“Oops, dawn’s nearly here. I should probably clean up before I head back.”
The underground library was a bit of a mess after my “playtime” with Grimoire.
I had erected a barrier beforehand, so there wasn’t any structural damage to the room, but the bookshelves and furnishings were in quite a bit of disarray.
“Shall I lend a hand, Master Lloyd?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. …There.”
As I deployed my spell formula, the scattered books and magic tools drifted into the air, floating back to their original positions.
This was an original spell formula I had developed myself. By tracing an object's own memories and imbuing it with power, it forces the item to return to where it originally belonged. The effect works on any physical matter, from large objects down to individual specks of dust. Even the book that had served as Grimoire’s vessel—which I had previously destroyed—was restored to its original state.
Well, at least in appearance, anyway.
“Oh! Now that’s an impressive piece of magic!”
“It’s not really enough to be called magic. But it is handy for finding things or tidying up.”
By the way, I define a “spell formula” as the process of weaving magical power together, whereas “magic” refers to a collection of those formulas bundled to achieve a specific, high-level effect. Something of this level hardly qualifies as magic.
“Anyway, Grimoire, you’re going to stand out in that form. Can’t you make yourself smaller or turn invisible?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but…” Grimoire trailed off.
Magic for changing one’s appearance is quite high-level. Furthermore, it’s the kind of magic that is very selective of its user due to its poor efficiency. I suppose it couldn't be helped if he wasn't proficient in it.
“In that case, you can just live inside my body. I’ll lend you my right hand.”
When I held out my hand, Grimoire looked at me with an expression of pure disbelief.
“Huh…? Are you… are you sure about that, sir?”
“It’ll be less conspicuous that way, right?”
Grimoire seemed perplexed, but he turned his face away and let a smirk crawl across his lips.
“…Heh heh heh, this kid is clueless. Hosting a familiar in your own body requires an immense amount of trust; otherwise, you’re constantly leaving your life on the line. He doesn’t even know that, the little amateur. If I have access to an entire arm, killing the host will be child’s play! I’ll slaughter him in his sleep and hijack his body…!”
“Hey, what are you muttering about? Hurry up and get in.”
“Yes, sir! Right away!”
Grimoire replied energetically, then transformed into a black haze and flowed into my right hand.
“Wh-What is this?! The magic density inside this body is insane! If it’s packed this tight, there’s no room for me to… r-room…! The whole right arm is impossible. Then at least from the wrist up… gah, no! I can’t even get into a single fingertip…! Graaaaaah!”
After a roar, a single line appeared on my palm, and a mouth snapped open. Grimoire was panting heavily.
“Haa… haa…! Just a single layer of skin on the palm was the limit…! What in the world is this magic density?!”
He was muttering something again, but it seemed he had successfully integrated.
“Oh, is that mouth the same one you used when you were doing double casting?”
“Y-Yes, exactly! I knew you were interested in double casting, Master Lloyd. And since this body belongs to you, of course you can move it according to your own will.”
“Really? That sounds interesting.”
Double casting, huh? Depending on how I use it, it seems like I could do all sorts of things. Yeah, I was getting excited. I’d have to give it a try soon.
“…I couldn’t take over his body, but if I stay in his good graces like this, he’ll eventually let his guard down. No need to rush… I’ll take it slow and steady. Heh heh heh.”
“Hm, did you say something, Grimoire?”
“N-No, nothing at all! O-Oh, by the way, Master Lloyd, you can just call me Grimo!”
“I see. I look forward to working with you, Grimo.”
“Y-Yes, sir! I shall work myself to the bone for your sake, Master Lloyd!”
While we chatted, I finished tidying up the room. I left the library, returned to my own quarters, and went straight to sleep.
The next day, I headed up to the castle rooftop.
“Master Lloyd, what on earth are you planning to do in a place like this?”
“I thought I’d try out double casting right away.”
Since it was currently lunch break, the guards were away at their mess hall, and there was no one around. Naturally, I had already deployed a barrier. The time was short, but I could experiment with magic to my heart’s content for now.
“Well then, will you lend me a hand, Grimo? First, let’s try to synchronize our chanting. Can you chant ‘Blazing Fireball’?”
“Of course, sir!”
All magic requires a chant. However, most mages have their own way of making spells chantless or simplifying them through their spell formulas. Lower magic hardly requires a chant or much magical power, but once you get to high magic, spell formulas alone aren't enough to compensate, so a spoken incantation becomes necessary.
I wanted to trigger two of them simultaneously using double casting. I wondered what kind of effect it would produce… I could feel the excitement building.
“Here I go, Grimo.”
“Yes, sir!”
At my word, Grimo’s mouth opened on my right palm. I began the incantation.
“■—”
“Gyaaah?!”
Suddenly, Grimo let out a scream.
“Wh-wh-what was that just now?!”
“Eh? I just chanted the spell…”
“That was it?! I just heard an insane amount of incantations all at once?!”
“Ah, it’s a spell bundle. I’m packing a hundred incantations into a single breath.”
The sound I had just produced was that bundle. I had assumed a Majin would be able to handle at least this much…
“No, that’s impossible! I know what a spell bundle is, but the most you can bundle is two or three at best! To keep up with that chanting speed, it would have to be lower magic… like ‘Fireball’ or something, or it’s just not happening!”
“You don’t need a chant for ‘Fireball,’ do you?”
“N-No… I definitely need one, normally…”
I was surprised. Even lower magic like Fireball required a chant? Perhaps ancient magic was a culture that placed a heavy emphasis on formal incantations. On the other hand, since I had woven my own spell formulas specifically for shortening chants, I actually couldn't perform a chant for lower magic if I tried.
Well, if that’s how it was, it couldn't be helped.
“I guess I have no choice but to do it myself.”
“By your…! You mean you’re going to do two people’s worth of chanting all by yourself?!”
“Yeah. For starters, I need to see if I can speak normally with this mouth… Ah, ah. Yeah. Seems fine.”
I tried making a sound through the mouth on my hand. It was a strange sensation, but not particularly difficult. With this, I should be able to perform solo double casting.
“I’ll set up a barrier just in case. Now, let’s try again… ■■■—”
I double-cast two high magic spells: Blazing Fireball and Torrential Waterball.
I specified the coordinates for the spells to manifest slightly above me in the air. They activated perfectly—or so I thought, but the surge of magical power was beyond anything I'd expected.
If I kept this up, the barrier wouldn't hold! Realizing the danger, I cut off the mana supply and forced the activation.
Immediately after, the two mingled spells burst.
An enormous explosion shook the air, and my barrier was instantly obliterated. The surrounding clouds were blown away as if they had never existed.
“Wh-What insane power…!”
“Ah, wow. This is amazing.”
So this was double casting. I thought I had suppressed the power quite a bit, but it still broke through my barrier with ease. I wondered what would happen if I fired it at full strength.
“What was that?! I heard a massive boom above the castle!”
“Has a dragon appeared?!”
“Move, move!”
I could hear the frantic voices of the guards from the floor below.
Oops, I’d be in for a lecture if I got caught. I leaped off the roof and hurried back to my room.