The Spearmaster and the Black Cat
chapter-15

Chapter 15

Fiffteenth Episode 〜 Distorted Mana Hand

◇◆◇◆

The morning sun lights up the Maheim Mountain range, creating a morning scene

It’s the same here as it is at the Goldiba home .

Reflected light comes from the white mosque like building .

The light shines on the black cat which sleeps on the roof, making her pupils dilate .

The morning sun illuminates the top of the large stone pavements where remnants of fog remain .

The morning sun shines of the figure of two men whom are slowly dancing to train in the spear .

The black cat Rollodinu watched the movement of the two below without moving on the roof, when the spear fight develops into and intense exchange of blows, she takes on a low crouched posture, watching the movements as if aiming at prey .

Increasingly impatient, her twin red eyes dilate in excitement . Following the movements of the two people rocking the lower half of the body while having an intense fight, she appears as if watching an exchange of tennis, she begins to slightly turn her head back and forth, matching the rhythm .

To the eyes of the black cat Rollodinu the two people might look like mice, putting emphasis on her hind legs to jump and catch them . But, then noticing she was on the roof, she changed her target to the thin straw on the edge of the eaves and pounced . Clapping the straw between her paws to bite it while lying on her back, she rolls tumbling down the roof and begins to play .

Rollodinu releases an excited breath for the joy of catching her prey . She becomes engrossed by playing alone with the straw . Rollodinu appears to have lost interest in the other two people training .

Under the black cat, there is a girl who peeps at the training . The name of the girl is Refaa . Refaa watches the training from the shadow of the pillar under the roof, not minding as Rollodinu plays and becomes noisy . With a serious expression that didn’t resemble a girl, she continues staring, absorbed by the two people handling the spears . However, Refaa suddenly makes an expression of desire . Stopping the observation of the training, she turns on her small heel and returned to the hut .

Shortly, Refaa emerges from the entrance of the house .

A short stick is grasped in her hand . With an expression that doesn’t resemble a little girl, moving her small neck very fast, she checks around the area restlessly . Refaa nods, and runs to the shadow at the back of the hut .

When the girl arrives at the back of the hut grasping the stick with two small hands, she turns the spear around in the way Achilles did taking a posture aiming at the eyes . She begins moving the stick to the front, back, left, and right, imitating the movement of the two training . The movements are childlike, it is the movement of the lesser art of stick fighting, but now and then, a sharp stick fighting technique was made that didn’t suit a girl .

Refaa trains the spear desperately .

When time passes, seemingly satisfied with her own stick fighting technique, she wipes the sweat from her brow smiling a sweet dimpled smile like a little girl .

And then, again returning to the hut to hide, she came unexpectedly to the face of the hut . Refaa is attentive, restlessly looking around not wanting an adult to realize she is hiding the stick . Again, seeing there’s no one, Refaa skipped to move behind the pillar . Once again, she begins to watch the spear training being carried out in the open space . (TL: This is cute and scary . )

◇◆◇◆

Fuu, it’s over it’s over .

The fight felt quite good, though my skill still has some way to go .

Especially the end of the counter-clockwise turning, it’s still not fast enough .

While I reflect on the contents of the training, I call to Rollo who is dozing on the roof under the morning sun .

I take the black cat and we return to my room together .

When I enter the room the black cat jumps the top of the furniture where the shelves form a line .

She seems to want to secure high view-point .

I’ll take a morning bath .

It’s easier than using the bath shed, there’s no need to prepare firewood, I pour hot water into the pail in the room I’m staying in .

Life magic really is convenient .

When a little hot water begins to accumulate in the pail, I quickly strip myself .

I pour hot water from life magic over my head while standing barefoot in the tub . The hot water collecting in the tub feels good, I stop the life magic .

I sit down in the pail and soak in the hot water .

I wish I could have used this magic immediately after I came to this world……

While thinking such complaints, I wash my face with hot water .

Because it’s warm, standing there, I stretch a hand out to the shelf . I pick up “gyuza grass” in the form of a round dumpling, I cup my hands and put the gyuza grass there to pray to the Buddha statue . (TN: No clue what this mean, maybe looking like this . ) I repeatedly rub the grass up and down in between my palms .

This soap work similar to soap .

At first it only looked like mugwort-flavored rice-flour dumpling, so I didn’t use it, but the other day Achilles-shisho told me “dirt is removed easily,” and after that I have used it frequently .

I was actually surprised when I used it at first .

Bubbles coming out, the dirt comes off quickly……

Foamy bubble bubble .

The bubbles rise up as if to say biore○ . (TL: Don’t know the reference)

It looks like grass juice of the mugwort-flavored rice-flour dumpling……

How does this grass juice bubble up?

I remember there was a tree like that somewhere in a tropical rainforest on earth . Well, it’s a small thing . The convenient thing is convenient .

I wash my face and body .

Finally, I check my beard . The beard has been growing from my cheeks . Should I shave my facial hair as well as the hair on my head……I bundle the hair ad put a knife against at the base . I quickly cut the hair with the knife .

The amount of power put into my hand grasping the hair on my head isn’t normal, so it’s easy . Probably, I’m now able to tear a thick phone book, or a deck of cards easily with my bare hands . I want a mirror, but because there isn’t one I leave my hair as it is . I threw the hair I cut into the leather bag for the trash as not to let it scatter about .

Rollo looks curiously at the hair I cut, it wasn’t a thing to play with .

Well, next is shaving .

Carefully putting the knife to my lathered face, I shave the beard . I’ve though many time since a while ago, I grope around as there’s no mirror……so, I shave it–ite . There’s no helping it since I’m using a knife in place of a razor blade . I continue suffering shallow cut on my cheeks and necks……

Well, it’s fine .

The blood flows from the wounds as it closes up quickly .

“Shuya onii-cha〜n . Breakfast, I was able to……KYAA!”

Ah, Refaa . Sigh……

Which reminds me, I’m shaving myself while naked .

Refaa made a small embarrassed scream and hid behind a pillar with a red face . That way, I become serious and begin talking .

“Haha, was the stimulation too strong for Refaa?” (TL: Damn lolicon . )

“Mo! Shuya onii-chan is etchi, because we’re eating please don’t come naked〜?”

“Hahaha, I got it . ”

I’m still worried about leaving part of it unshaven, but there’s no helping it even if I worry . Sigh .

Finishing properly, I go to eat breakfast .

Breakfast was fried mushrooms and some kind of leaves .

When I eat the delicious stir-fry, Shisho brings something up while I hold a mushroom in my mouth .

“……Shuya, did you cut your hair? It’s really messy, but after we finish weeding should I fix it?”

“Strange hair–”

Refaa points at me and laughs .

“Once there’s time it’s all right . Other than that, in addition, aren’t you going out harvesting?”

“That’s right . There still isn’t enough . So should we go together?”

“No, there’s a little training I want to do . ”

“Eeh〜, Shuya onii-chan, let’s go together〜”

“Hm〜, again this time?”

Refaa not convinced, turned to the side and made small humph . Achilles-shisho sees this and nods .

“Don’t be selfish Refaa . ”

“Really? You mustn’t bother Shuya-san . Then, since it will be bad if something like last time happens, you mustn’t leave grandpa and mine’s side . ”

“Okay . The monster that time was scary . ”

Refaa nods her head .

Remembering the ghost lipped monster, I become quiet .

“Is Raguren harvesting too?”

“No, there are monsters to hunt and I have to check the snares . Other than that, it’s unusual for Shuya give himself priority . ”

“Humu . I guess . I actually want to help Raguren and Shisho too, but I seem to be getting close to getting a hold on guidance moji . So, I want to work on it today . ”

Then, Rabbi-san’s face becomes gentle, and looking at my face smiles .

“Fufu, Shuya-san, we’re always receiving your help . Please spend your time freely once in a while . The other day hunting was easy for Raguren after Shuya came, were your thanked?”

“That’s right . You should work for yourself sometime . ”

“And then, since I made a little too much bread in the kitchen, please eat at noon . ”

“Alright . Thank you . ” (TL: *Tears up*They’re all so nice . *Sniff . * )

After we finish talking, everyone goes their own way .

I also return to the hut, and begin training at once .

I close my eyes and sit in meditation .

Usually, I am happy to follow Raguren and Achilles-shisho……I won’t go this time . Anyway, since my guidance moji managed to hold the knife with the “Mana Hand”……all along, as I imagine “mono” I’m able to grasp it .

–I open my eyes wide, and stare at one point, concentrating on it .

I imagine it carefully this time .

–A Mana Hand .

I don’t pay much attention to how many fingers the hand will have .

Using thick strands of mana, I weave a thread, spin the mana, refining it desperately . Nevertheless, the image trims off mana fruitlessly……

At that time, and “image” in my mind appeared floating in front of my eyes . I did it!

I see it clearly with the magic observing eye .

There’s a bundle of pale light gathered together, appearing as a big “distorted mana hand . ”

A thin magic path extends from the wrist of the “distorted mana hand,” something like a hand sways back and forth .

There are seven fingers and a big warped palm .

Innumerable small mana bands overlap inside of it .

It’s the result of what I imagined carefully……

I’m very aware of its strength, it doesn’t collapse easily this time .

Then,

※Pikon※ ※Guidance Moji Knowledge※ ※Permanent Skill Acquired※

※Pikon※ ※<Thought Guidance Magic Hand>※ ※Skill Acquired※

Oh, a skill . I did it! The pleasant skill acquisition sound rings in my head, and it is displayed in front of me in red .

Promptly, I activate the guidance moji type skill <Magic Thought Guidance Hand> .

–<Magic Thought Guidance Hand> holds the knife .

I’m able to swing it around with my will .

“I did it, yatta! It worked!”

“Mm, Nya . ”

Again Rollo was surprised like she was the other day, ignoring such a Rollo, I suddenly rush to Achilles-shisho’s smithing room . Shisho isn’t in the room . Remembering I mutter a small “oh . ”

I remember, he went for gathering medicinal herbs . I was told .

The underground blacksmith room falls silent, and I scratch my head .

My head is full of the new magic thought guidance hand from the distorted mana hand . –There’s no helping it . I’m also hungry, so I go up the stairs and into the kitchen .

I eat the bread from Rabbi-san .

Something like a tomato and root vegetables hang from a beam in the room, as a lot are hanging, it’s a little obstructive .

While moving the dried vegetables aside with a hand, I look for the kitchen .

Bread, bread, bread–

“Ah . ”

Some flat objects were piled on top of a circular solid stone oven .

Is it this? Rabbi-san said it was bread .

I carry one piece of flat bread to my mouth with a hand . I leave the house while eating .

This bread, tastes like it’s made of mushrooms .

Furthermore, lumps of something fruit-like and sweet honey is inside, it’s not raisins, well it’s good . The outside of the bread is hard like French bread, it’s only tough there and the insides are delicious because it’s soft . I go to the open space with black spear in hand to train, but I’m absorbed in the tough feeling of the thing I’m chewing . I ate the bread quickly .

It’s hard, but because it’s tasty, I regret not bringing another . Will she change her job to delicious baker in the future? While having playful thoughts, I quench my thirst with water from life magic .

After I ate and rehydrated, I took up the black spear and begin training .

I activate the <Magic Thought Guidance Hand> skill .

Using the “distorted mana hand” from the “Magic Thought Guidance Hand” skill I grasp the knife in the air .

I attack with the black spear there . Affected by the knife attack I’m unused to, my spear handling is awkward too .

There’s no helping it at first .

I utter a short sigh at the high degree of difficulty .

I continue to train for hours while struggling in such a condition–

“Oh, Shuya . You’re training hard . ”

“Ara, have you been training this whole time? Do your best . ”

“Shuya onii-chan〜, look, look, this many leaves, I found them〜”

The three people returning from collecting talked .

Refaa’s head is visible behind a big pile of leaves she is holding in her small hands .

Rabbi-san has a large pile of leaves she has put in a big basket .

The magic bag hanging at Shisho’s waste is swelling like a balloon, and a large amount of leaves are floating through the air with Guidance Moji .

“A lot of leaves, for Rabbi-san and Shisho, such a large quantity……”

“Isn’t this natural? Kawa leaves are used every day, in addition to being an edible plant used in meals, it’s a medical herb that can be used with the cattle and medicine for the family . And Shuya, what share do you have?”

I don’t use the kawa other than when I go flower picking at the toilet .

“……Oh, that’s right……haha . ”

“That’s right〜, lots and lots of leaves . Always, poop, you always need it for poop . ”

While Refaa says such a thing, the big leaves are lifted to her head, shaking it round the leaves begin to fall, she runs around while her chestnut hair flows .

“Already, Refaa, what is with the poop? Don’t say such rude things! Mou . ”

Poop . I pee, but I don’t poop .

It is not the talk of an idol, it’s the truth . I wondered when I was living underground, what happens in my stomach and bowels .

I think it’s thanks to <Power of True Ancestor> merging with <Super Intestinal Absorption> .

Either way, according to that explanation, all the food, is it digested and absorbed in the stomach or the bowels?

“Huahahaha, Refaa is fine, I poop a lot . ”

Shisho roars with laughter .

One adult stops Refaa, Shisho looked over his shoulder with a face like a child and answered “Un . ”

He also begins to wave a leaf around, I don’t know what’s that funny, bursting into laughter beginning to run .

“Already! Even grandfather! Oh–Fufu, Refaa’s head is covered in leaves, it’s not safe . ”

Refaa seems to have fallen down with the leaves, but she’s fine .

“Already–you’ve fallen down; a girl shouldn’t do something like that?”

“……”

Refaa is a cheerful child .

I watch everything in silence .

So, I remember that Guidance Moji went well just before .

“……Aside from that, Shisho, I finally worked out the guidance moji I’ve been struggling with . ”

“Oh? Is that so . Well then, a bit……because of the leaves please wait a minute here . ”

After that, I wait for a little in the open space .

As Achilles-shisho returns, I started manipulating my mana .

“Then, here I go . ”

“Humu . ”

Immediately manipulating mana–I release mana with guidance moji .

I activate the <Magic Thought Guidance Hand> skill and create the distorted mana hand . The maryoku hand holds the knife and swings it back and forth .

“Oh wow……”

Achilles-shisho sighs and says so .

“Shisho, what is it?”

I can see that Shisho is collecting mana in his eyes .

“……It’s definitely guidance moji . Is this hand like thing Shuya’s own unique guidance magic?”

“Yes . ”

Achilles-shisho changes the angle and stares intently at my <Magic Thought Guidance Hand> . And, he begins to talk with wide eyes .

“I’m astonished . As you took so long to figure out guidance moji, I thought you weren’t a person with talent for it, but…… it’s amazing . This “Distorted Mana Hand . ” It’s really splendid . Surely because Shuya possesses such a vast amount of mana, it’ll be guidance moji . And, in the short-term, did you say the force of the image to maintain the thick mana……the ability to materialize mana, you can say is a kind of ‘prodigy . ’ Come to think of it dexterity handles life magic . (TN: Or the other way around, I’m not really sure,) I’m also good at guidance moji, to here you can’t make it ‘one form . '” (TN: Not sure what he means by one form)

Oh, it’s high praise . I’m happy .

“Is that so? Thank you . ”

“We talked about guidance magic weapons some time ago, it’s possible if it’s Shuya . But, that’s a talk for the future . Now is to choose the weapon for your original guidance magic . The knife in addition to the long sword, club, spear, and I’ll inspect how much weight you can hold, you should advance with matching your spear-fighting in mind . ” (TL: Achilles keeps calling it guidance magic even though it’s moji . )

“Okay, I’ll try various things . ”

When Shisho pulls the short sword from his waste, and after moving it back and forth between his hands, he grasps the short sword in his right hand, suddenly, extending with a snap, he talks while extending the sword point to me .

“And then I’ll say this because it is important . Even a short sword or a long sword, anything handled with guidance magic requires ‘actual skill mastery . ’ Training after this, will be using guidance magic to train ‘with your own hands . ’ Therefore, as you can handle the spear at this point, a spear will be the best . Excepting the weapon, I think you should use your original guidance magic as much as you want, but, well, that area is Shuya’s field of expertise . I think you should experiment with it . ”

I see . That’s right .

“I understand . That’s natural . I have to train practically . ”

Even if I can move a knife or sword with guidance moji, I need to be able to actually handle it, or there’s no point .

At present my main is the spear .

However, it will be better to have a spear for <Magic Thought Guidance Hand>, I want to have another weapon . Besides that, as Shisho said I should consider how to use the <Magic Thought Guidance Hand . >

Everything relies on the image .

“……I see . I’ll study there . ”

Then, I asked a little question .

“Shisho . ”

“What?”

“Shisho uses guidance moji, but you don’t use the spear for it?”

“It’s a little different in my case . Guidance Moji is able to deal with handling the black spear, but the way of using it by hand comes out more fitting . When I attack after floating with the guidance moji skill, in my case, most of the power is lost . There’s no condition for the way I use guidance moji, but in the case of the sword this doesn’t happen, so I use short swords and long swords with my guidance moji .

“I see . ”

So, the shining bands of Shisho’s guidance moji are only for short swords .

“By the way, to the extent I’m aware of, the kind of weapons and weight you’re able to have, change with the quality and completeness of the guidance moji, but this may be wrong . For the time being, while it may be so, you should keep it in the corner of your mind . ”

“Alright . Quality and completeness……”

I need to get accustomed to using the <Magic Though Guidance Hand>……

“……Therefore, Shuya seems to have learned an original guidance moji skill too, do we combine with the training and change to design tomorrow?”

“The design? I understand . ”

◇◇◇◇

Then, the following day–

The usual training finished early .

Quickly, Achilles-shisho seems to start the training with the new design .

“From now on we’ll go on a little outing and hunt and camp-out . ”

“Camping……”

Camping .

“Umu . Have this . ”

Shisho hands me a bag .

“This is?”

The bag which Shisho had on his waist before, the bag which bulged like a balloon .

“I think I told you before? It’s a magic Bag . ”

“That’s so . That bag . ”

It looks like a normal leather bag .

“Go to the bottom of the cliff there . ”

“Nya . ”

Then, a black cat cuts in between Shisho and me .

“Rollodinu”

“Divine Beast-sama . As I’m going to train with Shuya from now on, I ask you watch over my home . ”

“Nya? Nya〜 . ”

When the black cat cries so and answers, walking elegantly she extends a feeler to Achilles-shisho’s cheek .

“This, Divine Beast-sama……I’m able to understand . ”

“Shisho……what did Rollo say?”

Mm? Shisho’s condition is strange……

“It was a feeling that I understood . The feeling of love was also felt……I’m glad . ”

……Shisho, Achilles’ face reddens, and he talking bashfully……Rollo is moe moe? I ask a question while slightly perturbed .

“Uh, is that so, is the livestock feed enough?”

“It’s alright . I’ve already explained the situation to everyone . ”

“I see . I understand . ”

Which reminds me, the clothes Achilles-shisho has been wearing since training this morning are unusual .

The leather clothes are specifically for hunting .

The leather of the jacket is dyed black . A sword is hung from a belt at the waist, four short swords and a black spear are hanging against the thigh .

Achilles-shisho lets the cord of the magic bag coil around the belt, and wraps the magic bag around his back . Like that he goes down to the bottom of the cliff .

Getting off the ladder, we advance, walking along a narrow mountain path following the ridgeline .

When I cross over it changes rugged rocky place, and a forested area is visible .

I step into the forest .

It’s hard to walk through the thick bushes . Shisho cuts an aloe-like leaf growing nearby, and puts the leaf inside his shoe so that it will cover his shin .

“It becomes a simple protection if I put this on . It doesn’t catch on thorns .

“Okay . ”

I imitate him .

When I walk through such a thicket, we encountered a herd of wild boars .

The head of the wild boars have three rows of tusks growing from the corner of their mouths, and they seem enraged .

But, the big wild boars are easily dealt with by Shisho . They’re easily repulsed by the fours swords and the black spear .

Achilles-shisho smiles and mutters “The meat is just right,” while collecting meat and bones . I helped and we quickly finished collecting .

“There’s a river ahead so we’ll go there . ”

Shisho says so and we go ahead, but a plant is in the way……

Here there are many fern-like plants .

There are a few animal trails, and branches and leaves of the trees get in the way as we walk .

In such a situation,

“Be careful of the poisonous memento leaves . ”

I’m suddenly warned by Shisho .

There’s a plant with big spade-shaped leaves in front .

“Huh?”

“Carefully observe the appearance of the memento leaves . See how it’s slightly thorny? It also has poison . Your skin will burn if you touch it . ”

Certainly, it looks like an ordinary big green leaf, but there are many thorns on the surface .

Seeing it this close, my curiosity comes out a little and I want to touch it a little, but at the same time I really don’t want to touch it . I, of course, don’t touch it .

“……Poison is scary . ”

“Well, it’s alright if I cut it . I collect it because the memento can be made into poison . ”

He cuts the poisonous memento plant, and collects it, covering the leaf in leather .

He tells me “The poison can be changed into medicine,” because even toxic things can be turned around and made useful .

Shisho walks in the thickly growing forest with the feeling of walking in a garden, smiling happily .

Turning the black spear in his hands in a little figure eight, Shisho removes the branches and leaves . The four short swords in line next to one another on the left and right, cut the leaves and branches that were missed initially by the turning black spear .

A large path in cut by Shisho……plunging in like a lawnmower, Shisho is amazing after all .

Walking in high spirits on the wet dead leaves, the walking pace is too much for an old person .

“This is training too . Be aware of the figure eight movement of the black spear in your head . I’m aware of the leaves and stems involved . I know that Shuya used it in the last fight . You seem to have learned it a little, but it’s inadequate . This spear skill is simple, but in the future, always, it’ll be your power . ”

“Yes–”

I see, this is training too . The training method is different, but I remember the remake of the masterpiece movie, Karate Kid .

The movement of Shisho’s black spear surely swallows up the leaves and stems .

I also cut the grass with my black spear, aware of the strong figure eight movement . Cutting so that the branches and obstructive leaves and gotten .

In that way we advance for a while until I hear the sound of a flowing river .

“I hear something . It’s close . ”

The topography of layers of sheet rock appear as we approach the river .

The sound of water is loud; it seems the river is a fast flowing rapids .

When I look down from a protruding rock, I confirm that the water is flowing vigorously in the space between rocks .

–Uhyu, it’s cold .

Spray flies and my face gets wet . A river with such a fast flowing current leads continuing down and down .

Visible from the gentle incline, it seems unrelated to the river . It seems fun to go down in a canoe .

“This is clean water close to the source flowing out of Mt . Maheim . It’s tasty . And then, it crosses to land on the other side of the forest, it’s today’s planned camping-out site . ”

Shisho points a finger at the opposite bank while talking .

The opposite bank bristles with trees in darkness, looking even higher .

“Over there?”

“That’s right . Let’s go–”

Shisho jumps on some small rocks in the river, and crosses the river jumping and hopping .

I jump again and again–

Making use of the scattered big rocks . I crossed the river using such rocks .

Ho . I finish crossing the river safely .

And, I look at the big tree growing around me . The dark trees I looked at before crossing the river . One, one is a big giant tree……

Then–