By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 3

by Roy

  “Don’t be like him. Limour birds are gentle monsters, but they aren’t weak. If you try to make them submit by force, of course they’re going to fight back,” Elise warned us, but I was worried that the man would run toward us. He made it up to the edge of the swamp, but slipped up and came to a stop. Another attack headed toward his leg. Camil and I cast Earth Wall to create a barrier between the man and the limour birds. Dozens of Wind Cutters sliced the wall, but it managed to block all the spells. That brought the Wind Cutters to a stop, but now there was a loud cry all around, making many of us scream or recoil.

  “What is this?!”

  “Keep it together, everyone!”

  Everyone was in pain. Even Eliaria was trembling and about to topple over, but Elise and Sebas rushed to hold her steady. I looked around and found that even the adventurers in the swamp were suffering and losing their sanity, wailing and falling to their knees. It had a wide area of effect, and I felt some powerful magic energy. I could only assume that this cry was the cause, but I had no idea which bird it was coming from. I searched for the source of the sound and the energy, and seconds later, my eyes stopped on one bird in the flock. Much like my own wind magic, it was manipulating the air to generate the sound. Thanks to that, I was able to find it surprisingly fast.

  I cast Silent on the bird. If the sound was the problem, then using wind magic that stopped the vibrations in the air would be a solution. The sound stopped as I had planned, and the anguish on everyone’s faces disappeared. It seemed to be effective, but it was hard to keep up. The bird was resisting, of course. It was using magic similar to my Big Voice spell to amplify the vibrations in the air. I was using an opposing wind spell to stop it, so it became a competition of who had more magic energy and who could control their spells better. If I let up for an instant, the sound could come back. Its control over magic was as good as mine, if not better, so I had to overpower it. I exerted more magic energy than before and cast the spell a second time. After a few seconds of resistance, the limour bird got the sense that it was at a disadvantage and flew away. The other limour birds followed suit. I remained on the lookout for any attacks from the sky, but the flock receded into the distance.

  “Are they gone? Is it over?”

  “Camil, heal that man! Jill, Zeph, Hughes, drag the unconscious adventurers out of the swamp! Sebas, how is Elia?” Reinhart asked, but Eliaria was the one to answer.

  “No problems here.”

  “Elia, are you all right? How do you feel?”

  “Fine, I was simply scared. I’m calm now.”

  “I see, that’s good. Ryoma, thank you. You were the one who did that, weren’t you?”

  “It was caused by a limour bird’s cry, right? That’s what it seemed like, so I made it stop, but what was it doing to you anyway?” I asked. Elise and Eliaria gasped.

  “Ryoma, it didn’t do anything to you?”

  “Not really.”

  I thought the sound was annoying, but that was about it. Thanks to that, I was able to look for the source, but I was shocked to see all the suffering around me.

  “Nothing? Really?”

  “Really,” I answered. Elise cocked her head.

  “The bird that Ryoma stopped was likely no mere limour bird,” Reinbach explained. “It was a higher class of monster, a nightmare limour bird, I presume. They can use both wind and dark magic. Their most unique feature is their cry, and the dark-elemental mind attacks that they unleash along with it.”

  “Hearing it can inflict fear, confusion, and even hallucinations, causing some to pass out. Like them,” Sebas added and pointed to those lying at the edge of the swamp. They were saved by the unaffected people, but some of them were still unconscious or curled up on the ground in terror.

  “Looking at them now, they’re in a pretty awful state.”

  “That’s just how powerful this mind attack is. A strong body doesn’t necessarily mean a strong mind, so even veteran adventurers may pass out. Most of these adventurers are novices, so this was a predictable result.”

  “You can train yourself to deal with it, but it’s still painful. You just learn to endure it better.”

  That reminded me that I had a Mental Pain Resistance skill, so maybe that explained it. When I mentioned that, it cleared up Elise’s confusion. My resistance was so strong that I didn’t seem to feel anything from the attack. I was told that I would likely be unaffected by any mind attacks, but I had never done anything to counter these sorts of spells. It was nice that they didn’t affect me anyway, but I didn’t even realize I was being attacked, so that was something I had to be a bit wary of. While we were chatting, Jill and the others came back. They were finished moving the unconscious and treating the injured.

  “What are the damages?”

  “Only one person was injured, the man who started all this. He’s already been treated, so he should be capable of returning to town.”

  “But what’ll we do now? All that commotion caused the limour birds to fly away.”

  “We could look for their nest.”

  “That’d be tough, Master Ryoma. Limour birds use wind magic to create gusts while they fly, then ride those gusts. They can fly faster and further than most monsters. It’d be impossible to search everywhere they could be.”

  “That’s why anyone who wants a contract with a limour bird waits for them in this swamp. Dunno if they’ll be coming back today, but do you want to wait and see?”

  “Yes, considering we came all this way. I at least want to attempt a contract once,” Eliaria said, so we decided to wait a while. The adventurers by the edge of the swamp eventually recovered, and even the unconscious ones awakened. But they didn’t seem to have the energy to keep hunting, or maybe they wanted to leave because the duke’s family was present. Soon enough, we were the only ones left.

  We created stone chairs a short distance from the swamp and chatted to pass the time. During our conversation, I heard that nightmare limour birds had powerful mind attacks, but if you attack one to try and stop it, all the limour birds around it will fight back. The standard methods of avoiding that are to either endure the attack, or to run away and come back later. My Silent spell wasn’t an attack, as all it did was stop sounds, so maybe that meant it was fine. Caulkin and the duke’s family had previously told me that harming limour birds was taboo, and thankfully I listened. They also said that higher classes of limour bird were only sighted about once a decade, making them extremely rare monsters. What it put us through was awful, but I suppose we were lucky to see it.

  “What did it look like?”

  “I think its colors were somewhat darker and more vivid than the others. Its deep blues and greens made it look luxurious. As far as other unique features...”

  We passed the time chatting about random subjects. After a while, the mood suddenly grew solemn.

  “Ryoma, we’re going to part ways for some time, aren’t we?” Eliaria asked. Her family had come to see the limour birds and try to make a contract with one, so now they had done most of what they traveled here to do. They would return home after this, so we had little time left together.

  I didn’t know what to say in response, but I knew I would be lonelier without them. I could say, ‘Yes, that’s true,’ but that would be a bit detached. I could say, ‘Don’t leave me!’ but that would be kind of disturbing coming from a man over 40. Maybe that didn’t matter given how I looked, but my mind wouldn’t allow it. I settled on reassuring her that we would meet again someday.

  “It’s not like this is the last time you’ll see him, Elia. Right, Ryoma?” Elise said, while I was still mulling it over.

  “Of course.”

  “You can always exchange letters to keep up with each other,” Reinbach suggested.

  “Yes, you’re right! We will meet again someday! Ryoma, remember to write letters to me! And I’ll write some for you!”

  “I will, promise.”

  “You fool! You’re a man, at least give her a h
ug!” Hughes said and struck my back, almost making me fall out of my chair.

  “Hey, what are you doing?! What are you thinking?! You’re a guard, you’re supposed to be the one who stops the attacks!”

  “Eh, it’s just fun to see how he reacts!” Hughes said and gave a thumbs up.

  “Can I give her a hug?”

  “Well, as friends, sure. Strictly as friends. Yeah,” Reinhart said, somewhat conflicted.

  “It would be nothing to get upset over. They’re both ten years old or so,” Reinbach argued.

  “See? C’mon, be a man and give it to her. Quit hesitating, you’re embarrassing yourself― Gwah!” Hughes yelped. He was getting annoying, so I gave him a hard whack. When I turned around, my eyes met Eliaria’s. She blushed, not the response I wanted. I looked to Elise for help, but she only seemed interested in watching to see what happened. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying it.

  “Hey, the hell are you doing?” Hughes said with a grunt, holding his stomach.

  “Oh, I was just being shy,” I answered without thinking about it. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say.

  “Like hell you were, that was a serious blow! If I were some average guy, you would’ve knocked me out. Man, you hit my armor, so why does it hurt so bad?”

  “Sorry, it’s a force of habit,” I said. It was the sort of strike meant for armored opponents, so the pain was to be expected. At any rate, I was strangely worked up and needed to calm down. There was an awkward silence until we heard what sounded like a loud whistle. The flock of limour birds had returned.

  Chapter 2 Episode 44: Attempting a Contract

  I looked at the limour birds that flew in, at a loss for words. Against the backdrop of the red mountains of the mine just visible through the trees, the limour birds spread their blue, almost translucent wings and waved their green tails. The way they descended upon the swamp was more beautiful than I could aptly describe. There seemed to be a few more birds than earlier, but it didn’t look like they were called as reinforcements so they could retaliate. They started to eat grell frogs as soon as they landed.

  They didn’t seem dangerous, in any case, but one of the birds stared at me. I watched it out of caution and immediately noticed it was the higher class limour bird from before. It didn’t eat the frogs, refusing to take its eyes off me. Maybe it was wary of me after what happened. Behind me, Sebas handed an instrument to Eliaria, who was getting ready to perform.

  “Reinhart,” I said.

  “What?”

  “I’m going to get away from here for a bit. I don’t know if it’s afraid of me now, but that high-class bird keeps looking at me, so it might get in the young miss’s way if I stay.”

  “I don’t mind. Contracts are a confrontation between you and the monster. Saying I failed because you’re here would simply be an excuse. I would never make such a claim,” Eliaria declared in an uncharacteristically cool manner. “Besides, I want you to see me make the contract. Stay right there. It’s nice to know you’re here for me.” She gave me her usual smile. Now that she said all that, leaving was no longer an option.

  “All right, do your best.”

  “Naturally!”

  After some words of encouragement, I stepped back. Eliaria took a few deep breaths, then began to perform. She played the same mellow song as before. It began quiet and steadily grew louder. The volume fluctuated like waves in the ocean. Whether loud or quiet, the pristine sound echoed across the swamp. On close inspection, the flock of limour birds appeared to behave differently from when the men were playing before, rocking back and forth along with the music. Then the song reached its end.

  Eliaria nervously watched the limour birds, who began to caw in unison, but it didn’t sound as derisive as the noise they directed at the men. It was like the sound of a harp or a piano. It sounded like a performance in itself, and it lasted about a minute before one especially bright limour bird and eight others gathered around Eliaria. It was a success.

  “My lady, the contract,” I reminded her.

  “Right!”

  Maybe she was so overjoyed that she had forgotten. The tense girl remembered what she was doing and proceeded to finish the job. I watched her make contracts with the birds and they appeared to work. She ended with the most beautiful limour bird, and that was the first time I heard her shout with delight.

  “I did it!”

  “Well done!”

  “You did well.”

  “Good for you, Elia.”

  “Congrats.”

  “Congratulations, young miss.”

  She formed contracts with nine limour birds in all, when even one was said to be difficult. I never expected her to obtain so many.

  “Look at all of them! And they’re so pretty,” she shouted, surrounded by limour birds and petting them. They must have already taken to her, as some were perched on her shoulders or knees. She tried to open a bag of bird food and accidentally spilled it from the excitement, which I found somewhat sad. I don’t know why I was worried about that in the face of this heartfelt scene. It could have been something out of a painting called Beautiful Girl Playing With A Flock Of Birds, but I couldn’t help thinking about these things.

  In any case, it was my turn to give it a try. I took my guitar out of my Item Box, drawing a sharp look from Eliaria.

  “Ryoma, is that an instrument? Are you going to make a contract too?”

  “I don’t play as well as you do, but I thought I’d follow your example and make an attempt.”

  “Do the best you can!”

  “Good luck, Ryoma.”

  “I expect good things.”

  Everyone encouraged me as I prepared. I took a deep breath like Eliaria did. I never properly learned to play guitar, but when my neighbor at an old apartment moved out, they gave me a guitar and a lesson book that they didn’t need. I killed time by learning chords from the book and playing until it sounded like something I could listen to. I was nothing compared to Eliaria, but I played the guitar with everything I had.

  My song of choice was something I heard on television back on Earth. I never bought sheet music for the song, but I could sort of play it once I got a feel for it. Maybe it was far from the original song, but that didn’t matter much. I didn’t think I was that great, but not too terrible either. I just had fun with it.

  The limour birds began to sway with the music. Maybe they were into it. Once I finished my song, the limour birds sat in silence for a few seconds, then started with their musical caws. Six of them flew up to me, one of which was the high-class bird from before, to my surprise. I thought it was scared of me.

  “Ryoma, the contract!” Eliaria shouted. I was spacing out. I quickly made a contract with one of them at a time, succeeding with all six of the birds. When I told the group that it worked, there was loud applause.

  “Congratulations, Ryoma!”

  “Nice work, both of you.”

  “Congratulations, Master Ryoma.”

  “Good job, Master Ryoma.”

  “Making a contract with a limour bird is very difficult. The fact that you both managed it with several birds at once is amazing!” Elise said. Everyone looked at our limour birds. My high-class bird and Eliaria’s especially beautiful one were flying and hopping around together like friends. That limour bird of hers really was gorgeous. Mine were pretty enough, but that one looked brighter than the rest.

  “Young miss, could you call over that bird that’s with Master Ryoma’s high-class one? You should appraise it,” Sebas suggested, apparently curious about something. Eliaria cocked her head, but she was quick to call it and use Monster Appraisal. My bird happened to fly over along with this one, landing on my head. I don’t know why it had to pick my head of all places, but it was light enough that it didn’t bother me. While I was distracted by that, Eliaria cried out in shock.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Mine’s high-class too!” she exclaimed, but only one high-class limour bird was supposed to show
up per decade.

  “Really?! It’s a different color from mine, though.”

  “Yes, this isn’t a nightmare. It says it’s a phantom limour bird. It uses light magic instead of dark magic.”

  “I didn’t know those were a thing,” I said, finding it somewhat fascinating, but everyone else was speechless. Then they got it together and nearly lifted Elia into the air in celebration, praising her to no end. Once they had calmed down, they explained that a phantom limour bird was also high-class, but even rarer than a nightmare. It did look different from the others, but I was stunned to hear that two rare specimens were here at once. Everyone else seemed even more surprised than I was.

  After that, we went into the swamp to catch grell frogs as part of Eliaria’s training, but everyone’s attention was turned toward the limour birds. They nearly forgot that we were here for training purposes. The grell frogs were easy enough to capture as long as you didn’t mind the smell of the swamp, so it was simple to obtain an excessive amount. Now that nobody else was present, it was even easier. Had there been as many people as when we first arrived, there would have been competition. When we finished that up, we got out of the slime for the cleaner slimes to clean us, then returned to town. I didn’t know if that was good for training, since getting used to being dirty seemed to be part of the point. Maybe it didn’t matter, as long as Eliaria’s slimes became cleaner slimes. Nobody stopped us, so it must not have made a difference.

  Before we headed back, we took a break. Elise and Eliaria were surrounded by our limour birds, while Reinhart looked on enviously from afar. I heard that Reinhart had poor compatibility with bird monsters, and they threatened him if he even tried to get close.