Cain 2022 Walpurgis SSR "The Sword That Flashes in Darkness"

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Card story: Dig That Spot, Cain!

After our mission was accomplished without incident, what appeared in front of us was a mountain of rare magical items and jewels.

Cain: Akira, look! This pearl is pretty, isn’t it? It looks like regular pearls but its color changes after a few seconds.

Akira: Whoa, indeed! It changes from yellow to blue, and then to green.

Akira: (This is so interesting. I wonder if it’s a magical item.)

Akira: Come to think of it, what a surprise that there’re treasures hidden in the wall of this place at the bottom of the valley.

Cain: Yeah, the twinned masters said these are all rarely seen stuffs too. They also told us to bring home whatever we like, because they’ve no owner and it’d be a waste to leave them here. I’ve no idea about the values of these items though. All I can tell is each and every of them is pretty.

Akira: Ahaha, I know the feeling.

Cain: ….Ah, these boots are so cool! They’re so well made that it seems they’d be fit for wear even if they get dirty. And this small box seems to be a magical item. Look! A bit hard to tell but there’s a contraption here.

As Cain lightly slid an ornament on the surface of the box, a faint light wrapped around the box. Then the shape of the box in the middle of the light changed, as if something was running.

Akira: The rectangle became a triangle! That’s interesting.

Cain: It seems the character of the magic changes along with the shape too. Shall we play with it a bit more?

As I was enjoying the transformation of the box with Cain, a hand reached out from behind us and deftly snatched it.

Owen: Well well, look who’re having fun playing with a toy they just found. Isn’t this thing too much for you guys though?

Akira: Owen!

Cain: Is that so? This box changes its shape when you slide the ornament here. Look, like this…

Owen: Hey, don’t touch it with your dirty hand.

Cain: What’s the big deal though? It’s just something I found.

Owen: Not sure about that. It’s in my hand so it’s mine now.

Cain: Ah well, I don’t mind, but still….

Akira: Owen, what is this item used for?

Owen: Does it matter? You two wouldn’t understand it anyway. Master Sage aside, Mister Knight doesn’t have the power to make use of the magical items or tools for curses here either. Just knowing about them is useless.

Cain: Even so, maybe I will be able to use them in the future. There’s no harm in learning. How about it, Owen? Could you give us a pointer? There’re many rare items around here besides this box after all.

Owen: ……………..

Akira: Owen?

Owen: You two are so noisy. If you want to know that much then dig out the wall over there.

Cain – Akira: Eh?

Cain: Are you saying there’s something over there?

Owen: Enough talking. Get digging, now.

As Cain and I dug into the cave wall like we were told….

[Sound of stones falling]

Akira: Whoa, there’re so many stones inside the wall!

Cain: Are they… jewels? All of them are faintly glowing.

Owen: Not jewels. They’re magic stones. They’re used for lining around magical sigils.

Owen sketched a magical sigil with his nail. The sigil glowed and a small orb of fire appeared. When a stone was placed along the rim of the sigil, the orb of fire burned stronger and became a big fire.

Cain – Akira: Oooh!

Cain: It seems that the intensity of the light varies by the stones. Does that indicate anything?

Owen: Certainly. The strength of the light shows the strength of the magic the stone contains. With a strong stone, even your magical power would be able to burn down this whole place. That’s impossible with the low quality stones of this place though.

Cain: Wow, you sure know a lot. What are these then? Each of them seems to have a slightly different color.

Owen: No need to talk about these stones yet. More importantly, why don’t you go find treasures that’re more to my liking? It’s you who begged me to teach you after all. Go get on your knees like the disgrace that you are and dig up holes like a dog.

[A while later]

Akira: *Gasping* My arms are at their limits.

Cain: Are you okay, Akira? This much digging should be enough already, Owen.

Owen: Whining after just that? You’re such a weakling, Master Sage.

Owen swept his eyes around the magic stones and valuable items that had been buried then stuffed them into his luggage. The treasures in front of us gradually disappeared.

Cain: Hey, are you planning to take all of these?

Owen: Any complaint?

Cain: Well, it’s us who dug them up though.

Owen: There’s no telling what may happen if a weakling ignorantly touches powerful curse tools. Me taking them all may end up a blessing for you guys. You should be grateful instead, because nothing dangerous will happen to your precious Master Sage thanks to me.

Cain: Hey, Owen!

Akira: He’s gone just like that.

Cain: Jeez, what a troublesome guy. Even so, I appreciate that he talked about many things. I’ve learnt a lot. Sorry for dragging you into that with me.

Akira: That’s no trouble at all! Owen’s stories were interesting to me too. In any case, there’re still treasures left here.

Cain: That’s right. Shall we look around a bit more?

Akira: Oh, this bangle looks like it has been around for a while, but it looks cool. I think it suits you. Huh? The spot of a missing ornament here, it seems the pearl you found earlier would fit right in, doesn’t it?

Cain: Oh, the pearl with changing colors?

Cain rummaged around his pocket and took out the item that looked like a pearl he had found. Right away, instead of the beautiful colors, it darkened and became black.

Akira: …..!

[Tingling sound]

The pearl Cain took out grew all black and began to give off an ominous light. Then his arm moved towards the bangle as if being pulled.

Cain: Gladius procella!

The moment Cain cast his spell, there was the sound of metal being shattered.

Akira: The pearl and the bangle are split into two…

Cain: Sorry! I was careless. Are you hurt, Akira?

Akira: I’m alright. More importantly, what about…

Owen: Hey, there was the pressure of some powerful magic just now.

A voice called out behind us. We turned around and saw Owen, who seemed to have returned when we didn’t notice. He looked at us, his gaze full of contempt.

Cain: Uhm…

The sight of the broken bangle and pearl was explanation enough. Owen glanced at them and asked in a low voice.

Owen: Did you break those?

Cain: Huh? Yeah. It made my body move on its own. That gave me a bad feeling so I acted on instinct.

Owen: Unacceptable. The pearl and bangle were a first grade tool for curses.

Cain – Akira: Eh?

Owen: The tool would become effective when the two parts came together. The aura was diluted, probably because it had been buried for a long time, so I didn’t notice. That was an amazing find. I told you ignorant fools not to thoughtlessly touch anything, didn’t I.

Cain: Uhm, sorry…

Akira: (Owen’s seriously scolding Cain. What a rare sight.)

[A while later]

Akira: We didn’t know that bangle held such a power. It’s a relief that nothing serious happened.

Cain: Yeah, it’s a pity for Owen, but there would be trouble if something like that were used at the Magic Manor. Perhaps destroying it was the right choice after all. Anyway, this is for you, Akira.

Cain gave me a shard of the pearl that was broken into two. Even though it was reduced by half, the beauty was untouched, and the ever changing colors continued to delight us.

Cain: I broke the pearl when the magic’s activation was still incomplete, so this should be safe. Let’s keep it as a souvenir. Even if I don’t know its value, a pretty thing is a pretty thing in the end.

That was such a Cain way of thinking it made me smile widely. I picked up the shard and held it carefully in my palm.

Akira: Sure! Thank you, Cain! I’ll treasure it!     

 

Card episode: Thinking about the Banquet

Akira: Have you ever taken part in the Wizards’ Banquet Walpurgis Night?

Cain: No, I’ve never been to the real thing. I’ve heard about it, but it isn’t something I’m familiar with.

Akira: From what I’ve been told, each country has its own customs for the event.  

Cain: Indeed. Apparently, in Southern Country, people celebrate the arrival of spring together with the spirits and animals? The banquet we held with Rutile and the others in imitation of that was fun. While in the West, they drank and partied until morning with all kinds of people, and in the North, where it all started, Walpurgis Night is a wizard-only festival.   

Cain: I love pubs and festivals, so I think I’ll definitely enjoy Walpurgis Night.

Akira: Ahaha, I see. You know how to enjoy yourself, so I think whichever country’s banquet you are in, you’ll find your footing and have a great time.

Cain: Thanks for your kind words. It’d be great if that’s the case. Akira, when I have the chance to join a Walpurgis banquet, I’d like to attend it with you. For a party, the more the merrier, so I’ll invite everyone too.  

Akira: Sure, I’d be delighted to. I’ll hold you to it!