BXBX NOVEL Chapter 191 Barrier Game
"Actually... yes. Why are there so many barriers?" my dad asked with a confused face as he looked around.
From the moment we came to this room, every mage in this family aside from my dad started covering the room with a barrier.
Naturally, not everyone can see them but, every mage here knew there were at least twenty barriers just in this room.
And the one who started this was my grandma.
So, I looked at her, and she just smiled as if this whole situation was funny.
"Huhuhu. Well, I just put those there just in case someone would be eavesdropping on the conversation.
You know many things like Eon\'s ability, Celes or something like that is good with us, right?"
She was smiling brightly at this situation as if what was happening right now was something very exciting, and she had the eyes that planned to make this situation even more exciting.
Looking at Eon\'s father by her side, she asked, "So, Brian. What was your reason to put those four barriers?"
And in those words, a surprised expression appeared on my dad\'s face.
"Brian put four barriers? I could only perceive three, though." Dad asked with a confused expression and stopped eating.
Well, it was no wonder he couldn\'t perceive the fourth fire attribute barrier at the very first of the four.
He wasn\'t a mage, but his exceptional mastery of basic Mana and high affinity with sound attributes was the reason he could perceive most of the barriers in the room.
I was going to explain this one with an excited face but, grandma spoke up before me.
-Clap!
"Ok everyone~! We have a fun situation before us, so why don\'t we play a game?
The one who can tell the exact number of the barriers in the room right now, not only the one we put but also the one that already had and their locations will get this rock~!" She announced and took out a white rock from her storage ring.
This rock looked shiny, and... there was no need to tell anyone in this room, aside from Anna, what it was.
And I couldn\'t believe she had something like this, even though I was seeing this with my own eyes.
\'Eye of truth.\'
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◆ [Spirit calling stone]
~~~> A natural stone of dense spirit Mana stored in it.
~~~> The user can use this stone to call upon a spirit of the attribute you have the most affinity with.
~~~> The power within this one can summon a maximum of <Intermediate> ranked spirit, and the called spirit will make the decision to make the contract if they want to.
~~~> This is a good chance presented to you, and I believe you know having this spirit will mean you will have a new companion with you.
~~~> But, because of your too high affinity with darkness attribute, the spirit stone will only be able to summon a <Intermediate> ranked water spirit at most.
~~~> And having a water spirit partner will mean you can also use high water healing magic.
~~~> Good luck with the little test~!
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"Grandma..." I gasped while looking at this shiny white stone with a surprise-filled eye.
"Master... are you sure about this?" Eon\'s dad asked with questioning eyes.
On the other hand, Eon\'s mom had stars in her eyes while looking at that stone, which was somewhat different from Anna\'s.
"Wowy~! Can I have that pretty stone~?" She asked with a smile on her face and that smile... it was divine.
And anyone here could have given her this stone but, she can\'t use it now even if she wanted to.
But though she can\'t have it, she can definitely play with it until our little game was on.
And grandma had the same thoughts as me.
"Well, Anna is young, so she can\'t have it. But, here, you can give it to the one who wins this game, ok?" she declared with a smile and passed the pretty stone to Anna.
"Yei~! I will give the prize~!" The young one cheered with a face covered with chocolate cake cream.
She looked adorable... and everyone agreed with it.
I smile and looked around the room.
The participants of this game were... Alf, Eon, Eon\'s father, Alf\'s father, my father was already out so me, and lately grandma herself.
She loved these kinds of things and if she suggested this game, I knew she was confident that she could win back this precious stone.
Maybe she was underestimating us but, she has gambled something too precious to refuse.
These stones were something one can only find in places highly dense with spirit Mana and those places were mostly Elven habitats.
Although one could only summon a spirit with the spirit Mana and the process was harder than one can think, after signing the contract, the spirit was bound by the person so they could use any kind of energy, including Aura to materialize in this world.
Well, there were natural restrictions like spirit Mana being the best energy source and Aura being the most difficult thing to power these delicate things with.
But, we can use normal Mana in this process and although it would consume a lot of Mana and concentration, the effect would be outstanding.
And who wouldn\'t want to have a cute little spirit companion?
Anna would love it too.
\'Hehehe... grandma might have thought no one can see through her special barriers but I can see them very well~!
And although I can see them, I know I am not going to win this one. Not when he is here.\'
I sighed and looked at Eon who... strangely, had no special expression other than excitement.
And though there was a brightness in his smile just a moment ago, when he made a motion to read something before him, his face fall completely.
He sighed, disappointed by something on the status window of the rock he had seen.
\'Oh... yes. This smart grandma... she really is cunning.\'
My dear friend Eon, the guy can\'t use that thing even if he wanted to.
His having affinity with all six elements, and that too being a perfect balance, was something that would prevent him from having any spirit or similar thing that doesn\'t have all attribute affinity.
And I don\'t think there exists any spirit with all elemental affinities, and if they do, I know there are none that would be \'just\' a <Intermediate> level.
So... he would be out of the pictures? Like hell he would.
There was a fire burning in his eyes that wanted that stone in Anna\'s hand at all costs.
And another fire was burning in my grandma\'s eyes that she wasn\'t going to let anyone have it, even if she has put it up.
And these two... I knew the one who will win would be one of them.
"Ok, so, Theo. What do you think?" She asked Alf\'s dad first with a smile on her face.
He was also an exceptional wind mage and his affinity with wind attribute was closer to my water attribute, which was quite high.
With the dignified demeanor he always had, putting the spoon down, he looked around the room with his winds, which carried the special characteristics of \'gentleness\'.
The winds searched the entire room and then, in no time, he looked back at grandma on my side of the table and nodded his head with admiration.
"The twelve defense magic barriers, two from Alf, three from me, four from brother Brian, four from Elle, Four from Eon, and three from you? So, 32?"
Well, this was a close one, but not the right.
Grandma just nodded her head and looked at Eon\'s father.
"I think it\'s 34. There is a hidden defensive magic among the attack magic circles and though it\'s hard to detect, Eon put a barrier on the ground too."
As he said, this one was difficult to detect because of just how flawless the whole spell was set to block the shadow movements.
And though it was a (tier-3) barrier type spell, its construction was nothing like I knew was possible.
He couldn\'t have cast this one this soon so, this was definitely his (Script Magic) technique he said a while ago.
This really was amazing, just like him.
But Eon\'s dad\'s answer was still incorrect.
She looked at little Alf who had a disappointed expression from this whole thing and we can understand the reason for this.
"Worry not Alf. We are just playing a game. Tell us how many you can see and sense." She asked with a warm smile, and the little one nodded his head.
"I can only sense 28. The twelve dads mentioned, three that you are just showing us, uncle\'s four, three from sister Elle, three from dad, and three from brother Eon."
The little young soul had tears when he couldn\'t detect the barriers between mine and Eon but, something he said amazed me and everyone else who paid attention.
"What do you mean by the spells I am showing?" Grandma asked while putting her chin on her locked hands, and I smiled too.
She did this whenever she found something interesting, and it really was interesting.
"Y-you see. If we calculate the structure of the barriers and their positioning, there should be a fourth one just above your second earth type, metal attributed, iron-1223 barrier.
But I can\'t sense that one, so I don\'t actually know."
"Wow..." I exclaimed at his answer and even Eon had surprised eyes like me.
Grandma also nodded her head with surprise at his superb calculations and smiled with admiration.
"That\'s right. There definitely is a hidden barrier between the second and third one.
Those calculations are unique to you Alf. Cherish that talent.
You are amazing in your own way," she complimented him with genuine words and Eon also nodded at her words.
"That\'s right, Alf. Even I couldn\'t calculate something like that. You really are amazing~."
Eon\'s words were genuine and on these compliments, the young boy just shy away like the little 11-year-old he was.
And all the moms at this table found that cute.
But Eon wasn\'t finished with his words.
"Alf, listen here." He called him out with a suddenly serious expression and Alf looked at him with clear eyes, full of attention.
"Though you have the mind that can process like no other, you are wasting that enormous talent."
His sudden words were harsh and many eyes in the room opened wide on these words but... I instantly understood what he actually meant.