Chapter 70: Take Off (2)

If Stout was a beginner area that also served as a tutorial, Daian was a city where Luce's conspiracy was fully revealed,in earnest, signaling the ‘danger’ that players would face from then on.

It was like a final boundary line that kindly told you, ‘It’s dangerous from here on out’.

So, when we leave Daian, we will start to encounter dangerous beings.

Therefore, we also had to become stronger accordingly.

“Once again, welcome to my workshop.”

So we went to see Khamsin.

Khamsin, who had wanted to repay us somehow anyway, as soon as he heard the request to make equipment for us, as if he had been waiting for those very words.

Come to the workshop tomorrow.

Had said confidently and stood up from his seat.

“When I thought about having to make items befitting the heroes of our Daian, I found myself getting pumped up without even realizing it.”

Khamsin, with a triumphant smile, guided us to a desk on one side of the workshop.

And the moment he dramatically pulled off the cloth covering it, five ‘artifacts’ were revealed.

“This time too, I have made one for each of you.”

However, unlike the ‘Wings’, they were all different items.

“I made them while thinking about what kind of items would suit you all.”

It was quite fun.

The way he added with a chuckle showed that, no matter what, he was a born technician.

“Oh…”

Enjoying our impressed reactions, he proudly began his showcase.

“First, I made this for Michael-gun.”

The first was an item for Miki, who couldn't come here today because he was engrossed in training.

--

「Tailwind」 (Unique)

Effect - The attached equipment accumulates damage received upon being hit and then releases it.

--

Khamsin picked up a small jewel decoration with his fingers and showed it to us.

“It’s an item that absorbs the damage received from an opponent into this jewel, and when needed, converts that power into wind and returns it in full.”

To put it simply, it meant that the more you get hit, the stronger a shockwave you can release.

Literally, it makes a 「Tailwind」 blow.

“I thought it was the most suitable item for Michael-gun, a knight who stands in the vanguard.”

As Khamsin said, it's an artifact that's perfect for Miki, a tank who mainly takes damage.

“Let me show you myself.”

Khamsin didn't stop at an explanation and immediately gave a demonstration.

First, he attached the 「Tailwind」 to the armor of a ‘training dummy’ in the corner of the workshop, then he hit the armor several times with all his might with a wooden sword that was placed right next to it.

After that, he put the wooden sword back next to the dummy, stood at a suitable distance, and──

『Blow!』

The moment he shouted the incantation.

──Paang!

A strong wind burst out from the armor of the training dummy.

At the same time, the nearby dummies were pushed over all at once, and the wooden sword that had been standing next to it was shattered into two pieces.

In other words, it can deal damage and knockback at the same time.

Lily, who saw the scene, clapped lightly in admiration, and Ibi, who had her arms crossed, didn't want to show it, but she was quite impressed and muttered, “Not bad.”

“As you can see, it's an accessory, so you can attach it to a shield, or to armor like now, or anywhere you want.”

At the two's reaction, Khamsin continued with even more excitement.

“You don't necessarily have to shout the incantation. Just like your ‘Wings’, you can also cast it by directly tapping the jewel.”

In short, if you're in a situation where you can't shout the incantation, you can just press it, or conversely, you can attach it to a shield, throw it, and then release it remotely with the incantation.

“Miki will be happy.”

So, it would be a very useful item for Miki in many ways.

“However, there is a limit to the power that can be accumulated. So when it reaches that limit, it is designed to release the power automatically. Otherwise, the jewel will not be able to withstand the power and will break, so I would like you to be mindful of that part.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him.”

If Miki had been here, I could have seen a delicious reaction like him jumping up and down saying how amazing it was, but it was a bit of a shame that I couldn't see it.

Then, Khamsin, who had returned to the desk, this time picked up a pair of ‘shoes’.

--

「Boots of Windstride」 (Unique)

Effect - The wearer can use the skill 「Windstride」.

--

“This is an item for Miss Rine.”

Rine held the 「Boots of Windstride」 he handed her in both hands and just looked down at them silently.

“Try them on, Rine.”

At my words, she quietly nodded her head, then immediately took off the shoes she was wearing and put on the 「Boots of Windstride」.

“To put it simply── they are shoes that allow you to move as fast as the wind by borrowing the power of the wind.”

Khamsin's words that he had thought about what kind of items would suit us were not just a simple pleasantry.

He had really made items that were perfect for each of us.

「Windstride」 was, as Khamsin explained, a skill to ‘move like the wind’.

A ‘super-fast movement’ that passes in the blink of an eye── close to teleportation.

It was a ‘mobility skill’ that mages, who are inevitably vulnerable to close combat, could use to instantly create distance from an opponent targeting them, or to instantly take a favorable high ground or get behind an opponent.

It could be called a ‘pseudo-teleport’ that could be used effectively until learning the higher-level magic 「Teleport」, which would be learned much later.

Moreover, even after learning 「Teleport」 later, it didn't require a separate circle to be consumed, so it was sometimes used, or it could be given to someone else, so it could be said to be a very useful honey item.

Rine, who was wearing that honey item, still had an unreadable expression on her face.

However, from the fact that she was tapping the floor with the tip of her toes and had more small movements than usual, it seemed she was quite fond of the new shoes.

“Do you like them?”

In fact, when I, who had been watching her with a pleased expression, asked, she immediately nodded her head.

And before Khamsin's explanation was even over.

“However, there is another point to be aware of this time──”

──Whoosh!

For a moment, a wind blew.

Then we saw Rine, who had disappeared from in front of our eyes in an instant, standing far away.

She had cast 「Windstride」.

“…Gasp!”

Khamsin, who was looking at Rine, belatedly freaked out.

He might have been surprised that she had used 「Windstride」 right away without any incantation, as befits an expert in 「Swift Cast」── that is, ‘chantless casting’, but,

“M-Miss Rine? Um, are you okay…?”

His concern seemed to be greater.

“Why? What's wrong?”

When Ibi, who was puzzled by Khamsin's reaction, asked, Khamsin answered with a slightly troubled expression, his words trailing off.

“Well… I was about to tell you, but it usually takes… a little time… to get used to 「Windstride」.”

“Get used to it?”

If 「Teleport」 was a magic that only changed the ‘position’ of the caster or the target, 「Windstride」 was a skill where the caster directly moved, ran, to that position.

“Since you move in an instant… the body often can't handle the speed, so…”

Khamsin scratched the back of his head and looked at Rine again.

“So usually when you cast it for the first time, well… most people tend to vomit……”

However, Rine didn't look like she was feeling sick or anything.

“Miss Rine… seems to be fine, though…?”

She was just standing there with her usual expressionless face.

“…Hey, are you okay?”

Ibi, who had heard Khamsin's story, asked cautiously, but Rine showed no reaction.

“She seems fine?”

“I’ve never seen someone so calm, before…”

Khamsin tilted his head as if he didn't understand, but that was because he didn't know what kind of person Rine was.

As expected of a former god-level archmage.

Even if she lost her memories and power, she was used to such high-speed movement──

“──Ugh.”

“S-Sister Rine!?”

“Oh my….”

Nope.

She was just holding it in…….

Lily and Ibi, seeing Rine, who had started to vomit while still standing with her expressionless face, were greatly flustered and rushed to her.

Only after Rine had finished vomiting, roughly cleaned the floor with a 「Water Bomb」, and Lily had taken her to the bathroom in the workshop and cleaned her mouth thoroughly and returned, could we resume the ‘showcase’.

“Um… from now on, please listen to the explanation first, before you use it…”

But before that, she had to listen to a light scolding (?) from Khamsin.

Yeah, there are those types…. The ones who throw away the manual they were given to read and just start operating it, and only then ask ‘Why is it like this?’….

Come to think of it, although it doesn't usually show, she had a personality that was very prone to being bothered by things.

It's understandable that she would throw it away without reading it….

“A-Ahem. Anyway, to use this shoe's ability, you must first charge it with the power of the wind, but since Miss Rine is a mage, you can also use it by consuming a circle in an emergency.”

Rine nodded her head silently at Khamsin's words.

Then, just like before, she started to tap one foot again.

“Wait, wait.”

Seeing that, I was startled and hurriedly grabbed Rine's shoulder to stop her, and Rine looked up at me with a silent gaze.

Although she didn't say anything, for some reason, her eyes seemed to be saying, ‘I’ve heard the explanation now, so isn't it okay?’.

“No, um… it would be a bit of a problem if you vomit here again, so, okay?”

“…….”

Rine continued to look up at me like that for a while, then, as if she had given up, she silently turned her head away.

However.

“…Huh?”

It seemed I wasn't the only one who felt a sense of incongruity in that action.

Usually, she would have at least nodded, but for some reason, she just turned her head away.

“…Is she sulking right now?”

From the way Ibi, who was probably the most used to Rine after me, and who was sensitive to other people's reactions due to her good [Intuition], muttered in disbelief, it was clear that she was thinking the same thing.

“…Hey, are you perhaps pouting? Rine?”

“No, I am not.”

Rine answered immediately in her usual indifferent voice, but her gaze was still fixed forward.

At that, Ibi and I looked at each other without anyone having to go first.

‘She’s pouting,’ Ibi mouthed without making a sound.

The fact that she had laughed a little at my… old jokes last time, and what not.

It was like she was definitely expressing her emotions a little more than before.

“──Hehe.”

At that thought, I couldn't help but laugh.

“What is it?”

“Huh? Nothing.”

Seeing how she was itching to use it again even after throwing up, she must have liked these shoes much more than I thought.

Rine right now was just like a child who was sulking because she couldn't use a toy she liked because it was dangerous.

Well, then I have to soothe her.

“Rine. Do you know what you call a ‘wind’s butt’? ──Chafer Beetle.”

“……Pfft.”

“Aargh!”

Ibi immediately made a disgusted face and hurriedly covered her ears as if she had heard something she shouldn't have, but since Rine had laughed, the goal was achieved.

However, if I continued to rely on old jokes like this, Ibi would be pitiful in her own way, so while I was looking for another toy that Rine might be interested in.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, one of the artifacts on the desk caught my eye.

“…Mr. Khamsin.”

“Yes?”

It wasn't that I was deliberately trying to divert Rine's attention, but that it had really caught my eye.

I hadn't noticed it before, but looking closely──

“What… is this?”

Because it was an item I had never seen before.

Unlike the first two artifacts, or the other two artifacts that were clearly made for Lily and Ibi.

It wasn't that I had failed a dice roll and couldn't recognize it, or that I had forgotten something I knew.

It was really an item I had never seen before while playing the game.