Volume 10, Chapter 37 – The Birthing Pool and the Max-Output Magic Blade

Bypassing the maids, Yisi and the three God-Forged Angels arrived in front of the pitch-black, deathly silent four-story building.

Framed by the swaying trees, the mansion looked a bit gloomy, as if some unspeakable thing would leap out the moment she opened the door.

Yisi, who had been looking up, shook her head. Civilizations on Earth fabricated terrifying things like ghosts and phantoms because they feared the unknown. But in reality, it’s not the ghost that’s scary, it’s the unknown itself. The most direct example is that now that I’ve seen ghosts in this other world, I’m no longer afraid of them. With my current strength, if a ghost did appear, I could show it what true terror is with a single slap.

Averting her gaze, Yisi sighed. “The underground area was dug out to extend beyond the mansion, but there’s only one entrance to the surface. That’s being overly cautious, to say the least.”

The only passage between the underground storage and the surface was the single portal in the third-floor bedroom. If it was destroyed, anyone inside would be locked in. The underground part of Cornelia’s Mansion was built from bricks mixed with mithril sand. Saturated with magic from the ley lines, its hardness was comparable to a Tier-3 defense spell. Forcibly breaking through was extremely difficult, which was why Miss Solanya had failed to get in by digging.

If it were me, I’d have dug at least three extra tunnels. Two leading to the four-story buildings, and one leading straight to the suburbs as an escape route. And if you can make a portal, you should make several, to shorten travel time.

“My Lord…” Laxy said in a low voice, her expression conflicted, “A portal is not an easy magic circle to draw. It’s not just that the requirements for the user’s strength are extremely demanding, but the materials needed are so precious it can take years to prepare them. Not only that, if you set up two portals to different places in the same area, they will interfere with each other. Apart from Lady Trino, I have never seen anyone else who could do it.”

“I see.”

So, it’s not that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t?

The portals in ‘Ragnarøk’ didn’t have that limitation. I could even link a single portal to multiple locations, and the range was far greater. But setting one up consumes ‘Ragnarøk’ materials, and with [Advanced Teleportation] and the [Omniscient Map], it just seemed unnecessary.

“I will go first. That is all.”

Chloris stepped in front of Yisi, but Yisi gently pulled her aside. “There are no monsters inside, Chloris. Don’t worry.”

Giving the angels the command to follow, Yisi entered the four-story building. Just as the [Omniscient Map] had shown, the first floor had no rooms, just a large, open hall, like a banquet hall.

“Ugh. Although this place is full of valuable stuff, tossing it around like this makes it look like a garbage dump.”

Even priceless items like translation pendants were scattered everywhere, along with a large amount of magic crystals, magic cores ranging from the size of a pill to a fingernail, coins from unknown countries, and so on. Magic tools and various weapons were piled up like small mountains. Even a king would probably be shocked. Yisi suddenly had the idea of not returning these items to Evelyn, but taking them back to the Duchy of Chloe to improve the residents’ lives. At a glance, this stuff was worth at least a thousand gem coins, and some of the items of unknown purpose might be priceless.

Cornelia really was generous.

“Laxy, be careful not to step on anything. Let’s clear a path first.”

“My Lord, look over there!”

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“Suspected Birthing Pool. That is all.”

Following Laxy’s lead, Yisi looked at a giant crystal. It had caught her eye, but since it wasn’t glowing and had no magic signature, she had ignored it. Looking closely now, the crystal took up nearly a third of the hall, and its height broke through the first-floor ceiling, reaching the second—no, the building itself was built around this crystal. Judging from its diameter, it probably pierced all four floors.

“Oh. A name appeared?”

A second ago, the [Omniscient Map] had marked the crystal as ‘???’, but after Chloris said its name, the display changed to [Birthing Pool].

“It… it must be a Birthing Pool, lost during the Holy War…”

Surprise turned to joy. Laxy picked up a magic lamp from the floor and, stepping over the piles of coins and weapons, approached the crystal.

“I can’t believe there’s a Birthing Pool here… This is wonderful. With this, we can adjust an angel’s condition at any time. Chloris, Enos, clear the area. I need to confirm if the Pool is intact.”

“Understood.”

Laxy turned to Yisi, looking slightly nervous, and bowed deeply. “My Lord, I have an impudent request. I would like to stay here and check the Birthing Pool’s condition. I cannot accompany you upstairs to see what magic tools are here.”

“That’s no problem. I’m also very interested in this ‘Birthing Pool.’ Is it a product of the Age of the Gods? What does it do?”

“My Lord is truly merciful…”

Pleased and joyous, Laxy walked toward the Birthing Pool, stepping over treasure, and explained. “The Birthing Pool is a convenience tool designed by Lady Trino for the expeditionary forces. During battle, angels often encounter environments where they cannot use their strengths, such as in the sea or a high-temperature environment like a volcano. Because the ‘environmental attrition’ was worse than the actual combat, the merciful Lady Trino created the Birthing Pool for us. An angel can step into it with a part they wish to replace, and as long as there is enough magic, the Pool will replace it with a new part, allowing the angel to better adapt. In this case, it can be used to repair Enos’s wings.”

It sounds like, as long as you have this, angels can be customized like snap-together toys.

“I can just swap my wings with Enos’s. That way, we can avoid violating the rules set by Lady Trino.”

“But then you wouldn’t be able to fly with your wings, Laxy.”

“I can use [Fly] magic instead. This is much better than destroying Enos. To bring Alexia under your command, we must first deal with that goat-headed demon. Although it’s sealed, and I can’t feel its full strength, just looking from a distance, I can feel a pressure that makes it hard to breathe. In this situation, we must strengthen our forces as much as possible. Enos, as a Battle Angel, is indispensable… My Lord, what are you doing?”

Laxy looked at Yisi, who had circled behind her and was inspecting her wings.

Taking a step back, Yisi clapped her hands. “I was just thinking, so Laxy’s wings can be detached… I always thought they grew directly from her body. I see. If they’re detachable, that makes things easier. I remember Cornelia did research on angels. Maybe I can replicate a pair of Laxy’s wings.”

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“R-Replicate!? My Lord, are you serious? Just having the shape doesn’t mean the wings will work. The magic circuits inside are the key. Drawing the circuits is not only tedious, but it also requires a corresponding magic fluid. Do you know the formula for that?”

“No, but I can draw on the experience of my predecessors.” Yisi pointed at the giant crystal. “Well, let’s put that aside for now. Laxy, can you confirm if this crystal is okay?”

“Yes. As an Angel of Guidance, I know how to use all the tools of the Kingdom of the Gods. Please wait a moment, My Lord.”

“Mhm. I’ll leave it to you.”

Laxy’s expression turned serious as she went to inspect the Birthing Pool. This will probably take a while.

Yisi began to observe the crystal. Although it was empty and wasn’t glowing, from Laxy’s description, Yisi felt it was like an ‘incubation tank’ from Earth, just for angels instead of humans.

“Well, I have plenty of time. Let’s see what’s here.”

She planned to put everything in her storage. Leaving it here was too dangerous. If outsiders found out what was in Cornelia’s Mansion, they might harm the maids while she was away. A thousand gem coins’ worth of treasure could easily corrupt a weak-willed person.

First was the currency. The coins, stamped with angel wings, weren’t gold, but Crimson Gold, which was even more precious. Just adding a little Crimson Gold to a weapon would increase its hardness and toughness by several levels. If one of these coins got out, it would definitely be melted down for materials. The Kingdom of the Gods was truly extravagant.

Although she’d planned to store all the coins, Yisi soon gave up. There were too many, and they were too scattered.

I’ll just have Tiffany and the others come help sort them tomorrow. Tiffany loves shiny things; she won’t refuse.

“In that case, I’d better clear out the dangerous magic items first.”

It would be bad if her companions accidentally activated a powerful magic item. After Chloris and Enos cleared an area, Yisi had them help her gather the magic items in a corner.

Chloris picked up a monocle from a pile of coins and put it on. Her emotionless face gained a touch of maturity.

“Inquiry: Enos, cute?”

“It… reminds me of Sister Laxyphinia…”

“Inquiry: Too mature?”

“Mhm. Chloris, can I try?”

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“Here.”

Enos took the monocle and, after examining it, put it on.

“Chloris, h-how do I look?”

“Very cute. The Master will praise you. That is all.”

“Really?”

Yisi, who had been watching, nodded with a smile. “It’s true. Enos, you look very cute right now.”

It’s a mature item, but on Enos, it just looks cute and quiet, like a bookish girl.

“Th… Thank you, Mama… Huh?” As if she’d discovered something, Enos murmured, “This seems to be a magic item… Let’s see, how to use it… Infuse magic here…”

Pinching the monocle to keep it from falling, Enos faced Chloris and infused it with magic. Instantly, a mass of blue light gathered on the monocle, illuminating the room and creating a powerful wind.

“Enos, danger!”

“Eh? I-I can’t stop it!”

“Get down. Warning.”

Without hesitation, Yisi used [Blink] to appear in front of Enos, snatched the monocle, and used [Magic Power Plunder] to forcibly drain its magic. Like a deflating balloon, the dangerous magic fluctuation quickly subsided.

“My Lord, what happened?” Laxy, who had been inspecting the Pool, rushed over.

“Enos has fainted. That is all.”

“Fainted? Chloris, what did you do?”

“Enos used a dangerous magic item without authorization. She should be punished with one year of confinement.”

Chloris has to be joking… I mean, angels are immortal, but a year of confinement would break someone’s spirit, wouldn’t it?

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Not knowing what to say, Yisi checked on Enos, who was being held by Chloris, and sighed in relief. “Her magic power was just drained. It’s not serious; she’ll wake up. But this magic item… it’s not as gentle as it looks.”

Although she had stopped it, Yisi could feel it was a beam-emitting item, common in Ragnarøk. If I modify this, maybe I can make a real-life light saber.

She infused a little magic. As she’d thought, a beam of light shot out from the lens, reaching the ceiling. But because the magic was too little, and the lens couldn’t forcibly drain her magic, the effective range was less than a meter.

How interesting.

Watching Yisi wave the light beam around, Laxy advised, “To drain Enos’s magic in an instant means its consumption is too high. This item is unsuitable as a weapon. While it could be used for cutting, My Lord, you have the talent to form a magic blade on your fingertips. This is useless to you. No, it’s useless to anyone. It’s just a piece of junk.”

No, no, Laxy. If I just modify it a little, this could be a light saber! It’s every boy’s dream—even if I am a girl now.

Of course, Laxy’s reminder was useful. It made Yisi remember that she had never tested the maximum length of her own magic blade.

Putting the monocle away, Yisi focused one thousand magic points into her fingertip and released it instantly.

Tshh.

A blue light flashed. The next second, a finger-width shaft of moonlight shone down from the ceiling. In the blink of an eye, the magic blade had pierced all four floors and the roof. It’s not that the blade only lasted an instant. It’s that when she saw it pierce the ceiling and extend into the clouds, she hurriedly dispelled it. It was so fast only Yisi could see it.

“Er…”

The culprit awkwardly averted her gaze. Laxy, who had only seen the moonlight, looked up and frowned. “Worn out from age…?”

“Eh, probably. We’ll get someone to fix it tomorrow. Mhm, that’s it. Laxy, are you done checking the Birthing Pool?”

“Not yet. Please give me more time, My Lord.”

“Mhm, mhm. I just remembered something. I’m going upstairs for a bit. I’ll leave the rest to you. Call me if there’s a problem.”

“Yes.”

Secretly sticking her tongue out, Yisi quickly slipped out of the first floor.