Volume 10 Chapter 8 Crab
"Be careful, it's hot!"
With a crack, I forcefully bend the joint of the boiled crab leg the other way, and the shell breaks, revealing the white meat inside. Still steaming, I hand it to Patricia.
"Thank you!"
She happily eats the crab meat and says "Mmm!" so happily. I quickly break the crab legs and use magic to make a stone plate. I was worried it might not taste good 'cause I used 'Magic Missile', but it's so yummy! Joanna sees me and does the same, she tears off a crab leg and eats it.
"Wow, the flavor is really strong... I could eat this forever!"
"Yeah, I was worried it might taste too big or muddy, or that the flavor would be gone..."
'It's delicious! It's delicious!'
Glee shouted in Al's ear to drown out his worries. Even though they liked the same thing, everyone felt it differently. Al thought he messed up, but Patricia and Joanna didn't seem to care. He cracked open the crab's shell with a knife. It wasn't much different from the river crabs. The part hit by "Magic Missile" burst, but it still kept its shape. After scraping off the gray bits, a little green paste was left. He tasted it with his finger, and a rich flavor filled his mouth.
"Here, try this."
Following Al's suggestion, the two put the paste on the crab meat and brought it to their mouths. They smiled at each other.
The 3 of them got lost in eating the crab, and when they realized it, it was already dark outside the ruin.
* * *
"I'll help clean that pot. You did all the cooking, after all. What should I do?"
Al smiled and shook his head at Joanna's question.
"Thanks, but... let's wash the dishes later. The pot we used to boil is just a temporary one made of stone, so it's fine."
Normally, he would pour the broth into the river and use a bundle of straw to wash the pot, but this was the outskirts. Doing that would attract all sorts of things. Luckily, they had a Magic Bag, so he explained that it was safer to store everything in there temporarily. He tossed the pot and the stone plates used for dinner into the bag.
"More importantly, I'm sorry, but could you keep watch a little longer?"
"Got it. Let's redo the magic and go back to the entrance."
Joanna tried to stand up, but Patricia stopped her.
"Sir Al, before that, please teach me how to do this."
Patricia said this while showing the ring on her left ring finger and lightly clenching her right hand. It was probably about the Ring of Pact's 'Telepathy.' Al had already understood it, but even though he had explained the hand sign for using the 'Telepathy' spell through the Ring of Pact, Patricia hadn't been able to send it out herself.
"Sure, of course. First, I'll show you how."
Al slowly moved his right hand. He opened his palm, moved each finger up and down, then turned his wrist and squeezed tightly. It felt connected.
'Like this.'
Al communicated this through 'Telepathy,' and Patricia swayed a little, blushing as she nodded.
'I like this feeling, with Sir Al...'
Al felt a bit shy and scratched his head at her reaction.
'When you finish 'Telepathy,' you use a similar hand sign. The order of the finger movements is just different...'
Al, looking a bit flustered, opened his palm again, moved each finger up and down, then turned his wrist and squeezed tightly. The feeling of connection broke.
"Oh."
Patricia let out a small sound. For a moment, she looked a bit sad, but then she looked at Al and smiled faintly.
"I understand."
Patricia repeated the hand signs, trying to copy what she saw. At first, it didn't go well, but Al took her fingers and guided her carefully. Soon, 'Telepathy' was connected.
'I'm connected to Sir Al.'
Patricia's eyes widened as she stared at Al. She took his hand, looking very happy. Al smiled back without thinking. Next to them, Joanna cleared her throat loudly.
"If you succeeded, Princess, let's go on watch."
"Huh?"
Patricia looked at Joanna with a sad face.
"You can practice a bit further away too."
Al and Patricia suddenly realized they were sitting close together and quickly moved a little apart.
"Okay, I understand, Joanna. Let's go on watch."
"Uh, yeah, I'll hurry and collect the magic items."
Al cast support magic like 'Sensory Boost' and 'Magic Sense' on both of them and asked them to keep watch. Then, he headed to the room where he remembered there was something that looked like a sword.
* * *
"Is it around here?"
Al stood on the slanted floor of the third floor, relying on his memory.
'Next, go 93cm north (� 36.6 inches) and 27cm east (� 10.6 inches) to find the center between the two swords.'
"Thanks, Glee."
Al listened to Glee and adjusted his position, marking a spot about 2m (�6.56ft) north with the 'Spray' spell. After stepping away, he pulled out the magic wand hanging at his waist. He set the slider to the 'Soften Stone' spell and pressed the button on the staff, aiming at the mark. Suddenly, the stone at the center of the mark turned slightly white and began to glow softly.
This glowing part was the stone that had become soft and light due to the 'Soften Stone' spell. The effect lasted about 5 minutes. During this time, the stone was so soft that a finger could easily press into it, feeling as light as cotton. However, this change seemed to affect only the caster; the stone wouldn't crumble under its own weight or get deformed by anything placed on it.
Al took out his short dagger and used it to cut a square hole for himself. Lifting the cut piece aside, he saw the water's surface. He could also see inside the submerged second-floor room. Just as he calculated, 2 swords were half-buried in mud and sinking in the water.
He quickly shaped the removed stone slab like clay into a ladder. He attached one end to the edge of the hole, making it possible to enter and exit the water.
'We need to erase the traces later.'
"Yeah, we have to return the floor to its original shape. I can't make it look perfectly polished, but if I make a mess, it won't stand out."
Al nodded at Glee's words. He hadn't heard much about the 'Soften Stone' spell; it probably wasn't a very famous magic. To hide their cards, he should erase any obvious traces of its use. But first, he needed to pick up the swords.
"Now, I wonder if it's safe inside..."
'Floating Eye.'
Al used the 'Floating Eye' to check if there were any sea snakes in the room. Even a small sea snake could be dangerous if it bites, so he had to be careful. He peeked around cautiously.
"Alright, let's go."
The 'Soften Stone' spell wore off, and the stone returned to its original color. He touched it and shook it, but the ladder he made was solid and wouldn't budge.
'Conceal.'
Al's figure vanished. He entered the water through the newly opened hole. Thanks to the 'Conceal' spell, even as he submerged, there were no traces left behind, and no waves formed. He reached the floor without stirring up any mud. However, just because he was invisible didn't mean he could breathe underwater. If he moved too much, the 'Conceal' spell would break. He felt a bit anxious.
The room was flooded, almost 3 meters deep (� 9.8 feet deep). If Al let go of the ladder, he might float away. His swords were about a meter away, within reach. Both were one-handed bastard swords, and he could hold them with one hand. Al let go of the ladder and moved his hands quickly in the water. Just then, the 'Conceal' spell ended. He grabbed both swords, kicked off the floor, and headed for the open hole. Holding the swords in his left hand, he grabbed the ladder with his right and climbed out of the water.
"Phew..."
'Okay, it's fine. The sea snakes haven't come yet.'
Al lay on the floor, arms and legs spread out, breathing heavily on his back. Glee, watching underwater with the 'Floating Eye,' spoke up.
"Can we do the same for the spellbook on the first floor?"
The magic staff can be used underwater since it works with a button. Making a hole and creating a ladder shouldn't be a problem. But the first floor is almost 5m (16 ft) deep. After forcing the 'Conceal' spell to break by swimming, will he be able to get the spellbook and make it back to the surface?
'From what I just saw, even if there are things swimming in the water, they don't seem to rush over. I think it'll be fine.'
Al sat up, lightly clenched his fist, and said, "Alright, let's go at this pace for the first floor too."
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