Chomp, chomp.
The Mimic was noisily chewing on a girl.
"Wow, it's so dark! So scary—let me out—"
The Mimic had the girl's upper body clamped tightly in its jaws. Only her bottom and legs were sticking out, kicking wildly, but she couldn't break free. Her miserable cries echoed through the silent cave.
It was a very unfortunate scene, but...
Shane put a hand to his forehead, trying hard to hold it in, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"?"
Hearing the sound, the girl in the Mimic's mouth stopped her futile struggles.
"Is someone there?"
"Please help me."
Although he couldn't see the girl's face, her clothes and the staff lying beside her left Shane quite certain that the person stuck in the chest was none other than the legendary mage who had once succeeded in defeating the Demon King: "Frieren the Slayer."
Help her? Of course he had to.
But how?
The Mimic's suction was incredible. Once it had bitten down, there was absolutely no pulling free.
But in truth, its physical structure was much like an ordinary human mouth. If you shoved the person it had bitten farther inside, the Mimic would feel sick and spit them out.
Shane looked at Frieren's bottom, hesitating for two seconds.
Then he bent down, grabbed Frieren's legs, lifted them up, and shoved her in with both hands as hard and fast as he could.
Blegh.
In an instant,
the Mimic opened its jaws and gagged. Even the planks of its body warped, and it spat Frieren right out.
"Phew... I'm saved."
(≡ᆺ≡)
The elf girl knelt on the ground, dripping wet.
She looked relieved to have survived a close call.
Her white twin tails were soaked, dripping "drool," and much of her robe was stained.
Frieren closed her eyes and gently shook her head, flicking the droplets from the tips of her ears.
Then she stood up, casually shook out her sleeves, looked up at the person who had saved her, and thanked him sincerely.
"Thank you, kind child."
Child?
Shane raised an eyebrow.
He looked the white-haired elf up and down. She didn't even reach his shoulder, and he was at a loss for words.
But she was, after all, an old-timer who'd lived for over a thousand years, and she was a bit... odd in the head. So... never mind.
He had no idea why she was near this southern town when she should have been traveling through the Central Nations, but since they'd met, it was a heaven-sent chance to latch onto someone powerful.
For saving her life, he ought to...
Ahem.
Shane was just about to speak and formally introduce himself
when a chilly breeze swept by, and Frieren shivered from head to toe.
"Ah-choo..."
The petite elf had a snot bubble hanging from her nose. She hugged herself, hunching her shoulders pitifully, and looked as if she were about to freeze to death.
Shane sighed and pulled a clean, thin blanket from his backpack, handing it to her.
"Thank you, kind child. You're so very kind."
"ꐦ"
"My name is Shane. I'm an adventurer. By the way, you're the mage Frieren, right? Don't you have some kind of 'dry clothes' spell?"
Frieren gave her hair a quick wipe, then wrapped the blanket around herself, bundling up tightly.
"An adventurer, huh? No wonder you're here."
"Of course there's a spell for 'drying clothes,' but..." As she spoke, Frieren picked up the staff that had fallen to the ground and tapped the air a few times. Then she looked up and said calmly, "I haven't been able to use it since a little while ago."
!!!
Shane was stunned.
Her magic had been sealed?
How could she say something so dangerous so calmly?
What sort of opponent could seal her magic? What level would they have to be?!
Shane drew the longsword he'd just sheathed at his waist and warily surveyed their surroundings.
"Ah, there's no need to worry. There shouldn't be any monsters in this cave."
"None?"
Shane glanced at the Mimic in the corner. His meaning was clear: "In any case, to be safe, we should get out first."
Crash.
As soon as he finished speaking, the mine tunnel behind them—the one he'd come through—suddenly collapsed.
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.
Wrapped in the blanket, Frieren pointed overhead and said calmly, "It's normal for natural caves to collapse. I fell in from up there."
Only then did Shane notice a hole about the size of a well, four or five stories above their heads. Tiny bits of gravel were still falling from it, making it look quite dangerous.
Trapped in a mine?
Somehow that felt even scarier than running into a monster.
A few minutes later,
the two of them began searching together for another exit.
To make it easier to remember the way, Shane chose the path on his right at every fork and kept moving in the same direction. Before entering each branch, he carved a mark into the rock wall with his longsword to make sure they wouldn't get lost and go in circles.
Wrapped in the blanket, Frieren quietly followed behind him.
Shane's cautious behavior put her at ease.
"Adventurers must never take unnecessary risks."
That was what Flamme had taught her in their very first lesson.
Whether exploring a dungeon or hunting down the Demon King Army, the thing that killed the most adventurers was often not the strength of their opponents, but their own carelessness.
She hadn't expected this "rookie," who didn't look as if he had much combat experience, to understand that principle and follow it.
He seemed reliable.
Leaving the task of finding their way to Shane, Frieren turned to carefully observe their surroundings.
"...There should be Magic-Sealing Ore in these rock walls."
"What's that?" Shane asked in confusion.
"When we were walking through the cave earlier, you noticed them too, didn't you? Every now and then, there were pretty, glowing minerals exposed in the walls. Those minerals are Magic-Sealing Stones. Within three meters of them, it's impossible to cast magic."
That explained it. So even a great mage like her could fall out of the sky...
"This stuff is quite rare. Even a small stone is worth at least several gold coins."
Gold coins!
Shane immediately took an interest.
As if she'd read his mind, Frieren continued:
"However, humans currently lack the ability to mine it."
"Magic-Sealing Ore is harder than any other substance. What's more, unlike other materials, it can't be cut or shaped with magic. It's beyond human capabilities."
That really was a shame.
"If magic doesn't work, would a Magic Tool?" Shane asked casually.
"Magic Tool?"
At those words, Frieren stopped walking, and a flicker of interest appeared in her eyes.
She stroked her chin and thought for a moment.
"In the mythic age, there was a Great Sage who was skilled at making Magic Tools. But by the time of the Unified Empire, more than a thousand years ago, the Sages who excelled at alchemy and forging had vanished without a trace. Very few Magic Tools from that era still work."
Alchemy and forging...
Shane thought of his own "make-an-affix-by-hand" ability. Could his "character class" be something along the lines of a Sage?
Bam!
A tremendous shock wave came from the cave ahead, interrupting his train of thought.
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