Volume 17 Chapter 18 I'm Glad To Have Met You
"Huh?"
"'Relic Holder' is currently held by 9 people, excluding the Light Dragon King you defeated."
And, Goldred.
"My [Change], your [Bestowal], Victor's [illusion], who is your companion, and further [Destruction][teleportation][Stop][Magic Bullet][Barrier][Exploration]──"
The last one was a relic I didn't know about.
"However, 'Relic Holder' is not everything. Just as Deeta and Cyril went to give [Enhanced] to the Light Dragon King, or as Victor awakened to [illusion] in the subsequent battle. There are relics that have no holders, and abilities that simply float in the air. I call that a [Blank] 'Relic Holder'."
And, Goldred.
"Those relics usually float in a different space. Cyril can use the 3rd spell formula of [teleportation] to extract them, or if someone awakens as a holder, the relics may be summoned from that different space and reside in them... Your companion Victor Zeora is an example of that pattern."
"So, Victor-san had that kind of last name."
"You didn't know?"
"Then why do you know?"
I tilted my head.
"Collecting information is my hobby... no, it's the foundation of tactics."
"You just said hobby, clearly."
"Call it a thirst for knowledge."
"Even if you call it a hobby, definitely."
I shot a sidelong glance at Goldred, but right now we were in the middle of a battle.
I couldn't push any further.
"There's no time for chatting. Warning over."
Farnekē reached out towards us.
"──Activate."
With that voice,
boom!
My body suddenly felt heavy.
"W-What is this──?"
"'Gravity Change', or some similar ability."
Goldred said.
Whoosh...
In the next moment, the weight of my body vanished.
"Huh...?"
"I've [changed] the gravity we feel to normal gravity."
Goldred stated calmly.
"That's pretty convenient, that [Change] thing. Isn't it like an all-powerful ability?"
It's much more versatile than my [Bestowal] ability...
"It's certainly convenient, but it's not omnipotent."
In response to my mixed reaction of surprise and admiration, Goldred replied:
"To [change], you need a solid and precise image, and there's also the issue of point consumption."
"Points, huh... When I defeat monsters, I can change the residual magic power into Strengthening Points. Is it the same for you?"
"It's a bit different."
Goldred shakes his head.
"Our 'Relic Holder' can use higher-level techniques by consuming 'points'. This applies not only to my [Change] but also to your [Bestowal] and all other 'Relic Holders'."
Yeah, I get that part.
"These 'points' can be simply described as the 'energy that resides in all things'."
"In all things, you mean... like everything in the world?"
"Exactly right."
Goldred nodded with satisfaction.
He kind of looks like a teacher instructing students.
"This energy is probably the power held by the stars──it's just a tiny fragment of that. All things were born from the heavens──and from our mother star."
And, Goldred.
"We gradually absorb this energy from our surroundings, storing it for use as 'points'. However, we can't absorb it too rapidly, so using it essentially causes a decrease, and recovering it takes time."
"I was converting it into Strengthening points when I defeated monsters, but is it possible to gain points without doing that?"
"Theoretically, yes."
Goldred nodded at my question.
Of course, he still has that teacher-like expression on his face.
"That said, you probably misunderstood that as part of the enchantment magic's technique, and you've been gaining points that way for years, right? So, your sense is likely specialized in 'gaining points from defeated monsters.' Unless you correct that sense, it might be difficult to gain points from all the things around us like we do."
"...I see."
"This could turn into quite an interesting discussion, but for now, let's focus on the enemy in front of us."
Uniquely, Goldred cuts off the conversation himself.
"It's about time──let's settle this."
With that, he points his right hand towards Farnekē.
"Change your both legs to stone."'
At the same time as those words,
Crack... crack... crack....
The sound echoes as her legs begin to petrify.
"[Stop]"
But, the petrification stopped midway.
Snap!
The stone shattered, revealing her original legs underneath.
Did it cancel Goldred's [Change] effect just like Jig once negated my [Bestowal] with [Stop]?
"[Magic Bullet]"
Bang!
She fired a series of energy bullets continuously.
This is an attack of the same nature as Lisa's [Magic Bullet].
With the defensive item I equipped, Goldred and I each defend against the Dimension Distortion.
"So strong──"
I gasped.
While establishing a solid defense with [Barrier], she launchs a variety of attacks using [Destruction], [Magic Bullet], and [Gravity Manipulation]──she really is a strong opponent.
"No, I can see a chance of victory."
Goldred smirks.
It's unsettling when he's on the enemy's side, but having this guy as an ally is reassuring.
"She said she can use 5 'Relic Holders.' So far, the ones she's used are [Destruction], [Barrier], [Stop], [Magic Bullet]... and what appears to be a relic related to gravity manipulation pulled from 'the void.'"
"So, that means she's got all her cards on the table."
"Furthermore, there's one more thing."
With that, Goldred's smile deepened.
"Her weakness is that she can't use more than one 'Relic Holder' at the same time."
"At the same time... But we're in the same boat, aren't we? I mean, we only have one ability, after all──"
Just as I was about to say more, I suddenly realized.
"If you and I coordinate more than ever before, that would be equivalent to using 2 abilities at once."
"More than ever before... coordination..."
I wonder if we can do that, me and this guy.
"We can do it."
Goldred laughs.
"We're a good match. That's how I feel."
"Is that so...?"
I gave him a dirty look.
When I'm with him, I always end up with this expression...
"It's a shame we couldn't get agreement. Well, that's fine."
Goldred tightened his expression.
"At least in terms of cooperation, you and I are invincible. I believe that."
"Well, I believe in your strength"
"I also believe in you──now, let's go. Our teamwork should be able to overcome her hand──!"
And then── the final showdown begins.
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