The skeleton, which had been sprawled on the floor, staggered to its feet upon seeing us.
“...What the hell are you?”
“Don’t you know who the great mage is? Did your brain go empty, or was the scene from earlier too stimulating for you, old virgin mage?”
The skeleton was about to shout something back but stopped, gripping his staff tightly.
It seemed like he decided not to continue the conversation, perhaps because it would just irritate him further, and wanted to dismiss us instead.
Was this wisdom worthy of a great mage, or was it the foolishness of someone reacting exactly as I teased them?
I chuckled as I watched the magic gathering at the tip of his staff, then shrugged my shoulders and pushed my mace forward.
At that, the skeleton stopped gathering magic and stared blankly at the tip of the mace.
“...That’s.”
“Even without eyes, you recognize your comrades? It’s too noble to call it friendship... could it be an unspoken love?”
<Lucy, don’t cross the line.>
“Can you shut up for a moment?”
Hearing the voices from both my grandfather and the skeleton, I shrugged my shoulders and fell silent.
After all, I came to this skeleton for advice. There’s no need to completely cross the line.
Though I was probably teetering on the edge, it should be fine, right? Once I kept quiet, the skeleton, having calmed himself, carefully observed us.
“The lady standing behind you is the one who receives the love of the gods. In this land, I’ve never seen anyone so devout in such a diminished land.”
“Thank you for your praise, Erginus. However, there are others in this land who are more devout than I.”
“...I know, but I don’t want to acknowledge it. Please understand.”
Seeing Feivy lightly smile, the skeleton sighed and shifted his gaze.
“The man standing next to you must be the one who carries the blood of Soladin.”
“The third prince of the kingdom. Arthur Soladin. Please, feel free to speak.”
“I will accept your courtesy. So, how is it? Did Soladin seize the opportunity that came to him?”
“The glory the kingdom holds now is almost entirely because of him. Surely Soladin did not miss his chance.”
“Indeed. That’s a good thing. And what about the other ladies next to you?”
“The eldest daughter of the Duke of Partlan. Joy Partlan.”
“Freya Kent.”
“And...”
The skeleton turned back to me, sighed dramatically, and clutched his staff tightly.
“Two of my dear friend's relics are in your hands. What kind of person are you?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know, or do you just want to hear how dumb I am? If it's the latter, I can happily provide exactly what you want.”
“...Hah. How could the gods choose such a person?”
When the skeleton tapped his forehead with his bony hand, Feivy, who had been behind me, moved as if to step forward.
Joey, noticing this, would have likely said something had she not grabbed her shoulder in time.
“Right, a little brat who receives the love of the gods and attracts the attention of countless gods. What are you doing right now?”
“I actually have a question for the now-useless skeleton mage.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. What I’m asking is what the hell you think you’re doing.”
The skeleton pointed at the fully open ceiling above us.
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“Are you serious?”
“Why? Does it annoy you that things aren’t going the way you wanted? Are you angry? Maybe you should have made the dungeon sturdier. If you had, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Originally, getting to this place involved going through a lot of annoying processes.
Since Erginus was the one who made a similar dungeon, he must have put even more effort into the one with his fake version.
But this dungeon, despite all the suffering we have to go through, is inefficient even in the game and wasn’t favored by players.
Until the fact that you could break the ceiling using a specific scroll and bomb was discovered.
“That ceiling was strong enough. It’s never been broken, not even once.”
“How stupid and incompetent were the past fools if they couldn’t break a soft wall like that?”
“What kind of trick are you pulling?”
“Curious? If you’re dying to hear it, I’ll gladly answer.”
The skeleton rattled in frustration, but he couldn’t refuse my words.
He was clearly curious about how I managed to break what he had carefully constructed.
Even though this was a fake version of the great mage with his memories, he was still a mage.
The skeleton, who valued curiosity over pride, could never refuse my offer.
“Well, we could make a deal too. If the insane, washed-up mage offers a bit of advice, I’d be more than happy to tell you what was so bad about your little creation.”
Thinking I’d made an offer he couldn’t refuse, I stared at the skeleton. He grinned, as though in disbelief.
“You broke the ceiling and now you’re asking for what you want?”
“Don’t like it? Then too bad. You can spend your whole life wondering with that empty brain of yours.”
“At least show some sincerity and pass my trials. Little brat.”
“The third room’s window. The fruit of the second tree in the center. The left eye of the devil statue.”
As I listed the answers to Erginus’s trials, the skeleton visibly became confused. I smiled playfully at his pathetic expression.
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“Done? A mentally unstable skeleton like you trying to impose trivial trials will shatter just like that weak ceiling. Just give me the answer.”
“You’re incredibly bold.”
“I’m allowed to be. After all, I’m cute and pretty enough to charm even a washed-up god.”
“Hah. Sorry, but a little brat like you is far from my type. What does it matter if you look decent? You’re just a kid.”
Seeing the skeleton scoff, I forgot what I was going to say in surprise.
Yes! This is the normal reaction!
I’m glad to see that instead of begging to be trampled on, he’s treating me as just a little kid!
What a true hero! Unlike the beasts around me, he has normal preferences! I’m really impressed!
For such a person, I’ll give him a gift!
A gift in the form of a perfectly normal-looking, foolish fox!
“To show my true self to such a wretched creature.”
The foolish fox, which had been perched on my shoulder, grumbled but didn’t step back.
I had made a deal with it beforehand.
If it worked properly, I’d let it use me as a chair for about an hour.
I don’t know what it found good about that, but it was willing to do so, drooling while talking about how eager it was to fulfill its duties, so it would surely do its best for the reward.
The moment the foolish fox jumped off my shoulder, smoke began to rise, and a human form appeared from within.
The woman, with the appearance that could captivate anyone, regardless of gender, crossed her arms below her chest and smiled faintly.
“You called Lucy a brat. What about me, then?”
It seemed like the foolish fox used its power to charm, and it appeared even more attractive than usual.
If I hadn’t known her true form, I might have been charmed myself.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
The skeleton stayed silent, and the foolish fox took a step forward, tilting her head.
The skeleton, who had been standing frozen, snapped back to reality, hunched his shoulders, and stepped back.
“Wait. Let me pause for a moment. I need time to prepare.”
“Hah! Time to prepare, huh? Such a childish thing to say. It doesn’t suit a skeleton like you.”
“Grrr.”
As the skeleton stepped back and bumped into the wall, he hunched his back, as if meeting a street thug in an alley.
<Ha ha ha! Erginus! He doesn’t even mess with his own puppets!>
‘...Was the great mage really this shy?’
<Shy? That’s an understatement! He fainted when the princess held his hand! He’s come a long way since then! If this had happened when we first traveled, he would have already passed out!>
‘Goodness.’
That seems to go beyond just being reluctant around women.
In a different way, this great mage is really something.
“Hey, brat! Stop just staring and do something about this beastly woman!”
“Why should I? I’d rather watch the virgin mage squirm.”
“Deal! I’ll make a deal! Please, just do it!”
“Yes~”
After a brief commotion passed, Joey, standing before the skeleton to seek advice, looked at him with suspicion.
She didn’t doubt Lucy’s assurance, but what she had just seen was so different from the Erginus she had heard of in fairy tales.
The Erginus she knew was a master of magic and a noble among nobles, yet the one she saw earlier, fumbling in front of Rina, was just a shy man.
Even now, he kept sneaking glances at Rina without daring to approach her. He just seemed pathetic.
Could this skeleton really give us useful advice?
“Ahem.”
It seemed that Joey’s sharp gaze had made the skeleton clear his throat, and he straightened his posture.
“Are you the mage who came to seek my advice?”
“Yes. That’s right, Erginus.”
“Show me your magic.”
Suppressing her doubts, Joey summoned the magic within her.
She had been discussing the concretization of magic with her friends before this moment, and after many adjustments, she had managed to create a reasonable shape.
Confident that she had at least formed a basic structure, Joey finished the magic circle and waited quietly for the skeleton to speak.
However, the skeleton did not speak even after several dozen seconds passed.
Was he still pondering about what this magic circle was?
Was this really Erginus?
Had Lucy made a mistake?
As her doubts grew, seeing his earlier pathetic behavior, the skeleton slowly muttered to himself.
“Is this what magic will be like two hundred years from now? Not much progress, it seems.”
When Joey heard those words, a chill ran down her spine.
This person... Has he been stuck in the knowledge of two hundred years ago?
And yet, just in those few seconds, he bridged the gap of centuries?
No... that can’t be.
Even though Erginus is an extraordinary mage, that’s impossible.
“Mage.”
“Yes? Yes!”
“Is this magic you’ve created to respond to the powers of the Void?”
“...Yes.”
“The concept is not bad, but your ability to manifest it is lacking. If you want to create magic in your way, it would be better to do it like this.”
As the skeleton finished speaking, the magic circle began moving on its own, completely beyond Joey’s control.
Had her magic been stolen? She hadn’t even sensed any warning.
“Right?”
Blinking, Joey finally regained her senses and froze, staring at the magic circle floating before her.
The magic circle, altered by the great mage’s hands, was beautiful enough to move any mage who saw it.