The Twins’ Enchantment

The interior of a dungeon was believed to be a space that recreated another world.

Flaretalia’s dungeon had been discovered fifty years ago, and because its internal structure never changed, detailed topographical maps of the first through fourth floors were available for purchase. A reasonable amount of information had also been gathered about the fifth through seventh floors.

Tōru and the twins had entered the first floor, straying from the shortest route to the slope leading down to the second floor and venturing a little farther into the grassy plains.

Tōru looked at the twins.

“You two really are strong.”

Both twins had chosen spears as their weapons. With their long reach, spears were also excellent for self-defense.

Having already received training in self-defense, Euphie and Mary handled their spears with a firm grasp of the fundamentals. There was little Tōru needed to teach them.

A boar-like monster with enormous, sharply developed tusks charged toward them, snorting furiously.

Euphie and Mary gracefully dodged to opposite sides of the charging beast, then thrust their spears toward its front and rear from either side.

The monster reacted to their attacks, but with the twins striking from both sides, it was trapped. Whether it tried to advance or retreat, it would be struck by one of their spears.

Unable to put up any resistance, the boar-like monster was impaled and killed.

Tōru had expected the twins to coordinate well because they shared their vision and thoughts, but their performance exceeded even his expectations.

Individually, neither Euphie nor Mary was particularly strong. Having grown up as sheltered young ladies, they lacked physical strength and were probably only slightly more capable than ordinary people.

Together, however, they knew each other’s positions perfectly, covered each other’s blind spots, and launched coordinated attacks without the slightest delay.

“I can see why they’re considered equivalent to C-rank adventurers.”

They were also remarkably efficient at butchering monsters to recover valuable materials. Given their extensive knowledge, they knew how to extract the materials without damaging them.

After removing the tusks, which were used as materials for handicrafts, the twins looked at Tōru.

“How did we do?”

“I think you’ll manage just fine as adventurers. Let’s get started on Enchantment.”

Tōru drew a dagger from its sheath. Although he primarily used it for butchering monsters, it was a sturdy weapon that could also serve as a backup in combat.

“There’s not much to teach, really. The process itself is fairly simple. You channel magical energy into the weapon and activate a spell. The important thing is to keep the magical energy coating the weapon’s surface intact rather than letting it all turn into the spell.”

Enchantment was a means of countering powerful magical attacks, and the amount of magical energy covering a weapon’s surface directly determined its resistance to magic.

Tōru channeled magical energy into his dagger and activated his spell. Subtle arcs of red lightning, resembling static electricity, danced around the blade.

Euphie and Mary stared at Tōru’s dagger with intense curiosity.

“I’ve never seen a red lightning spell like that before. Is it your own creation?”

“It’s the only magic I can use. Apparently, because I’m from Japan, the nature of my magical energy is completely different from that of people in this world. Thanks to that, I can’t cast spells by following the instructions in this world’s magic textbooks.”

Through repeated experimentation and modifications based on what he had observed, Tōru had finally managed to develop this unusual form of lightning magic.

“It’s versatile enough that I don’t find it inconvenient, though. Against weaker opponents, I don’t even have to let them draw their weapons.”

“Wait, does that mean the reason those Demon Centipede men who came to kidnap us couldn’t draw their weapons was…”

“Yeah. I enchanted their weapons and used magnetism to lock them inside their sheaths. None of them knew how to use Enchantment, so it was easy.”

“So anyone below B-rank wouldn’t even stand a chance against you, Tōru-san.”

“If I can avoid fighting altogether, that’s even better. Anyway, enough about me. You two give it a try.”

At Tōru’s prompting, Euphie and Mary faced each other and began channeling magical energy into their spears.

Simply channeling magical energy into an object was something even a child could manage once they learned the trick. Activating a spell through that object, however, was considerably more difficult.

While the twins experimented through trial and error, Tōru threw his chained war rings at approaching monsters, killing them instantly and collecting their materials.

By the time Tōru had easily earned enough to cover that night’s accommodation, the twins had managed to activate their magic, albeit only for an instant.

“So you both have Water Enchantment.”

Water coiled around the surfaces of Euphie’s and Mary’s spears like serpents.

Water magic had considerable mass but was relatively harmless, and it lacked the additional effects of Tōru’s lightning.

However, when their exceptional coordination was taken into account, it was not an Enchantment that could simply be dismissed as weak.

“With some training in its applications, this could become something impressive.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near that level yet.”

Mary was right. They had yet to master even the basics of Enchantment. Unable to maintain the effect, they could only make the water appear and disappear intermittently.

“Since it’s water magic, you can practice outside the dungeon. Let’s head back for today.”

The type of magic produced through Enchantment varied from person to person. Some exceptional individuals could use several different types, but in most cases, a spell influenced by the nature of the user’s magical energy would activate automatically.

That meant someone could unexpectedly produce an Enchantment involving explosive flames or something equally unsuitable for practicing inside a city. This was why Tōru had chosen the dungeon for the twins’ training.

Tōru was about to suggest using the safe grounds of their inn or the Guild’s training area when Euphie and Mary stopped him in unison.

“We’d like to defeat a few more monsters in the dungeon.”

“If you want practical combat experience, I think it’d be safer to wait until you’ve mastered Enchantment…”

“We want to earn our own money. That’s why we’d like to hunt a few more monsters to raise some starting capital.”

Faced with the twins’ earnest expressions, Tōru considered their request for a moment.

“…All right. I’m glad you want to become independent, so let’s do a little more hunting. But the first floor is terribly inefficient for earning money. Let’s head down to the fourth floor.”

According to the information Tōru had obtained from the Guild, the fourth floor was home to monsters whose materials were used to manufacture medicine for night blindness, among other things. Since it was possible to make a round trip in a single day by following the shortest route, it was the most efficient place for someone with C-rank abilities to earn money.

“You mentioned raising starting capital. Are you planning to start a business?”

Tōru asked as they began walking toward the slope leading to the lower floors.

The twins were the heirs of the Ubaz Trading Company, so they undoubtedly understood business. However, the amount of money they could earn from just a day or two of dungeon exploration would be fairly modest.

Depending on their financial goal, they might have to spend several more days hunting in the dungeon.

“We don’t even know whether it’ll be feasible yet. We’ll need to conduct an experiment first.”

“So you’ve already got a business idea?”

“It’s still a secret for now. Please look forward to it.”

The twins kept the details to themselves, explaining that their idea wasn’t yet developed enough to discuss.

Since Tōru knew little about business, he didn’t press them any further.