it on the rocks that Eris is under my protection and she's fine. Even if they tried to kidnap us again, I wouldn't let that happen this time.

After that, we split up.

Ruijed headed north, and we headed south.

Roxy was also heading south to the port on Begaritto, but by a slightly different route. We decided to set up teleporters near some of the towns. But, before we split up, I also improved the enchantress's protective amulet. I also made her a lightning glove. That way, at least she'll have some peace of mind.

Afterwards.

We hired a cart again for the journey.

Eris and I travelled through the capital of the kingdom. It wasn't just because I was worried about Sylphie. Despite the possible problems with the aristocracy, the capital is still the political and commercial centre of Asura. From there, it would be easiest to organise search activities. In addition, introducing Sylphi to the princess might also prove useful. Finally, it is also worth installing a teleporter near the city. However, it would be better not to concentrate too much on Arsa in doing so.

By the way...

It's actually not a good idea to rely on those teleporters too much. It only came to my attention that with Hitogami's astounding awareness, he can also find my hiding places and then target them with the right people. Even secretly setting up teleporters already carries some risk. But so far, this guy hasn't shown himself since we ran into Ruijed. Still, it's worth keeping an eye out.

- These used to be beautiful places," the driver said as he travelled. - And a lot of work.

- Huh? What? I came to my senses.

The little blob of magic in my hands dissipated.

- I'm telling you, there's no-one to drive round here now. I didn't want to go to Roa, but you, sir, paid so much that I couldn't refuse.

- By the way... do you go a lot of places?

- Not much, just driving a cart between a few towns along the same route.

- Hmm, that's not bad either. Do you know any of the other cabbies?

- Of course... why do you ask?

- I just thought you could do a good deed and make some money out of it. I'll make some leaflets with the names of our relatives, and you'll distribute them around the cities, some of them you'll give to other cabbies, so they'll deliver them too.

- Well, that's a good thing. I'll help you, of course. How could I not?

The whole idea wasn't a bad one.

I also remembered that I was Eris's teacher. So I put the girl to work. I gave her a sheet of paper and an ink pen. I also made a sample flyer and told her to rewrite it over and over again. And I started drawing. Although I wasn't a painter, I became a good sculptor in a way. But I did not make my figures with my hands, but with magic. So I tried to transfer this experience to paper.

Yes, in fact, if magical grimoires use parchment, then ordinary books use ordinary paper. A little yellowish, sometimes rough, but still. And it costs considerably less.

So, actually, on such a sheet I tried to depict the faces of our lost girls. The easiest was with Zenith and Lilia, as I had already made their figures. Yeah, it's a shame about them, by the way. I mean, the figurines. I had a whole collection of coloured figurines, and they disappeared to Roa. But okay, I'll make new and better ones later! In the meantime, after several attempts, I managed to portray the faces of the two young mothers quite clearly. Aisha was a little worse, but I did my best with her too. And, just in case, I also did a portrait of Hilda.

And then...

Taking control of the ink with water magic, I projected the finished portraits onto the rest of the sheets. I'm starting to feel like a magic photocopier.

- Why did I write this if you could do it like this? - Eris was indignant.

- Yes, why? - Norn inquired.

- It's simple. - Answering them with the look of a wise man. - If Hilda sees this, she'll recognise your handwriting and know that the leaflets can be trusted.

- Ah... oh... that's how... - The girl nodded understandingly.

Although, in fact, it was necessary for her not to forget how to write at all.

Afterwards, we finally reached the first town on the border of the region. It was still Fittoa, but the disaster hadn't reached here. It was here that Eris and I registered with the adventurer's guild. And, along with that, so did the quest assignment. The extra flyers came in handy.

- Hmm... interesting... - I looked at the guild map.

It's true. When we registered on this map, our names and ranks of swordsman and mage were written on it. As well as the rank of adventurer, so far the lowest. To increase rank, you need to complete quests, and it doesn't matter what skills you have if you don't have experience. However, there is a bit of a point of contention here.

- Um... are you sure? - The clerk behind the reception desk stretched out doubtfully. - King rank fire magic, king rank earth magic, king rank air magic, king rank water magic, holy rank healing magic, holy rank detoxification magic, middle rank barrier magic, sword, water and north style, middle rank... seriously?

- The guild requires some sort of confirmation of my qualifications? - I'm acting surprised.

Moreover, I've also underestimated my ability level. In almost all areas of attack magic, I've already reached the level of an Emperor. I know spell modifiers that can expand the attack area to the size of an entire country. But, if we're not talking about scale, but rather combat effectiveness, then, for example, the Railgun can also be considered an Emperor-class spell, given its firepower.

Oh, and healing as well.

Considering the state Ruijed was in when I healed him, my healing magic could also qualify for Emperor rank. And that's despite the fact that I didn't have access to any existing spells of the appropriate level.

- Perhaps you have a recommendation? Or would you like to be tested?

- I have a recommendation. We don't have time for tests, so if that's a problem, you can specify a low rank. I'll take those tests of yours later and update you.

I posted a note from Roxy. Still, she's a high rank adventurer. Although her reputation is more significant in the demonic continent, nevertheless, the guild roster has her.

- Hmm, there's an identification number listed here... please wait for a while, I'll verify the information. It's an offence to knowingly enter false data, so I can't specify a low rank that won't match your level.

Oh...

Well, I'd rather not specify my actual rank anyway.

The data, however, was soon verified and my qualifications were listed according to the application.

Also, after that, I started to write a message to my father. After all, he's an adventurer too. And, that's when I was struck with a sudden thought. I don't have a mission to find him. Could that mean he's already dead? He was dead when we were wandering the demon continent?

No...

It's more likely that the system just didn't take him into account because he dropped out of the family a bit. He's still my father, though. Still, I left a message for him as well. I suppose he himself will be looking for his new wives and children first. But if he finds Zenith and Lily, that's fine. The main thing is to keep his hands to himself!

- We're an adventurous team now, aren't we? - Eris was excited. - We need to come up with a name!

- I agree. - I smiled.

That's what she likes, isn't it? I mean, stories of heroes' adventures, like in legends.

- Maybe... fang... fire... poisonous cobra! - She gave it away. - No, snakes ew... better the claws of a scarlet lion!

- Roa Fortress Search Party. - I'll calmly offer my suggestion.

- А?

- If any of our people hear that name, it'll let them know we're looking for disaster victims from our town.

I wasn't going to take on the whole region. Although, it's possible we'll come across other victims of the disaster. And even the city of Roa... there are many victims as well. Our goal is to find our family first. Shall we use my name? Rudeus' unit.

- Is that... necessary? - Eris is upset.

- Doesn't sound cool enough? - I hummed.

The girl made a pitiful face. But, she also realised the appropriateness of such a name, otherwise she would have voiced her displeasure much louder.

- Although, it may attract other victims of the disaster, who will ask for help, so that we can protect them and help them reunite with their relatives....

- Is that a bad thing?

- It will take time... but, we can also co-operate with other disaster victims and get their support in the search.

- A search party, then. - Nodded the girl.

- Okay, we'll think about co-operating with other victims, but let's register the name for now.

After that, I also walked around the market and looked in some shops to sell a couple of not the best of my statuettes, made on short notice. Well, by my standards they are weak works, but they sold well. Still, money is especially hard to come by right now. I even had the thought of magically transforming metal to forge money. With my control of earth magic, it's not such a problem really. I create artificial gemstones for my figurines, and they can be sold to jewellers on their own. It is impossible to distinguish them from natural stones, because although they were created by magic, they are not structurally different from ordinary jewellery.

Actually, money wasn't a problem for me before.

So, after selling the statuettes, I also created some stones, which I also sold before we travelled on. Only some distance outside of town I set up another geocache with a teleporter and checked the markings on the map.

And that's roughly how our journey proceeded.

In the towns, I sold gems created by magic. Checked the adventurer's guild and left a quest there if it wasn't already delivered there. Also left messages for family members. Set up hidden teleporters, and moved on. A few more times I teleported to Roxy to set up stashes along her route as well.

Along the way, I tried to improve my spells.

There were many thoughts on many different directions. But at the moment I decided to focus on what was most important, which was mobility. My goal was to improve my flight spell. More precisely, it was already to create a special spirit that was connected to the forms of several gravity spells, using which it could replicate the levitation effect and control it. And, as it was, I had all the necessary components for that. All that remained was to mould them together, which I did, combining these spell fragments in different assemblies and matching this set with the appropriate artificial intelligence algorithms.

The first sample of gravi-air wasn't very successful. Although, it could be used to send opponents into uncontrolled flight and pound them to the ground over and over again.

In the end, this development took several weeks. And actually, the result couldn't be called perfect, but I achieved my main goal in this research.

- Now the journey will take less time... - I exhale with a restrained sense of triumph.

And with that, I lift off the ground. Gravity simply stopped acting on my body, creating a weightlessness effect for me. And then, responding to my thoughts, the spirit controlled the spells of the direction of the gravity vector and its strength, allowing me to fly in any direction at the speed I desired. I could fly slowly, like a balloon, or I could accelerate to the speed of free fall, not downward, but in any direction, or even faster.

I realised the full value of this spirit already in the process of creating it.

Although, I still had to spend time on calibration to make the flight work together with the protective barrier. But, this combination allowed to reach supersonic speed without harming the magician himself, that is, for me. And, that's thousands of kilometres per hour! With this spell, I could travel between Asura cities in minutes.

And the entire continent can be travelled in a matter of hours.....

Achievement "Unidentified Flying Subject".

You have created your own method of high-speed controlled flight.

Reward: Random Talent

Gravity

You have gained a special predisposition to manipulate gravity with magic

Oh, system, thank you for that generous praise!

And by the way, by this point we were already several days away from Ars.

- Heh... Eris, Norn. Looks like I can seriously shorten our journey. - I told the girls right away.

- Umm... I don't want to fall like my little brother... - Norn was scared.

Well, they've seen my first trials of flight magic.

- Ohhh, sis, don't worry. I've refined this spell, look.....

And I'm starting to demonstrate precision control. And the new talent seems to have already started working, as using gravi-air was even easier than before. By the way, in addition to flying, it can also create shockwaves, repel and attract various objects, or....

- Now, Eris, you trust me, don't you?

- Yes, if Rudeus says it's okay, it's okay. - She nodded. - What do you want me to do?

- Nothing. Just get ready to fly. - I smiled and gestured to lift the girl into the air.

- Haa?

- Ha ha, great! We don't need to ride in the carriage anymore. We'll fly the rest of the way to the capital by air!

Norn watched impressed as Eris and I circled above her. But, the girl's flight was completely controlled by me. Although, I should create one for her later. Hey, it also means that she can use high-level magic through the spirit. The swordswoman will just need to give commands and the spirit will do the spells. She could handle an enchanted sword. She should be able to control the spirit.

That's a bit of a cheat, you know.

Will Perugius use it?