Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 28

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

“I-I’ll go inform Kozo ojii-san!”

“I’ll have the temple priest come here, too! This isn’t a laughing matter!”

Leaving these words, the elf woman and the lizardman guy dashed out of the house.

From their reactions, it would appear that the situation was unpredictable indeed and that the magic being employed on Rio’s mother might be regarded as unpardonable.

“Pumpkin-san…”

“I’m an apprentice sorcerer. I can only do a limited number of things. But I will do what can be done. Though I can’t promise you that things will go well.”

After saying so and rubbing Rio’s head, which was grasping at the cuff of his cloak, Pumpkin brought out cherry blossom petals he had picked up on the way to Kunukihappy from within his cloak.

“Barrier Cherry…?”

“I suppose that’s what it’s called, huh?”

Once reminding himself of the magic power color of the petals clad in the barrier cherry, and preparing to shift the color of his own magic power by positioning the vines in his cloak, Pumpkin slowly began to channel his magic power while watching the response of the barrier cherry petal.

While applying the magic power, he also recalled the image of a barrier for protecting Rio’s mother from the evil ones. Furthermore, he also conjured up the image of the black magic power that was about to flow into Rio’s mother and repel it.

“Go…”

The attributes of magic power, chanting, tools, and other factors all played a role in magic. There would be no doubt about that.

But that did not mean that magic always displayed the same effect.

In the same way that the strength of the effect of the [Resonance Magic?Sleep Cloud] was changed by processing the Sleep Cloud that served as the catalyst, it should be possible to modify the range of its effect depending on the strength of the practitioner’s image and thoughts.

For this reason, this magic will inevitably succeed.

“[Resonance Spell?Barrier Cherry].”

With his declaration, the cherry blossom petals fluttered from his hand, passing along the walls of the house and scattering to the surroundings.

Simultaneously, a thin cherry blossom-colored barrier of magic was created with the petals as the boundary line, preventing black magic from penetrating inside the boundary.

It was apparently a success. With this, Rio’s mother’s condition would be prevented from getting any worse until [Resonance Spell?Barrier Cherry] was deactivated.

Rio’s mother’s complexion seemed to be getting better, even if it was only slightly.

“Pumpkin-san, this is…”

“Rio, you should keep holding your mother’s hand.”

But this will not resolve the underlying problem. In fact, it was not even a temporary measure. After all, if the magic was about to wear off, that would be the end of it, and Rio’s mother’s condition was still too unforeseeable.

That would mean that any further measures should be left to the hands of experts, but Pumpkin will attempt a few things within his current capabilities at a level that won’t impose a burden on Rio’s mother.

“Ugh…”

“Mother…”

“Now…”

Pumpkin put his hand on Rio’s hand which was holding her mother’s hand, and touched Rio’s mother directly with one of the vines in a position that Rio could not see, and looked at her carefully in that state.

As expected, Rio and her mother have similar magic power colors, given that they are mother and daughter.

Furthermore, a closer observation revealed that the magic power from Rio to Rio’s mother was flowing, albeit slightly, and that Rio’s mother’s magic power was gradually becoming healthier.

This was likely the most primitive magic called prayer.

If so, I will work in the direction of helping her.

“Go…”

“Ugh…”

Through the filter called “Rio,” Pumpkin channeled the magic power of a color as similar as possible to the magic power of Rio’s mother into her. In the same way as sucking blood, he selected and sucked out as much black magic as he could from Rio’s mother’s magic, and concentrated the sucked black magic into his own leaf that was ready for self-amputation.

In a manner of speaking, this was a transfusion of magical power or dialysis. After absorbing the contaminated magic power, the healthy magic power will be given to Rio’s mother in the same amount that was absorbed.

Since magic power represented the power of life for living things, it was out of the question to absorb too much of it, but considering [Overburst], it was probably not advisable to provide too much magic power, either.

Therefore, Pumpkin will exchange the magic power of Rio’s mother with the utmost care.

“This is…”

“…”

“Phew.”

After a while, Rio’s mother’s complexion finally showed a noticeable improvement. It would be fine if she did not experience the black magic again after this point.

“U-Um, Pumpkin-san!”

“I know you have a lot to say, but this isn’t over yet.”

“What?”

However, things weren’t finished yet.

Pumpkin looked at the barrier.

What was present there was a mass of black magic power that had been blocked by the barrier and was now stagnant.

If all of these flowed into Rio’s mother at once, her weakened body would definitely fail to withstand it, and on the contrary, she might be worse off than she was at the beginning. Or rather, she would be dead beyond any doubt.

That was why it was not over yet. Unless this black magic power was dealt with, it would not be the end.

“Rio. Let me have a piece of your mother’s hair.”

“What? Pumpkin-san, what are you… ah!”

Before seizing a strand of hair that was stunning despite Rio’s mother’s weakened appearance, and cutting it off with the reinforced vine, Pumpkin muttered to himself, “I’m sorry, but please forgive me because it’s for her own good.”

Even though he had no idea how similar this magic was to the curse in his previous life, it would be safe to assume that there was some way to recognize Rio’s mother as the target if the magic was this powerful and precise.

That was why he decided to use it against her.

“Huh? Why is Pumpkin-san…”

When he cut off the leaf that became pitch black due to the accumulation of black magic, Pumpkin created magic power that resembled Rio’s mother’s magic power and made it wrap around Rio’s mother’s hair.

The leaf he had ripped off on his own was then placed outside the barrier after being wrapped in Rio’s mother’s hair.

“Hieee!?”

“Alright.”

The black magic power that can be seen even if not with his own eyes flooded into the outside of the barrier, and became like a black sphere.

Moreover, the black sphere was gradually increasing in size by incorporating the black magic power that followed it. In this situation, a barrier with a level of [Resonance Spell?Barrier Cherry] used without proper research would probably be breached.

“Rio. Stay with your mother.”

“Eh? Pumpkin-san!?”

As he left Rio saying that, he went out of the house and confronted the mass of magic power head-on.

Even when viewed from the front, it still elicited a significant degree of malice. To be frank, it really sickened him.

“Oh well. Now that I’ve come this far, I think I can handle it.”

However, irrespective of the chemical reaction, the source was his magic power. With his total magic power and control, Pumpkin would be able to handle it.

So he pressed the palm of his hand against the sphere.

Now, I don’t know who did this, but let me teach you something.

A curse will rebound on yourself as well.