Luna Village - 4

"Isn't that because it was defeated by him?"

Rilka pointed at the lizard monster lying motionless behind them.

Indeed, if a monster this large had been rampaging through the town, the town might have been completely destroyed, and the patterns depicted on the hero's shield or the methods of using liquid crystals might never have been passed down.

Could the destruction be so total that even knowledge and wisdom based on liquid crystals would be lost? Wouldn't some have managed to escape?

As I was pondering this, something suddenly came to mind.

The legendary beast.

I recall that the heroes had come to this land specifically to defeat a legendary-level monster.

Could that lizard-like dragon be a legendary monster, then? We may never know the truth now, but the creature I saw in Entosh—those white-striped beasts—emanates the same aura as this one.

A legendary monster. Could such a creature, one that destroyed entire cities and could only be defeated by a hero, really be this powerful!? An unfathomable terror emanates from the monster before me, so still it doesn’t even twitch a single inch.

How did the hero manage to trap this thing here? Could those strange patterns stretching from that lizard-like creature be some kind of seal? I have no idea—so many questions remain unanswered.

It's pointless to keep wondering. I'll examine things one by one. I'll sketch as much as time allows, documenting the state of this place.

The rusted small shield was firmly fixed into the pedestal, seemingly impossible to remove easily. The pattern on the shield was incomplete, so it was unclear whether it would still function.

I decided not to channel mana through it.

After spending several days exploring the innermost part of the ruins, the only things we ultimately discovered were that the room was large enough to accommodate another lizard monster, that the lizard monster showed no reaction even when touched or exposed to loud noises, and that it remained uncertain whether it was still alive.

The monster had several wounds, as if cut by something sharp. These cuts seemed unlikely to have been caused by the reptilian monster accidentally bumping into something hard—its tough scales made such an injury improbable.

It must have fought with the hero.

From the wounds, gemstones were growing as though feeding off nutrients.

The exact nature of the connection between the monster and the hero remains unclear, as no written records describing it have survived, leaving only speculation based on the circumstances.

Next, upon closer examination, the mysterious pattern linking the monster to the room appears to follow a consistent, deliberate rule.

The text appears to consist of a mix of characters that could be interpreted as either the script of this world or hiragana. Moreover, it seems to use liquid crystal stones harvested from this land. It was fortunate that we brought a sample of the liquid crystal stone.

In short, what we now understand is that the hero visited this land, fought a powerful monster, failed to defeat it completely, and sealed the creature—using some unknown technology we are unaware of.

The liquid mana stone not only conducts mana but also seems to produce different effects when arranged in certain sequences...

This is a major discovery, yet the underlying mechanism remains completely unknown. It's a fascinating phenomenon, and I'd like to eventually figure out how to harness it through trial and error.

Thanks to several days of investigation, I've managed to learn at least some of what I wanted to know.

First, it's confirmed that the hero has been defeating legendary monsters one after another.

He is heading further south toward the next town. I should follow south as well, to see what has become of him.

If it's currently sealed, then the monster is hopeless—let it stay closed and sleep as it has before.

Apparently, Gram will periodically conduct check-ups as the village's representative.

She didn't even bother bringing out the hero's shield, leaving it as it was. It probably wouldn't have been a problem to remove it, but there was no use carrying it around, and it would just be extra baggage, so she settled for making a detailed sketch instead.

"Hmm... So this is the end of the ruin exploration today..."

Rilka spoke with a slightly wistful tone, her hands clasped behind her head.

According to the plan, once this survey was over, she would return to her life in the village.

Would she even want this? I impulsively dragged her out into the outside world that night and brought her along on this survey, but now I'm starting to think it was unnecessary if nothing comes of it afterward.

Still, I can't come up with any better solution. As I keep circling the same thoughts, we arrive at the village. Once there, I'm summoned by Gram.

"Mr. Taro. I hear you're wrapping up the excavation today..."

"Don't worry, I'll stay in the village until the villagers learn how to move magical energy themselves."

"Thank you... It feels strange to say this, but why are you going so far out of your way for me?"

Indeed, Gram's question was perfectly valid.

"Hmm, if you ask why, I'm a bit at a loss... but if I have to say, I just don't like half-hearted things. Besides, whenever I see someone in trouble, I can't help but want to help. I suppose I'm just overly concerned... I know that."

"No, I'm relieved. You don't seek money, nor women. I was curious—what do you strive for in life, if you desire nothing at all? But seeing your daily actions, I now understand completely."

"If you feel that way about me, then I should thank myself for being the person I am."

Was I just unexpectedly praised? I'm a little taken aback.

Regardless, I plan to stick to my promise and watch over the villagers' growth before heading to the next town.

Later that day, I immediately begin the villagers' training.

The villagers' magical essence manipulation showed only moderate progress.

They were combining deteriorated and undeteriorated crystals to manipulate magical essence, but none of them achieved perfect results. Some stopped midway, others changed color in the center while the surface remained unchanged—overall, the outcomes were inconsistent.

Judging by appearance, each child showed high responsiveness to the crystals, so they were making some progress, but something crucial was still missing.

It's understood that using a magic stone requires sufficient magical energy and a clear mental image. However, after gathering information from various people, it appears that the nature of a "clear image" varies slightly from person to person.

The key to efficiently and powerfully harnessing a magic stone's power lies in adjusting the image to match each individual's unique mental picture.

There's nothing I can do for them but push them to diligently form their own mental images... Is there any way I could teach them a common pattern somehow?

Lost in such thoughts, I feel a tug on my sleeve. Turning to look, I see the youngest girl among the villagers practicing mana movement.

She stands among the others, carrying a magic stone far too large for her small frame, practicing mana transfer.

Perhaps because she's so young, her response to mana is good, but she's still not succeeding.

"Hey, when you use a mana stone, what kind of image do you have in mind?"

"Hmm... like warmth spreading from my stomach? I'm not really sure."

"Is that so? Then try using the stone just as you feel it."

The girl firmly grasps the mana stone in front of her, pressing her strength into it.

Since I already knew roughly how much mana transfer this girl could manage, I focused instead on the girl using the mana stone, rather than the stone's changes.

Sensing the movement of mana within the girl was difficult. When near her, I could vaguely sense the flow of mana moving through her body, but only if I paid close attention—otherwise, it would easily go unnoticed.

Still, being close by, I could feel the mana's reaction... I hadn't paid attention to it before, but now that I focused, I could barely perceive it.

Could it be that some of the mana is unintentionally leaking out? Or is there some sense within the body detecting the mana inside...

At that moment, I suddenly recalled a story about mages and magical beasts being drawn to one another. That's right—perhaps magical beasts can sense the excess mana emanating from people who use magical stones.

Then, couldn't I detect this overflowing mana as well?

I managed to create a detection spell using electromagnetic waves and light magic stones. Couldn't I just as skillfully combine magic stones in a similar way? What exactly is mana, anyway...

Lost in thought, I failed to notice the girl before me, who had just incompletely completed the movement of mana, staring at me.

"Oh, sorry—I was lost in thought for a moment. Yeah... uh..."

I tried transferring mana several times, conveying various images, but though there was a slight change, my abilities didn't significantly improve.

Starting that night, I began researching ways to sense mana.