"Yuu-chan - Slayers! Novel 1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chan Yu)

"IТm Lina, just a plain traveler." I tell him my real name, and itТs obvious IТm not a plain traveler. But Gourry doesnТt ask anything. He probably thinks IТm lying for some reason. This is how he managed to convince me; heТs a good person. If he had had any dirty thoughts then I would have simply whooped him on the spot. But Gourry appears genuinely concerned for me so I couldnТt refuse his offer. ...But...
Gourry mutters, "Baby-sitting all the way to Atlus. Oh well..."
... But he still gets on my nerves...
It wasn't until that night that I was finally able to relax. We stopped at a town and took rooms at an inn, and after eating dinner, we went to our own rooms. Gourry is in the next room. My room is small, with a single bed and table. On the table, thereТs an oil lamp. I enter the room, lock the door, and take off my cloak. My cloak jingles as it falls to the floor; that was heavy! On the inside of my cloak are hanging sacks, filled with the banditsТ treasure. I hadnТt had a chance to take a look at what I had taken because things were kind of hectic. I had tried to take expensive things that didnТt take room, but for some reason the sacks became really heavy.
I sit down on my cloak, and start pulling things out of the sacks. I start chanting softly, clapping my hands together in front of my chest. A ball of light appears as I spread my hands, and I let it glide towards the ceiling, lighting up the room. I used Lighting to examine the goods, since the oil lamp's not bright enough.
Two to three hundred large gemstones, an orihalcon statue (pretty expensive!), and a large knife. The knife's a magic item, but it also appears to be cursed. "I guess I can just sell it at some magic-item shop for a reasonable price. Next is..." About a dozen antique gold pieces from the Kingdom of Letidius, which had dissolved about 500 years ago. I whistle. "Yay! I can sell these to collectors for a high price."
It isnТt worth much, but... well, with a band of robbers of that level, I guess this is it. I said it isnТt worth much, but thatТs just my opinion. Even if the goods were to be sold at their lowest price, it would turn into enough money for one person to never have to worry about food.
"Ok, now the gemstones..." I separate the gemstones based on type and condition. The damaged gemstones wouldn't bring in too much money, so I take out something like a crystal orb, about the size of a childТs fist, and place it gently on the floor. The orb starts spinning; when it stops, the rune within it faces the window. "ThatТs north, so..."
I spread a large sheet of paper with a magic circle drawn in the center. The sheet, about as long and wide as my outspread arms, feels and looks like the skin of a female elf. I've been saying "like" because the spells and tools are secrets of the trade. I spread a special kind of ink on a piece of wood, stamping a magic circle on a smaller sheet of paper. I place an unblemished ruby in the center of the circle. Then I place the smaller sheet on top of that. I cast a fire spell, turning the small sheet to ash; this spell's used to seal the magic circle into the ruby. I take one of the damaged rubies and place my hand above the ruby with the magic-circle and cast a wind spell. The ruby in my hand turns to dust. By the time I finish with the damaged rubies, thereТs a mound of powdered ruby dust.
After that, I sprinkle some liquid from a small vial onto the mound and place the palm of my hand above the mound. I chant a water spell and earth spell in a certain pattern. My palm heats up, and the mound emits a bright light. The ruby is now the size of an adultТs fist.
I repeat the process with the other gems. Now I can sell these as magic items for much higher prices. The amulets can either serve as wards or can be used to increase damage dealt by weapons. I have the same kind of amulets on my shoulder-guards, bandanna, and shortsword. Functional and stylish, and they can now be found in any average home! Wouldn't you like a jeweled amulet? ......Aaack!! I just advertised! ...well, I do come from a family of merchants,
so...
Go Lina, only nine more days to Atlus! Right now, it's afternoon, the next day, and the two of us are walking together down the road. The weather is nice; I can hear the sound of trickling water. The leaves dance, responding to the gentle touch of the wind, the sunlight leaks through the trees; it was such a beautiful afternoon. I murmur, "...IТm hungry..." Hey, you, no throwing stones, I canТt help being hungry!
We'd left the town at dawn and walked for about a day. It was past noon before we realized that there were no rest stops or diners along the way.
"...DonТt say that, little girl..." says Gourry tiredly, without even turning around. "There are times when a manТs just gotta take it."
"IТm not a man," I rebuff.
Gourry is at a loss of what to say, for a moment, but soon turns around. "There are times when even women have to take it."
"Then, is traveling aimlessly and getting hungry one of those times?" He pauses. We look into each others eyes; there is only the sound of trickling water. We decided that fish would be our lunch.
The river, large enough to go swimming in, was running parallel to the path, a little off to the side. The water is clear, and the sandy riverbank provided perfect spots for sitting down. "Little fishies, little fishies, little fishies," I sing to myself as I look for a branch of the right size and bring out a fishing hook. I pull out some strands of my brown hair and tie them together, making a fishing line. I then tie the hook, branch, and line together. "Finished!" A fishing pole.
Gourry looks impressed. "You're pretty self-sufficient, aren't you?"
"Here, hold this, willya?" I hand the pole to Gourry. I walk over to the river, lift a rock, and catch several gross bugs. I hook one of the bugs, and lower the pole into the river.
After a while, I'd managed to catch several fish. We salt and cook the fish, and start eating. Mmm, very tasty! Since the fish are small, I eat them whole.
"I canТt believe you can do that..." Gourry nibbles at the white meat of the fish.
"What a waste. I wonТt tell you to eat the head, but at least eat the stomach."
"Yuck, I donТt want to eat the stomach..."
"ItТs the best part," I reach for a second fish and bite into the fishТs stomach.
"Those are intestines... right...?" Gourry says, a sick look on his face.
"Of course."
"...those bugs you used are inside..."
Bbbthpht!? I spit out the fish. He...hey... "ThatТs true...but..."
"Right."
"Right, but..." There was no need to say that while I was eating! While thinking such thoughts, we easily finish off the fish. IТll say this just in case, he ate more than I did.
"IТd like a little more..."
"Same here. IТll go fish some more." I get up and reach for the fishing pole, pausing just a bit...
"Goblins..." Gourry whispers, "I just saw about a dozen of them." Apparently this is goblin territory, which explains why there werenТt any diners along the road. Goblins are humanoid beings, only as tall as the chest of a human adult. They roam around at night, have a bit of intelligence, and are on the savage side. TheyТre also cowards. In small villages and towns far from cities, they steal livestock. Extra information -- teasing them is fun. I take the fishing hook in my hand and chant a fishing spell: my original! Just as I finish casting a spell, the goblins step out of the forest with a battle-cry. They are armed with rusty swords and makeshift spears -- goblin brigands.
"Shhhh! Quiet!" I say in goblin-tongue. They halt. Now! I throw the fishing line into the water. The looks the goblins give me are saying, "What is she?" But the goblins, being curious, wait before attacking.
I feel a tug. "HeТs big!" I lift the fish out of the water and whip the pole, making the fish land in front of the goblins. ItТs easier said than done. Make sure youТre awed.
"Catch him!" I tell the goblins.
"Gii!"
"Gyagya, gugii!"
"Gyuge!"
By the time the goblins manage to catch the fish, I'd already caught another one. By the time I'd finished catching about ten fish, the goblins were crowding around me. It's about time!
"Here," I hand the pole to a nearby goblin. "Gi?"
"ThereТs a lot of fish. Why donТt you try?"
"Giii...?" The goblin tilts its head and lowers the pole into the water. Soon there's a tug on the line. "Gigii!" While the goblins are engrossed in fishing, Gourry and I leave.
"That was an interesting spell," says Gourry. That same night, we finally managed to reach the next town and are eating at the first floor of the inn. I blink. I take a bit out of the chicken in my left hand. Chew. Swallow. Tastes okay. Hmmm... I swallow a mouthful of juice.
I finally remember. "You mean the spell I used at the river?" Gourry falls onto the table. I wasnТt playing dumb. ItТs just the fishing-spell wasnТt a real spell for me. ...ItТs true... "ItТs a simple spell; doesnТt require much skill."
"Sooo... you're a sorceress or something?" This time I fall onto the table.
"What'd you think I was?! CouldnТt you tell from the way I look?!" IТve been dressed the same since I first met Gourry; pants and long-boots, a loose robe tied with a leather belt, soft leather gloves, a bandanna around my forehead. My cloak, which nearly touches the ground, hangs from my shoulder-guards made from the shell of a giant-turtle. Everything is black. There are silver threads sewn in here and there in the form of runes. The clothing I wear serves as a ward. My short-sword is hanging from my hip. If somebody saw the way IТm dressed and thought I was a waitress or fishmonger, I'd probably kill myself!
"...Now that you mention it... I just assumed you were a waitress or fishmonger." My face lands in a bowl full of soup.