Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 47
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
“…”
The rumble of thunder erupted in the distance, and raindrops pounded the roofs of the base and the ground of the field.
Amidst all this, Pumpkin applied magic power to the tips of his vines which had newly grown during the spring to make them inflate, and at the same time, did a few treatments on the inflated parts.
Furthermore, he also poured magic power on the crops that were planted in the field to accelerate their growth for harvesting.
“How’s it going with your preparations?”
“Mizuki, huh?”
And this was the moment when Mizuki came into the base and asked whether he was ready for the dragon-slaying.
“Anytime you’re ready.”
Pumpkin hung the various catalysts that were placed in an organized manner around him and tied them to his body with cords.
The catalysts would serve as catalysts for resonance magic, should they be needed.
“So how’s your side of things, Mizuki?”
“I am always ready to go. I’d prefer it to be a rainy day like today if possible.”
“For me, sunny days are easier because of the automatic recovery from photosynthesis. Well, it is better than cloudy day or night.”
Moreover, the reason why Mizuki said that rainy weather would be more advantageous for her was that she herself was a water spirit, which meant that when rain was falling, her magic power would constantly recover and the consumption of magic power when using magic would also decrease.
Pumpkin, on the other hand, could gain a practically unlimited supply of stamina through photosynthesis when the weather was sunny and heal himself, albeit slowly, from wounds.
It would be useful if I could use resonance magic in the rain or sunlight, but well… that’s unlikely to be achievable anytime soon, so I’ll give up on that.
“Now, that being the case, we can head out as soon as we’ve confirmed the information and assembled a strategy.”
“Right. Then, let’s go check it out.”
There was no sense in seeking something that was not available, which was why he decided to make do with the cards in his hand.
Subsequently, Pumpkin learned about the dragon from Mizuki once more.
“First of all, the dragon’s name is Entdragon. Normally, the dragon usually sleeps in unison with the plants and only awakens in times of emergency to protect the order and peace of the entire forest. However, that Entdragon that inhabits that tree is the exact opposite of that.”
“A mutation, you mean?”
“I wonder. My knowledge is based on what I have received from the senior spirits, but in reality, they may be a species that has had this aspect from the very beginning. Even if we strive to learn all of this, it won’t be helpful. Either way, that Entdragon has to be defeated.”
“Well, I can see your point.”
Pumpkin agreed with Mizuki’s words and tried practicing shifting the color of his magic power.
Yeah. I can do this in my usual condition with no problems.
“So, when it comes to combat, what kind of moves will the Entdragon perform?”
“Yeah. All I know of them is the sight of them rampaging every year at the end of the rainy season… but from what I’ve witnessed, they pose the greatest threat…”
“Hmm. In that case…”
“Yeah, in that situation…”
Having heard from Mizuki about the Entdragon’s assault methods and having conceived of countermeasures for each strike, they then settled on fundamental strategies and techniques for coordination in their battle against the Entdragon.
“I guess that’s about it. I mean, it’s still raining even after nightfall.”
He looked outside upon the conclusion of his discussion with Mizuki.
The sun had unexpectedly gone down for an extended period of time. However, the rain persisted throughout the session, and what sounded like thunder could be heard from time to time.
“This is how things typically are at this time of year. So what are you going to do? With you and me dealing with the level of Entdragon, it doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, right?”
“I guess so…”
Behind Mizuki’s words lay the fact that while the Entdragon harbored vast volumes of magic power, they did not suppress the amount they released like Pumpkin, and for him, who can visually observe magic power directly, and for Mizuki, whose magic power was an entity with a will, she could accurately detect their presence irrespective of the time of day or night.
Therefore, it can be safely assumed that the Entdragon followed the rhythm of life of plants, and at night they were in a state close to that of sleep.
“Success results from being swift and decisive. Deception is a key element in the art of war. Unexpected attacks on the adversary are a core pillar of warfare, even though I can’t really remember who said it.”[i]
“Then let’s go…”
“Yeah, let’s move.”
Pumpkin and Mizuki figured that once everything was in place, the sooner they could begin their move, the development will work in their favor.
And when they were outside the base…
[Guruaaaaaaaahhhh!!]
[[!?]]
As the roar of the enormous beast, which had a mentally intimidating and physically destructive effect by imbuing the entire forest with magic power, resounded throughout the forest, Mizuki and Pumpkin hurriedly exerted all their strength so as not to be swept away by it.
“Mizuki… what was that?”
“It’s the voice of Entdragon. I hear it year after year, so there’s no way I could have mistaken it.”
His question was met by a slight agitation from Mizuki.
Even while they were talking, there was a crushing noise coming from the source of the roar, and occasionally a yellow bolt of lightning could be seen rising from the ground to the black clouds above.
Apparently, the dragon was a creature that belonged to the wood element of the Five Elements concept, which suggested that they could command lightning as well.
“Well… looks like the idiot from somewhere beat us to it, so what are we going to do?”
“We must get on with it. Who knows what might happen if we allowed this to go rogue.”
“Well, you’re right…! Hyulolooo!!”
Mizuki and Pumpkin then affirmed each other before moving in the direction of where they suspected the Entdragon was.
———————-
T/N:
[i] These are actual words from history but I can’t find the English version of it so I just translated it conveniently