The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Buys an Enemy General
Vol. 1 - Ch. 15 - The Monster in the Northern Mountains and the Non-Magic User Julius - 4

Due to the Insightful Mithra's intense light beam, the area below Julius's eyes and a portion of his uneven hair were burnt and charred. The Mithra floated whimsically, altering its height as if in mockery.

A string-like structure, yellow, long, and slender, resembling optic nerves, grew beneath numerous eyeballs, fluttering like fins each time the Mithra moved.

"Julius-san, the main body of the Mithra is the goddess statue inside! If you had listened to me before attacking, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm going to throw it now...!"

"Shut up, Chloe. Stay quiet."

Julius spoke in irritation, realizing there was nowhere to escape.

"Julius-san, since you're not very knowledgeable about monsters, please listen to the advice of a senior experienced in subjugation---listen to me!"

I hesitated for a moment. I thought about hiding behind a rock and silently watching Julius get covered in wounds without saying anything, but I reconsidered. As much as I wanted to do that, the true difficulty of dealing with the Mithra lay in the fact that it was challenging to defeat alone. On the other hand, with two people, it might be relatively easy to defeat.

I stood up from the wall and positioned myself a little away from Julius.

I maintained a proper distance, as getting too close might be perceived as an invitation to be struck by his sword. This feels strange. I'm supposed to be the master, yet why am I the one being cautious?

"If I keep striking it, it'll eventually die."

Julius warned, as if to discourage any interference.

He probably thinks I'm incapable of fighting. I wonder why.

Certainly, if he kept slashing, he might defeat the Mithra eventually, but I didn't want to impose unnecessary labor. After all, he had already taken my bed, and offering a comfortable bed seemed like a good working condition.

"That's true! Wait no, I mean, there's no need to go through unnecessary trouble...! Julius-san, I bought you to help me defeat monsters, but I never said that I wouldn't help. I'm not such a wicked and heartless master that I'd stand by and say, 'Work, slave!' or anything like that!"

I held the magic-amplifying wand, which had been tucked into the belt around my waist, in my right hand and aimed it at the Mithra.

The wand was about the size of a fountain pen, with a fist-sized magnifying glass at the tip. In other words, it looked like a significantly oversized magnifying glass.

At its tip wasn't actually a magnifying glass, but rather a refined magical stone known as a "magic stone," highly sensitive to magical energy. The wand enhanced the power of magic when used, embodying a rather simple design.

Since I didn't primarily rely on magic for combat, the wand I used was a cheap one. The effectiveness was the same whether it was expensive or cheap, so I always bought the cheapest one at Robert's shop, knowing it might break.

By the way, Robert always recommended the most expensive one each time. He was indeed a savvy merchant.

"Julius-san, you're a man worth ten million gold! Please take care of yourself and value your life!"

"Do I look like I want to die?"

"I can't tell, but you look like you're brimming with vitality. However, Julius-san, your defeat will cost me ten million gold! So please understand, I'm begging you!"

"You're... a noisy fool."

Julius glanced at me for a moment, and I felt like he briefly lifted the corner of his lips, as if he was smiling. Maybe it was an optical illusion. Yeah, just an optical illusion. Despite that feeling, Julius's profile still looked as displeased as ever.

"So, what's the plan? Charging in recklessly doesn't seem like cherishing your life, does it?"

"You're right, Julius-san. You're absolutely right. The Insightful Mithra only reveals its main body when it's attacked. So, we need to attack the outer parts while striking the inside. I'll be launching attacks with magic and alchemical items, so Julius-san, please handle the internals! I get nauseous when I get too close to the Mithra, so I'll do my best to assist from a distance!"

"Got it. Let's quickly kill it... Helios is waiting."

Julius seemed oddly happy as he said that.

Right, Helios must be waiting for Julius to return. Once we defeat the Insightful Mithra, the goal of this exploration will be achieved. All that's left is to go back. I'm covered in dust right now from being thrown around by Julius, so I just want to take a bath soon.

"Flames of Chaos, Inferno Tempest!"

I channeled my magic into the magic-amplifying wand. With a short incantation, serpentine flames formed around the Mithra. I could only use magic up to an intermediate-level. A powerful mage might be able to defeat the Mithra using magic alone, but my spells didn't have that level of potency.

The Mithra spun its eyeballs in confusion. Once again, its body began to split, revealing the statue of the goddess inside. The yellow, nerve-like strings swiftly entwined and extinguished my flames. Without hesitation, I pulled out a palm-sized red crystal rose from my bag.

"Entangling Thorns, take care of that creepy thing!"

Of course, the crystal rose was an alchemical item.

I threw it towards the Mithra, and long thorny vines started to extend from the crystal rose, entwining around the Mithra while piercing its eyes with long thorns.

The Insightful Mithra started to shake violently, struggling against the entanglement.

As the body split again, the goddess statue inside attempted to let out a scream. 

Before I could speak, Julius was no longer by my side. Scanning the area, I realized he had positioned himself directly opposite me, with the Mithra at his back.

I was about to shout that now was the time to attack, but with a disturbing death rattle, a crack appeared in the goddess statue. I stared in shock as the statue shattered into pieces.

I had no idea when Julius had attacked the Mithra. But since the goddess statue was now shattered, he must have successfully defeated it.

In front of the Mithra, gradually vanishing like dust, Julius sheathed his sword. His golden hair swayed smoothly.

What a turn of events.

---For just a moment, I thought he looked kind of cool.

"Julius-san...! You're so strong, Julius-san!"

"Anyone can easily kill an opponent by exposing their weaknesses. Couldn't you have defeated it on your own?"

While praising Julius, I gathered the materials dropped by the Mithra.

I managed to obtain the eerie, black and murky eyeballs of the Mithra, which meant I could now create the alchemical item for the request.

Julius returned to my side. Somehow, it felt like I had just been praised, but maybe it was just my imagination.

"...Um, you see, I'm not really good with opponents like the Insightful Mithra. Their entire bodies emit magic energy, and when I get close, it clashes with my magic, making me feel nauseous. So, if I tried to defeat the main body, I'd probably end up vomiting."

"Vomiting, huh."

"I do end up vomiting. While it's not impossible to defeat the Mithra while vomiting, it's quite unpleasant."

"...I see."

For once, Julius didn't make a sarcastic remark. Perhaps he felt pity after imagining me trying to defeat the Mithra while vomiting.

"I'm glad that Julius-san is fine approaching monsters."

"I don't really understand, but do people with magic powers always vomit when they get close to monsters?"

Julius asked with a puzzled expression. 

His hand touched the slave mark on the back of his neck.

His magic power was sealed by the mark, a tattoo of a two-horned animal skeleton.

Without the mark, would Julius have also vomited?

But knowing Julius, he would probably tough it out somehow.

"It seems to vary from person to person, but I'm no good. I'm sensitive to the miasma and dark magic that monsters emit. I didn't know about it in the past, but... Well, back then, I never fought or got close to monsters either."

"...Is that so?"

Despite asking me about it, Julius responded with disinterest.

However, I was already accustomed to Julius's demeanor, so I didn't feel particularly offended. Instead, I gently brushed my hand over the area below Julius's eyes, scorched by the Mithra's light beams.

"Great Healing Droplet, Gospel of the Heavens."

My palm emitted a faint light, healing Julius's wounds.

Healing magic was more my forte compared to offensive magic. In the academy, they actively taught us healing magic, and my grades should have been on the higher side.

I used to be quiet and diligent. The me from the past wouldn't have been able to talk so casually with Julius; I would be too scared.

"Are we done here, Chloe? Let's go home."

"Yes, let's go! This is a great result from an excellent performance, Julius. Thank you!"

Julius didn't get angry at being healed by magic.

Come to think of it, he was quite cooperative when I bathed him, and even when he had his prosthetic eye fitted.

Perhaps he was more normal than I thought.

But if possible, I wish he would stop throwing me around.

While thinking about such things, I chased after Julius as he walked back along the path. 

Since he seemed like he might get lost, I didn't forget to change the destination of the light orb from the mountain peak to the cave exit. I truly believe I'm a good master.