209th Chapter
65. The Magical Beast and the Magic Lamp
208 – The Magical Beast and the Magic Lamp #2
Whoooooosh.
My lips sucked in air faster than a vacuum cleaner, thanks to my stealth skill and fiery heart, which had trained my lungs for moments like this, allowing me to inhale endlessly.
“Urrghhh…!”
The body of Ra, which had been scattered like mist, stretched out like a cotton candy being pulled.
From his flustered reaction, it seemed my clever little attack was actually having quite an effect. With even more suction power, Ra let out an indignant shout.
“I’m being sucked in…! This, this can’t be! Just you wait!”
Swoosh.
Ra dove back into the lamp he had half-immersed himself in. Azidahaka, who had been flailing around, lay flat on the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
“Ugh, what the heck…! An opponent that can’t be damaged?”
—Right, he was immune to physical attacks. Ghost type, maybe?
I responded as if I were playing a game. Then I picked up the rusty lamp rolling on the ground.
—Hey, come out.
But no matter how much I rubbed and hit it, the lamp didn’t seem keen on showing its head, like a turtle retreating into its shell.
‘Should I try sucking it up again through the lamp’s opening?’
Just as I was contemplating that…
—Yingyiing.
Yingyi, who had been quietly observing us, approached and shoved his body into the lamp.
—Guuyiiiiing.
Yingyi’s fluffy cloud-like body slowly squeezed into the lamp through the open spout.
—Oh, it’s going in.
—Ying.
“Aaaah! What the heck is that!”
A loud scream echoed from the tiny brass lamp.
Bang, clang, clang!
I felt chaos erupt from the lamp, which rested on my front paw. It was like shaking a kettle filled with metal marbles.
—Guuyiiiiing!
Yingyi’s rough yet childish voice could be heard, followed by Ra being expelled from the lamp, looking flustered.
“Whaaaat!”
—Grrr…
Yingyi emerged from the lamp, growling fiercely.
“I-I get it! I’ll grant your wish! I give up! I surrender! Just do something about that strange creature!”
Ra, expelled from the lamp, clung to me with a face full of woe. But Yingyi wasn’t having any sympathy and pounced on Ra, gnawing at his head with his body.
—Guuyiiiiing!
“W-What are you doing to me!”
It was a battle of clouds and mist.
—Aren’t you being a bit too careless, considering it’s nature? You’re mist. Dew formed on the ground. And that guy can fly in the sky. There’s a clear hierarchy here!
“What the heck are you talking about! Aah, my body is weakening!”
As I watched Ra’s form blur as if being absorbed by Yingyi, I clapped my hands in delight. At that, Yingyi stopped his assault and flew back to me.
—Good, good job. You moved just as I intended.
—Guuyiiiiing.
I rewarded Yingyi with a pat, while Ra lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
—Well, you should have paid attention to your opponent.
“You try being betrayed by someone you believed in and then stuck in that tiny lamp for eternity. You’ll lose your mind like I did!”
—Right, got it.
Unlike the transcendent and relaxed demeanor of the divine being Adonai, this Ra appeared almost comically human. I didn’t know if “human” was the right term for him, though.
—So, you’re going to grant my wish now? How many wishes do I get?
“Only one wish…”
—Grrr…
“Three! That’s the maximum I can offer from Ojimann’s curse! Three wishes!”
—So, three wishes it is.
“Wishes that ask for more wishes or are beyond my power cannot be granted.”
—Understood.
Faced with the opportunity to make a wish, I was at a loss for what to say.
Looking around, I squinted at the sand and Totuga lying on the ground and Jack, who was sitting on the sidelines.
—This isn’t a wish, just a question. Are those guys dead?
“They’re just sleeping. They’ll wake up soon.”
—Alright, that’s settled. A wish…
While I pondered deeply, Azidahaka casually adjusted his attire and chimed in.
“Would you give me an Orichalcum bracelet?”
“Oh, that’s not difficult. It’s possible.”
Ra, who had been lying on the ground, lifted himself to clap.
Bang.
With that, a small explosion like fog occurred in the air, and something rolled underneath the floor with a thud.
Azidahaka picked it up, and the corners of his mouth curled up in joy.
“The yellowish-bronze color, it’s definitely Orichalcum! Wow, with this, controlling magical power will be much easier!”
“Now only two wishes left.”
—Oh my, seriously…. You used your precious three wishes to get a mere accessory? You wanted that badly? Right now?
“It’s not just a bracelet. This is Orichalcum, you know? You have no idea how amazing this is! Rabbit Alice boasted about this bracelet to me constantly!”
—I don’t know. Who is Rabbit Alice?
When I shot a reproachful glance at Azidahaka’s tiara, she subtly averted her gaze and cleared her throat.
“Cough cough, anyway, I was just checking if you would grant that wish properly, considering the guy just a moment ago was talking about catching me or something.”
—Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Now that we know, choose wisely for the remaining two.
Just then, I shrugged my shoulders, exuding a sense of helplessness.
—Guuyiiiiing.
Yingyi, who was resting on my front paw, cried out as if seizing the opportunity. Ra nodded, the spirit of the wish.
“Alright, I can grant that much.”
Clap, clap.
When Ra clapped twice, another small explosion occurred in the air.
Bang.
As the mist cleared, what rolled on the ground was something pretty solid. It turned out to be a fruit covered in fuzzy hair.
—Is this a peach?!
“It’s not just any peach. It’s a heavenly peach. Granting this wish required significant effort on my part.”
Ra nodded his head, satisfaction radiating from his face.
—Wait, Yingyi…
Now that I think about it, Cloudring Yingyi was the one who brought the heavenly peaches from the Bewitching Forest. The red-furred Monkey, Judah, mentioned that this Yingyi loved heavenly peaches the most.
—Was this what you wanted that badly?
—Guuyiiiiing.
Yingyi flew onto the heavenly peach lying on the ground and devoured the entire thing in seconds, leaving no seeds behind.
“Now, you only have one wish left. If you grant one more, I will be free.”
—No way, is this real?
From three options to just one remaining!
As I wandered through the closed and gloomy underground ruins, was everyone so devoid of rational thought that their gears had completely slipped?
“Come on, speak your last wish.”
—Hmm, in that case, turn me into a mythical creature like this guy.
I pointed at Azidahaka with my forepaw. If I became stronger, it seemed like a good solution to many problems.
“A mythical creature? I see you call beings like them that.”
Ra, the goddess with bronzed skin, circled Azidahaka, closely examining his tail, the horns growing from his head, and his two eyes.
“Indeed, I feel the energy of the beasts, akin to my brethren. A mythical creature, huh? An interesting term. So much has happened in the world while I was trapped.”
—So, is it possible?
“No, it’s impossible. That lies beyond my power.”
Ra shook his head, rejecting my wish.
—Then what is the limit of the wishes you can grant?
“Things like picking fruits or asking for a bracelet. I could have done more in my former self, but now, being sealed and cursed, I lack the strength.”
—What kind of divine prowess is that? I’ve gone through so much to make it here.
As I scratched my forehead out of frustration, Ra calmly replied.
“Divine prowess? You seem to have misunderstood. I and this brass lamp are not divine. That’s sealed with that despicable Ojimann, hidden somewhere that no one can reach.”
—Hmm?
According to Ra’s explanation, it seems he is nothing more than a weakling trapped in this brass lamp.
I expected the wish-granting lamp to be an ancient king’s treasure, but now I felt somewhat deceived.
Ra continued speaking.
“It’s hidden so that no one can find it. But I can lead you there with what little strength I have left. In fact, I’d prefer that. Please defeat Ojimann and restore my sealed power. Then I’ll grant you one more wish, whatever it may be.”
—Okay, that sounds good.
I nodded in agreement.
—Alright, then take us to where that king or whatever is.
“Ha ha ha. Perfect. I’ve been looking forward to this day, brother. Now, let’s go.”
From Ra’s body, which resembled mist, a fierce wind blew. Suddenly, the vast room filled with thick, murky smoke.
“What’s happening?”
—Whatever happens, it means we’re really at the end.
After a while, the thick fog that obscured everything gradually began to clear.
‘The location has changed?’
I was slightly surprised to find that the scenery before me wasn’t a room full of treasures. Instead, it was a vast, dark hall, roughly the size of a gymnasium.
“That’s a gigantic statue.”
In the distance stood a stone statue of a man wearing a giant crown, towering like the Statue of Liberty.
The large torch held in the statue’s hand softly illuminated the surroundings, and I quickly noticed a small, square object at its feet.
—A coffin?
It was an ornate metal sarcophagus, adorned with exquisite decorations. Given the blue and red hues, it seemed to be made of copper.
“That’s Ojimann’s coffin. Inside are his powers, and the divine gifts bestowed upon him and my brothers.”
I clicked my tongue as I stared at Ra’s coffin.
“Ungrateful creature. To stab me in the back after treating you so well. This is why I say one should never trust dwarves, whether they have long legs or short legs.”
Half ignoring Ra’s grumbling, I slowly approached the coffin placed beneath the statue.
—So, how do I open this?
I tried pushing the coffin lid aside and even listened closely, but the firmly sealed coffin didn’t budge a bit.
“Hey, there are some writings here. This might be an important clue.”
Azidahaka, standing beside me, pointed at the curled letters inscribed on the coffin.
—Can you read that?
“Ancient language, a deceased language that has already vanished. I can’t feel any magical power, so there’s no way for me to decipher it.”
—Wait a minute, this writing…
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen these squiggly, worm-like letters somewhere before.
—I need to wake those sleeping ones.
I looked at my companions who had arrived along with me through Ra’s ability. Approaching Jack, Sand, and Totuga, who were deeply asleep, I gave their cheeks a gentle slap to wake them.
—Wake up!
Slap, slap.
—Ugh, what happened…?
“Did you sleep well?”
Sand and Totuga rubbed their eyes as they woke up, blinking, still unaware of what had happened or where they were.
—You truly did it!
But unlike the others, Jack immediately shook off his grogginess and shouted with excitement and surprise.
—We really did it! Brother, we accomplished it!
—Don’t celebrate yet. There’s still one last step remaining. Go read what’s written on that coffin lid.
The lettering on Ojimann’s coffin resembled the strange map that Camel Jack carried around. The vibes from the letters seemed very similar.
Since Jack could read the letters on the map, perhaps he could read the ones on the coffin too.
Jack approached the metallic coffin, guided by me. Upon seeing the letters inscribed on it, his eyes lit up with an indescribable expression.
—This is definitely ancient script.
—Can you read it?
At my question, Jack nodded vigorously.
—Of course! I was waiting for this day…!
